Broken Integrity
Self Aware – Part 1

Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 24:8-19

Key verse: 1 Samuel 24:17

“You are more righteous than I,” he said. “You have treated me well, but I have treated you badly.

Today’s scripture is about King Saul and his jealousy of David.  God had appointed David to be king after Saul but it was difficult for Saul to see David being more blessed than him.  King Saul had been blessed by God and enjoyed a good life with many victories.  It is a sad story of how this once blessed man ended his own life.

David understood himself and the work of God in his life.  He did not need to promote himself or be jealous of others.  David had a couple of chances to kill King Saul.  He could have justified it easily.  King Saul had become so jealous of David that the king was determined to kill David.  In one incident, after King Saul realized David could have ended the king’s life, he cried out, “You are more righteous than I…you have treated me well, but I have treated you badly” (1 Samuel 24:17).  The king was having a moment of self-awareness that revealed his own broken self-worth.

King Saul ultimately fell on his own sword to end his life.  It did not need to end this way, and I believe it broke the heart of God that it did.  We are all God’s children and it breaks His heart when we don’t see our worth to Him.  There is no need for jealousy of others; you are worth more to God than you can imagine!

Father, I praise you for your compassion and mercy to me.  I will live today with a sense of worth because of your love to me.  In Jesus’ name, amen.