When we ignore God’s directives and operate out of our own prerogatives, we can expect a righteous reorientation. Saul experienced this in 1 Samuel chapter 13. Join us and learn how God handled Saul’s insubordination and the role the prophet Samuel played in setting him straight.
Playing football during my first year in high school taught me much about life. One day’s episode from practice drilled home the importance of obedience to the coach’s authority versus outright disobedience.
On the coach’s whistle, the various special teams had to run out onto the field and line up in their positions. An out-of-place player cost the entire team one 75-yard wind sprint. If everyone obeyed and followed the rules, the team hit the lockers early. If you didn’t, the team would be running wind sprints in full gear in the desert sun of Southern California.
During this particular day, we had already racked up several sprints because players couldn’t get it together willingly or unwillingly. One player’s insubordination took the proverbial cake. Whenever Coach Moroni blew the whistle and called for the punt return team to line up, Enrique didn’t make it to his position, choosing to chill on the sidelines.
After this happened several times, the coach approached him and said, “Enrique. What’s the deal with you? Why aren’t you lining up with your unit when I blow the whistle? You are costing your buddies a 75-yard wind sprint whenever you don’t do what I’ve asked. So, the next time I blow this whistle, I expect you to hit the field.”
At that point, the unthinkable happened. Lifting his jersey, Enrique pointed to a switchblade knife and said, “Coach, you can’t make me lineup.” His flagrant insubordination didn’t go well for him or the team. I walked away from practice that day with a clear understanding of obedience instead of disobedience. Actions like Enrique’s destroy team morale; they can cause negative consequences for others, and, if not dealt with, can motivate others to act similarly.
Do you struggle with insubordination? Do you have a problem with doing what people in authority over you tell you to do? Do you have a rebellious bent that rears its ugly head when rules and regulations cramp your desire to live free and loose? Do you bristle when your parents confront you on less-than-optimal behavior? Do you chafe against what the counselor says you must do as the leader of your home to improve your marriage? So, what about it? Do you have a problem with insubordination?
Saul did. From his utter failure to take on the Philistine garrison in his hometown when Samuel first privately anointed him as the first king of Israel (1 Sam. 10:7) to this current political situation recorded in chapter 13 at the very beginning of his reign, Saul tended to flaunt God’s rules, regulations, and Word, choosing to improvise and act as he saw fit. Is there any Saul in you? If so, I counsel you to stop and consider the central motif from the first fifteen verses of Saul’s encounter with encroaching Philistine forces:
Insubordination Toward God Will Lead To Your Reorientation And Isolation (1 Sam. 15:1-14)
Put differently, if you shake your fist at God’s Word, God will rock your world to wake you up. Looking at from another angle, spiritual rebellion will cause you to forfeit divine privilege and blessing. It is far wiser to submit to God and God’s leaders. Unfortunately, Saul never followed up on the memo from Samuel, God’s prophet, whom he was supposed to report to as the king.
Moving through the various chronological sections of this historical narrative teaches us all we need to know about the importance of being pliable and not stiff-necked where God’s rule and way are clearly marked.
The Rout (1 Sam. 13:1-4)
The first verse in the Hebrew text is corrupt. It literally reads that Saul was “a son of a year,” meaning he was one year old when he became king. It then says he reigned for two years. There is a textual corruption here. Acts 13:21 informs us that Saul reigned for forty years, and this is backed up by Josephus (Antiquities Book VI, XIV.9 ), who states he ruled for 18 years while Samuel was alive and then for 22 years after his death. The NAS translates the rough verse in this manner:
1 Saul was forty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-two years over Israel. (1 Sam. 13)
I go with what Luke says in Luke about the length of Saul’s reign, not with the problematic translation of this particular verse. Saul, therefore, assumed the regal reigns around 1051 B.C. and kept them until 1011 B.C.
Samuel informed Saul early on that his primary divine calling concerned subduing Israel’s dreaded enemy on the coast, the Philistines (1 Sam. 9:16). He had just defeated the powerful Ammonites to the east of the Jordan River with God’s empowerment (1 Sam. 11). Now, the time presented itself to address Israel’s more significant national threat who had set up garrisons in Israel, like the one in Saul’s hometown of Gibeah (1 Sam. 10:7).
