"This is not going to go well"

 So often we think that we know how things will probably turn out.  Maybe because of an experience we had in the past where a person responded in a certain way.  Maybe it's just our our own reasoning.  Have you ever assumed a negative outcome to a situation?  Sometimes we think we have good reason to do so.  Have you ever thought that something would turn out bad and it actually ended up going well?  That has happened to me.  After a tough morning at home, I'd think that my child was going to be just as grouchy, if not worse, when I brought them to whatever place we might be going.  I'd be so sure that it was going to be a terrible experience but they would surprise me by actually enjoying themselves.  I was so sure I had it figured out, as if I just knew how things were going to go.  Has this ever happened to you?

   Amera and I have been learning about two men in the Bible who considered the facts and felt confident they knew what the outcome was going to be.  One of them was King Saul in 1 Samuel 13:8-13.  Rather than wait patiently on God to work, he took matters into his own hands and he disobeyed God.  You can just sense his panic as the Philistines had mustered themselves to fight against Israel.  Saul had chosen 3,000 men of Israel to fight and the Philistines had 30,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen and troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude!  The men of Israel saw that they were in trouble and they hid in caves and holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns!  Can you imagine how frightful this must have been?  To add to all of this pressure, Saul  was waiting for Samuel to arrive so that Samuel could offer the burnt offering to the Lord.  Samuel was not showing up and the people were beginning to scatter from Saul.  I can just imagine Saul putting two and two together and imagining how much worse this outcome was going to get.  He must have thought "I have to do something!"  "I know what God commanded, but it doesn't seem reasonable right now!"  Can you feel his pain?  

   Saul's thinking affected his choices and actions.  He offered the burnt offering that he was not allowed to offer...

So Saul said, "Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the 

peace offerings." And he offered the burnt offering.  As soon

as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel 

came.  And Saul went out to meet him and greet him.

Samuel said, "What have you done?"

  And Saul said, "When I saw that the people were scattering

from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed,

and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, I said, 

'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have

not sought the favor of the LORD.'  

So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering."

And Samuel said to Saul, "You have done foolishly.

You have not kept the command of the LORD your

God, with which he commanded you."

   Sometimes it's hard to wait, especially when things look grim.  We may think we know what the outcome is bound to be, but do we really know?  God is always at work, and ultimately it is his will that will be accomplished.  Our responsibility is to obey him and not try to reason our way around doing what he says.  I tell my children this.  I tell them that they must obey my word even if they think that their idea is better.  There are appropriate times and ways to come to me and we can discuss their ideas, but when I leave them with a command they cannot just choose to do it their way, they must obey.

   In my next post we'll look at another man in the Bible who thought he had the "logical" outcome figured out.  God simply wanted him to trust and allow him to work through him.  

Part two in this series: "But...what if?"

[re-posted from the archives of my former blog // 7.23.2011]