Monday, June 1, 2020


1 Samuel 13  (New King James Translation of the Bible)
5  Then the Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. And they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth Aven.
6  When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger (for the people were distressed), then the people hid in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in holes, and in pits.
7  And some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
8  Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.
9  So Saul said, "Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me." And he offered the burnt offering.
10  Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him.
11  And Samuel said, "What have you done?" And Saul said, "When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash,
12  then I said, 'The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the LORD.' Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering."
13  And Samuel said to Saul, "You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.

Note:  Saul had reason to feel compelled, and Samuel still said that it was no excuse.  One commentary (The Spirit Filled Life Bible) noted that God was still to be sovereign, not the king, and that Saul acted contrary to that command.  With great power and spiritual strength, great responsibility and great obedience is required, and Saul's faith was tested.  Surely, though we have far more ordinary lives than this King, our faith will be tested as well.  I suspect that for many of us it already has in one way or another..  Saul understood that God was going to instruct him through Samuel, and he needed to stand his ground even with everything falling apart.  It was in obedience that his authority as king was established.  King Saul waits, but gets impatient and takes matters into his own hands.  Apparently, if he had waited a little longer, Samuel would have arrived and Saul would have received the instruction he needed from the Lord.  Because of this, his lineage will not remain on the throne of Israel. 

Now note this does not remove Saul as king, that will come later, but it does establish that his lineage will not remain.  What does that mean for Jonathan?  In the next chapter we see that he is faithful, valiant and would later be a true friend of David.  The Bible says that we are responsible for our own sins, but Saul's failure changed the destiny of Jonathan, apparently.  It is a graphic example of how our obedience or disobedience to the Lord impacts the lives of others. 

For me personally, I have to ask myself if I have the same desperation for God that Saul should have had, but didn't?  If I know that I have to wait on the Lord, am I willing to wait even when the situation is deteriorating and I feel compelled to disobey?  Saul, after all, had reasons for feeling compelled.  Am I too hasty to get to a decision or a point of action to be still and wait on the Lord? 

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