Saul’s Disobedience: The Cost of Impatience
May 14, 2024
Dr. Bradford Reaves
Crossway Christian Fellowship
1 Samuel 13
We’ve all felt the tension—when God’s timing seems too slow, and the pressure to act now feels overwhelming. In those moments, we face a critical choice: Will we wait in faith or rush in fear?
Years ago, a commercial pilot was cleared for takeoff. But as he taxied into position, a fog rolled in, and visibility dropped. He waited. No updates. No further instructions. The pressure from passengers and the schedule was building. So the pilot made the call—he took off without final clearance.
He made it into the air—but what he didn’t know was that another aircraft had just entered the runway from the opposite end. A collision was narrowly avoided, and the pilot’s license was revoked. Why? Because in aviation, trusting the tower is life or death. The moment you decide you know better—you put everyone at risk.
We live in a microwave world, don’t we? We tap our fingers when the 30-second timer seems too long. We refresh tracking numbers as if staring will make the package come faster. We get frustrated when God doesn’t move at the speed of our expectations. And that’s exactly where Saul was. Surrounded by enemies. Troops deserting.
Clock ticking. And God seemed late. The army was shrinking, the enemy was gathering, and the prophet was late. But instead of trusting God’s Word, Saul took matters into his own hands—and in doing so, he forfeited the future God had for him.
We want God to work like Amazon Prime. But He’s more like a seed planted in soil—slow, steady, and right on time. I once heard someone say, “I have a perfect sense of timing—unfortunately, it’s about five minutes ahead of God’s.”
And that’s exactly where Saul was…
I. The Test of Trust: When Obedience Requires Waiting
1 Saul lived for one year and then became king, and when he had reigned for two years over Israel, 2 Saul chose three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent home, every man to his tent. 3 Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines that was at Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.”
4 And all Israel heard it said that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become a stench to the Philistines. And the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal. 5 And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven. 6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns, 7 and some Hebrews crossed the fords of the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. 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. (1 Samuel 13:1–9)
The scene is set: Saul is surrounded. The Philistines have mobilized a terrifying force—30,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen, and soldiers “like the sand on the seashore.” (v. 5). His own troops are shaking in fear, hiding in caves and cisterns (v. 6), and the ones who remain are deserting fast. And to top it off? Samuel—the prophet, the one who was supposed to come and offer the sacrifice before battle—is late. The seventh day had come, but not Samuel. And with the weight of leadership on his shoulders and fear in his gut, Saul makes the call: he takes matters into his own hands. He offers the burnt offering himself—something only the priest was permitted to do.
What Saul teaches us in this moment is something many of us already know: Waiting is hardest when fear is loud. Fear is a powerful motivator. When the battle feels close, when people start leaving, when God seems quiet—our flesh wants to act. We want to fix it. We want to control it. We want to move the story forward because waiting feels like weakness.
But here’s the truth: obedience is never weakness—it’s spiritual warfare. Waiting on God is not inactivity; it’s faith in action. Saul wasn’t just facing an army—he was facing a heart test: Do I trust God’s Word even when the pressure’s rising and the clock is ticking? The bigger battle is not your circumstances or your enemies, it is yourself. Will you trust God?
That’s where most of us lose it. Not in the big moral failures, but in the small, subtle moments where we stop trusting and start hustling. Where we say with our actions, “I guess I’ll handle this myself.” His troops are terrified and scattering (v. 6–7). Samuel’s delayed arrival pushes Saul to offer the burnt offering himself—something only the prophet was authorized to do (v. 9).
Spiritual Truth: Impatience with God often leads to compromise with sin. When out fear speaks louder than faith, we stop waiting and start acting on our own logic.
II. The Exposure of the Heart: Disobedience Isn’t Just About Actions
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.” (1 Samuel 13:10–12)
Just as Saul finishes the offering—Samuel shows up. Perfectly on time according to God’s plan, but not according to Saul’s expectations. It’s one of those “you’ve got to be kidding me” moments. Had he waited just a little longer, he would have passed the test. But now the prophet has arrived, and Saul is caught red-handed.
Samuel asks him the obvious question: “What have you done?”And what does Saul do? He does what so many of us do when we’ve crossed a line:
• He deflects.
• He blames the people.
• He blames the pressure.
• He even blames Samuel for being late.
“When I saw the men were scattering… and you did not come… and the Philistines were assembling… I felt compelled and offered the burnt offering.” (v. 11–12)
Do you hear the reasoning? The excuses? The rationalization of rebellion? Here’s the truth we see in Saul: Disobedience isn’t just about what we do—it reveals what we truly believe.
Saul’s actions exposed a heart that:
• Trusted circumstances more than God’s command.
• Valued immediate control more than long-term obedience.
• Believed partial obedience would still count.
And before we shake our heads at Saul—we need to remember: our excuses often sound just as spiritual:
• “I prayed about it.”
• “I had no choice.”
• “It felt right at the time.”
But delayed obedience, partial obedience, and fear-driven decisions all reveal a heart that still wants to lead rather than follow.
Years ago, a massive bridge collapse in South America led to a full-scale investigation. A section of the bridge had given way during rush hour, costing lives and leaving devastation.
When the lead engineer was questioned, he explained that his team had seen stress fractures developing in the foundation—but they believed the structure could still bear the weight. Rather than shut it down, they added more asphalt, painted over the cracks, and prayed nothing would happen.
