1 Samuel 13:11-12 (NET)
But Samuel said, âWhat have you done?â Saul replied, âWhen I saw that the army had started to abandon me and that you didnât come at the appointed time and that the Philistines had assembled at Micmash,I thought , âNow the Philistines will come down on me at GilgalâŚâ So I felt obligated to offer the burnt offeringâ (Read 1 Samuel 13:1)
Have you ever had to wait for something? A medical test result? A phone call? An interview outcome? We all have had to wait for something at one time or the other. Waiting tends to come with some sense of apprehension which usually arises from fearing the worst, and the bible says that fear has torment (1 John 4:18).
In our text above, we see how Saul yielded to pressure and transgressed the office of a priest. Samuel delayed and for fear of being deserted by the army and of failure, Saul sinned. This was a flaw in Saul as he exhibited it again in 1 Samuel 15 verse 24 which reads âAnd Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voiceâ.
Friends, to successfully wait out times of trial and pressure to compromise, you must first be a person who exalts the [Word of the] Lord above all else. Again, you must fear only the Lord. The fear of the Lord will lead you aright, but the fear of man or the desire to please man will lead you astray. Again you must be a person who is led by the Holy Spirit by faith and not by sight. The rudder that steers your ship cannot be external, it has to be internal otherwise, you will, like Saul, feel obligated/pressured by circumstances to act/compromise.
Keep your eyes on the Lord, be a person of prayer, wait; donât give up, donât give in.
Source: Devotional