The Old Testament Saul always troubles me.
He is not to be confused with the Saul in the New Testament(that's the one that later became known as Paul); the Saul in the Old Testament was also the first King of Israel.
He started out very humble but soon acquired God's disfavor.
The thing that troubles me is that I do not want to be like him and sometimes I think I am.
Did you ever notice how people are always talking about the Disciple of Jesus known as Simon Peter? It seems acceptable for one to compare himself with Peter and talk about how much they are like him.
Peter was very human and he did do goofy - much like most of us do. But we think that it ended well with Peter . . . at least as far as his relationship with God.
Things did not end well for Saul.
In 1st Samuel we find Saul in a situation that looks vaguely familiar to me - especially in those times when I feel "boxed in" by my circumstances.
He was into the second year of his reign, perhaps he was beginning to feel that he was established as king so he allowed his troops to go home except for 3,000 men.
He took 2/3 of them and gave the other thousand to his son, Jonathan, and they went to different locations.
About that time, Jonathan and his team must have gotten overzealous . . . they apparently attacked a garrison belonging to the Philistines, arch-enemies to the Israelites. This made those Phillies mad and they gathered their troops for war. They had quite a war machine... ten times as many chariots as Saul had troops, not to mention another 6,000 horsemen and an army of foot soldiers that seemed innumerable.
Folks were scared.
The fear became contagious and Saul's "revolutionary guard" began peeling off and heading home. . . or across the border (it's true - read it for yourself!)
In an earlier chapter, we learned that Samuel (still the nation's spiritual leader) ran a "circuit" throughout the major cities of Israel.
It so happened that Samuel was due to land in Gilgal in one week so Saul went there with his dwindling army. He wanted Samuel to offer a sacrifice and bring God's blessings on his troops.
They waited a full week.
Samuel did not come.
Patience does not abound when you pile up a bunch of fearful folks.
Somebody had to do something!
Saul did something. Today, he may have been applauded for trying.
Saul offered the burnt sacrifice - it wasn't his place to do that. He went outside of his God-appointed role.
It seems that immediately Samuel arrived ...
. . . and he was ticked.
"What have you done?!" Samuel demanded.
Saul's answer reveals that he was "boxed in":
"It was because you didn't come when you were supposed to; my army has scattered; and those Philistines are gathering for war!"
Do you hear what he was saying?
He was in trouble, the pressure was mounting and God didn't show up.
On top of that, his support was all leaving him.
Finally, his enemies were getting ready to move in for the kill.
Saul was infected by all the fear and literal trembling going on around him and he was just sure the Philistines were about to rain down on him. He said he felt compelled to go ahead with the sacrifice.
It was a foolish decision. It appears that it was about the only chance Saul had to prove himself. That day God announced to Saul that He was scouting for a new king... one after His own Heart.
When you're boxed in and the pressure is mounting, doing something - anything may not be the correct answer.
Saul could have waited . . . just a few more moments.
He could have reminded himself that Sovereign God was in control, He would take care of things.
His Faith and subsequent Courage might have infected the few remaining troops.
Instead he listened to what fear was saying. He found evidence to point to the fact that certain doom lay ahead. . .
. . . and to think, he was only a few minutes away from a completely different destiny.
"Be still and know
that I am God . . . " Psalm 46:10 a NKJV
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