So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together. — 1 Samuel 31:6
As I trained to be a paramedic, there were many interesting things that I had to learn. While there were normal things, like starting IVs or giving medications, there were things that I really had not considered. We were trained for a wide variety of scenarios, but I remember one training specifically. It was about hazardous materials and how careful we needed to be in response to such an incident.
For the rest of my life, I’ll never forget the words of the instructor. He would remind us that if we came across someone unresponsive in an area where hazardous materials were located, we should not rush to them. We had to take our time and make sure the area was safe. But he also said the words, “If you rush in, refusing to listen and trying to be a hero, you may take everyone else down with you.”
It was a great responsibility that we had in order to keep ourselves and each other safe. We were responsible not just for ourselves, but all of those around us. Others were depending on us and with one bad move, we would all perish.
As I reflect on the life of Saul, I always think about this verse. Saul, his sons, his armourbearer, and all his men, they all perished on the same day together. I believe that it could be said that because of Saul’s sin, he took everyone else down with him.
There are decisions that we make in life that do not affect just ourselves. They affect our families, friends, and others around us. Saul made bad decisions and sinned. His sons and others around him followed him and perished because of those decisions.
We either influence those around us toward God or against Him. Are we leading others to a life for God or into a life of sin? Our desire should be to live for God and point others toward Him. But if we refuse to live for God, it’s possible that we take those around us down with us into a life of sin. It’s a sobering reminder of the importance of living for God!
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