Reading
- 1 Sam. 13:1; 14:49-51
- 1 Chron. 9:35-44
- 1 Sam. 13:2-14:45
Devotional
King Saul had an army of 3,000 soldiers. He put his son Jonathan over 1,000 of them. Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at a place called Geba. The Philistines gathered their army of 3,000 chariots, six thousand charioteers, and too many soldiers to count. When Israel saw this huge army they were deathly afraid. Many of them hid in caves and fled from King Saul. Only 600 troops were left with Saul and they were so afraid they were trembling.
Samuel had told Saul to wait seven days for him to arrive and offer the peace offering to GOD. However, on the seventh day Samuel did not arrive at the time they had agreed upon. Saul was getting nervous.
So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering. 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. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”
(1 Sam. 13:9-14 NKJV)
No matter how nervous, afraid, or scared we become, we must always trust in GOD to provide. GOD was testing Saul here as to whether Saul would trust Him or lean on his own understanding. Saul failed the test. What will you do when your test comes? Will you obey GOD's commands regardless of what may happen? Or will you let fear and lack of faith cause you to disobey GOD because you "felt compelled" as Saul did.
Always remember:
"We ought to obey God rather than men."
(Acts 5:29 NKJV)
