When You Run Ahead Of God’s Plan Series

If you have ever been in a situation where you must totally wait on and trust God, then you know how hard that can be. King Saul found himself in one of those situations where he must trust God.

This will be a test of his character as king of Israel. He is Israel’s first king ending the period of the judges where the areas if Israel were loosely organized. Israel wanted a king because of the threat from the Philistines.

The Lord warned Israel that there would be negative consequences of a having a king. The nation did not accept the corrupt sons of Samuel as their leaders. Despite the warning of the Lord through Samuel the nation Israel made Saul their king.

They made Saul their King. He was tall and from a good family. He was their leader. He was the kind of leader they could put their trust in, that is outwardly impressive. King Saul got off to a great start. He began humble and with the Spirit of God on him.

At the beginning of his term as king he saved Jabesh-Gilead from the Ammonites and from the disgrace of all their men having their right eye gouged out in the terms of surrender. Saul rallied 330,000 men to strike down the Amorites and deliver Jabesh-Gilead.

Then Samuel said to the people, “Come and let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there.” So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they also offered sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly. (1 Samuel 11:1-15)

There was great initial acclaim for King Saul. His kingship was dramatically renewed at Gilgal. Now we come abruptly to the end of King Saul’s glory days. The glory days were short lived. The story of Saul is the story of a spiritual leader who is disgraced. Saul is tested and he fails the test. As a result of Saul failing the test the dynasty will pass from his family.

“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. 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.” (1 Samuel 13:13-14)

Of whom much is given much is required. Saul’s test will be a difficult one, but really anytime we must wait on God for an intervention it is difficult. It was difficult for Moses at the Red Sea waiting for the sea to part. It was difficult for Noah to wait for the flood to come. It was difficult for Abraham to wait for God to provide a lamb in the thicket.

The Philistines are furious.

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. (1 Samuel 13:3-4)

So King Saul who had assembled the people as one man, blows the trumpet summons the people to join him.

The Philistines had 6,000 charioteers and soldiers as numerous as the sand. Saul’s troops were quaking with fear.

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. 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. (1 Samuel 13:6-7)

Now for the test. Saul was to wait 7 days for Samuel to come. Saul was watching his army melt away before his eyes. Unless the people knew God was with them the panic would increase. It was almost the final hour of the appointed 7 days and Samuel had not yet come.

King Saul went ahead and made the sacrifices himself. Samuel confronted Saul about his blunder.

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. (1 Samuel 13:8-11)

Some Bible versions say Saul’s response to Samuel was “I forced myself” and some say his response was “I felt compelled to make the offering.” In Saul’s previous battle victory, it was the Spirit of God that moved him. Now he forced himself to act.