1 Samuel 13

Scripture1 Samuel 13:11-12¹¹ “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.”Observation - What does it say?Facing the huge Philistine army, Saul and the Israelites freaked out. Many ran and hid while some troops decided to stay with Saul. God had commanded Saul to wait for Samuel to come to him. Samuel would present fellowship offerings and burnt offerings to God when he got there. But, after 7 days had passed and Samuel hadn't shown up yet, the troops with Saul were giving into fear and starting to scatter. When Saul saw it he grew impatient waiting for Samuel and offered the sacrifice himself.Understanding - What does it mean?Fear is a bad motivator.Saul’s fear led him to take matters into his own hands, causing the kingdom of Israel to be taken from him. Fear and faith are opposed to each other. Fear leads us into sin. Faith leads us into obedience.Rather than trusting God and obeying his command, Saul gave into fear. Abraham did the same when he lied about his wife Sarah being his sister. And the Apostle Peter did the same when he lied to those around the fire, saying he didn’t know Jesus.Thankfully, for those of us who follow Jesus, we don’t ever have to live in fear and have fear dictate our actions. Why? Because we have the Holy Spirit!Romans 8:15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.  And by him we cry, “Abba Father.”2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.Life ApplicationBe motivated by faith and not by fear!

God, thank you for your Spirit! Thank you that we don’t ever have to live in fear or be controlled by it. Instead we can walk in sonship - in the confidence that we have a perfect heavenly Father who will care for all our needs. We can walk in power, love and self-discipline. Lord, reveal to us the areas we’ve been giving into our fear, and fill us with faith. Amen.

 

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- Levi Thompson