WATCH THOSE FIENDS: THE LESSON OF SAUL (POEM)
Intro:
When God remembers us, favour and promotion become our portion. We might even begin to perform exploits. That is when we should heed the lesson of Saul.
[bctt tweet=”This is a poem with life lessons for when God elevates us.” username=”edithsmusings”]
WATCH THOSE FIENDS: THE LESSON OF SAUL
He had no yearning to become a king
He wanted no one his praises to sing
He was just a farmer, handsome and tall
But the prophet, Samuel, said he had a call
When the people gathered, he went to hide
After lots were drawn, he must have sighed
But many a man was impressed in his heart
He was fit to be king, he did look the part
So Saul was anointed, ascended the throne
He delivered Jabesh by vanquishing Ammon
Applauded and feted, then little by little
He felt he deserved it ’cause he had the mettle
The next assignment he blew to pieces
But how he saw it, he’d scored some aces
And built a monument to take the glory
Meanwhile, Jehovah, the LORD was angry
Confronted by Samuel, he did say, “I’m sorry”
But the way he said it made the prophet worry
He was caught up in pride, the respect of people
And the LORD said Saul from the throne he would topple
You would think that Saul would grieve and concede
But he lived like the throne was for him and his seed
He struggled to murder Jehovah’s replacement
He never remembered his former abasement
We must watch our lives, we must make amends
When ever so slowly, we espy the fiends
Conceit and rebellion overtaking our souls
E’re they drag us down to hell’s fiery coals
Ⓒ Edith Ugochi Ohaja 2017
[bctt tweet=”Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18″ username=”edithsmusings”]
[bctt tweet=”Rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is like iniquity and idolatry. 1 Sam. 15:23″ username=”edithsmusings”]
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Nice piece. I really needed this at this point in time because I am in a situation right now that all I really need to do is ask God for help, but I convince myself that I have some good reasons for not being remorseful. I pray with the inspiration from this, I can finally set the records straight.
Hi Solomon! You’re not alone in this. As long as we are living in these houses of clay, we are likely to err and we might not always readily admit it. But thank God for His Spirit at work in our lives to convict our hearts and help us pray appropriately to set things right. We are privileged to have a Father who loves us so much. Glory to His name.
This write up is essential for spiritual encouragement and motivation. I wish all christian youths will see and practise this.
I pray so too, Kelechi! God’s grace in all your endeavours in Jesus’ name.
This is very practical because we might depend on our strength sometimes and pride sets in… We just pray the Holy Spirit to keep us in check and Jesus Christ to keep us from falling.
Amen and amen. Bless you, Nedu!
An impeccably didactic poem this is, with a wonderful structure to love. Deeply instructive and apt in an age of full-blown and widespread pride and arrogance. May God give us the grace to always avoid those fiends and the harm they bear. Thank you, Ma for this one.
Hi! I’m just smacking my head now. I just realized who Sima Essien is. I always thought it was a lady. Sima! Nice name. But it has a feminine ring, don’t you think, guy? Thanks for your beautiful comment. You are soooo blessed!
What ever we have and are belong to God. All the days of our life, let’s always give his glory to him. One’s downfall sets-in whenever they start thinking they’re the ultimate, and not give credit to God. This poem really encompass a lesson to learn.
Thanks ma.
There is a saying that pride goes before a fall. People are always quick to pick up ego and just like garment, they clothe themselves with it. We should always endeavour to honour and give thanks to those that deserve them. God is the pioneer of our lives. To Him, we should first accord these respects.
Indeed, all thanks, honour and glory should go to Him before we acknowledge anyone else. Thank you, Chioma, and God’s abundant blessings on you in Jesus’ name.
Thanks for this moral lesson. Really, it is a great lesson for our youths.
And for the rest of us, my dear.
This is a beautiful poem, Edith. And true! Love this line as encouragement for all of us to watch out: “He was caught up in pride, the respect of people.”
