Polluted by the people's sin

Samuel warned that the people's sin would destroy the people and their king.

Thus, the people end up destroying all the institutions they have constructed to try to suppress the consequences of sin in their society.

We have seen how Saul's sin provoked the people to sin, and the people's sin provoked Saul to sin. Saul disobeyed God's commandments to appease his people, and God rejected him as king over Israel.

Saul and his people were entangled in their sin, showing the truth of God's Word: "thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil," and "evil associations corrupt good conduct."

This real-life example of the sympathetic resonance between the sin of Israel and the sin of king Saul is a sharp contrast to our Lord Jesus' interaction with His people!

Hebrews describes Jesus as "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners." That doesn't mean that Jesus separated Himself from His people, but rather that He was never polluted by the sin of His people whom He has saved.

The sins of the Lord's people could not pollute Jesus, or tempt him to disobedience, or cause Him to stumble or morally besmirch Himself in any way.

It is crucial that we always keep in mind this stark distinction between our leaders and our Savior, between our earthly institutions and Jesus Christ.

We ultimately destroy, by our sin, our own institutions and leaders.

But we can never destroy, by our sin, our Blessed Redeemer!

The One Who made all things, and gives all things life, our Creator, our Redeemer, could not be paralyzed into inaction by leprosy, or a little blood, or even death itself. By His power He makes clean what was polluted, makes whole what was diseased, & makes alive the dead!