Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 13 & 14

Saul just couldn’t seem to catch a break. You get the sense that he was truly trying to do what is right, but somehow, he always managed to mess it up. First, he offered a sacrifice that he wasn’t supposed to offer. The reason? The guy who was supposed to offer it (Samuel) was late. It seems that God doesn’t value punctuality over obedience!

Then, toward the end of today’s reading, Saul tried to do the right thing again by vowing to kill his son Jonathan for breaking the oath made by the army. Again, Saul was misguided. In this case, not only was Jonathan not aware of the oath, but he was actually out destroying a bunch of Philistines when the oath was made. And so, the other men came to Jonathan’s rescue and convinced Saul not to kill him.

The moral of the story here seems to be that God’s timing, not our’s, is of critical importance (Saul wasn’t operating on God’s time, but Jonathan was) and that God’s instructions, not human’s, is of critical importance (Jonathan was following God’s orders, not Saul’s). You get the sense that God wanted to make it abundantly clear to Saul that he was not the “rightful” king. Saul never seems to feel comfortable in his own skin.

In fact, Saul is somewhat of a placeholder. God knows that he has a great man to be king over all of Israel and Saul is simply holding the spot while this boy David grows up. It kind of feels like Saul knew this even early in his stint as king. This was not the role he was made for and yet, he had been called and anointed by God to fill it.

Have you ever felt that way? I know I have. There have been times in my life and ministry where I knew I wasn’t in my “forever” place, but that I was equally as sure that I was exactly where God wanted me to be. It’s a weird feeling – kind of like Jr. High – when you aren’t really sure what the future holds, but you know (or at least hope) this isn’t it.

If you’re in that place right now, let me encourage you to hang in there. God doesn’t make mistakes, but sometimes he places you in a position for purposes way beyond your ability to understand. If that’s where he wants you, stay there until he says “go.”