In
1 Samuel chapter 13, King Saul has his defining moment; the point in
time when he must decide if he will trust God, or trust himself. The
life of Saul provides the ultimate example of squandering God’s
best. The chapter begins with an overview of the situation; Saul had
two thousand soldiers with him in the hill country, while his son
Jonathan had one thousand men with him to the south. The Philistines
had ruled over the entire region but as long as Israel remained
impotent the nation was tolerated. Later in the chapter we read,
“Not
a
blacksmith was found in… Israel… otherwise the Hebrews will make
swords and spears… Israel went down to the Philistines to have
their plows… sharpened“.
After Jonathan and his men attacked a Philistine outpost, “The
Philistines assembled to fight Israel” with
an army “as
numerous as the sand in the seashore“.
Outnumbered and unarmed, “the
men of Israel saw that the situation was critical… they hid in the
caves and the thickets“.
“Saul
remained in Gilgal and all the troops with him were quaking with
fear“.
From an earthly perspective, the situation was desperate. Perhaps
you know the feeling?
Under
this very real stress, we read, “He
waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to
Gilgal and Saul’s men began to scatter“.
This is King Saul’s time of decision. Saul said, “Bring
me the burnt offering and the fellowship offering”
and “Saul
offered up the burnt offering“.
Just as he finished, Samuel arrived. Samuel’s reaction is
profound, “What
have you done?”
Saul simply made excuses for his actions. Note that there is no
sign of repentance in Saul, though he clearly knew he disobeyed God’s
commands. The old priest immediately pronounced judgment, “You
have acted foolishly. You have not kept the commandments of the
Lord“.
“If
you had, He would have established your kingdom over Israel for all
time; but now your kingdom will not endure“.
What did Saul do that was so offensive to God? He took on the role
of the priest, thereby hijacking a position that can only be
God-given. There was to be only one King and Priest over Israel, the
coming Messiah; Jesus Christ.
Perhaps
the hardest thing to do in the Christian life is to wait. God’s
perfect timing never seems to be soon enough. Waiting for the right
job, waiting for the right spouse, waiting for the right home…
those times can feel endless and sometimes hopeless. According to
Romans 5:3-5, we need to realize that God is working out His perfect
plan through the process: “knowing
that tribulation produces perseverance;
and
perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Now
hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
There is no righteousness in just enduring trials. The previous
verse explains that by believing God’s promises, we receive His
peace. “Since
we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ“.
What this means for you and me is, God desires to forgive whatever
poor decisions we have made in the past and in the process giving us
His peace. All we need is enough faith to ask! What is keeping you
from God’s best?