October 7, 2024
1 Samuel 13:11-12
Samuel asked, “What have you done?” Saul answered, “When I saw that the troops were deserting me and you didn’t come within the appointed days and the Philistines were gathering at Michmash, I thought, ‘The Philistines will now descend on me at Gilgal, and I haven’t sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I forced myself to offer the burnt offering.”
The Hebrew people coming out of the time of the Judges saw all the nations around them and became envious. “We want a king like them!”, they cried, and God granted their request. The desire for a king wasn’t the problem, it was the desire to be like all the other nations that caused the issue. The Lord told Samuel to go and anoint a new king and led him to a young man named Saul. Saul was an impressive young man, a head taller than all the others, his commanding presence was enough to make anyone cower in fear. Saul started off following the Lord’s will and depending on His Spirit, but he soon showed his insecurity and ineffectiveness as a leader. As the Philistines were bearing down on him and his army, Saul decided to offer a burnt offering to God. The problem was he was not qualified to do so, only the priest could do that. It was an impulsive move seeking to manipulate God into blessing his plans. However, God is not obligated to bless any plan of ours, He is only obligated to his own purpose and will. By taking matters into his own hands, Saul not only lost credibility with Samuel, the man of God, but he also lost the kingship. God would soon replace him with David because he had proven himself unwilling to wait upon the Lord or obey His commands.
Have you ever taken matters into your own hands? Maybe it was a problem situation at work or a difficult person in your life. Maybe it was a situation with a child or a dispute with a family member. Maybe it was an impulsive financial decision or business disagreement. Whenever we get ahead of God and take matters into our own hands we not only lose credibility with the people around us, we disappoint and displease God. Who knows better what direction we should go, decision we should make, or the timing of it all than God? Today, remember that God is all knowing, the seat of all infinite wisdom, and his way is always best. Don’t take matters into your own hands. Don’t get ahead of God. Wait on him and listen to His voice, and He will work things out in a way like only God can.
Samuel asked, “What have you done?” Saul answered, “When I saw that the troops were deserting me and you didn’t come within the appointed days and the Philistines were gathering at Michmash, I thought, ‘The Philistines will now descend on me at Gilgal, and I haven’t sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I forced myself to offer the burnt offering.”
The Hebrew people coming out of the time of the Judges saw all the nations around them and became envious. “We want a king like them!”, they cried, and God granted their request. The desire for a king wasn’t the problem, it was the desire to be like all the other nations that caused the issue. The Lord told Samuel to go and anoint a new king and led him to a young man named Saul. Saul was an impressive young man, a head taller than all the others, his commanding presence was enough to make anyone cower in fear. Saul started off following the Lord’s will and depending on His Spirit, but he soon showed his insecurity and ineffectiveness as a leader. As the Philistines were bearing down on him and his army, Saul decided to offer a burnt offering to God. The problem was he was not qualified to do so, only the priest could do that. It was an impulsive move seeking to manipulate God into blessing his plans. However, God is not obligated to bless any plan of ours, He is only obligated to his own purpose and will. By taking matters into his own hands, Saul not only lost credibility with Samuel, the man of God, but he also lost the kingship. God would soon replace him with David because he had proven himself unwilling to wait upon the Lord or obey His commands.
Have you ever taken matters into your own hands? Maybe it was a problem situation at work or a difficult person in your life. Maybe it was a situation with a child or a dispute with a family member. Maybe it was an impulsive financial decision or business disagreement. Whenever we get ahead of God and take matters into our own hands we not only lose credibility with the people around us, we disappoint and displease God. Who knows better what direction we should go, decision we should make, or the timing of it all than God? Today, remember that God is all knowing, the seat of all infinite wisdom, and his way is always best. Don’t take matters into your own hands. Don’t get ahead of God. Wait on him and listen to His voice, and He will work things out in a way like only God can.
Posted in Daily Devos