Don't Be Self-Reliant

By John Madge

“Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty-two years. Saul chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand were with him at Mikmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes. Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul had the trumpet blown throughout the land and said, ‘Let the Hebrews hear!’ So all Israel heard the news: ‘Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel has become obnoxious to the Philistines.’ And the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal. The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Mikmash, east of Beth Aven. When the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns. Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. So he said, ‘Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.’ And Saul offered up the burnt offering.­”—1 Samuel 13:1–9 (NIV)

Before unpacking today’s Scripture, let’s take a look at 1 Samuel 11. That’s where Saul rallied about 330,000 men from Israel and Judah to save the people of Jabesh Gilead from the Ammonite king, Nahash.

Nahash laid siege to Jabesh Gilead and made it clear he wasn’t interested in a peaceable agreement. So, the elders of the town plead with Nahash by saying, “Give us seven days so we can send messengers throughout Israel; if no one comes to rescue us, we will surrender to you” (1 Samuel 11:3 NIV). Note the amount of time they request for a response for help.

Saul receives the message and The Spirit of the Lord comes upon him. Saul quickly moves to action and sends out a powerful message to the rest of Israel. Saul receives an overwhelmingly positive response and gains a huge army. He then sends the messengers back to the people of Jabesh Gilead with this message, “By the time the sun is hot tomorrow, you will be rescued” (1 Samuel 11:9 NIV).

­The elders of the city tell Nahash, “Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do to us whatever you like” (1 Samuel 11:10 NIV). Remember their plea? They asked for seven days, and that time is now up. The people were fully relying upon Saul's word and his promised rescue.

Now, let’s come back to today’s passage of Scripture, which finds Saul in a similar situation to the people of Jabesh Gilead in 1 Samuel 11. The Scripture says, “When the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns” (1 Samuel 13:6 NIV).

Saul rallies his forces to Gilgal. This is the place where Samuel previously told Saul to go: “Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do” (1 Samuel 10:8 NIV). Notice that Saul was instructed to wait for the same period of time the people of Jabesh Gilead were waiting for their rescue.

Both the elders of Jabesh Gilead and Saul had messages to assure them of the Lord’s provision and protection. However, Saul failed to obey the message he received from Samuel. He prematurely offered the sacrifices ahead of Samuel, seeking the Lord’s favor.

We all have the propensity to be like Saul in both stories. Just like Saul, it’s easy to rely upon ourselves, especially when we have a history of success. We might begin to think we don’t need God, at least until a storm hits. One minute we’re full of faith and confidence in the Lord, then the next we’re doubting God’s promises and afraid He doesn’t hear our prayers.

Scripture offers us a way to keep from bouncing back and forth between such extremes: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5–6 NIV).

Pause: Do you find it difficult to apply the advice you give others to your own life?

Practice: When you pray over someone else, don’t just focus on outcomes, but consider what it would be like to be in their shoes. For example, when someone has cancer. Pray for their healing (of course!), but also consider their emotions and what it would be like to bear such a weight. Be sure to pray over them in these areas as well.

Pray: Father forgive me when I presume to be self-reliant. I’m in need of Your love, mercy, wisdom, and forgiveness at all times, not only in the storms of life. I put my trust in You and the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Thank you. Amen.