(Monday)
1 Samuel 13 – 14
Saul, what have you done? What part of wait for Samuel did you not understand? A simple command, yet he forgets who is in control and takes matters into his own hands. I feel for Saul, I can imagine what it must have been like for him, ‘cause I know I’ve felt the same way. You are waiting for something to happen and nothing does, then you start to think, maybe I should do something? But the truth is you are getting ahead of God and you just need to wait. Waiting is not always easy for us to do. We are mostly an instant gratification people. I want it and I want it NOW!
Saul, who had only been the King for a year, has already let pride and selfish ambition get a hold of him. He didn’t want to look incompetent before the army. They were letting fear and doubt cause them to run away. Saul, needed to spend time reminding them of the great things God had done for them, not build an altar and offer sacrifices that weren’t his to offer.
We also read about another rash statement Saul makes that almost costs him the life of his son, Jonathan. Jonathan does a brave thing and with the help of God, is able to kill many Philistines and put their army into a panic. But Saul declares that no one should eat anything until they have routed the Philistines. This seems like a pretty dumb thing to impose upon an army that has expended a considerable amount of energy.
Of course, Jonathan knew nothing about the order and unknowingly disobeys. The people rescue Jonathan from the vow Saul had made and again Saul makes a huge mistake. Jonathan even tells him that was a dumb thing to request of the warriors.
One of the interesting things for me in this reading is that Saul still does great things for the Israelites. Not because he is great, but because God has anointed Saul as His king. Saul is great because God is great. And God is able to work in this world in spite of our flaws and the dumb mistakes we make, whether in thought, word or deed.
This, of course, should never be an excuse to do less than our absolute best. In everything we do, we should do as if for the Lord. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to have to account for sloppy, half-hearted work when I stand in judgment before God. Amen?
Blessings
PK