Saul disobeyed GOD and was eventually removed as King over Israel. His disobedience was not sudden, but a gradual slide towards rebellion. At the beginning of his journey, we see the humility of his heart. When the prophet Samuel anoints him as King over all of Israel, he responds by saying, “Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin?” 1 Samuel 9:21. When Samuel assembles all the tribes of Israel to publicly proclaim Saul as King, instead of proudly waiting to be called forth, Saul goes into hiding: “But when they sought him, he could not be found. Therefore they inquired of the LORD further, 'Has the man come here yet?' And the LORD answered, 'There he is, hidden among the equipment'” 1 Samuel 10:21-22. When news reaches King Saul about the imminent attack on Jabesh Gilead he is found tending the herd (1 Samuel 11:5). When he defeats the Ammonites on behalf of Jabesh Gilead, he stoutly declares, “...for today the LORD has accomplished the salvation of Israel” 1 Samuel 11:13. Here we see a humble king.
Often times disobedience is the result of distrust, and distrust is borne out of fear. Within two years of Saul's reign, he found himself on the cusp of a battle with the Philistines. It was customary to seek the LORD for his blessing prior to battle. Only a priest could perform the sacrifice, and Samuel was both prophet and priest. Samuel instructed Saul to wait seven days for his arrival. Instead of obeying, Saul took matters into his own hands. He presented the burnt offering and the peace offering to GOD himself.
“Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him. And Samuel said, 'What have you done?' Saul said, 'When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, then I said, 'The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.' Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.' And Samuel said to Saul, 'You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue.'” 1 Samuel 13:10-14
Saul's feeling of compulsion drove him to an act of disobedience. He did not WAIT on the LORD. He allowed 'sight' to dictate his actions rather than 'faith'. He believed that GOD would respond to his sacrifice, yet he defied GOD's instruction on how it was to be done. He allowed his fear to supersede his knowledge of who GOD is and what He commands. At the heart of the matter lies the fundamental question which we must all ask ourselves; DO WE REALLY TRUST GOD? GOD does not require partial obedience, but full obedience. The right thing done the wrong way is still the wrong thing. How can we guard our hearts from repeating Saul's sin? We want to hear from you. Please click on the 'comments' link below to share your responses with the BGO community. Let us strengthen and encourage one another this journey of life for the honour and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ!
6 comments:
Disobedience really hurts many people, not just the one who is in rebellion. It hurts those around them.
This one is tricky. You feel you are doing the right thing. You pray, you wait, you act. Yet a series of challenges start to crop up and you start second guessing - did I hear God correctly? Was I wrong? Is this just the enemy trying to get me to disobey God and make me react negatively? I've been in the valley for a little while now and when I start feeling a little like Job (a stretch I know), I gotta hold my head up and recite Philippians 4:6-7, tell that mountain how big my God is, keep praying, trusting & obeying! Thanks for the word!
I think most of us struggle with this issue of trust ... so I'm glad the Scripture "I believe, help my unbelief!" exists in the Bible (Mark 9:24)... it encourages us to not feel condemnation when we struggle to trust, but just to keep depending on the Lord to help us have faith.
One theme I have noticed in the Bible that is demonstrated here is how we can do things that outwardly appear to honour God, but because we are doing them on our own terms, we are actually really not honouring Him at all. So we offer sacrifices in vain, sometimes with no shame that we are actually in disobedience (see the story of Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10). May the Holy Spirit help us to recognize when we are covering over unrighteous motives with righteous outward acts.
Some really great comments here guys! The thing is, our hearts are so desperately wicked:
Jeremiah 17:9
New International Version (NIV)
9 The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
David prays in Psalm 19 about hidden faults and willful sins. The Word of the LORD and the Holy Spirit shed a light on our hearts, revealing our motives and actions. I feel so strongly that the LORD is calling us to obedience in this season, and of course, it starts with me. May the LORD help us to guard our hearts, so that we may remain faithful in Him.
Psalm 19:8-14
8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the LORD are firm,
and all of them are righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the honeycomb.
11 By them your servant is warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Thank you all for sharing your hearts! You are encouraging so many others that you cannot see.
Tash
I had an experience lately where I taught a Wednesday night bible study about not being anxious for anything, and by that Sunday morning I had one of the worst experiences I have had in my life happen. Would I be anxious? I tell you the enemy tries to make us doubt our God, but God allows those trial to show us that His word works. Two sides of the same coin. I choose to trust the Lord.
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