I Samuel 13:10-12 NKJV
a. As soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering: Saul decided to perform the sacrifice not more than an hour before Samuel arrived. If he had trusted God and waited one more hour, how different things could have been! The last moments of waiting are usually the most difficult and they powerfully tempt us to take matters into our own hands.
b. Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him: Now, Saul really overstepped his bounds. Literally, the Hebrew says that Saul wanted to bless Samuel – perhaps as a priest blesses the people. Now Saul really saw himself as a priest, first offering sacrifice and then giving a blessing.
i. In wanting to bless Samuel, Saul may also be trying to show Samuel how spiritual he is. He is like a child who gets caught with his hand in the cookie jar and then says to his mother, “Let’s pray!”
c. Samuel said, “What have you done?” Samuel knew Saul had done something wrong. He could probably smell the sacrifice in the air. But Samuel did not look for reasons or excuses because there were no valid reasons or excuses. All Samuel wanted to hear was confession and repentance.
d. And Saul said: Saul’s response is a classic example of excuse-making and failure to trust God. Line upon line, Saul made his sin worse with excuses.
i. I saw that the people were scattered from me: “I had to do something to impress the people and gain back their support.” But if Saul had obeyed and trusted God, God would have seen him to victory over the Philistines with or without the people. Perhaps many Israelites admired Saul for offering the sacrifice. “My, there’s a man of action! He gets things done. I never understood why the priests were so special anyway.” Saul could have positive responses in the polling data but if God were not with him, it would all crumble. He should have been concerned with pleasing God instead of the people.
ii. You did not come within the days appointed: “You see Samuel, it was really your fault. If you had come earlier, I wouldn’t have done this.” But if Saul had obeyed and trusted God, God would have taken care of Samuel and the timing. Even if Samuel was totally in the wrong, it didn’t justify Saul’s sin. We often try to blame our sin on someone else.
iii. The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the LORD: “We really needed God’s help against the Philistines, and we needed it now, so I had to do it.” But if Saul would have obeyed and trusted God, the LORD would have taken care of the Philistines. Saul could have made supplication to the LORD in any number of ways. He could have cried out the LORD for the whole nation with a humble heart, but instead he did the one thing he must not do: offer a sacrifice.
iv. Therefore I felt compelled: “I had to. It just seemed like the right thing to do. I couldn’t wait any longer.” Even though Saul felt compelled, he was not supposed to be ruled by his feelings. He didn’t have to sin – though he felt like sinning.
v. The whole manner of Saul’s explanation makes it clear this was no misunderstanding. He didn’t say to Samuel, “Did I do something wrong?” He knew exactly what he did and probably thought of the excuses ahead of time. (Guzik)
I Had To!
There are times because of our sinful nature we are ruled by our feelings that we open our mouth when we shouldn’t have spoken and cut with a knife and plunge sword because we feel disrespected.
”“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,“
Ephesians 4:26 NKJV
We are all guilty of being ruled by our feelings for one reason or another but instead we need to pray more and ask the Holy Spirit to guide our words and actions.
Saul sinned by performing a sacrifice but sinned more by not repenting when Samuel asked, what have done?
May we have the courage of David to confess our sin when we are told, you are that man!
Blessings
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