Saul Rashly Steps In (Portrait of an Arrogant King - Part 2)

Saul Rashly Steps In (Portrait of an Arrogant King (Part 2)

     We read that Samuel made an appointment with Saul: he said, he’ll come to front lines in a week. There, he would do what a prophet or priest of God would normally do -- he would make an offering to God and call on God to be gracious and favorable to His people once more. His presence would remind the little army that was left of God’s great power and ability in spite of their diminished resources.
     6.9 of the 7 appointed days pass -- Samuel hasn’t come!
     Saul rashly steps in -- and orders the materials for the burnt offerings and peace offering be brought to him -- and he offers them up himself. And, like he was on cue, while the smoke of the meat and incense are still in the air, Samuel arrives.
     At this point in the account, we get God’s view of what was going on that day. Look at verse 10:

10 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.

     Saul goes out to meet Samuel -- it says, he greeted him. That word greet carried the idea of blessing. God’s blessing on you, Samuel, man of God! It means to bless another, to commend, i.e., speak words invoking divine favor, with the intent that the object will have favorable circumstances or state at a future time. Saul goes and blesses Samuel and he expects Samuel, in light of his actions, to bless him in return. It speaks of a positive verbal exchange for some goodness with the expectation of the same thing in return. It is used in Genesis 1:22 for instance:

22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”

     David used it in Psalm 63:4 to speak of worship:

4 Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.

     All of this is very similar to the sense it is used here. There is almost a cheerful and upbeat sense of its’ use in the passage in view here.
     Notice there’s no word about what he’d just done. It is not clear whether or not Saul realizes the enormity of what he has done or not. It is difficult to see how it would be that could not realize it, but it is clear that somehow, he had entered into the Priest’s realm and taken it upon himself to offer this sacrifice by his own hand and was, even now, in Samuel’s presence, with no twinge of conscience. We must remember that Saul heads into mental illness as his reign progresses…but there is little indication that this is present as of yet. But it is clear that he was not entirely clear in his mind about what he had done.
     Samuel doesn’t bless Saul in return. He just issues a terse question: “What have you done?” Saul, like most of us when we’ve sinned, had some great excuses all ready.

Excuse #1 - The Needs of the People

     The first is in verse 11: the people were scattering from me!! Samuel, I had to do something to get the people to stay focused and loyal and not also run away. Saul sacrificed Righteousness on the altar of fear. He did the expedient to keep people around.

Excuse #2 - What Appropriate to Now

     His second excuse -- You did not come within the appointed time!! Now, just a note -- but in verse 8 we read, he waited seven days, according to the appointed time set by Samuel. Samuel said he’d be there in seven days. And when did Samuel come? On that seventh day. What Saul saw as urgent dictated something had to happen, even if it was something sinful.

Excuse #3 - The Urgency of the Immediate!

     The third excuse: the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, therefore I said, “now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal.” In reality, if you read the text, you see the Philistines were camped, not advancing. But Saul looks at the situation and interprets it to mean, defeat is imminent and -- he just thought he’d go ahead and see if he could get God to step in and act. We’ll talk more about what’s behind his thinking.
     Saul’s all about shifting blame and responsibility. Like many leaders, he will not admit his rash act and sin. Like a lot of people, he wanted authority but no responsibility. He lusted for power but rejected accountability. He wanted command over the nation, but would not submit to the leadership of God or others. That particular crossroads of character always significantly determines a leader’s success or failure.
     Samuel rejects Saul’s flimsy excuses, then rebukes him for his foolishness.
     Then he pulls back the curtain on what God was doing that day in Saul’s situation -- and shows him what he had not seen because the immediate had so blocked his view of God.