Have you ever been caught doing the wrong thing, but just that quickly your mind is spinning a rationale to make yourself appear as thought you were doing the right thing? It’s human nature. We hate getting caught!
In the previous post, we learned in 1st Samuel 13 that King Saul didn’t wait for the prophet Samuel to show up and offer a sacrifice, invoking God’s blessing on the Israelite army as it faced the Philistine army. Saul decided to offer the sacrifice himself, which meant he broke the Mosaic Law, which says that only Levitical priests were to offer sacrifices. Just as Saul finishes the sacrifice, Samuel showed up, and Saul was caught in the act. Why did Saul act so poorly?
Look at verses 11-12, “‘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, 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.’”
Saul gives a very spiritual answer, “I just wanted to seek the Lord’s favor.” Was Saul really that pious? Was Saul really motivated with a pure heart? Is Samuel buying it? Look at verse 13,
“‘You have done a foolish thing,’ Samuel said. ‘You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.’”
No doubt it is vital to keep the Lord’s command. But I have to ask you this. After reading what Saul did and Samuel’s response, are you thinking, “Really, God? You’re taking the kingdom from Saul for that one little mistake?” That’s what’s going through my mind.
It doesn’t seem like the punishment fits the crime. Look at the principle in verse 14, though: “The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart.” The importance of that principle cannot be overestimated. That one short sentence is the guiding principle that we will return to again and again throughout the remainder of this sermon series through the books of 1st and 2nd Samuel.
God desires a man after his own heart. What does that mean? “After his own heart”? God doesn’t have a heart because God is spirit and spiritual entities don’t have bodies. The word here in Hebrew is often translated “heart,” but linguists tell us this word refers to the organ that pumps our blood, but to the “inner man, mind, will,” what you and I figuratively refer to as heart, that inner central part of our lives, the core of our life where lies our affections.
Samuel is saying to Saul that there is something deeper going on in Saul’s inner being. God desires a person who thinks like God thinks, desires what God desires, and thus makes choices that are in line with God’s heart. Saul, in this seemingly small decision, has shown the reality of his heart, and it is not in line with God’s heart.
The practical application here is vast. God has a particular kind of heart, and he desires his people to have hearts that are like his. You and I as disciples of Jesus are to have hearts like his. Desires like his. Choices like his. Thoughts about life like his.
At this point in the story, verse 15 tells us that the confrontation between Samuel and Saul ends there. But the confrontation with Philistines is not done. Saul goes back to his hometown of Gibeah, and we learn he has only 600 men left. The Israelites are seriously outnumbered.
But what about the Philistines? What are they doing during these past seven days?
We learn in verses 16-18, that the Philistines send out three raiding parties. Battle looms. We also learn in verses 19-22 that the Philistines have controlled weapons production in the region, and thus they outgun Israel entirely. The only Israelites who have weapons are King Saul and Jonathan, whose identity is revealed as Saul’s son.
In other words, the author of the story wants us to see clearly that this is shaping up to be a massive defeat for Israel. The Philistines have them outmanned and outgunned. In the next post, we’ll learn how the battle takes a surprising turn.
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash
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