Scripture Reading(s)
1 Samuel 13:8-14
8 He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him.
9 So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering.
10 As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him.
11 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,
12 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.”
13 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.
14 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[a] over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
Reflections
In this passage we see Saul act out in disobedience to the counsel he was given. The Philistine’s had gathered strength in numbers and instead of adhering to what words of Samuel, given to him by God, he acted on his own accord. In 1 Samuel 10:8, Saul was told “Then go down before me to Gilgal. And behold, I am coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do.” This is what was to be done in the case of extremity and instead of waiting for Samuel, Saul offered a sacrifice without him, though he was no priest or prophet.
When he was confronted with his disobedience, instead of responding with a heart of repentance, he justified his actions. He goes further to say that he wanted to find favor with God, excusing it as a supposed act of piety. Saul’s heart was not connected to the sacrifice he was giving, his love for God was seen to be more of an outward act rather then inward. Samuel harshly rebukes Saul in saying that those who disobey the commands of God, are foolish and in Saul’s case, he was his own worst enemy.
Our attitude towards obeying or disobeying God are shown in our behavior in things that are both big and small. When one reads this passage, they can say that what Saul did was not something that required a harsh consequence. Yet, God expects us to follow and obey Him in all that we do. When we choose to disobey God, regardless of how we weigh it out, it is still an act of rebellion.
God had provided Saul with a way in which His faithfulness would come about through the acts of Samuel. Today, God provides for us His word and other followers of Christ to also help shape and keep us accountable in following after Him. When we choose to obey God we are declaring that we trust in His goodness and faithfulness in our lives. In doing so, we experience the working hand of an all loving and sufficient Savior.