King Saul's son, in command of part of Israel's small army, had wiped out a garrison of the dominant Philistines. To put down this revolt, the Philistines massed a much larger, better-equipped army on Israel's border. Saul watched his demoralized soldiers begin deserting. Did the prophet Samuel's instructions (10:8) to wait for his arrival still make sense?

1. From a military tactic perspective, was continued inaction a good option for Saul?
   
   
2. Was Saul's decision to proceed with battle preparations sound in light of his own resources? What other factor made it a deficient decision?
   
   
3. Doesn't the fact that Saul was making a pre-battle sacrifice indicate reliance on God?
   
   
4. Does Saul's explanation to Samuel of a spiritual rationale behind his decision strike you as plausible?
   
   
5. In what specific ways (2 Chronicles 13:10; 1 Samuel 15:22) had Saul disobeyed God's command?
   
   
6. What did Saul's impatience reveal about his ultimate reliance?
   
   
7. In what critical aspect did the "man after his own heart," whom God chose to replace Saul, differ from him (Psalm 40:1)?
   
   
8. How has God used delays to develop your trust?

Ask God for a trust so absolute that you can wait for Him to act without getting uptight.

³Soon after this, Jonathan attacked and defeated the garrison of Philistines at Geba. The news spread quickly among the Philistines. So Saul blew the ram's horn throughout the land, saying, "Hebrews, hear this! Rise up in revolt!" ⁴All Israel heard the news that Saul had destroyed the Philistine garrison at Geba and that the Philistines now hated the Israelites more than ever. So the entire Israelite army was summoned to join Saul at Gilgal. ⁵The Philistines mustered a mighty army of 3,000 chariots, 6,000 charioteers, and as many warriors as the grains of sand on the seashore! They camped at Micmash east of Beth-aven.

⁶The men of Israel saw what a tight spot they were in; and because they were hard pressed by the enemy, they tried to hide in caves, thickets, rocks, holes, and cisterns. ⁷Some of them crossed the Jordan River and escaped into the land of Gad and Gilead. Meanwhile, Saul stayed at Gilgal, and his men were trembling with fear. ⁸Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn't come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away.

⁹So he demanded, "Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!" And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself. ¹⁰Just as Saul was finishing with the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet and welcome him, ¹¹but Samuel said, "What is this you have done?" Saul replied, "I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn't arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle.

¹²So I said, 'The Philistines are ready to march against us at Gilgal, and I haven't even asked for the Lord's help!' So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came." ¹³"How foolish!" Samuel exclaimed. "You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. ¹⁴But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord's command."

Prayer for the Week

Teach me, Lord, to leash in my drive to make things happen and wait expectantly for Your move.

				Try an Issue of Men of Integrity Free! Name Street Address City/State/Zip E-mail Address No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. Click here for International orders. If you decide you want to keep Men of Integrity coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive five more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The trial issue is yours to keep, regardless. Give Men of Integrity as a gift Buy 1 gift subscription, get 1 FREE!

FREE Newsletter Sign up for the Men of Integrity Newsletter    RSS Feed   RSS Help