Who's clock is that you hear?You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. (1 Samuel 13:13)
God's timing is always right, because God is always right! Think of the times in Scripture when the people chose impatiently to take matters into their own hands. Adam and Eve eating from the forbidden tree, Aaron making a golden calf, David sleeping with Bathsheba, Jonah fleeing to Tarshish, Peter cutting off the ear of Malchus. Do you remember the consequences that followed?
The fruit of the Spirit includes patience (Galatians 5:22). Paul writes that love is patient (1 Corinthians 13:4). In our text for today, Saul does not demonstrate patience and trust in God's timing; instead, he takes matters into his own hands. His motivation to do so includes challenges we may face in our own lives: fear and stress, as the people began deserting Saul while his enemies loomed on the horizon. The Evil One uses such things to tempt us to disobedience.
Saul broke the command of the Lord, and it resulted in the prophetic loss of his kingdom and the appointment of a new king (1 Samuel 13:13-14). Imagine hearing what Saul was told: "You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God." What could we potentially lose through disobedience?
The better choice is to faithfully trust in God's timing and obey his commands. God gives us his word so that we have direction, boundaries, peace and joy.
Mighty Savior, help me to keep my eyes and heart focused on you rather than foolishly taking matters into my own hands. Amen.
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