1 Samuel, Chapter 13 - He Didn't Wait | Prophets of Israel Daily

[music] Shalom. Welcome to the Prophets of Israel Daily. This is chapter 13 of First [music] Samuel, brought to you by the land of Israel network at the land of Isisrael.com. All right, the chapter starts off saying that Saul's reign over Israel is only two years. And we're transported into the middle of his reign after one year into his rule. The kingdom was established. The king is in place. The future was open. And then chapter 13 happens and this is a pivotal chapter in the book of Samuel because this is where Saul loses the kingdom. It's not the throne. He'll keep sitting on that for a while. But the promise, his future, his dynasty, it's forfeited here in a moment of pressure and impatience. And so it's like one decision that takes less than a moment to make costs the king everything. And so Saul, like we said, he was primarily focused on security and prosperity, a shadow of the first stage of the modern leadership of Israel. And the chapter opens with Saul organizing the soldiers of his kingdom. And he chooses 3,000 men, 2,000 with him at Mikmash and 1,000 with his son Jon Jonathan in Ka. And this is the first standing army in Israel's history. And it's like a real military structure under a real king. And then Jonathan, the son of King Saul, strikes in verse three. Jonathan defeated the Philistine ruler at Ga. And the Philistines heard of it. So Jonathan, Saul's son, young, bold, barely introduced to us yet, strikes the first blow against the Philistines and takes out the leader of the area. King Saul blows the chauffear throughout the land, essentially claiming victory and signaling that Israel has declared war. And so the Philistine response is overwhelming. Look at verse 5. The Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen and troops like the sand of the seashore in multitude. 30,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen, troops like the sea. I mean, this is not just like a little battle. This is a fullon war. It's like the full military weight of one of the most powerful fighting forces in the region. And it's descending on a nation that almost has no weapons apparently. And we'll see that the army, it's like already beginning to melt away. Look at verse 6. When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble, for the people were hardpressed, the people hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in sistns. I mean, the army is dissolving before Saul. Men are hiding in caves. Some are crossing the Jordan to escape. I mean, those who remain with Saul, they're terrified. I mean, the situation is desperate. And Saul is at Gilgal waiting. He's just waiting for Samuel. And this is the first clear Israelite offensive action against the Philistine power in the book of Samuel. It's not like we're reacting. Jonathan takes the lead here. And the story frames Saul's kingdom in the beginning with real potential. I mean, his son Jonathan courageously challenges the Philistine domination. But almost immediately, the pressure of the Philistines retaliation exposes Saul's weakness. And verse 8, he waited 7 days, the time appointed by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to kill Gaul. And the people were scattering from him. 7 days. Saul waits the full seven days. He waits, but Samuel doesn't come. And the army is evaporating. And so the text is unclear when Samuel told Saul to wait for seven days. Rashi says that Samuel had told Saul back in chapter 10 verse 8 to go to Gilgal and wait seven days for him to come and offer a sacrifice. And like you look at the chapter right here. You shall go down before me to Gilgal and surely I will come to you to offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait till I come to you and show you what you should do. So Rashi reads that command during his anointing as general instruction for the king anytime he's in need. And so now Samuel is being put to the test. Saul is holding on to a 7-day timeline. And it was set in a totally different reality at that time. And every hour that passes, the situation's getting worse. More men are slithering away, more panic. It's like like the terror is spreading throughout the camp and the clock is ticking and Samuel is not coming and the Philistines are amassing at Mikmash and Sha makes his decision. Verse 9. So Saul said bring the burnt offering here to me and the peace offerings and he offered the burnt offering. So Saul offers the sacrifice himself. I mean he was told to wait for Samuel. Samuel [clears throat] obviously should have been the one to pray and make sacrifices and he instructed him to wait and told him that he would show him what to do. And so Samuel is one of the greatest prophets of all times. I mean he was the chosen mouthpiece of Hashem in the world. His instructions are nothing less than God's command. and Saul under this immense pressure from the people acted to appease his fearful soldiers and instead fearing Samuel and God himself. >> Yeah. And I think what makes this so devastating and so important is that what Saul just did isn't really dramatic. You know, it's it's it's not a moment of obvious wickedness. He didn't worship an idol or murder anyone. He didn't betray Israel to its enemies. He did something that by every human standard looks completely reasonable, almost responsible. The army's collapsing. The enemy is closing in. The prophet is late or he feels that he's late. And the people are afraid. And and so the king prays. He brings a sacrifice. And I think that may be what makes this so instructive and and so relatable because the tests that often break us are rarely the ones that even look like tests while they're happening. You know, it's so right. But the heartbreak of it all is what happens next. It's like the most painful timing. The moment Saul finishes the sacrifice, verse 10, as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offerings, behold, Samuel came. I mean, the timing is just almost unbearable to read. It's like one moment more, one moment of patience. And Samuel walks through the gate, but the offering is already in smoke. I mean, Samuel looks at Saul and says, "What have you done?" And Saul explains himself in verse 11, "When I saw that the people were scattering for me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Mikmash, 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 offerings. I forced myself. In Hebrew it saysak. And that phrase I forced myself. It's like he held himself back as much as he could. And at the point he had to. I mean he's already in the explanation distancing himself from that decision. It wasn't really me. I was forced to circumstances. It was necessity. The army was leaving. I