{"id":33022,"date":"2024-10-18T22:00:14","date_gmt":"2024-10-19T05:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/1-samuel-12_12-25-copy\/"},"modified":"2024-10-01T21:18:17","modified_gmt":"2024-10-02T04:18:17","slug":"1-samuel-13_1-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/1-samuel-13_1-23\/","title":{"rendered":"Why God Sometimes Makes Us Wait A Little Longer Than We’d Like"},"content":{"rendered":"

1 Samuel\u00a0 13:1-23\u00a0 \u00a0 (CLICK HERE FOR\u00a0BIBLE VERSES)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 1 Samuel 13:1-23.\u00a0 As usual,\u00a0I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help, then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

1 Samuel 13:1-15 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Saul was [thirty] years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel [forty-] two years.
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Saul chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand were with him at Micmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes.
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul had the trumpet blown throughout the land and said, “Let the Hebrews hear!”
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0So all Israel heard the news: “Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel has become a stench to the Philistines.” And the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Micmash, east of Beth Aven.
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0When the men of Israel saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns.
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear.
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter.
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering.
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“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 Micmash,
\n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the\u00a0LORD’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“You acted foolishly,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the\u00a0LORD\u00a0your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0But now your kingdom will not endure; the\u00a0LORD\u00a0has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the\u00a0LORD’s command.”
\n15\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then Samuel left Gilgal and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin, and Saul counted the men who were with him. They numbered about six hundred.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses\u00a01-15: \u00a0In these 15 verses, we see how one bad decision altered Saul’s destiny.\u00a0 The sequence of events is fairly straightforward:<\/p>\n

1. Saul’s first born son Jonathan leads a successful attack against the Philistines (v3-4).<\/p>\n

2. In response, the Philistines come roaring back with a massive force, assembling at Micmash, ready to fight Israel (v5).<\/p>\n

3. Meanwhile, Saul remains in Gilgal with his army, waiting for\u00a0Samuel.\u00a0\u00a0Samuel\u00a0had told Saul to wait seven days for him in Gilgal so that\u00a0Samuel\u00a0could offer burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on his behalf (see\u00a01\u00a0Samuel\u00a010:8).<\/p>\n

4. By the 7th day, with his troops beginning to scatter (v8) and the Philistines assembling nearby (v11), Saul gets antsy, decides not to wait anymore for\u00a0Samuel\u00a0and offers the sacrifices himself (v9), something only a priest like\u00a0Samuel\u00a0was authorized to do.<\/p>\n

5. Just as Saul finishes making the burnt offering,\u00a0Samuel\u00a0arrives (v10).\u00a0\u00a0Samuel\u00a0rebukes Saul for not waiting for\u00a0Samuel\u00a0to offer the sacrifices (v13).\u00a0 The impact of Saul’s decision was huge: if Saul had waited for\u00a0Samuel\u00a0and let\u00a0Samuel\u00a0offer the sacrifices, God would have established Saul’s kingdom for all time (v13).\u00a0 But because Saul disobeyed God by offering the sacrifices himself, Saul’s kingdom would not endure and someone else — “a man after God’s own heart” (v14) — would eventually take Saul’s place on the throne.<\/p>\n

What do you think of this passage?\u00a0 Especially if you’re a stickler for punctuality like I am, you may be thinking, “But\u00a0Samuel\u00a0was late!\u00a0 Saul waited the appointed time of seven days but\u00a0Samuel\u00a0didn’t show!\u00a0 It’s not all Saul’s fault!” \u00a0It’s true that Saul did wait seven days as set by\u00a0Samuel, but consider this: \u00a0according to Numbers 28:1-6, the burnt offering was to be offered twice a day — once in the early morning and another at twilight.\u00a0 So, presumably,\u00a0Samuel\u00a0could arrive at any time on the seventh day to offer the sacrifice, as long as it was twilight or just before twilight.\u00a0 The fact that\u00a0Samuel\u00a0didn’t arrive within exactly 168 hours (7 days) was not the main point.\u00a0 As long as\u00a0Samuel\u00a0arrived in time to make the evening sacrifice, that is really all that mattered.\u00a0 The fact that\u00a0Samuel\u00a0arrived just as Saul had finished making the first sacrifice shows that\u00a0Samuel\u00a0arrived at about the time when the sacrifice for that evening should be made.\u00a0 So there’s a good argument to say that\u00a0Samuel\u00a0was not really late for all intents and purposes.<\/p>\n

