Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him. And Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the LORD.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.” (vv.10-12)
In today's text, King Saul learned the high cost of disobedience. He faced the prospect of fighting a huge well-equipped Philistine army with his small band of frightened and untrained followers. While waiting for Samuel to come and offer a sacrifice before going to battle, Saul became impatient and offered the sacrifice himself, even though he knew that God had given that right only to the priests. It was a costly mistake.
Once Samuel arrived and saw what Saul had done, he put it plainly to him: "You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue" (vv.13-14). God had commanded Saul to do something, and he did the opposite. And because Saul did not repent, that one act of disobedience changed the course of his life. From that point on, it was a sad downhill journey. Saul would reign for another 20 years, he would still be on the throne as a king, but it would never be the same because the end of his kingdom and his dynasty was now certain.
Lastly, we see in v.14 that, "The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people." Though God rejected Saul He did not reject Israel. Because God loved Israel He would raise up a king, a man after His own heart, King David. Saul was a man after Israel’s heart. He was all about image, prestige, and the things men look at. But God will now give Israel a man after His own heart and raise that man up to be the next king.
A man who seeks after God’s own heart honors the LORD. Saul was more concerned with his will than God’s will. When Saul was confronted with his sin he offered excuses. When David was confronted with his sin he confessed his sin and repented (2 Samuel 12:13). Today, God is still looking for men and women after His own heart. Those who repent before Him and not give excusises, those who know it is better to obey than to sacrifice.
The Truth: “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19)