Excited to have you here, Lisa! Thank God you like the poem. May God give us a heart like David who never puffed himself up even after God had lifted him up. Abundant grace on you and your ministry in Jesus’ name.
So well written, Edith. I was reading about Saul and quite sad by some of the things he did to ruin himself, he lost a good life by impatience..then evil entered him, and you said it so wonderfully, pride was his low point. So much lessons to learn from the poem..
Delighted to hear from you, my lovely friend. May God keep us humble all our days in Jesus’ name. Much love and blessings to you and your family, my dear.
this really is amazing, may God help us always to subdue pride
Amen. Glory to God and many blessings to you according to your heart’s desire.
I’ve been thinking of Saul’s pride and David’s humility recently. Saul often gave excuses for his actions, while David wholeheartedly repented when confronted and threw himself on the mercy of God. We can’t hide from God. God sees our heart. I often pray that God would keep me humble… pride can be so sneaky. Lovely poem, Aunty Edith! 🙂
Hi Carlie! Sneaky is the word, really. I pray that prayer often myself, esp when people start giving me credit for anything. All we have received is from God, all we have accomplished is by His power and wisdom. All glory rightly belongs to Him. Showers of blessings on you and yours, Carlie, in Jesus’ name.
This popular quote among us Nigerians come to play here – don’t forget the ladder with which you climb to that height. Even, when it comes to God we should be mindful of who He is (The Creator) and avoid choosing mammon to Him.
Great poem. Thanks for sharing it. I learnt quite a few things from it.
Glory to God!
Nice one! The rhyme scheme is dope and i really liked the rhythm. The poem serves as a cautionary tale for all of us.
Praise God!
this poem is short and inspirational. I love the quote “pride comes before destruction”
I love it too. Bless you, Tochukwu!
What a motivational poem? We, especially the leaders should learn how to be humble of heart at all times.
True, Levi. You ate highly blessed in Jesus’ name.
Thanks for making us know humility is key. Really blessed
Yes, it is! Bless you, Chiamaka!
Nice one!! We shouldn’t be too proud of ourselves when we get to the top.
Yes, we should give God all the glory no matter how many or weighty our accomplishments are. Have a blessed week, Chinyere!
awesome!!! i learnt alot from the poem.and i will act accordingly.God see me through……..
Praise God!
God chooses whom he wants to serve him,but this should not be taken for granted or for our own selfish interest.we should be mindful of Gods reason for keeping us in what ever position we find ourselves.
Very smart and nicely worded. A great poem Edith!
Thanks a lot, April! Glory to God! Hope you’ve been fine. Showers of blessings on you and yours in Jesus’ name.
this post really touched me, i realized that anyone can become like Saul. we may fall into the same trap as did Saul. yes, it’s not easy to continue being humble as he started out but with God’s help, i believe i could try.
Thought provoking piece. We have to know this. If we recognise he that made all things possible for us, pride in carrying out the task he has assigned us wont be an option. Let us use our positions for his glory rather than boast with it and make a mess of ourselves in his presence.
I really did love the rhyme scheme. The poem is actually thought-provoking. It made me reassess my life to know if there is any way I have erred. I also learned that God brings down the proud and exalts the humble.
This poem brings a reminder to so many things. One can relate it to the life of students who think they have arrived. A sober reflection is required to reminisce on one’s life and amend errors made.
A nice poem. We should avoid pride at all costs
Ma this poem is quite interesting. We should not be too proud of what we have or what are. We should always listen and obey the words of the Lord because he is the giver of all things.
This is a nice piece. Pride they say goes before a fall, we should learn to subdue pride and give all praise and honour to God at all times. Thanks for sharing this ma. God bless you.
A moral and inspirational poem which depicts the need for absolute humility in any position or situation we are in life. We should always abstain from pride because whatever status we find ourselves in was not really attained by us but was made possible by God and He can decide to withdraw us from such state the moment he realises that we have lost that sense of humility as displayed by Saul in the poem. Well done, ma.
