The Cost of Not Waiting

Ever feel like you were born waiting?  Waiting to be seated at restaurants, waiting to order, waiting to get food, waiting for the check.  Waiting to check your luggage at the airport, waiting in lines at airport security, waiting to board your plane, waiting for your plane to take off.  Waiting to get a doctor's appointment, waiting in the office for the doctor to see you, waiting to get test results after the doctor's appointment.

Practice might make perfect in some things, but waiting isn't one of them.  The more we wait, the more irritable we often become.  We can't just wait!  We need to be doing something!  We want to make things happen!

We have attempted to speed up some areas of our lives to compensate for the areas that we can't avoid having to wait in.  We cook in microwave ovens that cook foods more quickly.  We take advantage of twenty minute workouts that help us exercise more efficiently.  We use hot houses and Miracle-Gro to make our plants grow faster.

We don't like to wait.

But sometimes we run into a situation, and God says wait.

That's what happened to Saul.  Saul "was an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites" (1 Samuel 9:2).  When Israel rejected God as their king and demanded an earthly king, God selected Saul to fill that position.

Some time after he became king, Saul found himself waiting at Gilgal.  Jonathan had won a battle against the Philistines, but the Philistine armies had joined together to attack Saul.  He apparently had instructions from Samuel to wait for seven days for Samuel to arrive to offer the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.

Saul's troops began running off.  Where was Samuel?  Saul waited.  The days passed.  Four.  Five.  Six. Seven.  The day Samuel was to arrive.  What time was he coming?

"Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear.  He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul's men began to scatter." (1 Samuel 13:7-8).

Saul waited.  How much longer was he supposed to hold on?  Saul's impatience finally reached its limit. Deciding something needed to be done, he took matters into his own hands.

Saul offered up the burnt offerings himself.

Remember the rules about the burnt offering?  The priest was to offer it.  No one else, including the king, had authority to do that.  No exceptions.

Here is recently appointed King Saul taking on a role only the priest was to fill.  Here is King Saul disobeying God.  Notice Saul's explanation for his arrogant gesture:  "I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering." (13:12). Compelled?  Saul had a sense of urgency to ignore what Samuel said and to put himself above God's law?  What could have possibly compelled him to do that?

All Saul had to do was wait, but he determined that he couldn't.  He decided he didn't have to follow the law.  The kingdom was his.  He had celebrated with the people who were elated to have him as king.  No split decision or opposing parties.  Israel wanted a king and they wanted King Saul.  But the decision not to wait cost Saul God's favor.

Ironic that what Saul didn't get, his successor King David understood very well.  Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. (Psalm 27:14)

We say we would rather do something than nothing.  We don't stop to realize that waiting on God is the most important something we can do.

What's the cost of not waiting on God?

It cost Saul his kingdom and eventually his relationship with God.

What might not waiting on God cost us?