Royal Downgrade
when we replace G-d with an inferior option things go wrong
I decided to write the second sermon reflection after all, when I learned that my clever and lovely friend JP delivered the Sunday sermon at my local church. JP preached on the story of Saul from 1 Samuel, and he delivered an important and relevant message for our times. So, this is the second sermon reflection for Sunday January 4th, 2026.
artwork :: The Sorceress of Endor, detail of The Shade of Samuel Invoked by Saul (Dmitry Nikiforovich Martynov, 1857)
In the book of 1 Samuel, the Israelites decide they want a king. Previously they had no king, and governed themselves as a loose confederation of tribes led by judges. Nations surrounding them had monarchs, indulged in idol worship, made child sacrifices, and the Israelites wanted to be like other nations. Yes, reader, peer pressure existed as a powerful force in Biblical times, apparently. The Israelites dabbled in idol worship and even child sacrifice, and so, establishing a human kingdom would complete the fulfillment their worldly desires. Samuel warns them about human kings — kings take take take take take. They have subjects which become enslaved to the king’s rule. Israelites have experienced slavery from which G-d delivered them, and so, why would they choose to turn away from Him, and run back to the shackles of a human king? Despite his misgivings, the prophet Samuel anointed Saul as the king of Israel. Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it, reader!
In the movie Bruce Almighty, Bruce says, hey G-d, you suck. G-d doesn’t defend Himself and gives Bruce divine power and lets Him be G-d. Bruce learns a powerful lesson — that things go wrong when we replace G-d with an inferior alternative, including ourselves. G-d disciplines us by allowing us to experience the consequences of our suboptimal choices. Perhaps that wrath of G-d has a mercy to it — we learn from our mistakes when we refuse to take heed of advice given.
artwork :: Gustave Doré, 1866
So, the Israelites ask for a king, and G-d doesn’t refuse them, instead He allows the Israelites to experience their desire. When we reject G-d, we get our way. Yet, He still throws us a lifeline, we still have access to His mercy, if we repent. However, if we continue to reject G-d, we end up forfeiting G-d’s blessings. Saul rejects G-d, He disobeys, he deflects blame, he justifies his sin. Saul doesn’t take responsibility, he doesn’t repent genuinely, his rebellion equates to divination — turning away from G-d, then seeking guidance from other sources. Saul forgets G-d, who rejects Him. Saul seeks out the Witch of Endor to summon Samuel, who rebukes him and delivers a disturbing and dire prophecy. Saul takes his own life by falling on his sword.
Contrast Saul with David, who also sinned, and who admitted to his sins, and in doing so, genuinely turned back toward G-d in repentance. Remembering leads to Obedience which leads to Prosperity. Forgetting leads to Idolatry which leads to Oppression. Persistent evil comes as a result of Forgetting (G-d). Remember so you may be blessed. In his 17th century book The Mortification of Sin, John Owen writes about how to kill sin — through vigilance, prayer, resistance (of the devil), reading the Word, listening to proclamation of the Word. If you want to be like Jesus it’s something you must do all the time.
We have a role to play—receipt or forfeiture of G-d’s blessings.
When we replace G-d with empires, with cult leaders, with dictators, with tyrants, with Napoleon wannabes and their Manifest Destiny — things go wrong, people suffer and die.
“The general human failing is to want what is right and important, but at the same time not to commit to the kind of life that will produce the action we know to be right and the condition we want to enjoy. This is the feature of human character that explains why the road to hell is paved with good intentions. We intend what is right, but we avoid the life that would make it reality.” — Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives