“Then Saul shouted to Ahijah, “Bring the ephod here!” For at that time Ahijah was wearing the ephod in front of the Israelites. But while Saul was talking to the priest, the confusion in the Philistine camp grew louder and louder. So Saul said to the priest, “Never mind; let’s get going.””
The word for today is “impetuous.“
So began my note to one of our grandsons last week. He is only eight, but hey, there’s no time like the present to point out a stone over which the mighty fall.
King Saul prompted this lesson. Reading 1 Samuel is watching Saul, feet braced against the starting blocks, “false start” again and again. He simply could not wait for God to say, “Go.”
My Dictionary defines impetuous as: —adjective
of, relating to, or characterized by sudden or rash action, emotion, etc.; impulsive: an impetuous decision; an impetuous person.
Yep, that’s Saul.
Saul was a towering figure, yet initially small in his own eyes. When God’s prophet Samuel first approached Saul about the role God would give him, Saul said:
But I’m only from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel, and my family is the least important of all the families of that tribe! Why are you talking like this to me? 1 Samuel 9:21 NLT
Then God made Saul king and something changed. Saul, initially small in his own eyes, began to view himself through a concave mirror of importance. He grew impatient, very impatient.
I see Saul as the person at the checkout, eagerly scanning to determine which line was moving the fastest. His ears were tuned to hear those wonderful words, “Register three, no lines, no waiting!”
I’m sure I see Saul’s impetuousness because I see it in myself. I like to get things done “NOW!” The microwave is too slow for me. About the speed of light, yeah, could we step that up a bit.
I remember one of my doctoral professors, after examining my intended plan, tell me, “Things don’t usually move that fast!” She was right. They didn’t. But that was not going to keep my from trying to drive in the fast lane.
Yes, I’m reading the life of Saul with particular attention to myself. You see, I don’t want to end where he did.
Let’s fast forward Saul’s life to 1 Samuel 13. The Philistines, always a thorn in Saul’s foot, were again creating trouble. They mustered a mighty army. When they began to attack, the Israelite forces started to scatter in fear. Watch what Saul does:
Meanwhile, Saul stayed at Gilgal, and his men were trembling with fear. Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel didn’t come. Saul realized that his troops were slipping away. So he demanded, “Bring me the burn offering and the peace offerings!” And Saul sacrificed the burn offering himself. 1 Samuel 13:8
Impetuous Saul! Not willing to wait. Not good!
When Samuel arrives he sees Saul’s gross error and asks, “What is this you have done?” Saul offers up lame excuses, to which Saul retorts,
“How foolish! You have not kept the command the LORD gave you. Had you kept it, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end . . . . “ 1 Samuel 13:13-14 NLT
One would imagine those words would make Saul think twice about trying to outrun God again, but not so. Turn the page to 1 Samuel 14. We see impetuous Saul once more tapping his foot in impatience. This time the Philistines are on the run and Saul cannot figure out why. He calls for the priest to perform his duties:
“Then Saul shouted to Ahijah, “Bring the ephod here!” For at that time Ahijah was wearing the ephod in front of the Israelites. But while Saul was talking to the priest, the confusion in the Philistine camp grew louder and louder. So Saul said to the priest, “Never mind; let’s get going.””
“Never mind; let’s get going!”
Saul, are you crazy! Commenting on this, Robert Bergen notes:
Sensing that he was about to lose a golden opportunity to rout the enemy, Saul did the unthinkable—he ordered Ahijah to suspend his priestly activities before they were completed. This incredible interruption of the divine pattern—an action without precedent in the Bible—was intended to enable Israel to win an even greater victory over the Philistines. But for readers who were informed by the Torah, it meant that Saul was unfit to fulfill the task of leading Israel against their enemies (cf. 8:20). It also added one more image in the narrative montage that depicts Saul as spiritually benighted and insensitive to the Lord’s ways.
As I start a new week, full of challenges and opportunities, the life of a Saul stands as a reminder to wait on God — wait in obedience, wait in prayer, wait for the wisdom of godly counselors, wait to act until the time is right. As Bergen also notes, “any breach of the Lord’s instruction diminishes the good that could have resulted.”
Today the word is, “Patience.” Wait on the Lord. Obey him even when it does not make sense!
Notes:
”Sensing he was about to lose a golden opportunity . . .” from Bergen, R. D. (1996). 1, 2 Samuel (Vol. 7, p. 157). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.“Any breech of the Lord’s instruction . . . “ from Bergen, R. D. (1996). 1, 2 Samuel (Vol. 7, p. 158). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.