One’s True Heart is Eventually Revealed
“And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him. And Samuel said, What hast thou done?…” I Samuel 13:10-11a
There was no mistaking that Israel was between a rock and a hard place. King Saul had purposely roused the ire of the Philistines against Israel by his bad and unauthorized (by God) decision to attack them. Saul expected to defeat them, yet his soldiers, overwhelmed by the large contingent of Philistine fighters, “cut and ran”. Samuel, a Levite, who had been the judge over Israel before Saul was anointed king, was supposed to meet Saul on a certain day, but he had not yet arrived, and the people were beginning to scatter. Saul knew that the main purpose for Samuel to come to him was so they could worship, Samuel could sacrifice, and they could hear from God as to how to proceed. Saul got tired of waiting. He decided to do the sacrifice himself which was not lawful for him to do (Leviticus 6:8-13). (One of the unfavorable “side effects” of one’s own measure of self-importance is impatience, and it can cost us dearly.)
After Saul offered the burnt offering, Samuel arrived within a couple of hours or so. If Saul had only waited just a little bit longer he would have avoided a great amount of trouble for himself and for all of Israel. Rather than being ashamed of what he had done, Saul seemed to be pleased and thought Samuel would also be pleased. He didn’t have to tell Samuel that he had made the burnt offering; Samuel already knew. Either the LORD revealed it to Samuel or the smell of smoke on Saul’s clothing from the sacrificial fire was enough to give it away. Samuel abruptly asked Saul, “What have you done?” in a tone which let Saul know that Samuel was not at all pleased. But, as many of us do, Samuel already had some excuses lined up: the people were deserting him, Samuel was late in getting there, and the Philistines were gathering for battle. Rather than being honest, Saul blamed the people, Samuel, and the Philistines. Sometimes heartache can be averted by admitting the truth and throwing oneself on the mercy of God. The Lord is always ready to forgive a truly repentant heart. Saul’s problem was pride.
Saul wasn’t even finished with his excuses. The Philistines were on their way, and no one was there to consult God about what Israel should do, so Saul took it upon himself to make the burnt offering. Perhaps Saul was ignorant of the law which specifically commanded that only the priest was allowed to make the sacrifices. We do not have any historical background on Saul’s religious education, thus we don’t know what he knew or what he didn’t know about the law. However, as the old saying goes, “Ignorance of the law is no excuse.” If Saul was expecting a “high five” from Samuel, he was in for a rude awakening. Samuel told him that he had “done foolishly” in not keeping the commandments of the LORD. To us, Saul’s sin seems like a small thing to receive such a sharp rebuke from Samuel, but no sin is small because all sin is against the sovereignty and honor of our Creator. Anytime we think we have a better idea than God, we set ourselves up in opposition to all that God is, the holy and righteous LORD of all heaven and earth. All God required from Saul was to be obedient in all matters. Samuel made clear to Saul that it was a possibility that God would have established Saul’s kingdom over Israel forever if only Saul had been an obedient king (I Samuel 13:13). But that was not to be.
One act of impatience on Saul’s part led him to sin against God resulting in a very severe consequence–the loss of his kingdom. All God required was a man “after His own heart”, one who was willing to put God first ahead of all others and ahead of his own goals and ambitions, one who was completely dedicated and loyal to God, a real servant of the LORD. Saul did not pursue God, which was known by God when He allowed Saul to be anointed king, but God also gave him opportunity to prove himself. His kingdom seemed to prosper for the first two years until a major crisis hit which revealed Saul’s true heart. God would find that man, the one whom He would designate as one “after His own heart”, but for now, Saul’s days were numbered.
They say that history repeats itself, mostly because we never seem to learn, thinking we can somehow beat the odds and get away with our poor decisions and bad judgments. However, the truth always comes out eventually and shows us and everyone else the true motives of our heart. As I stated earlier, when we think we have a better idea than God, we set ourselves up against the righteous, holy, perfect, and sovereign God of heaven and earth. Galatians 6:7 is clear as a bell: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Many of those who have been in leadership positions in our nation over the last few years have made policy decisions that are completely against what God has said in His word, and they don’t seem to care that they have attempted to mock God and His holy word. Like Saul, who violated God’s commandment, they seem to be pleased with what they have done. However, sooner or later a day of reckoning will come just as it came to Saul.