The collapse didn’t come from one big storm—it came from small compromises that were ignored. And when questioned, the engineer simply said: “It wasn’t the bridge. It was the pressure.” But here’s the thing: pressure doesn’t create the cracks—it reveals them. That’s exactly what happened to Saul. The pressure didn’t cause the disobedience. It revealed the fracture of trust already in his heart.
The pressures we face—financial, relational, emotional, spiritual—don’t create disobedience. They simply reveal whether our foundation is built on trust or self-reliance. And the scary part is, we often patch over those cracks with activity, excuses, or even religious behavior… just like Saul. But Saul’s story reminds us: God isn’t impressed by our shortcuts. He’s looking for surrendered hearts that wait in faith, even when it hurts.
III. The Cost of Compromise: A Kingdom Lost
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 over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” 15 And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal. The rest of the people went up after Saul to meet the army; they went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men. (1 Samuel 13:13–15)
Samuel doesn’t sugarcoat anything. The moment Saul tries to explain away his disobedience, Samuel hits him with the full weight of the consequence: “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God… for then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue.” (vv. 13–14)
Oof. The price of one rushed decision? Legacy lost. Dynasty gone. Opportunity removed. We have to let that sit. This wasn’t just a bad choice—this was a pattern of heart-level rebellion that disqualified Saul from what could have been.
Spiritual Truth: God’s Grace Is Free—But Obedience Still Matters There’s a dangerous lie in modern Christianity that says, “God’s grace means my decisions don’t have consequences.”
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? (Romans 6:1–2)
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. (John 14:15)
But Saul’s story teaches us: Grace covers sin, but it doesn’t cancel consequence. You can be forgiven—and still forfeit what could have been. This isn’t about losing salvation—it’s about losing impact, calling, influence, legacy. Saul was still king after this moment… but he would never be the king God intended him to be. The Lord was already preparing someone else—a man after His own heart. (Spoiler alert: David.)
IV. What’s the Cost of My Impatience?
16 And Saul and Jonathan his son and the people who were present with them stayed in Geba of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17 And raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual; 18 another company turned toward Beth-horon; and another company turned toward the border that looks down on the Valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness. 19 Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears.” 20 But every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle, 21 and the charge was two-thirds of a shekel for the plowshares and for the mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads. 22 So on the day of the battle there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and Jonathan his son had them. 23 And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash. (1 Samuel 13:16–23)
After Saul’s disobedience is exposed in verses 13–14, we move into what feels like a narrative lull—but it’s actually a quiet unraveling of Saul’s spiritual authority. There’s no more mention of divine instruction, no prophetic word from Samuel—just the military machine of the Philistines on the move. This is a picture of what it looks like when a leader operates without the covering of God’s blessing. God hasn’t abandoned Israel, but His hand is clearly lifted from Saul’s strategy. When we step outside of obedience, we may still have the appearance of progress—but God’s presence is no longer powering the mission.
A Devastating Detail
“Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel…” (v. 19)
This isn’t just trivia—this is theological tragedy. Israel is unarmed—forced to go into battle with farming tools while the Philistines hold every technological and military advantage. Why? Because Israel had slowly allowed themselves to become dependent on their enemies, instead of trusting in God for provision and preparation.
That’s what disobedience does. It leaves us spiritually under-equipped. When we live outside of trust in God, we don’t even realize our swords are gone. We trade prayer for panic, and faith for shortcuts. And then wonder why we feel powerless in the spiritual fight.
Jonathan’s Faith Rising (Foreshadowing)
“And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.”
It’s a quiet setup for Jonathan’s courage in chapter 14—a contrast to Saul’s hesitation and spiritual decay. While Saul scrambles in the fallout of his own disobedience, Jonathan is preparing to act in faith, not fear.
Saul’s kingdom didn’t collapse in one day—it drifted there. And your calling, your strength, your legacy will drift too… if you don’t anchor it in daily obedience and surrendered trust. Saul didn’t lose his crown in a battlefield—it was lost in the battle of trust. The war was won or lost not with the Philistines, but in his heart. He was afraid, impatient, and under pressure—and instead of clinging to God, he grabbed control. And that decision cost him everything. Here’s the million-dollar question: What is my impatience costing me?
In those moments, we’re tempted to say: “I’ll just do it myself.” But the truth is, God’s delays are never without purpose. Waiting seasons are forming seasons. Waiting is not weakness—it’s worship.
What’s one area in your life where you’ve been tempted to take control—and what would obedience look like instead?
Closing Challenge
Faith in the silence is how we prepare for what’s next.
There was a young man who grew up in church—knew all the verses, sang all the songs. But when college came, he walked away. Not out of anger. Just… impatience. “God wasn’t doing things fast enough,” he said. “I had dreams, and faith felt slow. So he left. Took shortcuts. Made compromises. Got ahead of God.
Years passed. Relationships broke. Finances fell apart. Purpose evaporated. Until one night, sitting in his car with nowhere to go, he whispered, “God, if You’re still willing… I want to come back.” He didn’t expect much. He thought maybe God would take him back like a probationary member—check his behavior, see if he earned it. But when he walked into his childhood church the next Sunday, his father—an elder there—stood up from the front row. Didn’t wait for the service to start. Didn’t care who was watching. He ran Right down the aisle. Right into his son’s arms. Weeping. Laughing. Holding him like he never left.
After the service, the father whispered something into his son’s ear: “I was never waiting to punish you. I was waiting to restore you.”
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)
