1 Samuel 14:52. "There was hard fighting against the Philistines all the days of Saul; and when Saul saw any strong man, or any valiant man, he attached him to himself."

Saul was the first king of Israel, chosen by God at the request of the people (over God's warnings, see 1 Samuel 8:9), and anointed by Samuel. As its first king, Saul had the daunting task of securing Israel's safety at a time when, as has been true throughout history, Israel was surrounded by enemies. Therefore, Saul had to engage in "hard fighting" to protect his nation and establish his kingship and he gathered men about him to accomplish this.

There is nothing wrong with Saul choosing strong and valiant men to be at his side, but I see this passage as a hint of the way in which Saul will eventually fall. Saul was too concerned with appearances - with what others thought of him and how others perceived his leadership. This led him to underestimate David, who was no more than a boy when God told Samuel to anoint him as Saul's service successor, but more generally, it led Saul to not see the true value of people, focusing instead on certain qualities that Saul prioritized because he wanted to see those qualities in himself. Strong and valiant men are a good force in any army, but their advice must be tempered by other voices, voices of those who have different experiences and strengths.

We all see the world through our own experiences. Physically strong and valiant men often see it as something needing to be conquered, tamed, and/or controlled. When many of these kinds of men are brought together to counsel a king, without countering voices, the king can start seeing the world the same way. It is essential to any group, but especially to a government, to have various points of view being heard. If Saul had also drawn to himself some people like David, people who were not as seemingly strong on the outside, but who were deep thinkers with deep faith, he could have been a great king.

The lesson for us here is not to allow ourselves to create our own echo chambers. We must listen not only to people with whom we agree, but also seek out virtuous people who will challenge us and our way of thinking. They may counter our preconceived notions of the world in ways we can't imagine, but must hear to be successful in our mission.