Lessons from King Saul - Pt 2

Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the LORD.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” (1 Samuel 13:7-12 ESV). To understand what Saul is doing wrong here, you will need another scripture. In 1 Samuel 10:8 Samuel says to Saul "Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do." What did Samuel, the man of God, tell Saul to do? He told him to wait, didn't he? He asked Saul to wait seven days. Samuel had told Saul that he would be there and that he would do the burnt offering at the end of seven days. Saul was supposed to wait it out. Why didn't he? It was because Saul took things into his own hands. He decided, on his own, that Samuel was taking to long. Saul saw his men afraid and running away, and he began to get discouraged. He took things into his own hands, and believing that the burnt offering would bring God's favor, he sacrificed there before the Lord, and before Samuel could arrive. Waiting for anything is one of the most difficult things to do. We all have future plans and goals that require us to be patient. Not long ago I was at the Tennessee Driver’s License office getting a new photo for a Driver’s License renewal and noticed a teenager with his dad filling out the paperwork for his license. It was obviously his first experience with the beaucracy of the state. It finally came his turn and when he was standing waiting to have his picture made, he said, “I’ve been waiting for this day all my life!” I’m sure that’s how he felt, though it is doubtful it was true! Waiting is difficult, however there are times when it is essential to our success. Saul lost everything simply because he could not wait as he was instructed. Have you ever taken things into your own hands? Do you sometimes fail to wait on God, before you start to panic? Do you get restless if you have to wait? I can tell you now that, as you will see over the next few days of this story, Saul is going to lose far more than he gained, by not waiting upon the Lord. Don’t make that mistake in your life. Commit yourself to obedient patience. Trust the Lord for his timing.