blaine bowman and HIS goodtime band will be leading worship at

Gospel Baptist Tabernacle781 Salem Road, Rossville GA 30741

Sunday night, February 12, 2012 at six o'clockwww.rossvillechurch.comFebruary 12, 2012

Tonight!

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1 Samuel 13 1-2 Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel, Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel; whereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in mount Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent.

In his first year as king of Israel, Saul had to

deal with the Ammonite threat with a

militia raised in one day.

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Now in his second year, he builds a regular army of three thousand men.

2000 under his leadership

1000 under Jonathan.

Everybody else he sent home.

The Philistines are the threat now.

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3 And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear. 4 And all Israel heard say that Saul had smitten a garrison of the Phil-istines, and that Israel also was had in abomination with the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to Gilgal.

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5 And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude: and they came up, and pitched in Michmash, eastward from Bethaven.

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6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits. 7 And some of the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

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Saul's army began to desert.

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8 And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. 9 And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering. Desperate!

Samuel had told him to wait seven days, and he would come and bless Israel for battle.

Samuel was late.Saul decided to offer the sacrifices himself.

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This was a test of Saul's faith.He failed the test.

Waiting is one of the most difficult trials we face.

Especially when we think God is late.

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10 And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him.

Saul exceeded his authority (he was not a priest), and made the offerings, and then Samuel came.

Saul went to greet him as if nothing was wrong.

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11a And Samuel said, What hast thou done?

Opportunity to repent."I was afraid and my faith wavered."

"Forgive me."

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11b And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash;

"It's not my fault.""You didn't get here on time."

"My army was deserting me."

"The Philistines were ready to fight."

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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 there-fore, and offered a burnt offering.

Saul had not asked for the Lord's help.

So he offered a burnt offering, in direct disobedience to God's

calling of priests.Saul was neither priest nor prophet; to act as a

priest was disobedience to God.

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13 And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done fool-ishly: thou hast not kept the Commandment of the Lord thy God, which He commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.

To disobey anything that God says is foolish.

We take ourselves outside of His Will, and therefore outside of His Protection.

We trust God only as weTrust and obey His Word.

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14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.

Men see nothing but Saul's outward act, which seems small; but God saw that he did this with unbelief and distrust of His Providence, with contempt of His Authority and Justice, and with rebellion against the Light of his own conscience.

Matthew Henry Concise Bible Commentary.

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Whenever we act from fear, we sin.Romans 14 23b … whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

1 John 4 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

To love God completely is to have no reason to fear.

Let all our acts and decisions be from Faith.

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When we take things into our own hands, we take them out of God's Hands.

Saul was afraid because his army was deserting him on the field of battle.

He thought God had failed him in the person of Samuel.

He took matters intohis own hands.

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Fear and/or anger are usually the emotions that cause us to take matters into our own hands.

FAITH WAITS ON GOD.Faith leaves it in

God's Hands.