Today’s passage: 1 Samuel 13:1-23
Helpful thoughts:
- Saul set out to remove the Philistines from the land of Israel. Their initial success brought immediate preparation for retaliation. Israel responded by to running and hiding. Even the men who had joined Saul to fight were trembling.
- Saul blamed three different people (Or groups of people) for his disobedience.
- He blamed the soldiers for scattering.
- He blamed Samuel for taking too long to arrive.
- He blamed the Philistines for encamping and preparing for battle.
- Saul disobeyed God in order to convince God to do something for him.
- Any weapons the Israelites brought to fight could only have been made of wood or stone. Or, they would have to fight with their farming tools.
Questions to consider:
- What was Saul’s mistake? What would have been his motivation for this disobedience?
- What did Saul need to convince himself of in order to proceed with the offerings? What kinds of occasions might tempt us to rewrite what we know to be God’s Word?
- What was Saul’s consequence? Who else was impacted negatively by his consequence? Why don’t we get to decide the extent of our consequences? Whose commandments/laws do we violate?