Hoping For More
By Grant Gaines
The Ohio State University Buckeyes and the University of Michigan Wolverines have always hated each other. The rivalry has been so heated for so long that it seemingly goes all the way back to Genesis 1! Nowhere was this more evident than on November 23, 1968, when the two rivals lined up across from each other on the football field in Ohio Stadium.
Not only was this a rivalry game, it was also an extremely important game in terms of positioning for the national championship game. The Ohio State Buckeyes were the #1 team in the country and the Wolverines were #4. In the moment, this was arguably the most significant game these two rivals had played in their history.
The game started out the way most spectators would have expected it-hard fought. Both defenses came out strong, but as the first half wore on, the offenses got into a groove as the Buckeyes led at half 21-14.
The second half was a completely different story. What started out as an evenly fought battle quickly became extremely one sided as the Wolverines never scored again while the Buckeyes went on to put up video-game like points in the second half.
As the clock was winding down and the game was clearly in Ohio State’s hands, the Buckeyes scored yet another touchdown to make the score 48-21. What happened next will be forever remembered among the Ohio State and Michigan fans as long as the two schools exist. Ohio State went for two…and got it.
The Wolverines were outraged! You don’t go for a two-point conversion when you’re dominating a game like Ohio State was! That’s awful sportsmanship and a poor way to treat your opponent.
You can probably imagine what Woody Hayes, Ohio State’s head football coach, was asked about after the game by reporters-“Why did you go for two at the end of the game?” Woody’s response was classic-“‘Cause I couldn’t go for three!”
As hilarious as that story is, I believe it paints a pretty accurate picture of how many of us go throughout our days. We want to reach a certain number in our bank account, a certain weight on the scale, or a certain status in our friend groups only to be left with an even bigger empty feeling in our stomach as we did when we first began. Like a fire that quickly licks up the wood in its reach and is always hungry for more, our desires are always left wanting more.
More money, more awards, more clothes. More, more, more. The cycle never ends and leaves us chasing our elusive tails like a dog. So how do we break free from this endless cycle of wanting more? We look at the story of Saul in 1 Samuel 18 and do the exact opposite.
Saul was still in the first half of his reign as the first earthly king of Israel as 1 Samuel 18 opens up. He had already made some pretty colossal mistakes-one which led God to reject him as the king of Israel (1 Samuel 15). But despite his failures, his fear, and his shortcomings, the nation of Israel still held him in high regards and followed his every command.
This included the young shepherd boy that we all have come to know and love-David. David initially was introduced in the Bible in 1 Samuel 16, but it wasn’t until 1 Samuel 17 that we really get a glimpse of what this young man could do. I’m sure you remember the story…David vs. Goliath. And it’s right after this unfathomable upset occurred that the story we’re going to focus on today as 1 Samuel 18 picks up.
After David defeated Goliath, Saul did what any remotely intelligent Commander and Chief would do-he made David a key cog in his military leadership team. 1 Samuel 18:5 (NIV) tells us that, “Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the troops, and Saul’s officers as well.”
Times were good for Saul and the nation of Israel-they had just defeated their arch-enemies the Philistines, there was peace in the land, and Saul was returning home as a victorious king. This moment should have been the pinnacle of Saul’s reign as the king but as we continue to read the text, we see a new twist come on the scene.
“When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine [Goliath], the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres. As they danced, they sang: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands'” (1 Samuel 18:6-7, NIV).
And like a fragile piece of glass, Saul’s ego cracked right down the middle with that one little verse. Saul had killed thousands of Philistine enemies. Not just one thousand, but thousands. That’s an incredible feat! But Saul wasn’t satisfied with his efforts. Oh no, instead of being happy with killing thousands of enemies, all Saul could think about was the second part of their lyric-“David [has killed] his tens of thousands.
He was so consumed with this small, little lyric tucked in the middle of a victory song that the grateful women had intended to be a celebration of Saul’s victory that 1 Samuel 18:8 (NIV) tells us, “Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. ‘They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, ‘but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?'”
Like Woody Hayes and The Ohio State Buckeyes back in 1968, Saul wasn’t satisfied with a victory, he wanted something more. “And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David” (1 Samuel 18:9, NIV).
Saul couldn’t enjoy the triumph because he wanted the sole bragging rights. He didn’t want to share his glory with anyone else. He wanted the entire nation to give him all the credit. And because they didn’t, Saul lived the rest of his life-on the royal throne as he led God’s chosen people with every pleasure at his fingertips-in a disappointed depression because he was unsatisfied with what he had.
Can you relate to Saul in 1 Samuel 18? Sometimes it feels like you can have everything you want but still be left with a yearning for something more. You’re living the “American Dream” with your job, your car, your house, and your family but you still toss and turn at night because you have no peace where you’re at. If this describes you at all, let the words of 1 Timothy 6:6-7 (NIV) roll over your soul like a refreshing stream of water-“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of the world.”
You’re never going to find true satisfaction in status, salary, or stuff because God formed within you an eternal longing (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Finite stuff will never fill an infinite hole. The only thing that can fill that void is the infinite Father. Does He want you to enjoy this life, eat good food, laugh with your friends, and celebrate a new toy? Of course He does! But as 1 Timothy 6:17 (NIV) tells us, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”
God has given us stuff to enjoy in this life, but we would be wise not to put our hope in anything other than the Maker of joy, happiness, and satisfaction. If we don’t, we, like a grumpy Woody Hayes after dominating his arch-rival, will be left with the world in our hands but no joy in our hearts.
What are you putting your hope in?
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©Grant Gaines 2013