Second, even if\u00a0Samuel\u00a0was<\/em>\u00a0late, Saul still had no right to offer the sacrifices himself.\u00a0 He was not a priest.\u00a0 It was an unprecedented violation of God’s Word for a non-priest to offer sacrifices that only a priest was allowed to make.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0 It’s true that sometimes God will make us wait until the last moment to come, almost like a super hero who saves his helpless lover just in the neck of time.\u00a0 Why does He do that?\u00a0 Is He playing games with us?\u00a0 Is it so He can write a more exciting, dramatic story?\u00a0 I believe God does it to test our faith and to reveal what is truly in our hearts.\u00a0 James\u00a01\u00a0says to consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds\u00a0because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance<\/em>.\u00a0 James goes on to say that “Perseverance must finish its work so that you can be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”<\/p>\n

In other words,\u00a0sometimes God will let us struggle a little longer and cry out a little louder than we would like, not because He is cruel, but to train us and to test our character<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

God wanted to see what was truly in Saul’s heart.\u00a0 It’s as if God was wondering, “Is this a man I can trust to obey My Word even when he is under pressure?\u00a0 If so, I will establish his kingdom for all time.\u00a0 If not, the throne will have to go to someone else”.\u00a0 In the same way,\u00a0sometimes God makes us wait because in the waiting, our true character is revealed.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Finally, notice in verse 9 Saul tries to offer both the burnt offering and the peace offering in place of Samuel. Yet after Saul has offered the burnt offering and right before Saul is about to offer the peace offering, Samuel arrives.\u00a0 Saul never gets to the peace offering.\u00a0 It goes to show that\u00a0when we try to play God instead of trusting in God, we only get burned and there is no peace<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

1 Samuel 13:16-23 (NLT2)<\/strong>
\n16\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Saul and Jonathan and the troops with them were staying at Geba in the land of Benjamin. The Philistines set up their camp at Micmash.
\n17\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Three raiding parties soon left the camp of the Philistines. One went north toward Ophrah in the land of Shual,
\n18\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0another went west to Beth-horon, and the third moved toward the border above the valley of Zeboim near the wilderness.
\n19\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0There were no blacksmiths in the land of Israel in those days. The Philistines wouldn\u2019t allow them for fear they would make swords and spears for the Hebrews.
\n20\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0So whenever the Israelites needed to sharpen their plowshares, picks, axes, or sickles, they had to take them to a Philistine blacksmith.
\n21\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0(The charges were as follows: a quarter of an ounce of silver for sharpening a plowshare or a pick, and an eighth of an ounce for sharpening an ax, a sickle, or an ox goad.)
\n22\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0So on the day of the battle none of the people of Israel had a sword or spear, except for Saul and Jonathan.
\n23\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The pass at Micmash had meanwhile been secured by a contingent of the Philistine army.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 16-23: \u00a0The Philistines strategically raided the Israelite camps so that the Israelites were left without the ability to make swords, spears and other traditional weaponry (v16-19).\u00a0 Without swords and spears, the Israelites were left to fight with farming tools (v20-21).<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this? \u00a0One of Satan’s attack strategies is to take away your sword.\u00a0 In spiritual terms, your sword is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17)<\/strong>.\u00a0 If Satan can make you lose your sword — that is, take the Word of God from you — then you’ll be easy pickings for him.\u00a0 That’s why it’s important to keep the Word of God near you.\u00a0 Hide God’s promises in your heart, recall God’s Word often, read your Bible every day.\u00a0 If you do so, you make it that much harder for the enemy to steal your sword from you again.<\/p>\n

Father, thank You that Your timing is always perfect.\u00a0 May I be patient enough to wait for Your perfect timing.\u00a0 May I always be on guard to keep the Word of God near me so that I can defend against every evil attack.\u00a0 In Jesus’ name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 1 Samuel 13:1-23.\u00a0 As usual,\u00a0I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help, then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!\u00a0<\/p>\n

1 Samuel 13:1-15 (NIV)
\n1\u00a0\u00a0Saul was [thirty] years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel [forty-] two years.
\n2\u00a0\u00a0Saul chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand were with him at Micmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes.<\/p>\n

On verses\u00a01-15: \u00a0In these 15 verses, we see how one bad decision altered Saul’s destiny.\u00a0 The sequence of events is fairly straightforward:<\/p>\n

1. Saul’s first born son Jonathan leads a successful attack against the Philistines (v3-4).<\/p>\n

2. In response, the Philistines come roaring back with a massive force, assembling at Micmash, ready to fight Israel (v5).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33024,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33022"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33022\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33025,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33022\/revisions\/33025"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}