Are You Coachable? (Part 1)
Are You Coachable? Part I:
I Samuel 10:8
I Samuel 13: 1-14
This is the start of a short series asking the simple question; are you coachable? For many of us men, the answer is easy. Whether the answer is a simple yes or no, we know what we are and more importantly, what we are not. For others the answer is not so simple. One may think they are able to be coached, when truth is told, the answer is they are not. They do not take being coached or criticism easily. Translating this into today’s marketplace, this is a valuable piece of information, for you as a man, a provider or as a possible employer. Are you able to easily take instruction, direction, criticism and leading from another, or do you have the belief that you consistently have the appropriate answer which negates the need for another’s guidance?
In this week’s reading, we again focus on the life of Saul, the first King of the Israelites. Saul ruled the nation of Israel for over forty years. Saul was what one might call a “warrior king”. He was constantly at war with this or that nation. Early in Saul’s reign, as we look in the tenth chapter of I Samuel, the Prophet Samuel asked King Saul to wait for him at Gilgal in seven days. Now as we zero back in, relative to this week’s reading, Saul had taken a total of 3,000 men to fight the Philistines. Saul lead 2,000 men to the hill country of Bethel and his son Jonathan lead 1,000 men and headed for the land of Benjamin. Jonathan and Saul were victorious in their defeat of the Philistines. Now pay careful attention here….is God anywhere in Saul’s thought process? No, I agree with you. I didn’t think so either.
As the Philistine forces continued to congregate and grow in great numbers, many of the Israelite warriors were literally quaking in their boots with fear. Many simply fled the scene. While waiting for Samuel, Saul fearing the worse, decided he needed to do something and fast. As the seventh day was upon them, Saul was convinced Samuel was not coming. So he (like many of us) decided to take matters into his own hands. He, himself called for the burnt and peace offerings and he and not Samuel, proceeded to sacrifice the burnt offering. As he was finishing up with the burnt offerings in front of him, who showed up, but the Prophet Samuel (within the seven day time period; just not in King Saul’s time period) .
As the two met, Samuel questioned Saul on his actions. Saul seeks to make Samuel believe he had done the right thing by taking matters into his own hands, disregarding God and Samuel’s previous direct instructions. But the Prophet Samuel wasn’t buying anything that King Saul was selling that day. Samuel was so disgusted with King Saul’s blatant disregard for not following instructions, he told Saul that had he followed the instructions God had given him, his leadership over the kingdom of Israel would have lasted forever. As a result, now God was already taking steps to replace him because he would not listen or follow instruction.
Pretty harsh words, yet ones I believe we all need to hear. In today’s hurry-up, “it’s all about me society”, it is wise to listen, pay attention and take instruction. Another words; the ability to be coachable. It is pretty clear King Saul did not ascribe to that philosophy and it cost him dearly. He lost his kingdom and eventually his life. This tragic set of events was all about his inability of taking instructions from others.
As we close this week, I must ask you a hard and thought provoking question: are you one to listen and take instruction in other words ‘are you coachable’? Or are you one who believes they have all the right answers and the self-sufficiency to be successful. I would ask that you think long and hard about the answer, as it could very well cost you your life, your career or your relationships as it did King Saul.
Until next week, remember the ability to be “coachable” is a choice, only you can make and I pray you make the right one.
Walking with you,
