Apples of Gold

A few days ago as I was preparing breakfast my husband decided that he was going to help out by taking care of the dishwasher. While I absolutely appreciate the desire and give him many points for noticing it needed to be done, his timing was a bit off. Our kitchen isn’t tiny but it seemed whatever I needed he was directly in my path. I found myself getting frustrated that I had to keep asking him to slide over or wait a second. It was taking me much longer to accomplish my task because of his sincere desire to help! 

1 Samuel 13 and 14 record a devastating account of poor leadership decisions that led Israel into disaster. 

First the army found themselves hiding in caves, rocks, holes, cisterns and whatever else they could find as the Philistines mounted a massive attack. 

Saul realized they were in trouble. Things were not resolving as quickly as he hoped.

Saul waited there for seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn’t come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away. So he demanded, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings! And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself. 1 Samuel 13:8-9

Saul saw trouble on the horizon and he wanted to help. He inserted himself into a position that was not rightfully his. Saul was looking around at his withering troops and he figured God was taking a bit too long to step in so he would give God a little help. 

This was a very pivotal point in Saul’s life. Samuel puts it like this:

“How foolish!” Samuel explained. “You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you. Had you kept it, the LORD would’ve established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end, for the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart. The LORD has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command.” 1 Samuel 13:13-14

I’m not sure what Saul heard that day, but he seemed to continue on as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. 

At the height of his reign it is estimated that 210,000 men were serving in the army. Now Saul finds his men have dwindled to only 600! If the numbers weren’t bad enough, only Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear. 

Saul’s initial faux pas was immediately followed by a flurry of poor decisions. Saul began leading out of a position of desperation as he watched his power slip away. 

It is in times of fear and desperation that we often find ourselves standing in the way of the plan of the Lord. We might be trying to help. Perhaps we are attempting to fix something we messed up, or turn things around. 

One of the saddest Scriptures is found in 1 Samuel 15:

I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to me and has refused to obey my command. Samuel was so deeply moved when he heard this that he cried out to the LORD all night. 1 Samuel 15:11

Somehow, through all of this Saul cheerfully assumes that he is living in obedience to the will of God. Even when his errors are pointed out he insists that he is walking in obedience. 

What a terrifying place to be. We can find ourselves there when we step across the line in our service that distinguishes between a whole hearted desire to please God and a position of self-defense. 

Peter found himself in a mess when he allowed personal preservation to influence his interactions with those he was trying to lead.

When he first arrived, he ate with the gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. Galatians 2:12

This behavior led to a personal rebuke from the Apostle Paul. I’m sure that stung. 

Certainly this was confusing to those who were observing. When the consistency of our convictions is impacted by the people who are surrounding us we can be sure that we are standing on some dangerous ground. 

We all suffer from the human condition. Our humanity can get in the way of our effectiveness for God. We are in constant need of careful introspection and honest reflection of our motives, our actions and even our thoughts. 

If you think you are an exception to this, think again:

God looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God. But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one!” Psalm 53:2-3

Our spiritual health is directly correlated to our willingness to admit our own weakness, our desire to display pure compassion to others, and our willingness to lay down our personal goals. 

Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Psalm 51:10