2nd.: Saul, A ‘What if’ Prayer
It is dangerous, yet helpful, to ask 'What if' questions.
For example,
‘What would have happened if Saul had done something different?’
1. "But now thy kingdom shall not continue.” (1st Sam. 13:14a), and
2. “The Lord has rejected thee from being king over Israel” (1st Sam. 15:26b).
When Saul heard these two decrees,
What would have happened, if Saul had offered,
“Lord, if you do not want me to be king anymore,
I shall put my kingly affairs into order, step down, and go back to farming.”
One a personal note, this author was not doing a good job being a graduate teaching assistant
to college undergraduate students.
The professor confronted me about this.
I offered to give up the TA position to someone, who had just asked that professor,
if he had any TA positions open.
The professor said, "I don't want you to quit!"
With that word of rebuke, and encouragement,
I went on to be a better TA.
The Bible gives several instances, where someone humbled themselves before the Lord,
and the Lord showed them mercy.
Kings Ahab, and Rehoboam, are two such examples.
Although they did not offer the kingdom, they humbled themselves in the eyes of the Lord.
And God showed them mercy (see 1st Kings 21:25-29 & 2nd Chr. 12:1-14).
What would the Lord had done if Saul had offered to give the kingdom back to the Lord.
It is dangerous to speak for the Lord, if he has not already spoken.
However, we, who are still alive, still have the option to offer to give 'a position' back to the Lord,
“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” (James 4:10)