1 Samuel 13: Religious Rebellion

Saul lived for one year and then became king, and when he had reigned for two years over Israel, 2 Saul chose three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent home, every man to his tent. 3 Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines that was at Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” 4 And all Israel heard it said that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become a stench to the Philistines. And the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal.
 
5 And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven. 6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns, 7 and some Hebrews crossed the fords of the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
Saul’s Unlawful Sacrifice
8 He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. 9 So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10 As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. 11 Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, 12 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 offering.” 13 And Samuel said to Saul, “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. 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out 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.” 15 And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal. The rest of the people went up after Saul to meet the army; they went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin.
 
And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men. 16 And Saul and Jonathan his son and the people who were present with them stayed in Geba of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17 And raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual; 18 another company turned toward Beth-horon; and another company turned toward the border that looks down on the Valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.
 
19 Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears.” 20 But every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle, 21 and the charge was two-thirds of a shekel for the plowshares and for the mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads. 22 So on the day of the battle there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and Jonathan his son had them. 23 And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.
 
Meditation
God’s relentless grace gives garments of righteousness to cover the shame of sin (Isaiah 61:10; Revelation 19:8). Religious rags are not sufficient, feeble efforts echoing the attempts of Adam and Eve to do the same (Genesis 3:7). God’s steadfast love invites us to come to Him, repent of our sin, and receive the righteous robes with which He desires to dress us.
 
Corruption cascades from an insecure heart. After pointing out the enemy needing to be removed by the king, Samuel commanded Saul to wait until his arrival to make sacrifices (10:5-7). Saul did not fight the enemy… his son Jonathan lead the charge (3), and then Saul claimed the credit (4)!  Saul grew weary waiting for Samuel to offer sacrifice, but he decided to proceed to do it himself before blaming Samuel for being late (8-12). Covering the shame of our sin with religious ritual is a failed venture from the start. Foolishness is the heart rejecting God’s word yet still pretending to be religious. God seeks a king after His own heart.
 
Jesus is the true king demonstrating a heart for the Father by fulfilling every detail of Divine direction (Matthew 5:17-18). Jesus is the true king who demonstrates His love for us by doing what a king should do, defeating the enemy, and this by dying in our place. Like Saul, we reject God’s direction, blame others, and seek to cover our sin with religious ritual. Jesus’ grace moves us from rags to riches when we remove religion from covering our shame, give Him our heart, and receive His righteous robes.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially Saul’s misrepresentation of himself, rejecting God’s word, and blaming God’s prophet?
 
-Where do you identify?
 
-How does the finished work of Jesus not only fulfill the need for a king after God’s own heart but also provide a safe place for you to trust Jesus as king with all your heart? Where do you need to remove your religious rags and receive His righteousness? Be specific.
 
Key verse
13 And Samuel said to Saul, “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. 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart…