Major Fail

 

    Saul was only thirty when he became the first king of a nation.He ruled for 42 years and had 3,000 fighting men enrolled in his military.  His children grew up in this world.  They had all they could want or need.  It all looks good on the surface.

    Saul's son, Jonathan, went to a Philistine outpost and attacked it.  The Philistines gathered for battle.  They had 3,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen, and more troops that could be counted.  The Israelites were right to be afraid.  They ever horribly outnumbered.  Saul waited for Samuel for seven days in fear.  His fear and the terror of his men made him grow impatient.  His men were beginning to scatter and hide.

    Saul made an executive decision to do the sacrifice to God without Samuel.  The thing is Samuel was the only one allowed to do the sacrifice.  Saul's impatience and superiority complex were a major fail for his nation.  He had just finished when Samuel arrived.  

    Samuel was angry with him for overstepping his role as king.  Saul was over the people, but Samuel had the connection with God.  Samuel called him a fool and told him that this one act of rebellion would cost him his kingdom.  Samuel left without staying to see if they would be victorious over the Philistines or not.  

    When they went to battle, Saul only had 600 men.  The Philistines had three raiding parties that went out and scared all the Israelite blacksmith, so they would not make any weapons, and took the weapons that they did have.  The day of battle only Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear.  His men only had plows, mattocks, axes, and sickles (farming tools).  The men must have been terrified.

1 Samuel 13