2 Now Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel, of whom two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, while a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah of Benjamin. But he sent the rest of the people away, each to his tent. 3 And Jonathan attacked the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!” 4 And all Israel heard the news that Saul had attacked the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become repulsive to the Philistines. Then the people were summoned to Saul at Gilgal.
5 Now the Philistines assembled to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people like the sand which is on the seashore in abundance; and they came up and camped in Michmash, east of Beth-aven. 6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard-pressed), then the people kept themselves hidden in caves, in crevices, in cliffs, in crypts, and in pits. 7 And some of the Hebrews crossed the Jordan into the land of Gad and Gilead. But as for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him, trembling.
8 Now he waited for seven days, until the appointed time that Samuel had set, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattering from him. 9 So Saul said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10 But as soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and to greet him. 11 But Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “Since I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come at the appointed time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, 12 I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the Lord.’ So I worked up the courage and offered the burnt offering.” 13 But Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly! You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, for the Lord would now have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
15 Then Samuel set out and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul counted the people who were present with him, about six hundred men.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
It is obvious that Saul was "in it" for himself, giving himself the glory and the credit for attacking the Philistine's garrison, instead of Jonathan. Most importantly, Saul didn't give any credit or glory to the Lord. As well, not only did Saul assume that he could do Samuel's job, Saul assumed that all he had to do was give the offerings, and then God would bless his ideas, methods and efforts.
In all of this, Saul disobeyed the Lord. And when Samuel asked him what he had done, Saul didn't confess or apologize, he just had excuses and reasons which he thought should justify his actions. This shows how he really did think that he knew what should be done better than anyone, even God. Even with the reprimand and the consequences laid out to him, Saul simply continued to trust in his own wisdom, and in his own strength, and counted how many men he had with him.
As believers, when looking for someone to give good advice and encouragement, or when looking for godly spiritual leaders, or when looking for a spouse, we need to really get to know a person's heart. If they are seeking after God's heart, we will have a very definite and purposeful connection. And how we can recognize what this is, is by getting to really know God's heart!
To seek after God's heart happens when we desire to draw closer to the Lord in order to get to know Him better. To desire what He desires! To really know and understand what that is - is to be in God's word. Then when we are truly on God's side, we will care about what God tells us and how He directs us. Of course, God already knows that we are not perfect. He just wants us to be willing. So when we do make mistakes, God desires that we confess, and get back on track. This is how we can be people AFTER God's own heart.
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