So they asked the Lord, “Where is he?”And the Lord replied, “He is hiding among the baggage.”.  (1 Samuel 10:22 NLT)

Commentators have often said that this incident showed the early modesty or humility of Saul.  It is possible to start on the right path and end up on the wrong one.  It is never right to allow our inadequacies to limit God’s sufficiency.

Israel had requested a King and Saul was chosen by the Prophet Samuel.  Samuel had anointed Saul and explained to him that he was appointed to be the leader of Israel by God (v. 1).  The signs of his calling were confirmed as he prophesied among the prophets (vs. 9-11).  There was no question about his calling, yet when it came time to be publically proclaimed as the King, he was hiding among the baggage. Why?

Samuel may give us some insight into the root of Saul’s problems.  In 1 Samuel 15:17, the Prophet says, “Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel?”  Though Saul was a giant of a man, he was small in his own eyes. Today we would call this a low self-image.  We all know that in ourselves we can do nothing. Yet, if we do not turn that coin over and say, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13), we will never become what God wants us to be.

You may not be what you think you are, but what you think, you are.  It is never humility to say you can’t when God says you can.  Are you hiding among the baggage?  If you are, then you are following King Saul in his destructive path to failure.

I worked for seventeen years as a missionary with Youth With A Mission.  My missionary work has taken me to Mexico, Canada, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Spain, and Ukraine.  I hold a Masters of Education in curriculum and instruction from Virginia Commonwealth University.  [email protected]