Nice poem, there is need to always be humble not to raise shoulder or display a proud spirit which has made so many great men to fall.
Wonderful poem, it is true that pride goes before a fall. many of us act like Saul who thought he had everything and forgot the person that made it that way for him, which is not appreciating at all. I think we all have lessons to learn from this poem. God bless you, ma.
It is a bad thing to be proud of ourselves because destruction follows.
indeed pride goes before a fall, we as humans see ourselves in higher positions most times but is not a right to pride but rather when we humble ourselves,God will lift us up.
Pride goes before a fall.This is an inspirational poem which tells us that God giveth and he taketh.So when we are blessed with a gift,we should use it to the glory of God.
I love the poem. I learnt that God’s gift should not be an excuse to embrace pride. God loves humility. Our position today is God’s disposition. Remain blessed.
Thank you very much mum. Obviously, pride goes before a fall and humiliation goes before upliftment. God hardly offers good positions to the proud so that it may not be abused.
pride leads to the downfall of a man just as seen in the case of saul in the bible, so we should be careful of the way we carry ourselves and ensure that it is void of pride.
This poem is a nice one. Pride indeed is a gradual process to the downfall of a man. It might not be known but it is tiny and can go a long way in jeopardizing one’s image. Saul as the subject was full of pride. He was full of himself. In all, we should be careful of how we carry ourselves, for the bible says, “God will uplift the humble and bring down the proud”.
Indeed as they say, pride goes before a fall. One should be careful of the friends we go with as they can either make or mar us.
God please remove any form of pride from my life. Make me your instrument so that I can please you. This is a life-changing poem.
pride goes before a fall, we tend to forget the author and finisher of our faith during success and forget he lifted us from grass to grace.
Wow! This is so inspirational. there is a saying that pride goes before a fall. in serving God, one should be meticulous that is to say, one should abstain from pride and embrace humility and all and sundry would check out..,.
Saul was a good man but he became bad and in so doing became a cautionary tale for everyone living not only in our era but in other epochs after this one.
God raises a man from dust and makes him king but pride pulls him down.
Everyone has a purpose on this earth and Saul’s purpose was to rule his people by first of all becoming king, but because of his pride, he started straying and when God tried to make him know his fault, he continued to stray until his destruction.This tells us that everyone Is made for a reason and in order for us to carry out this purpose, we need God by our side.
pride sometimes creeps in, even without our notice. so we should always watch out for the signs of pride especially when God blesses us.
The poem was beautifully written. An exquisite piece. Telling us about Saul and his rise and fall as an appointed king of Israel. This is necessary for spiritual uplifting and also an admonition to those who are in power and those aspiring to be in power one day.
Saul easily forgot that he was just a farmer, before being anointed king. He held on to the throne like it was meant for him and his descendants only. We all need to assess ourselves at sone points and check how we are living our lives.
“Let he that thinks he stands, watch lest he falls.” this poem came to me as a reminder. it reminded me that no matter how humble I think I have become, that I still need to be on a daily look out for pride because Pride can be correlated to cancer. One never knows when it comes in and a Radiation Therapy session might never kill it. To Saul, he was powerful and God was with him, but he never knew that pride had already eaten deep into his bone marrow. I really loved the poem because it reminded me of my everyday battle with pride, it reminded me to be relentless, to never faint. it reminded me that the only thing that can come between the love God has for me is pride because God hates the boastful but loves the humble. we all need to be on a daily look out for pride or we will end up like king Saul it is our decision to make. thanks to the writer for the warning.
Storyline of this piece talks of King Saul who was sober initially but turned recalcitrant over time.
The poem has lots of poetic effects that could melt a stony heart. The rhyme scheme rings a loud bell that could call the dead back to life… Very intelligent piece ma, even this very popular story is represented in a new and interesting manner that unveils lessons enclosed…
So nice. We should always be careful of ourselves not to let pride come into us especially when it affects our relationship with GOD.
