May 27, 2024 – 1 Samuel 13:8-18

May 27, 2024 – 1 Samuel 13:8-18

As you read these verses ask yourself, do I have a tendency to put a time limit on God?  Am I so ready to move forward that the slightest thing makes me move from where God has told me to wait? 

I know there are times I am so ready to move forward the direction I have set, then ask God and He gives me direction, but I am really wanting my own way. I know, shocker! When I get so set on something, anything that appears to match up with my opinion sets me moving forward, sometimes into chaos, or worse, the trap of the enemy. 

I need to keep my eyes on Jesus and wait for Him to give me the signal.  The world can trip me up when my focus isn’t where it should be.  There is a saying I have heard that kinda fits here. 

“If you chase to many rabbits, you won’t catch anything.” 

When my focus is too wide and I’m looking to see where any movement is, I might miss something.  As a matter of fact, I probably will.  But if I place my desire on pleasing God then I will watch for the Holy Spirit to guide me.  Not the world, not a book, not my feelings, nothing in the creation, but the Creator, Himself. 

These verses we see Saul so anxious to do what he wants to do, He breaks the law of Moses regarding burnt offerings.  His thoughts were on his own agenda, his focus was on the world and he missed God completely. 

I pray these verses speak to you about keeping your thoughts, desires and actions on things that please God.

⁸ He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. ⁹ So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. ¹⁰ As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. ¹¹ 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, ¹² 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.” ¹³ And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. ¹⁴ But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” ¹⁵ And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal. The rest of the people went up after Saul to meet the army; they went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin.

And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men. ¹⁶ And Saul and Jonathan his son and the people who were present with them stayed in Geba of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. ¹⁷ And raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual; ¹⁸ another company turned toward Beth-horon; and another company turned toward the border that looks down on the Valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.