This passage (among many others) emphasizes the importance
of doing right no matter how inconvenient it may be. King Saul certainly found himself in
circumstances that were not convenient.
He had a standing army of a few thousand, but they had no weapons. And, his people were terrified of their
enemies, the Philistines. The Philistine's army was massive and they were very
well equipped. Saul's people were scarce, scattered and running scared (I
Samuel 13:6). Even the few that were
following him were useless militarily (I Samuel 13:7). And, on top of all of
that, the prophet Samuel was late to the appointed time of sacrifice. Saul
desperately needed something to happen to unify his followers and to rejuvenate
their confidence. So, he finally took
matters into his own hands. I Samuel
13:9 tells us the sad news. Saul did something that he was not qualified to
do. He was not a priest... but he acted
like he was. He offered the sacrifice himself.
Isn't it bitterly ironic that Saul had no sooner finished the
sacrifice when Samuel showed up. If only he had waited a little longer, right?
But no, if he hadn't failed then and there, he would have failed in another way
somewhere else. His heart was drifting from God already... this just happened
to be the way that his character flaw was manifested. If you examine Saul's
response to Samuel, you'll discover that Saul had a hard time admitting his
faults and failures even when he was caught red-handed. Anyway, Saul's kingdom
was doomed. While he did still have 38 years remaining to rule as king, God had
already picked his replacement (I Samuel 13:14).
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