GOATs of the Old TestamentSýnishorn

Is King Saul the GOAT in the Bible?

King Saul had it all, tons of potential, destined for greatness. But he flamed out bigtime. See for yourself what happened to this man with unlimited potential? What lessons can we learn?

Career Stats and Highlights:

• Elected the first King of the Israel – one of the longest lasting nations of all time
• Impressive “5-tool” man
• Killed thousands of enemy warriors
• Selected king even though no royal heritage
• He was tall and good looking

Saul was chosen by God and anointed by Samuel to be the first King of Israel. He Led Israel to prominence by captaining victories over the Ammonites, Philistines, Moabites, and Amalekites. Victory over Goliath eluded Saul, but was achieved through David, under Saul’s kingship. Saul was jealous of the popularity and success of David.

Saul deliberately disobeyed God's explicit commands and then lied about it. So God led Samuel to take away the kingship from Saul and anoint David as the next king. Saul died in shame during a battle against the Philistines.

Potential is a wonderful gift, but sometimes the burden is very hard to carry. Saul started his career as King with great promise – the potential to be a GOAT in the Bible. However, his inability to live according to God’s Word caused him to never achieve all that he could have. One lesson learned from Saul’s life is…

GOAT potential means nothing if you don’t follow the Word of God.

Developing the GOAT in You:

1. List people from your athletic history (teammates or opponents) who had amazing potential.
2. List people from your athletic history who achieved results “above their potential.”
3. What abilities has God given you in sports and in life?
4. What are you doing to develop these abilities?
5. What regular disciplines can you keep or add to your life, so you don’t miss all that God has for you?