Way to go!

In keeping with our study on 1 Samuel, scroll down to “Hey! I was Only Looking for Donkeys…” to catch up.

Saul returned home and when his uncle had inquired about his journey, he replied: “he told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But the matter of the kingdom, he did not tell him what Samuel has said, (10:16) Then It goes on to say “Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the LORD at Mizpah and said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’ But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, ‘No, appoint a king over us.’ So now present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and clans’. (NIV)

All of the tribes assembled and when it came for Saul’s turn, he was nowhere to be found. So they asked the LORD if he has come yet and the LORD said “Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.” (10:22, NIV)  How dumb do you think Saul felt when the LORD called him out? “Hey! He’s over there hiding… the king that you wanted is hiding…” I can only imagine the look on Saul’s face when he emerged from the supplies to address his people.

Samuel said to them, “Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people? So all the people shouted and said “Long live the king!” (24)

Almost immediately, a group of rebels said, “How can this man save us?” So they despised him, and brought him on presents, but Saul held his peace. (27)

… It never fails, and those who have been put into a leadership position know what I’m talking about. Almost instantaneously, there’s a group of people (or maybe just one) that tries to tear you down. They can’t stand you and will go behind you every chance they get. Even though King Saul made poor, poor choices, I look up to the fact that he held his peace. It takes a special kind of man to be silent in the face of adversity.

Then in chapter 11, Nahash the Ammonite came up and surrounded Jabesh Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a covenant with us and we will serve you.” and Nahash the Ammonite answered them, “ On this condition will I make a covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes, and bring reproach on all Israel.” (Yeah… Don’t worry, I just wanna pluck your eye out and defame your entire country, no biggie.) >.> (1-2)

So, the elders of Jabesh stalled and told them to hold off for seven days so they could send messengers to Israel. If no one came to save them, they said they’d surrender. So the messengers told all the people and the people lifted up all their voices and wept. (Here’s your chance, Saul. Do it right.) (3-4)

Saul came down and said, “What troubles the people that they weep?” And they told him the word of the men of Jabesh. Then the spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard this news, and his anger was greatly aroused. So he took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent the throughout all the territory of Israel; by the hands of the messengers saying, “Whoever does not go out with Saul and Samuel to battle, so it shall be done to his oxen.” And the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out with one consent. (5-7)

Way to go, Saul. You showed them who’s king and you put Samuel’s name with it. Basically, Saul was saying, “You mess with me, you mess with Samuel.”  Why? Because Samuel was one of (if not the) most powerful man in Israel, he knew what he was doing.

God could’ve told Samuel to move on and accept the fact that they’ve been shot down and rejected by the people, but He doesn’t. God let Samuel make his peace. Chapter 12 says: “I have listened to everything you said to me and have set a king over you. Now you have a king as your leader. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the LORD and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these things, I will make it right.”

 “You have not cheated or oppressed us,” they replied. “You have not taken anything from anyone’s hand.”

 Samuel said to them, “The LORD is witness against you, and also his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.”

   “He is witness,” they said.

 Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the LORD who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors up out of Egypt. Now then, stand here, because I am going to confront you with evidence before the LORD as to all the righteous acts performed by the LORD for you and your ancestors.

 “After Jacob entered Egypt, they cried to the LORD for help, and the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.

 “But they forgot the LORD their God; so he sold them into the hand of Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them. They cried out to the LORD and said, ‘We have sinned; we have forsaken the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.’ Then the LORD sent Jerub-Baal, Barak, Jephthah and Samuel, and he delivered you from the hands of your enemies all around you, so that you lived in safety.

 “But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we want a king to rule over us’—even though the LORD your God was your king. Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see, the LORD has set a king over you. If you fear the LORD and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God—good! But if you do not obey the LORD, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors.

 “Now then, stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes! Is it not wheat harvest now? I will call on the LORD to send thunder and rain. And you will realize what an evil thing you did in the eyes of the LORD when you asked for a king.”

 Then Samuel called on the LORD, and that same day the LORD sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe of the LORD and of Samuel.

The people all said to Samuel, “Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.”

 “Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own. As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will perish.”

Poor, poor Samuel. Can’t you just feel his heartbreak, and his tears as he pleads with the people? “What have I done? Tell me so I can make it right.” “You have done nothing.”  The people have said, “Make us like all the other people, we want a king. Yeah, we know God helped us through, but oh well. We want to be like all the others.” They turned their backs on God.

Then, after Saul had reigned two years, he chose for himself three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash, and one thousand were with his son Jonathon in Gibeah of Benjamin. He sent the rest away and every man to his tent. 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!” 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.

The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Mikmash, east of Beth Aven. 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. He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering. Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him. (13:4-10)

Wait a minute, Saul. Didn’t Samuel tell you he’d be back to do it? Isn’t is Samuel’s job to make the offering anyway? What. were. you. thinking? I mean, really? All you had to do was listen to Samuel, but no, you went and defied God—again. Saul. Saul. Saul.

Samuel said, “What have you done?” (feel the panic and distain in Samuel’s voice.) Then Saul went on a rant. “…I just had to do it. I saw that everyone was leaving. I panicked. I felt like I HAD to do it…” Basically he was saying that he did it because he’s king and he could. Shame on him. Had he waited, God would’ve accepted the offering, but Saul gave his people a false sense of hope.

How many times have we been impatient with our lives and said I will do it. I will make the move. I will make my own decisions. I will, I will. The whole time, God the Father, our Redeemer, is asking “Where am I?” Where is He in your life? Do you feel far away from Him? Are things not going like you wanted them to? Do you feel like you’re lost and sinking?

God never left Saul. God has never left us. We’ve turned our backs on God and He’s tapping us on the shoulder patiently waiting for us to recognize that we couldn’t do it without Him. After all, He did say: “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Stop thinking you can do things on your own! God has provided for you your entire life and just because things are going well, you think you can deny HIM? If you’ve been error-ing or straying, send up a broken hallelujah and turn around to God. See His beautiful face looking at you, and talk with Him. Give Him your heart and leave it there. Don’t be like Saul and let the power go to your head. Don’t worry about things that don’t need to be worried about, and make the offering yourself. God will provide, but only if you let Him.