Saul disobeys God and a battle looms

1 Samuel Chapter 13

Saul was 30 years old when he became king and he reigned for 42 years. He selected three thousand special troops from the army of Israel and sent the rest home. He took two thousand of these chosen men with him to Micmash in the hill country of Bethel. The other thousand went to his son Jonathan in Gibeah in the land of Benjamin.

Jonathan attacked and defeated the garrison of Philistines at Geba and the news spread quickly among the Philistines that Israel was in revolt, so Saul called his men to arms and warned the people that the Philistines hated them more than ever. So the Israelite army mobilized again and met Saul at Gilgal. The Philistines meanwhile had a mighty army of three thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen and as many warriors as the grains of sand at the seashore. They camped at Micmash. When the men of Israel saw the vast number of enemy troops, they lost their nerve and hid in caves, tombs and cisterns. Some crossed the river Jordan and escaped.

Saul stayed at Gilgal and waited there for seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him to do, but Samuel didn't arrive after seven days. Saul realized his troops were slipping away, so he asked for the burnt offering and peace offering and sacrificed them himself. Just as he finished, Samuel arrived and said, "What is this you have done?"

Saul said, "I saw my men scattering from me and you didn't arrive when you promised and the Philistines are waiting for battle. So I said "the Philistines are ready to march against us and I haven't even asked for the Lord's help." So I felt obliged to offer the burnt offering myself." To which Samuel replied that he was a foolish man and disobeyed the command of the Lord. "Had you obeyed," Samuel said, "the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your dynasty must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already chosen him to be king over his people, or you have not obeyed the Lord's command."

Samuel left, but the rest of the troops went with Saul to meet his army. They went to Gibea in Benjamin. Saul counted only six hundred of his men left. His son Jonathan joined him. The Philistines set up camp at Micmash and sent three raiding parties, one north, another west and the third near the border.

There were no blacksmiths in Israel because the Philistines did not permit them for fear the could make swords and spears for the Hebrews. So whenever the Israelites needed to sharpen their plows, axes etc., they had to take them to a Philistine blacksmith. The cost was so severe that none of the people of Israel had a sword or spear except for Saul and Jonathan. Meanwhile the pass at Micmash was secured by the Philistines.

BIBLE NOTES SHOW: Jonathan actually destroyed the Philistine's outpost, but Saul took credit. His pride would eventually grow to be an ugly obsession. The Israelites panicked at the sight of the Philistines army. They forgot that God was on their side.
Saul thought he was doing a good thing by offering the sacrifice, but he was doing it in a wrong way.His impatience drove him to disobey God. He used lots of excuses, but Samuel zeroed in on the fact that Saul disobeyed God with his attempt at sacrifice (see Deuteronomy 12: 5-14).
The Israelites were in poor shape to fight a battle. Their army had no iron weapons because the Philistines had control over the technology. The band of Israelites were in dire straights as the Philistines prepared for battle.

HOWO DOES THIS CHAPTER RELATE TO US TODAY? It can be difficult to trust in God when we feel our resources slip away, like the Israelites losing their manpower. But we should remember not to be like Saul and do something rash because we grow impatient. Excuses are nothing more than disobedience to God. And by now, we know that God sees what is in our hearts and minds. He can forgive and bless us when he knows we are honest about our sins. Saul tried to hide his and as a result he lost his kingship. We can be better than Saul and own up to our mistakes. When faced with great opposition, we must remember who backs us- God.

Yours in Christ,
Mary


Prayer Requests are needed for:
HEALTH: Gabe, Wanda, Janice Long’s parents, Arlene’s nephew David, Lori (who suffered a terrible accident)and her family and my neighbor Al who is nearing the end of his life. Barb who went in for back surgery and had a heart attack and stroke, is now able to speak and is working on rehab for paralysis. Pray for Robert Sargent with lung cancer and Marthaline Sargent with serious health issues. Update on Stella: She is 10 weeks old and has her own room at the hospital. The doctors continue to experiment with respirators, but her parents can see progress in her lung activity. Pray also for healing of Mark after brain surgery. Pray also for Craig who is undergoing heart tests. These folks need your prayers so badly. Let’s all raise our voices to God to hear our prayers.
SPIRITUAL UPLIFTING: Gail, Mary
RESTORATION OF FAITH: Al, John
LOVE AND SUPPORT: Claire, Hunter
SUPPORT: Haiti, Chile, those who need jobs, those who are about to lose or have lost their homes. Pray too, for our country’s leaders and our military people who die each day for our freedom.