First Samuel 12-14

God’s message to me: Be certain that your brain is in gear before you engage your mouth. Think before you speak. Saul demanded that no one eat until he had revenge and he made everyone swear to it. His son didn’t know about the oath and he ate. Obviously he couldn’t take an oath he didn’t know about but, then he led those around him into sin by telling them they should eat. Famished after a long day of fighting without eating, the army took it’s first opportunity to kill and eat animals plundered from the enemy. They didn’t drain the blood or cook the meat and sinned against God by eating the blood.

Saul insisted on continuing the attack through the night but, when he was reminded to ask God’s council, he was given no answer from God. He drew lots to see if the sin blocking communication came from the army or from him and his son and the lot fell on him and his son. Jonathan told him about eating the honey and, true to his word he decided to execute his son. The army prevented him because it was Jonathan’s initial attack that put the enemy on the run.

Saul stopped people from eating when his army needed the energy to fight. Jonathan ate the honey and told the soldiers around him his father’s command was stupid and should be ignored. The army of Israel ate blood. Saul pursued battle well beyond reasonable limits for his army. Saul rashly called for the death of whoever countermanded him. The sins of this day were universally sins of impatience and unthinking reaction. People acted and spoke without considering consequences.

Promises: When God’s people move wholeheartedly to gain what God has promised he will not fail to give it to them. The surrounding people of Canaan had oppressed Israel for generations because they had not pursued the destruction of these enemies when God told them to. Saul led the army of Israel to beat back these enemies, knowing that he was made king to lead Israel in defeating oppression. God was with the army and Israel defeated it’s enemies on all sides in battle. So long as Saul continued to follow God’s command and wipe out the enemies of Israel they did not fail in battle.

Commands: Be patient. Do not take on yourself the duties that don’t belong to you. DON’T ASSUME. DON’T PRESUME. Saul waited for Samuel but when Samuel was late he decided to make a sacrifice to God without him. This was not his place, duty, privilege or station. It was no better than offering to a false god because the sacrifice was made outside the bounds of God’s law.

You see this mirrored in the first episode of KINGS. The king is ready to begin the ceremony celebrating the beginning of his new capitol city and Rev Samuels is late arriving. The king decides that his son should make the opening prayers so that they don’t keep the people waiting. Rev Samuels tells him the same thing Samuel told Saul. You and your family could have been rulers forever but, you did wrong in God’s eyes and he has replaced you. God has chosen someone who is after His own heart to lead his people and replace you as commander of His people.

Timeless principles: “I gotta do something even if it’s wrong.” I hear this line a lot and it’s as stupid as it sounds. Don’t just do something, STAND THERE. Acting without patience or thinking and doing things you shouldn’t do just because you think they need done will do nothing but make your life worse. God has His own timing and His own choice for who will accomplish what. Jumping the gun out of impatience just means your interfering with God’s plan and that doesn't work. No one can change God’s plan or step outside it. Doing things that are outside the plan will not interfere with it those things will simply fail. Often they will fail dramatically and with dire effects on the person who chose his own timing over God’s.

How can I apply what I’ve learned: Wait On GOD. “Be still and know that I am God.” This isn’t just comforting words it’s a command. When things seem off the rails and you think you have to go outside the boundaries to fix them, it’s time to stop and pray. If God wants you to do something it will be clear what to do. If not then you need to stop, remember that the one in charge created everything you know in 7 days, nothing you can do is going to rearrange His plan and, no matter how much you worry, it won’t change anything. “What man among you can, by worrying, add one cubit to his height.” Stop trying to help God. He is there to help you. You are there to obey Him. He has the power, you have only the ability He gives you.

more to learn for in-depth study: In the dawn of the age of kings, Samuel reminds the Israelites of their history.

When the Israelites were oppressed in Egypt God raised up Moses and Aaron to lead them to the promised land. When they forgot the Lord, He gave them into the hand of Sisera, commander of Hazor’s army, the Philistines, and the King of Moab. When they cried out for forgiveness of their idolatry and asked God’s help he sent Jerubaal(Gideon), Bedan, Jephthah and Samuel to deliver them from oppression.

When the king of the Ammonites came the Israelites said “No, but a king shall reign over us”, but the Lord God was their King. This demand for a human king was an affront to God but, he appointed a king to rule the Israelites. He chose Saul. Like Gideon he came from the least of the tribes to the highest position. Saul was easily noticed as he was head and shoulders taller than all the other Israelites. His bearing and good looks made it easy to see him as king. Saul, on the other hand, took a while to get used to the idea. Once appointed king, he went home to plow the family farm.

God warned that the people and the king must continue to follow the commands of God or be given over to oppression again as in the past until they learned to turn back to the Lord.

The first and primary purpose of government is defense. Israel had always had it’s militia. Every man of fighting age, who wasn’t afraid, recently married, recently purchased land, etc. was expected to go to war to defend the land when called. Saul fulfilled God’s warning by drafting 3,000 Israelites into a standing army that was established outside of war time. 2,000 were garrisoned with Him and 1,000 with his son.

tomorrow: First Samuel 15-16