Verse 2 shows how King Saul positioned his troops for the impending battle.
2 Now Saul chose for himself 3,000 men of Israel, of which 2,000 were with Saul in Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, while 1,000 were with Jonathan at Gibeah of Benjamin. But he sent away the rest of the people, each to his tent. (1 Sam. 13)
Saul had three battalions in Michmash, which was located west of Gilgal in the mountains. From this vantage point, he could see any troop movements of the Philistines in this sector. Jonathan, his son, had a battalion on Saul’s southwestern flank about five miles away at his mountain hometown of Gibeah. Feeling he had adequately protected the hill country region from any Philistine incursion, Saul sent all the rest of the troops home.
The text does not tell us what happened next with precision. All it tells us is what appears in verses 3 through 4.
3 And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” 4 And all Israel heard the news that Saul had smitten the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become odious to the Philistines. The people were then summoned to Saul at Gilgal. (1 Sam. 13)
Did Saul command his son to do what Samuel had told him to do in 1 Samuel 9:16; 10:5-7? Saul was supposed to remove the Philistine garrison, but he didn’t. For whatever reason, Jonathan, a skilled warrior, did it himself. Who got the credit for the victory? Saul did. This little bit of information seems highly suspect. How did Saul get the credit when Jonathan did the fighting? We don’t know. We just know that he did, somehow. This, in and of itself, tells you something about the man. He loved the limelight and relished the opportunity to expand and enhance his notoriety. It sounds arrogant because it is.
How did the Philistines react to losing a strategic garrison in the mountains in the middle of Israel? Not well. Jonathan’s courageous actions stirred up a huge wasp nest.
The Response (1 Sam. 13:5-8)
Read the text with me, and then we will offer some salient observations:
5 Now the Philistines assembled to fight with Israel, 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen, and people like the sand which is on the seashore in abundance; and they came up and camped in Michmash, east of Beth-aven. (1 Sam. 13)
Coming up from the coastal plane and moving unimpeded through the hill country of Israel, the Philistines had 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen, not to mention countless well-armed and well-equipped infantry. For the military trained among us, the Philistines had the equivalent of three or four divisions against Jonathan’s measly battalion and Saul’s meager three battalions. No wonder Saul retreated down the deep valley to Gilgal, which was located near the Jordan River.
As Saul’s troops made their retreat, what did they do? They scattered in absolute fear:
6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were hard-pressed), then the people hid themselves in caves, in thickets, in cliffs, in cellars, and in pits. 7 Also some of the Hebrews crossed the Jordan into the land of Gad and Gilead. But as for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. (1 Sam. 13)
Some soldiers became so terrified of the superior forces of the Philistines they swam across the Jordan and headed East toward Gad, which was located on the East bank of the Jordan River. Others hid in the caves of the mountains of Israel, and Saul took refuge in Gilgal. Not a good look for the new king’s forces. Those troops who joined him in Gilgal followed him, shaking in fear. What caused the fear? Medically, the sudden rush of adrenalin through their bodies of an impending fight. Militarily, the fact they were outnumbered and outgunned.
Saul’s soldiers did not act like the soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division who bravely withheld the onslaught on the German Panzer divisions at Bastogne in December 1944. Though outnumbered and outgunned, their commanding officer, Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe, responded to General von Luttwitz’s offer for them to surrender with one in-your-face word, “Nuts.” The Israelite troops could have said egozim (אֱגוֹזִים), but they didn’t. Instead, they cowered in fear.
Isn’t this interesting? They had just defeated the Ammonite military under the leadership of Nahash, the Snake, with God’s empowerment of Saul (1 Sam. 11), but now they are frozen in fear. It is interesting how quickly we forget the victories God gives us when we face formidable spiritual foes. These victories should move us to look at future times when we are surrounded and respond like spiritual paratroopers with the phrase: “We are paratroopers. We are supposed to be surrounded.” Since God is with us, who, indeed, can be against us (Rom. 8:31)?
Israel needed a leader like Anthony McAuliffe at their Battle of the Bulge. At first blush, it appeared that Saul was the man.
