Thursday Devo
Scripture:
1 Samuel 13:10–14
10 Just as Saul was finishing with the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet and welcome him, 11 but Samuel said, “What is this you have done?”
Saul replied, “I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn’t arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle. 12 So I said, ‘The Philistines are ready to march against us at Gilgal, and I haven’t even asked for the Lord’s help!’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came.”
13 “How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 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.”
10 Just as Saul was finishing with the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet and welcome him, 11 but Samuel said, “What is this you have done?”
Saul replied, “I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn’t arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle. 12 So I said, ‘The Philistines are ready to march against us at Gilgal, and I haven’t even asked for the Lord’s help!’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came.”
13 “How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 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.”
Commentary:
13:10 No sooner has the burnt offering (but seemingly not the peace offerings) been sacrificed than Samuel arrives, probably late on the seventh day. When Saul receives word of his approach, he shows all due respect by going out of the city to “greet him” (lit., “bless him”; cf. 15:13).
13:11 Samuel’s brusque response conveys strong disapproval: “What have you done?” Taken aback, Saul claims to have acted reasonably in the circumstance, but the length of his explanation shows him to be on the defensive. Saul seeks to deflect criticism from himself onto others in three ways: “The people [“army”] were scattering from me” (cf. v. 8), Samuel did not arrive within the agreed time (“you” is pointedly emphatic), and there was an obvious threat from the Philistines massed at Michmash, about 10 miles (16 km) distant. But Saul had not brought the Lord into the picture. Instead he had looked only at his immediate circumstances and in panic followed plans he had devised himself.
John L. Mackay, “1-2 Samuel,” in 1 Samuel–2 Chronicles, ed. Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, vol. III, ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2019), 144.
13:11 Samuel’s brusque response conveys strong disapproval: “What have you done?” Taken aback, Saul claims to have acted reasonably in the circumstance, but the length of his explanation shows him to be on the defensive. Saul seeks to deflect criticism from himself onto others in three ways: “The people [“army”] were scattering from me” (cf. v. 8), Samuel did not arrive within the agreed time (“you” is pointedly emphatic), and there was an obvious threat from the Philistines massed at Michmash, about 10 miles (16 km) distant. But Saul had not brought the Lord into the picture. Instead he had looked only at his immediate circumstances and in panic followed plans he had devised himself.
John L. Mackay, “1-2 Samuel,” in 1 Samuel–2 Chronicles, ed. Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, vol. III, ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2019), 144.
Questions:
Samuel had barely arrived at Gilgal when Saul went out to meet him. Saul had just offered a sacrifice he was not supposed to make, disobeying the instructions he had received. Samuel asked him a direct question: “What have you done?” Saul had an opportunity to own his mistake, but instead he began explaining himself. His soldiers were leaving. The Philistines were getting ready to attack. Samuel hadn't arrived when expected! Saul even claimed he had felt compelled to offer the sacrifice because he hadn't yet asked for the Lord's help. Every explanation shifted attention away from the fact that he had disobeyed God.
Most of us can identify with the instinct to defend ourselves when we've been caught doing something wrong. We explain why we acted that way, point out what someone else did, or make our part sound smaller than it was. Sometimes our explanations are true! The circumstances really were difficult, and other people may have contributed to the situation, but those things can still become a way to avoid taking responsibility for our own choices.
Why is admitting we're wrong so difficult? Often, we're afraid of what that admission will cost us. We don't want someone to think less of us. We don't want to face the consequences. We may even believe that admitting our failure means admitting something terrible about who we are. So we defend ourselves, hoping we can limit the damage, but when we do that, it keeps us from dealing honestly with the sin itself.
Saul's response stands in contrast to David, who also failed seriously during his life. When confronted with his sin, David confessed and appealed to God's mercy. He didn't have a flawless record to offer God. He had to depend on God's forgiveness. Our failures don't have to define the rest of our lives, but we do have to be willing to face them honestly.
The grace of Jesus changes how we respond to sin. At the cross, Jesus bore the penalty our sin deserves. For those who belong to Him, there is no condemnation. We don't have to convince God that we're better than our mistakes or make ourselves look more righteous than we are. But grace doesn't give us permission to shrug off sin. We must admit where we've been selfish, dishonest, unkind, or disobedient. We should apologize without adding a list of reasons why the other person was partly responsible. We can accept consequences, make things right, and ask God to change the patterns that keep leading us back to the same choices. We don't have to remain stuck in shame, and we don't have to pretend we have nothing to confess.
Most of us can identify with the instinct to defend ourselves when we've been caught doing something wrong. We explain why we acted that way, point out what someone else did, or make our part sound smaller than it was. Sometimes our explanations are true! The circumstances really were difficult, and other people may have contributed to the situation, but those things can still become a way to avoid taking responsibility for our own choices.
Why is admitting we're wrong so difficult? Often, we're afraid of what that admission will cost us. We don't want someone to think less of us. We don't want to face the consequences. We may even believe that admitting our failure means admitting something terrible about who we are. So we defend ourselves, hoping we can limit the damage, but when we do that, it keeps us from dealing honestly with the sin itself.
Saul's response stands in contrast to David, who also failed seriously during his life. When confronted with his sin, David confessed and appealed to God's mercy. He didn't have a flawless record to offer God. He had to depend on God's forgiveness. Our failures don't have to define the rest of our lives, but we do have to be willing to face them honestly.
The grace of Jesus changes how we respond to sin. At the cross, Jesus bore the penalty our sin deserves. For those who belong to Him, there is no condemnation. We don't have to convince God that we're better than our mistakes or make ourselves look more righteous than we are. But grace doesn't give us permission to shrug off sin. We must admit where we've been selfish, dishonest, unkind, or disobedient. We should apologize without adding a list of reasons why the other person was partly responsible. We can accept consequences, make things right, and ask God to change the patterns that keep leading us back to the same choices. We don't have to remain stuck in shame, and we don't have to pretend we have nothing to confess.
- Think about a recent disagreement or mistake. What did you say or do to explain your behavior, and was there any part of your responsibility you avoided admitting? What were you trying to protect by defending yourself? What would an honest acknowledgment of your part have sounded like?
- Saul tried to justify his disobedience, while David sought God's mercy when confronted with his sin. Because Jesus has borne the penalty for our sin, we can confess without trying to earn our way back into God's favor. Where are you still tempted to hide, minimize, or defend a failure because you're afraid of what admitting it might cost you? How does the cross give you a reason to face that sin honestly?
- Is there someone you owe an apology to, a responsibility you've been shifting onto someone else, or a recurring sin you've been explaining away? What needs to be confessed or made right? Decide on one specific action you will take, and do it without attaching an excuse to your confession.
Prayer Topics:
- Confess the ways you've defended your actions, shifted blame, or minimized your sin instead of taking responsibility.
- Thank Jesus for bearing the penalty of your sin so you can come to God honestly and receive His forgiveness.
- Ask God for the humility to admit where you're wrong and the courage to make things right with those you've hurt.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to help you recognize your excuses, turn from recurring sin, and grow in a life marked by honest repentance.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
7. How can I trust that the Bible is still God’s Word today? I trust the Bible is still God’s Word today because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He was God and said His words would never pass away. Through the Holy Spirit, God inspired the writing of the Scripture, determined the canon of Scripture and protected the copying of Scripture so that we might know Him and worship Him to this day.
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
No Comments