1 Samuel 13:1-23

The Foolishness of Insisting Your Own Way

God expects obedience from His people. Obedience results in blessings while disobedience results in curse /judgment.

We read that again last Sunday in chapter 12:14-15 “If you fear the Lord, listen to His voice, and serve Him you will receive blessing. If you will not fear the Lord, not listen to his voice, rebel against Him, the hand of the Lord will be against you.

God expects His people to obey, and the King is not exempted.

In our passage, we read that God expects Saul to obey His command to wait for Samuel for 7 days to receive instructions and so he could receive the blessings, for him and his soldiers.

1 Samuel 10:8 “And you shall go down before me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you should do.”

The passage we have read recorded the 1st instance of Saul’s Disobedience to God.

So How did Saul disobey God?

Saul’s Victories- (vv.2-4)- Observe this, Saul’s disobedience started with victories. In his desire to add more victories, he disobeyed God.

Victories can be addicting; if you are not careful, they can swell up your pride!

Israel’s Disadvantage - (vv.5-7) -He was put in a disadvantageous situation against the bigger Philistine Army, and people were afraid and hid!

Saul’s Foolish Act - (vv.8-10)-So, Saul thought that he must do something about it!

- He insisted on doing the peace offering and the burnt offerings himself.

- He usurped the role that was only given to God’s priests and prophets. In other words, He violated God’s command and God’s holiness.

Again, why? He wanted to WIN!

and waiting for God does not seem helpful nor advantageous so He acted foolishly and was rebuked by Samuel (v.13)

The word “foolish” does not indicate a lack of intelligence, but a lack of moral and spiritual insight.

The fool tends to rebel and insists on his or her way.

Listen to this, despite the disadvantage, they will win the battle because God was with them, Saul only has to obey God’s command – to wait for Samuel at Gilgal for His blessing so that their seemingly hopeless situation will be transformed into victory.

Saul’s Painful Consequence - (vv.13-14) - But because He did not wait on God (impatient) and it led him to disobey God, His Dynasty will end. (Notice: transfer motif - Eli to Samuel; Saul to David).

The Great Lesson: God’s people can forfeit their privilege and blessing by foolishly disobeying the Word of God.

Pride Can Bring You Down

SIN is SIN - no sin is little when done against the Holy God. (Ex. - Moses - no entry to the promised land

Ex. -Adam and Eve - fall of mankind)

One sin started the fall, One sacrifice started the redemption.

Reflection: God allows a period of waiting to reveal the condition of the heart.

Sometimes we are unaware of the condition of our heart - and God wants to reveal that so it can be corrected, shaped, and molded into Christ-likeness.

In seasons of waiting, what should you do to avoid sinning against God and bringing pain to your life:

SUBMISSION

I. Submit to God’s power

Saul’s Reason for Disobedience: I saw that people were scattering from me (v.11)

He is afraid to lose more soldiers (I can’t lose supporters).

He is dependent upon the strength of his people. For Saul, more time waiting means losing more people, from 2000 down to 600.

Saul seemed to believe that victory was dependent upon the strength and power of his armies.

God’s power is infinitely greater than man’s power!

Application:

1. Wait on God even if others leave you.

2. Fix your eyes on God, not on the people.

3. In waiting, increase in prayer (prayer is an act of submission to God’s power)

Micah 7:7 But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

Transition:

Waiting is not easy. It will test your patience, and when you become impatient, you will not follow the rules/laws anymore to get what you want/desire and so you will result to compromise. In order not to do that, you need to submit to God’s commands/laws.

II. Submit to God’s commands/laws

Saul’s Reason for Disobedience: You (Samuel) did not come within the appointed days (v.11)

– He was not willing enough to wait for Samuel. Samuel came on the 7th day, just a few moments after Saul finished the offering. Saul lied when he said, you did not come within the appointed days.

- He sees himself as more authoritative than Samuel, enough to usurp Samuel’s role. Saul did not reject Samuel’s command but God’s.

• A king is not above God’s law.

- A king has to wait? (pride can make you a fool)

- He seems to think that making a sacrifice (ritual) guarantees victory.

- Obedience is better than sacrifice.

Application:

1. Do not overestimate yourself so that you will not act foolishly.

2. Do not compromise to get something (no shortcuts)

James 5:7–8 “7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.”

Illustration: Dili nimo ma compare ang hinog sa punoan ug hinog sa kalboro (ahat- shortcut).

The motivation to wait: the coming of the Lord is near!

3. Always obey the law of the land and the law of God.

Obeying God’s Word is the best choice for our lives!

Patience is needed in obeying God’s Word.

Patience is the fruit of the Holy Spirit - Galatians 5:22 “ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,”

Transition:

When you are grounded in the Word of God, you will be able to gain Godly insights that will help you to wait on God instead of rushing.

III. Submit to God’s wisdom/ways

Saul’s Reason for Disobedience: “and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, therefore I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, (vv.11-12)

- He saw the army that might attack them and He believed that he could gain victory if he attacked first - seems logical.

- He seems to believe that His tactics/plan will give him the victory, not God.

Application:

1. Submit your plans to the Lord. (college course, business, marriage, work)

Isaiah 55:8–9 “8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

The human heart is filled with questions for God: “Why?” “When?” “How?” We often wrestle with faith because of those questions.

If we try to understand God’s ways from earth looking up, we won’t find many answers. Instead, God left us a clue in the word higher. His ways are not merely different from ours, they are higher. Better. Superior.

They exist on a grander scale.

- He parted the Red Sea because it fits His plan for Israel (Exodus 14:21; Psalm 66:6).

- He made the sun stand still so Joshua’s army could defeat their enemies (Joshua 10:12–13).

- He sent an angel to let Peter out of jail (Acts 12:6–10), but He allowed James to be executed (Acts 12:2).

- God has allowed some of His faithful servants to suffer terrible fates, even though He could have delivered them if He chose (Hebrews 11:32–40).

God invites us to come up higher and learn to see life from His perspective.

• God has allowed Saul to wait for 7 days to reveal his heart’s condition - that is he is not fully submitted to God and His plan.

• He should have learned from it - but unfortunately, we did not find him changing his ways (we can’t read that ) the same situation occurs in chapter 15.

The Gospel: We fail God, but God will not fail us!

Unlike Saul, Jesus was fully submitted to the Heavenly Father in fulfilling His mission to save mankind. He did not insist on doing things on his own- He always obeyed the will of the Father!

Unlike Saul, Jesus was patient. He did not try to make a shortcut. He lived for 33 long years on earth - he can make it one day if he wants to.

If Jesus made a shortcut, we would not have been saved.

Jesus has to fulfill the law for us to be saved.

• Shedding of the blood for forgiveness- Jesus has to become a human.

• Perfect obedience to the Law - Jesus has to live a normal human life practicing the law without fail - tempted but did not sin.

That’s why Jesus is the one true savior!

Conclusion:

In seasons of waiting, remember to SUBMIT to God! Stop insisting on your own ways!

As you wait for Jesus to return, wait patiently by submitting everything to Him! Even if you fail at some point and you have not waited for the Lord, learn the lessons, change your ways, and then submit to the molding and transforming work of God in your life.