[One-Verse Meditation]

1 Samuel 13:11-12 (NIV) 11 “What have you done?” asked Samuel. Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, 12 I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the LORD’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”

[Meditation]

Before the Philistine army with its iron chariots, Israel hides in caves and thickets, filled with terror. It was a hopeless battle, seemingly already decided in terms of troops, weapons, and morale. The only one they could rely on was the LORD, but Samuel, who was to conduct the sacrifice, does not appear at the appointed time. Imagine that moment: the enemy is at the gate, your own men are scattering, and God’s man is nowhere to be seen. If we were the king of Israel at that time, in that place where mouths go dry and insides burn, what decision would we have made? Would we have been different from Saul?

Shouldn’t one offer the sacrifice oneself, to hold onto the scattering people and to gain confidence for the battle? They were all about to die, after all. We condemn Saul so easily, but if we stood in his place, we would have made the same decision. The fault lies with Samuel who didn’t keep his promise, and with the LORD. This sentiment is captured in Saul’s one phrase: “I felt compelled.”

This event makes us re-examine ‘faith.’ Faith transcends the environment and reasoning we face. Faith enables us to stand with a ‘though he slay me’ conviction. Because the LORD is always good, and He is always on my side. So where does this faith begin? It begins by seeing ‘myself standing before God.’ It is when we thoroughly realize that we have no qualification, ability, or goodness in ourselves that we can, for the first time, rely only on God.

So, to Samuel’s rebuke, “What have you done?”, Saul should have begun his faith by confessing, ‘I have sinned against the LORD.’ Then he would have seen the Lord who was holding onto him. But sadly, Saul fails here. In contrast, the second king, David, begins with faith in that very place: “I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Sam. 12:13). In the very same place. We too stand daily in that place where those two men stood.

[Prayer]

Lord, when I look at myself, I am no different from Saul. I look at my situation and circumstances and make excuses, saying ‘I was compelled,’ and live as I desire. “But God,” “But God,” You do not leave me as I am, but set me before Your Word again. That is how You save me. So how can I not praise this beautiful God? This morning, too, I sing to the Lord. Amen.
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[Daily Meditation]

1 Samuel 13:11-14:5