A NICE POEM! It’s a message for everybody- the leader and the led. Everybody should be careful of a haughty spirit.
What an instructive and moralizing poem. May God reward you Ma for all your relentless efforts in trying to imbibe knowledge and moral on us. May the Lord never cease to shower you with his unending grace.
very nice write-up. this is a poem filled with moralizing thoughts which most people need in our present generation. When God lifts you up, the glory should be His and not ours.
We should always remember the point we started from for that will cause us not to be moved at the height at which we’ ve come to reach in life. As the proverb, pride goes before a fall, it can happen to anyone who allows it.
Saul is an epitome of people with forgetfulness of their etymology, origin or source, when material items are being accumulated. We should therefore be careful and always pray for God’s wisdom to handle such situations.
Etymology, lol! Bless you, John!
Nice story, ma. We should not let pride or mere things overcome us, and we should always learn how to say sorry and mean it at all times.
Kings Saul is showcased as one who was elevated to a high status against expectations. he allowed the elevation to get to his head and made some costly mistakes. when he was confronted by the prophet Samuel, he could not humbly admit his fault until he lost the throne
Saul became swollen headed after becoming king. he pandered to the caprice of his people and army generals instead of God who gave him the mandate. when he was corrected, was humble enough but gave excuses which i tag self-righteousness.
humility is very important in. life. we should learn how to acknowledge our wrongs and say sorry no matter our status in life. pride prevents us from getting close to God.
Pride really goes before destruction. We should ask God for total humility in our life. Remain blessed, ma.
: Pride goes before a fall. Ma, can I share something with you? I have seen my first semester results and they were wonderful all to His glory and now I feel too big and lazy to study. I feel that since I did well, I can always do well. Thanks to God that this is coming now. I have come to understand that whatever I am now, it’s His will. I pray for the grace to remain humble.
Hi Chiamaka! Praise God you caught that smugness right on time. It would have hurt your performance in the second semester and subsequent years. And I say a big “Amen” to your prayer. The Bible says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.”
Pride goes before a fall. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Success comes through humility and obedience to God…… Nice one ma,
Praise God! May God enable us to be meek like Christ in Jesus’ name that we might be fully blessed for the Bible tells us that “God opposes the proud.”
God does not look at the outer side of man but the inner part when it comes to choosing whom he want to use on earth.. He is an omnipotent God, he knows us more than we know ourselves. Shalom!
This poem is lovely!
It is so true that pride takes us no where..we should always remain humble!
PRIDE!
Something that keeps preventing this human race, from gaining God’s ever flowing goodness, love and kindness.
May God give us the grace to never see PRIDE as an option, but to embrace humility, so as to gain all the goodness he has in store for us, Amen.
Pride comes before, we should always remain humble even if we are at the top and hope to always go up higher by the day, pride can’t make us a better person than who we are already, nicely written God bless MA
Very true words ma. Thank you. Food for thought to all. Pride is destructive and can rub a great person of his destiny. God looks at the state of the heart of a man and he would exalt a humble man.
pride is a time bomb embedded in us all, waiting to explode. we either detonate it before it does or bear the consequences.
Pride is a very bad thing..we should be very careful of it for it enters people without them noticing it..humility in christ is the best and a good thing
God can actually pick is from dirt as far as he it is his will to do so, therefore we should always be watchful and humble every point in time
Being friends with the right kind of people has its own benefits as it sets you on track to becoming a good person. As humans we should not become proud or pompous but rather humble ourselves before God and man.
Before the fall of man comes pride. Pride is one thing that can effortlessly mar someone. May we never be too proud to say “I’m sorry” or acknowledge we did wrong
This is beautiful, Creatively crafted and quite inspirational!