8 Now, he waited seven days, according to Samuel’s appointed time, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. (1 Sam. 13)
What did the new king do with formidable foes assembling a massive force to on his western flank at a higher tactical position? He sat it out in Gilgal as he was told to by the prophet Samuel. He wasn’t obedient, initially, to take on the Philistine garrison per the prophet’s word (1 Sam. 10:5-7), but at least he heeded the command of the prophet to head to Gilgal (1 Sam. 10:8). He was supposed to wait here until Samuel arrived. At that point, the prophet would offer sacrifice to the Lord and then give the king tactical instructions.
Don’t you know that those were seven long days? Each day, tension built as the Philistine forces spread out like ants. Each day, fear flourished as the Israelite troops awaited their impending annihilation. Each day, more and more soldiers went AWOL. Do you blame them? What would you have done if your commanding officer just sat around each day waiting for an old prophet to show up and tell him what to do? Couldn’t he at least give them some defensive directions? He didn’t. He just sat, waited, and checked the horizon for the arrival of Samuel.
Why seven days? Someone should have asked the question. Seven days represented the time that unfolded before the Lord struck the firstborn of Egypt, which resulted in Pharoah releasing Israel from their bondage (Ex. 12; Deut 16:3). This seven-day motif spoke of the need to wait on the living God who would move, in due time, in a spectacular fashion to deliver His outgunned and outmanned people. Again, how readily we forget what God has done in the past when His people are not in an optimal position. May you not forget what God has done historically as recorded in His Word, and may you not forget those times of deliverance He has given you. They are meant to strengthen you for the next fight of the faith. Yes, seven days is a long time when an enemy’s forces are increasing around you, but in reality, this time should cause you to run to God, your strong tower, and ask Him to intervene. Will you wait on Him, or will you walk away in fear?
Saul appeared to be doing well for seven days, but, unfortunately, the pressure was too great for his brittle faith at the end of the seventh day.
The Rebellion (1 Sam. 13:9-12)
Watching his troops scatter in all directions eventually took its toll on Saul’s faith.
9 So Saul said, “Bring to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. (1 Sam. 13)
Saul should have never done this. Why? Samuel couldn’t have been more explicit:
8 “And you shall go down before me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you should do.” (1 Sam. 10)
The King’s sin was not related to offering sacrifices. Both King David and King Solomon did this later with no kind of prophetic rebuke (2 Sam. 24:25; 1 Kings 3:15). Saul’s sin is wedded to the fact he willfully did not obey the word of God as spoken by the prophet. To reject the prophet’s word was to reject God. He willfully chose to be disobedient, not obedient. He willfully chose to walk not by faith but by sight. He willfully chose his will over God’s will. He willfully chose to be insubordinate to the prophet, who was the authority God had sovereignly placed over him.
This was not a small sin by any means but a massive one. Insubordination is always highly dangerous because it shows a complete disrespect for what God has said and who God has placed over you. As such, insubordination leads to the breakdown of order, the loss of peace, and the weakening of troops or a team.
Mark, well, what happened next. You will always pay a price for insubordination:
10 And it came about as soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, that behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and to greet him. (1 Sam. 13)
Sinful behavior tends to cloud your thinking. Here, we see Murphy’s Law in play. Right when Saul finished the offerings is when Samuel showed up. Wouldn’t you know it? Don’t you know Saul was shocked as well as relieved? He could finally get some direction about handling this deteriorating military situation. So, not thinking he had done anything wrong, he went out to throw his arms around Samuel.
This is how it is with insubordinate people. They don’t typically think they’ve done anything wrong, and sometimes, they don’t even see it. In Saul’s mind, I’m sure he had rationalized his behavior well by thinking along these lines, “Say, you are losing troops left and right. The Philistines are hardening their positions every day. So, someone needs to do something. That someone might as well be me.”
Samuel looked at the situation differently. He saw it as pure, unadulterated disobedience:
11 But Samuel said, “What have you done?” (1 Sam. 13)
What had he done? He did the wrong thing. His faith had folded like a proverbial lawn chair.
