83 – Failing the Test
1 Samuel 13:1-22
When Saul became king of Israel, the people had to go to the Philistines to buy iron farm tools. When these tools became dull, the people had to go back to the Philistines to have them sharpened since they weren’t allowed to have blacksmiths. But the Philistines wouldn’t sell weapons of war to the people of Israel. The only ones to have modern swords and spears were Saul and his son Jonathan.
As king, Saul organized an army of 3,000 men. He personally oversaw 2,000 of them, and gave 1,000 to his son. Jonathan took his men and attacked a Philistine outpost. Saul knew that this was an act of war, so he quickly tried to build his forces in preparation.
The Philistines reacted to this attack with force. They marched into Israel with 3,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen, and a massive number of troops.
The men of Israel were terrified when they saw this huge army come into their land. Most of the men in Saul’s army ran for their lives. They hid wherever they could. They hid in caves, among rocks, and down in wells. Some even left the country. Others actually joined the Philistine army!
Samuel told the king not to go into battle until they had sacrificed to the Lord. He told Saul to go to a particular place and wait for him. The king went to that place, but Samuel wasn’t there. He waited three day—four days. Still Samuel didn’t come. He waited five day—six days. Samuel didn’t come.
Saul watched as his men continue to desert the army. Finally, on the seventh day, he felt he couldn’t wait any longer. He got the things needed for the burnt sacrifice, and offered it up.
Just as he finished, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to greet him. The prophet said, “What have you done?”
Saul said, “The Philistines are about to attack, and my army is leaving me. I didn’t know if I would have the Lord’s help. I waited for you, but you didn’t come. I had no other choice, so I decided to act on my own. I offered the burnt offering to the Lord.”
Samuel said, “Oh, you have acted like a fool! Didn’t you realize this was a test? You failed it! If you had trusted God, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. Now your kingdom won’t last long. The Lord has already found a man after his own heart. He’ll become king and God will establish his kingdom for ever.”
Samuel then turned and left the king. Saul counted his men and found he only had 600 soldiers. The Philistines had camped on the top of a cliff so they could control the important pass that was below. So Saul took his small army and camped on top of the cliffs on the opposite side of the pass.
Continued in the next story
