The Israelites and Philistines were bitter enemies. They often fought each other, with the Philistines oppressing the Israelites due to their stronger military power.
The Israelites were scared for their lives, and many soldiers deserted Saul’s army.
Saul treated God like a lucky charm or a magical being who could help them. He wanted God’s blessing and believed that if he sacrificed, God would aid them against the powerful Philistines.
Earlier, Samuel had told Saul he would join him for a sacrifice. When Samuel seemed delayed, Saul didn’t wait and performed the sacrifice himself. He feared more of his men would desert, leaving him with a tiny fighting force.
So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings. ” And he offered the burnt offering.
As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him.
Samuel said, “What have you done?”
And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash,
I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord. ’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering” (1 Samuel 13:7-12).
We can all see a bit of ourselves in Saul’s actions. Instead of waiting for God, we often take matters into our own hands. Trusting God means having faith in His timing. But if God doesn’t act how and when we want, we tend to try things on our own.
That’s what Saul did, and it ended badly for him.
And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.
But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you” (1 Samuel 13:13-14).
We will soon be introduced to a man after God’s own heart. This person is someone chosen by God, who genuinely cares about God’s interests.
The Israelite king was considered rightful only if he represented the King of kings; otherwise, the Lord would reject him.
Reflections
Saul’s story gets darker and darker as we turn the pages of 1 Samuel. We do well to recognize our behavior in his story.
In this instance, Saul was not willing to wait on the Lord. Rather than following God’s instructions, he took matters in his own hands. The sacrifice was an indication of his attempt to manipulate God into giving him the results he desired.
The question for us is whether we are unwilling to follow God’s directions and/or wait on His timing. We also should examine our motives and see if we attempt to manipulate Him from time to time.
Paul’s counsel in Romans provides excellent direction.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:1-2).
(1) When we give ourselves to God as a living sacrifice, we declare that He is the King and we are not. This should help us overcome the urge to move ahead without discovering God’s presence and direction.
It is also difficult to manipulate the Master when we serve Him in a sacrificial way.
(2) If we are conformed to the world, then Saul will be our patron saint of bad behavior.
When we renew our minds by listening for the voice of God and following His directions, we wil know God’s will and be able to follow it.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed all of 1 Samuel 13 on YouTube today.
Real Voices 