1 Samuel 13:12
Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering. Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering.
At Gilgal Saul waited for Samuel through the appointed seven days while the Philistines were massed at Michmash and his own men were hiding and scattering from him. He claimed he acted because he feared attack before he had sought the Lord, because his soldiers were deserting, and because Samuel delayed to the last moment, saying he forced himself to offer the burnt offering. That plea does not excuse him, for he could have bowed his heart in humble prayer without sacrifice, and instead he impatiently judged by outward appearances and let fear govern him rather than trusting God and waiting. In presumption he seized the sacred office of priesthood never given to a king, dishonoring God and His express command by treating a solemn act pointing to Christ's sacrifice without reverence. His disobedience proved him unfit to rule and cost him an established kingdom, warning all not to make duties for themselves from their own schemes but to wait patiently on the Lord for instruction.
Saul's Situation and Plea
At Gilgal Saul waited for Samuel within the appointed seven days while the Philistines were massed at Michmash and the Israelites were hiding and scattering away from him. Samuel's holding back to the last moments of that time was God's design to reveal Saul's heart and show what he would do in an emergency. Saul's stated reasons for acting were fear that the Philistines would come down upon him at Gilgal before he had sought the Lord, the desertion of his soldiers, and Samuel's delay in coming. He treated the urgent threat and his failure yet to seek God as grounds to perform the offering himself instead of obeying the instruction to wait for Samuel.
His plea that he forced himself to offer the burnt offering does not excuse his disobedience, for he acted presumptuously instead of waiting for God's appointed servant and obeying God's command. His fear and distress did not justify presumptuously performing sacred work assigned to those appointed for it and treating God's ordinances without proper reverence. The sacrifices were a solemn act of seeking God that required repentance, and he should have prepared the people to seek Him with repentant hearts rather than letting danger and the people's fear govern him. The offering pointed forward to Christ's sinless sacrifice, so to handle it irreverently risked teaching the people to think lightly of that sacred work.
He need not have offered sacrifice at all to seek God, for he could have bowed his heart in humble prayer without sacrifice, since God accepts even the silent petitions of a burdened heart.
Presumption, Loss, and Warning
Instead of trusting God and waiting, Saul fixed his eyes on discouraging outward appearances, grew impatient, passionate, fearful and unbelieving, and let the danger and the fear of the people govern him rather than strengthening their trust in God and preparing them to seek Him with repentant hearts. He fretted over the delay, decided to move independently, and rushed into action because God's plan had not yet unfolded as he expected. His failure to wait patiently dishonored God's service and revealed unbelief and failure to trust God's word and command.
He forced himself to take the sacred office of priesthood which as king God had never given him, feeling it made no difference who approached God and in what way and reasoning that as king he was equal to any office. His act was presumption, sacrilege, and disobedience to God's express command, treating God's ordinances without proper reverence and dishonoring God and His ordinances. Though tall, well proportioned and prepossessing in appearance, he was inexperienced and unfitted in experience and character for the work as king. Yet the Lord had changed his heart by His Spirit, made him a converted man with a visibly changed spirit, set him right in the work, and given him influence on condition that he cultivate humility and the fear of God, trust God, learn His will, and not exalt himself.
He trusted his own strength and energy and presumptuously followed his own judgment in pride and self-confidence. By performing a public religious service in direct opposition to God's command his piety was not genuine, for he mingled the sacred with the common, failed to prepare the people to seek God with repentant hearts, set a ruinous example for Israel, weakened his position, and placed himself beyond the help God was willing to give. Instead of admitting his error, accepting reproof, and confessing when Samuel rebuked and confronted him, he defended himself, blamed the prophet, and stubbornly justified himself. Accepting reproof and confessing could have guarded him against repeating the sin.
His failure proved he could not be trusted to obey orders from heaven and was unfit to rule, so his kingdom would not be established forever or continue. His sin cost him the honor of leading Israel's armies against the Philistines, for Israel's deliverance was to magnify God alone and not give reason to credit their own righteousness, valor, or wisdom. His failure at Gilgal was a test of faith that was not beyond remedy, and he was given another opportunity to learn unquestioning faith and obedience. The verse teaches the danger of impatience when God's plan has not yet unfolded and the need to constantly look to the Lord for instruction, wait patiently on Him, and learn what He wants instead of making duties for oneself and acting from one's own schemes, plans and contrivances.
His course warns inexperienced men entering the ministry not to be chosen for appearance nor set apart unprepared without close seeking of the Lord to know His will, but to receive the Word of the Lord from old faithful standard-bearers and do God's will so they will not fail as Saul did.