You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, He would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. – 1 Samuel 13:13
Saul is anointed king at Gilgal. | WATCH ON YOUTUBE
Samuel obeyed God’s command and anointed Saul. Samuel told Saul to wait for him for seven days at Gilgal. Samuel would come and offer the sacrifice and then the people of Israel would be spiritually ready for battle.
In the meantime, Saul’s son, Jonathan initiated a war against the Philistines. The Israelites, however, were scared to attack the Philistines. They scatter themselves and hid in the caves. Saul waited six days and most of the seventh day. But by the evening of the seventh day, pressure was building. Saul knew that the Philistines were gathering a big army. And time was running out. And the people had begun to scatter. So, Saul in his anxiety took matters into his own hands. He decided to go ahead and offer the sacrifice himself. Just as he finished Samuel arrived. Samuel rebuked Saul.
God had not permitted kings to be priests and priests to be kings. When King Uzziah tried to do the work of the priest, God struck him with leprosy (2 Chronicles 26). Fear or anxiety caused Saul to disobey. He made excuses for failing to trust God. Saul was ruled by his feelings rather than his faith in God. And that turned out to be a great mistake. Saul lost his kingdom.
Anxiety and worry often get the better of us and cause us to act in ways that we end up regretting.
Obedience sometimes means waiting.
Lord give me the grace to wait for your perfect time, I pray.
Extended Reading — 1 Samuel 13-14
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