mean, it's a situation you put me in. You were late. I mean, instead of just immediately saying, "I've sinned. I should have waited. I'm sorry. I made a mistake." He starts deflecting and not really taking responsibility. >> Yeah. I'll tell you, I I think that the explanation that he gives here is actually more revealing um than the act itself because listen to the logic he uses. The people were scattering. You weren't here. The enemy was coming. I needed to seek God's favor, so I did it myself. Right? But on the surface, that sounds almost pious. I wanted to pray. I needed divine support. What's wrong with that? Right? But look at what's underneath it. Saul is saying, "I needed God's favor. And since the proper channel wasn't available, I improvised. I substituted my own method for the one God designated that he desires." And [clears throat] the road to that decision is paved entirely with fear and impatience, not with faith. A man of genuine faith in that moment would have said, "Samuel was commanded to come. He will come. I will wait even if the last soldier leaves because the battle belongs to God, not to the sacrifice that I perform before it." Yeah, exactly. And Samuel, you know, hears all of that and doesn't really comfort him. Verse 13, 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. Forever. I mean one bad choice for a king changes things forever. I mean the Lord would have established your kingdom forever. Clearly this was not a small test with small consequences. This was the litmus test and this was the hinge of your destiny. And Saul, you failed it. And then comes the verse that will accompany us throughout the rest of the book of Samuel. Verse 14. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for himself 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. a man after his own heart. I mean, we don't know yet who that man is, but we will. And the contrast is set up. A man after God's heart versus a man whose heart melted because his men were jumping ship. >> That's right. Like you said, you know, a man after God's heart. And and Jeremy, that phrase really has resonated through 3,000 years of history. And I think it's worth worth asking then, what does it actually mean? It doesn't mean a perfect man, right? The the one man that we know that God has already chosen to anoint is going to commit serious sins. He'll he'll fall in pretty significant ways, but at his core, something in in him will always be oriented towards God. He'll always return. He will always feel the distance when he wanders. And and perhaps most importantly, he will always care more about what God thinks than what people think. And that is the precise inverse of what Saul just did right here. Saul looked at the scattering soldiers, at the massing Philistines, at the crowd's panic, and he let all of that override the word of God. He was managing his image. He managed the situation. He did what the moment seemed to demand, but was really what God demanded, right? He revealed something about where his heart ultimately was living, right? Right. And then that wasn't in God's word. It was in fear of the nation and in fear of the crowd. >> Yeah. And once you see that, the rest of the chapter reads differently because it doesn't just end with a verdict. It ends with a portrait of just how desperate Israel's situation actually was. And it was pretty bleak. Verse 19. Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all of the land of Israel. For the Philistines said, "Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears." So the Philistines had systematically disarmed Israel. There were no blacksmiths, no swords, no spears. I mean, if an Israelite farmer wanted to sharpen a plowshare, he had to go to the Philistines and pay for the privilege. I mean, the entire nation was dependent on its enemy for just basic agricultural tools, never mind having weapons to wage war. And then look at verse 22. So on the day of battle, there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and Jonathan alone had them. So it's like the king and his son, two swords for an entire army, >> you know. And I don't think this detail is here just to describe the military situation. I think it's here to frame the spiritual one. Right? Israel is going into what may be the most important battle of the young kingdom with no weapons. A king who just forfeited his dynasty and an enemy that outnumbers them beyond counting. Right? By every human measure, this is already over. And yet, and this is the one thing here, the story is not over because Jonathan is still there. And Jonathan carries something his father just lost. Not a sword or a spear, but faith. Real faith. And chapter 14 is going to show us what one man, one man with genuine trust in God, what one man with real faith can do when everybody else seems to have already been giving up. You know, that's just true. And that's exactly what I want to focus on as we close this chapter. Because what stays with me about chapter 13 is just the unbearable timing of Samuel's arrival. One moment more. Just one moment. Can you imagine? Sha's feelings if he had just waited a little bit longer. And that was the essence of this mistake that Saul made. It made him unworthy of carrying on the dynasty. And it's not like he sinned against the command in the Torah. I mean in those days the before the temple people were allowed to make sacrifices. It wasn't reserved only for kohanim for priests or Levites. And so like what was it that he lost the kingdom for? And it was unbridled pragmatism. His soldiers were scattered. The Philistines were readying themselves for a massive attack. And Samuel didn't arrive. And we he said he was going to come and he didn't come. And so [clears throat] what is the strategic pragmatic move? Make the sacrifice himself. Even if it goes against the direct command of a prophet. And so Israel today is always making the most pragmatic choices, constantly thinking how to appease the world, doing what makes sense according to the statistics and the leadership of Israel. It's being called to be guided by principle, by morality, ultimately by Hashem. And when Shaaul's fear of losing the people overrided fear, his fear of doing what was right, another man after God's own heart, he would have to be chosen. And so, my friends, um, may we see that new leader rise up in Israel today. And if you would like to join us on this journey of the prophets of Israel, you can visit the landofisrael.com and you can become a sponsor. You can sponsor a chapter, you can sponsor a book, and your support is absolutely appreciated and keeps us strong here in Judea. So, my friends, we will see you tomorrow for Samuel [music] chapter 14 with Ari behind the wheel.