1 Samuel 13:8 - Meaning and Application

Here is Saul’s sin in offering a sacrifice before Samuel arrived. When Samuel anointed him, he told Saul to wait seven days for him in Gilgal and promised to come at the end of that time. There he would offer sacrifices and tell Saul what to do. Saul seems to have known this command clearly, because later he made excuses for not waiting, in 1 Samuel 13:11.

Saul did wait until the seventh day, but he did not wait until the full end of that day. Perhaps he began to think Samuel had broken his word, or that Samuel was careless about the nation and disrespectful to the king. In any case, Saul took matters into his own hands. He offered the sacrifice himself, though he was neither priest nor prophet, as if being king gave him the right to do anything. King Uzziah, who acted this way, was punished for it (2 Chronicles 26:16). Saul also decided to fight the Philistines without Samuel’s guidance, even though Samuel had promised to tell him what to do.

Saul’s sin was made worse by several things. He does not seem to have sent anyone to ask Samuel what to do, even though he had men who could quickly carry a message. When Samuel did arrive, Saul seemed more eager to defend himself than to repent. He went out to greet Samuel as though they were partners in sacrifice, and he acted as if he did not need Samuel at all. The word can even mean he went out to bless Samuel, as though he had become a priest and could bless others himself, when in truth he should have gone to receive a blessing from Samuel.

He also blamed Samuel for being late. Saul said, “You did not come within the appointed days” (1 Samuel 13:11). In that way, he shifted blame to God’s servant, though Samuel had come according to his word, before the seven days were fully over. People later do the same thing when they say Christ’s promise of coming is broken because he does not come in their timing, though he will surely come at the set time.

When Saul was confronted, he did not repent. He tried to excuse his sin. This was no small matter, because the real ruin of a person is not only sinning, but sinning without repentance, falling and refusing to rise again. Saul gave his act two defenses. First, he called it wisdom. He said the people were scattering, and he had to do something to keep the rest from leaving too. Second, he made it look like devotion. He claimed he was trying to pray and sacrifice before going into battle, so that the Philistines would not attack before he had sought the Lord’s help. In this way he covered disobedience with a show of religion. Hypocrites often give a high place to outward religious acts, while neglecting the more important duties of God’s law.

Saul even admitted that he acted against his own conscience. He said, “I forced myself and offered a burnt offering” (1 Samuel 13:12). He may have meant this as a boast, as if he had overcome his convictions, or at least as a way to soften his guilt. But it was foolish to think God would be pleased with sacrifices offered against both his general law and this specific command.

Samuel then pronounced judgment on Saul. When he found Saul standing by the burnt offering, he did not bring good news, but a heavy word from God. The sacrifice of the wicked is hated by the Lord, especially when it comes from a rebellious heart. Samuel showed Saul the seriousness of his sin and told him plainly, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God” (1 Samuel 13:13). Those who disobey God’s commands act foolishly for their own lives. Sin is folly, and sinners are the greatest fools.

Then Samuel gave Saul his sentence: his kingdom would not last for him or his family. God had chosen another man, one after his own heart, unlike Saul, who wanted his own way. The sentence was still open enough at that point that repentance could have changed the outcome. But after Saul’s later act of disobedience, it became final (1 Samuel 15:29). Saul would have done far better to remain unknown, tending his father’s donkeys, than to be raised up and quickly cast down.

This judgment was not unfair, even though Saul had only committed what seemed like a small error and had many excuses. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and wrongs no one. He is shown to be right when he speaks and clear when he judges. This teaches several lessons. No sin is truly small, because there is no small God against whom it is committed. Any clear command from God, even in a small matter, must be obeyed, as Adam and Eve showed us. We must also watch our own hearts, because what looks small to people may be serious to God, who sees the motive and spirit behind the act. And by rejecting Saul for what seemed like a lesser sin, God makes his mercy shine even more brightly when he forgives great sinners such as David, Manasseh, and others. We also learn how necessary it is to wait on God patiently. Saul lost his kingdom because he could not wait two or three hours longer.