You Have Done Foolishly! 1 Samuel 13:1-14:23

Now king, Saul summons an army to fight the Philistines who have gathered at Michmash and waits for Samuel to offer a sacrifice before the battle. “Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him…So Saul said, ‘Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.’ And he offered the burnt offering” (1 Samuel 13:8,9 NKJV). When he arrives, Samuel rebukes Saul saying, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you” (1 Samuel 13:13 NKJV). Saul’s son Jonathan and his armorbearer conduct a daring raid, triggering panic among the rest of their army. “So the Lord saved Israel that day, and the battle shifted to Beth Aven” (1 Samuel 13:23 NKJV). “Now there was fierce war with the Philistines all the days of Saul” (1 Samuel 14:52a NKJV).

We see in Saul’s impatient disobedience and his dismissive attitude when rebuked that he does not have a heart for God, which leads to his eventual downfall. Pastor Kevin warns believers against a similar inclination to rely on our own understanding and human methods instead of trusting God and waiting on His perfect timing in our lives. God’s miraculous deliverance of the Israelites in Chapter 14 foreshadows His future deliverance of the Jews in the Gog-Magog war of Ezekiel 38-39.

Maranatha!

Article mentioned in today’s study: How a British General Used Biblical Tactics in Battle Against the Ottoman Army