Samuel said, “What have you done?”…..
1 Samuel 13:11
Israel finally has a king – a good looking one, head above the rest. Saul started so well – although what’s up with hiding with the baggage when Samuel was looking for him? (Insert lesson here: When God wants you to do something, don’t hide behind your old baggage.)
In these chapters we see Saul about two years into his reign. He is still battling the Philistines. In this instance Samuel had told him to wait 7 days. But the people were clamoring and running around, Saul thought Samuel was not going to come. So Saul decided to perform the offering himself. Of course as soon as he was done verse 10 tells us that Samuel came.
1 Samuel 13:13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the LORD your God, with which he commanded you. For then the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.
Further into the account, we witness Saul make another rash move in cursing anyone who eats until the war is finished. The people had to step in and save Jonathan from his father’s hand.
One act of impatience and Saul’s kingdom was taken from away from him. Another rash vow and he could have lost his son. Contrast Saul’s impatience with that of David. I know it’s too early to bring David into the picture but I can’t wait (uh oh). Anyway, make a note of how long it took from the time David was anointed as king to the time he actually sat on the throne. No wonder David is referred to as a man after God’s own heart. The man clearly knows the meaning of waiting.
Am I the only one whose toes are being stepped on right now? I have always said that patience is not one of my virtues. In fact my favorite phrase seems to be, “Hurry up!” In the readings, God is clearly showing me what could happen if I continue to be my old impatient self. If I refuse to wait for God’s timing and take on work that is not meant for me. I don’t want my ministry – whatever that may be – to be taken from me. And I don’t want my children to suffer needlessly because of it, too.
At the end of your life, wouldn’t you rather hear the Lord saying “Well done good and faithful servant!” rather than “What have you done?!?“
[Reading from Blue Letter Bible – Chronological Plan]
His Gathering Place 
You are speaking to my heart, loud and clear! I am known for making split decisions and sometimes I regret it. I need to learn to take a breath, count to 10, and stop and think. MA…your post on IDOLS yesterday was very good too. I printed it off to review them….ouch!
This passage got me today too! The waiting…boy did that speak to me. Here is what I wrote on the Chrono FB page:Day 102~ Arranging our own Solutions”The timing of God is often a mystery to us, and even sometimes a frustration. But we must never try to arrange our own solutions.” Jim CymbalaI read this quote on twitter last night and thought how perfect it went with our reading today. Isn’t that exactly what Saul did? Samuel did not show up exactly when he was suppose to so Saul took matters into his own hands. He saw his troops deserting him and out of frustration and fear he reacted (1 Samuel 13:7,11-12). The result was devastating, it costs him his destiny. Samuel told him, “You have been foolish. You have not kept the command which the LORD your God gave you. It was at this time that the LORD would have permanently established your reign over Israel, but now your reign will not endure. The LORD has found a man loyal to Him” (13:13-14). As Cymbala said, he arranged his own solution and it cost Him God’s plan for his life.That is a powerful lesson and one that God used today to speak volumes to me. God’s timing is not always going to be our timing. There are things right now I don’t want to wait on. Is it a mystery why He is waiting? Yes. It is frustrating? Absolutely. But I do not want to try to fix this and risk my destiny with God. My trying to fix it will only mess up God’s plan, and bottom line is I can’t fix it. There is nothing I can do but trust Him. More than I want my way, I want God’s plan and His purpose because I know that even if I can’t see it now, His ways are always better than mine. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV).MA, I LOVED the idol post from yesterday! We both struggle with so many of the same things. Through all that I am going through right now I see myself falling back into some patterns that I had gotten rid of. Watching too much TV, reading to much fiction, shopping, etc. Right now the food is under control but I think it is because I have let other things take over to fill the void this pain is causing. Great post and gave me lots to think about.
(Re-posting because Posterous is being annoying)Hi, Brandee ~I'm so glad you shared your FB post today. God is working on all of us with the same issue – impatience. I wonder if it stems from the need to control, which may be from lack of trust. (Hmm, do I really want to keep going?) God is certainly revealing the uglies in my heart.