How did Saul answer Samuel’s question? He offered what we would call a flimsy excuse:
And Saul said, “Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the appointed days, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, 12 therefore I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the LORD.’ So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.” (1 Sam. 13)
He had to force himself to be disobedient in light of the deteriorating situation. He even threw Samuel under the bus, saying he didn’t come within the appointed days. What nerve! This is the typical behavior of a person who struggles with insubordination.
- They don’t like to follow the rules.
- They do disrespect those in authority over them.
- They desire to go their way, not the way prescribed.
- They are inept at seeing the error of their actions.
- They are skilled at making excuses to rationalize their behavior.
- They deflect any judgment of their actions by demeaning the person compelled to confront them.
- They blame others for their action(s).
- They are great arguers and they use those skills as a defense mechanism.
- They make their questionable behavior look and sound good to others.
- They do not naturally repent of their sin nor honestly say they are sorry.
- They tend to be highly judgmental of others. This serves to mask their insubordination.
- Conversely, they do everything possible to make their insubordination look good and holy.
Friend, let me be clear: if there is any insubordination in your body, confess it today lest it cause you to forfeit the divine blessing in your life. Saul was not so fortunate.
The Rebuke (1 Sam. 13:13-14)
Obviously, the seven days were divinely designed to test Saul’s character. Would he obey or disobey? He chose the latter, forcing the prophet to do the uncomfortable thing. He confronted Saul to his face:
13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, for now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. (1 Sam. 13)
How does a fool operate? A fool knows God’s command but chooses not to follow it. A fool knows who is in charge, but they chafe against them anyway, thinking they are more intelligent, better, or wiser. Saul acted like a complete fool as a leader because he walked when he should have waited.
Was obedience in this situation easy? No. It usually never is. God asked him to trust him even when outnumbered and outgunned, literally. God asked him to trust Him to win the victory even when his troops ran off in the distance. God asked him to trust him with fewer soldiers when he couldn’t even begin to count the number of Philistine forces. God asked him to trust Him even when his people froze in fear. Trusting God is not simple, but it is always the wisest course of action, for He will always be your strong tower (Psalm 46), He has promised to never leave nor forsake you (Heb. 13:5), and He underscores how neither flame nor flood will overtake you:
1 But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. 3 For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; (Isa. 43)
Believe God and forge ahead. Don’t cut and run and then try to rationalize your bad behavior. Saul should have stood his spiritual ground, but he didn’t. What will you do?
What did Saul’s one moment of insubordination cost him? It cost him the kingdom.
14 But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you. (1 Sam. 13)
I can just hear how some probably responded to Samuel’s tough words for Saul: “Samuel, wow, you are being. so harsh toward a man who was just attempting to do the right thing to help protect others. Shouldn’t a Christian, especially of your stature, so more patience, grace, and mercy? After all, Saul is just a novice at being a king.”
If there were comments like this, they were unfounded in the prophet’s eyes. Why? This one act of insubordination caused God to remove Saul’s dynasty from Israel and seek another one with a king who did love and follow God, no matter what. That king, of course, would be David. But for Saul, the judgment was swift and harsh. Because he disrespected and dishonored the prophet, who was God’s spiritual leader in the nation, he had done the same to God. You might think that insubordination is no big deal, but God thinks otherwise. Years ago, John Wesley addressed this seemingly harsh judgment in his comments on this Scripture section by posing a question followed up by an insightful observation:
“But was it not hard, to punish so little a sin so severely” It was not little: disobedience to an express command, tho’ in a small matter, is a great provocation. And indeed, there is no little sin, because there is no little God to sin against. In general, what to men seems a small offence, to him who knows the heart may appear a heinous crime. We are taught hereby, how necessary it is, that we wait on our God continually. For Saul is sentenced to lose his kingdom for want of two or three hours patience.[1]
If we wait for God to show up when surrounded, He will bless us. If we fold in fear and choose to live counter to His Word or counter to those He has placed over our lives, then we can expect a little divine reorientation and isolation to arrest our attention.
What will it be as you stare down the Philistines in your life? Will it be faith or fear? Will it be obedience or disobedience? Will it be insubordination or subordination?
[1] John Wesley, Wesley’s Notes on the Bible, 186.