What a beautiful, thought provoking, wonderfully worded piece! Often, we let our pride over shadow us, but if we can learn to say sorry when we’re wrong and mean it, then I believe our relationship with God and with man will be strengthened. Thanks for giving us this poem as a reminder ma
The story of Saul has a lot of lessons and morals it teaches. Where ever position you find your self, always acknowledge God almighty and listen to his voice because only him can choose and destroy. Bless u ma.
Inspirational,live in favour of your soul so that you will not be disappointed
Nicely written ma’am. A lot of Youths should have access to this. It will help shapwn our moral lives.
Indeed pride goes before a fall and adds nothing good to us. Hence, let’s imbibe humility which is the source of all virtue
Wow ma, am blessed the poem is enriched with rhyme…It is good to admit one’s fault and seek for apology.
may God help us to live a life of humility and also just like David, help us to always fall on our knees and ask for forgiveness each time we err. This is because, kings and mighty men have fallen because of pride and many would still fall, but they that know their God and how to please him shall stand.
This serves as a reminder.
The present world is filled with pride ,wanting more and being ungrateful .
Most of the men of God forget that they started some where , that God called them to take care of his sheep , apart from pastors , a situation where an extremely poor person is blessed by God most forget to return the glory to God and even claim its there handwork that finally clicked .
Another case is the ten lepers in the bible, we all know how it ended .
So every body including I should endeavor to always appreciate God, always remember that we are successful or alive is not our own making , we shouldn’t be like saul who later saw himself as the owner of his successful life or even Harold who saw himself as god.
Oh! Wow! This piece has taught me that When God begins to bless us and give answers to our prayers, we shouldn’t get too comfortable and let pride take over because all we have was given to us by him
Some people have used God’s blessings as a means to oppress people and thus forgot how God blessed them from nothing. This post serves as a warning to those who have forgotten the Lord and all christains so that they won’t make the same mistake. God opposes the proud.
God’s gifts and blessings are often abused by humans, we often that God can take it away at any time. we must never forget how we started, how we began. God help us to always remember.
I took cognizance of pride and avoided it even when I didn’t know what it really means. Watching my mum as she seriously scolded my elder bro. during those days, made me to completely stay away from it (pride). It really goes before a fall and I hope that others learn from experience too. Thank u ma.
Am highly encouraged. It is of purpose we endeavour to honor and give thanks to the almighty God cause he is the giver of everything. Being humble is necessary and a quality God admires….
As we pray to be great, famous, influential, let us also pray to God to give us the grace not to misbehave as a result of our wealth or power. Power and wealth can easily get into someone’s head, intentionally or otherwise. So it is only God that can help a rich man to make heaven.
Thank you ma for this beautiful poem. Humble yourself because it paid more than pride. Also don’t take the glory of God because it will attract the wrath of God.
The poem just taught me that no matter what we are in life that we shouldn’t be full of pride or allow pride to control us.
Just like the saying goes “pride goes with a fall”if you are full of yourself too much you will not only fall but also be the fall itself.In everything we do,we are,we should put God first in all our endeavours. We should learn to humble ourselves so that we will be lifted.
I guess after pride comes the fall, we tend to forget where we started and get so engrossed in the moment, which is bad.
The proud never go far in life, we should always be humble in our endeavors because God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. Power corrupts and the wrong use of power can mar one’s image therefore we should try as much as we can to avoid being proud and recognize that all glory goes to God..
A take home lesson indeed,at God help us to be able to humble ourselves before God and before men.
Pretty poem. The life of Saul is a simple example of life of some people. Some people, their position or what they have got into their head and they became pride and proud.
But the trust stand for sure that pride is a grave of downfall but, humbleness is a gold of success and progression
What an interesting poem, we as christians should not have pride cause the proud never go far in life, we should always be humble in all our doings because God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.May God give us the grace to always avoid those fiends and the harm they bear.
Saul let his power control him forgetting that he didn’t deserve it at first.