The King Falters: Impatient Disobedience
For Meditation
Last week we saw that the Israelites were relentless in their demand for a king like the other nations had. When confronted with the threats of the Philistines and their desire for protection, they wanted to take things into their own hands, believing it would bring them freedom. Samuel warned the people that when they submitted to "little 'k' kings," they would find themselves back in slavery rather than in freedom. But even still, God allowed the people to choose, and he led Samuel to crown Saul as king.
We'll skip forward to chapter 13 this week. In preparation for worship, consider reading 1 Samuel 11-12, the chapters we'll skip, in order to get the full story.
This week, we'll read about Saul's first big mistake: the first time that he really acts like the kind of king that other nations had. It's what the people wanted, and what Samuel warned them would happen. In the face of fear, Saul took matters into his own hands and acted as if God would not. What might seem like a trivial mistake to us reveals that Saul is not willing to be the kind of king that God wanted for His people. As a result, Samuel tells Saul that his reign would eventually end, and that God would choose a different king "after his own heart" to rule eternally.
This story will leave us asking: what do we do in the face of fear, uncertainty, and when God delays in fulfilling His promises to us? We'll learn that Saul's problem is a very old problem, and that we are not too unlike him. And we'll also learn that our impatience is matched by the patience of God, and by His determination to provide true deliverance and freedom to His people in the form of the true King.
1 Samuel 13:2–14
2 Saul chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand were with him at Mikmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes.
3 Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul had the trumpet blown throughout the land and said, “Let the Hebrews hear!” 4 So all Israel heard the news: “Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel has become obnoxious to the Philistines.” And the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.
5 The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand[a] chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Mikmash, east of Beth Aven. 6 When the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns. 7 Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.
Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. 8 He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. 9 So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering. 10 Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.
11 “What have you done?” asked Samuel.
Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, 12 I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”
13 “You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”