The Lord laid a sentence in my heart, “Wait, Samuel is coming” and as I thought about the statement, one person in the Bible came to my mind. One became two. Two became three.
The three people who I believe this message would resonate with, are: Saul, Hannah, and David. The names are written in the order which they came to my mind. If we were to go the chronological route, it would be Hannah, Saul, and David, but let’s stick to the first order, and see what the Lord has in store for us.
Shall we pray?
Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word that is coming to us. We ask that you enable us to hear you clearly and obey your instructions. Thank you for answering our prayers, for we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
CHAPTER 1 – SAUL
Saul, can you hear me? If you can, please wait, Samuel is coming.
Context: In 1 Samuel chapter 10, after Samuel anointed Saul as the king of Israel, Samuel instructed the king to go to Gilgal, and wait seven days before the time for sacrifice.
“Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do.” 1 Samuel 10:8.
As the story progresses, we reach chapter 13, and meet Saul in verse 7. He had remained at Gilgal, as instructed, however, the troops with him were afraid due to the threat of the Philistines. The men were so afraid that they began to scatter.
Saul was faced with a dilemma. He could choose to wait for Samuel to offer the offerings, but that would mean he faced the risk of losing even more of his men. Alternatively, he could decide to offer the offerings, even though he was not a priest. Saul was worried.
At that point, I tried shouting from the distance. “Saul, can you hear me? If you can, please wait, Samuel is coming.” Sadly, he could not hear me. He decided to take things into his hands. He offered the burnt offering. Unfortunately, just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived.
“What have you done?” asked Samuel. Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, I thought, “Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favour. So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”
“You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”
Just like that, Saul’s dynasty was over. His generation would no longer be established over Israel for all time. Heart breaking.
What is God’s message for us? Well, I believe God wants to remind us of the importance of patience and choosing his way irrespective of the circumstances.
Romans 8:14 teaches us that as God’s children, we are led by the Spirit of God. It is important in all situations that we wait for God to act and decide not to act if He doesn’t act.
In Numbers 9:17-23, we read that the Israelites moved and rested in line with the cloud which signified God’s presence. When the cloud stayed for a few hours, they waited. When it stayed for two days, they waited. When the cloud stayed for a month or a year, the Israelites waited.
Patience. Holding on. Trusting God above circumstances.
Patience. A fruit of the Spirit.
In Galatians chapter 5 verse 22, we learn that patience is part of the expressions that God’s Spirit produces in us, as we grow in our walk with Him.
For our human configuration, patience is not a default setting. We desire activity. We always want to be on-the-go; doing something, and saying something. We want instant results. However, God wants us to learn patience. He wants us to sit and wait for His timing. He wants us to refuse the urge to conceive by the flesh what we received by the Spirit. He wants us to wait for the fullness of time.
Why? Because patience shows trust. It shows that we are more concerned about God’s opinion of us than man’s perception.
Are you willing to wait for the Lord’s time? Or do you want to go ahead and “offer the sacrifice” like Saul did?
Shall we pray?
Lord Jesus, we admit that it can be difficult to wait for your timing. The circumstances surrounding us also make it tough for us to be still. However, Lord Jesus, we ask that you equip us with your grace. Help us to wait, no matter what it takes. Help us to trust you, despite what men may say. Teach us to believe that you are a promise keeper, and you are always on time.
Thank you for answering our prayers, for we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
…
At the start of our study, I mentioned that we would be considering lessons from the lives of Saul, Hannah, and David. Initially, I thought it would be one lesson from Saul’s life where the topic “Wait, Samuel is coming” would apply, but there is more. Can you guess which other situation in Saul’s life this statement applies to? Let’s find out together in our next lesson.
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