Samuel said to Saul, “You have been foolish. You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. It was at this time that the Lord would have permanently established your reign over Israel, but now your reign will not endure. The Lord has found a man after his own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over his people, because you have not done what the Lord commanded.” ~1 Samuel 13:13–14
My associate and I had spent most of the day in the air or in airport terminals waiting for the next flight. I don’t know why this is true, but days like this make me tired. They also make me hungry. Perhaps that’s why airports have so many food vendors and airplanes have so little food.
In any case, finally and happily we arrived at our destination. Our colleague met us at the airport, and he whisked us off to dinner. Oh, boy, I thought, I’m starved for a great meal.
In a few minutes, our car pulled into . . . hey, what’s going on here . . . this looks like . . . those are golden arches. Sure enough, as a joke and because our business discussion centered around products for parents with young children, our host had decided to take us to the local McDonalds® for appetizers. We were met by several other folks inside who warmly welcomed us. Our host ordered Happy Meals®, and we sat down to enjoy a baby cheeseburger, a few fries, a miniature drink, and of course, a little toy. Just as soon as we had finished, we loaded back in the car and were driven to the “real” restaurant for a wonderful meal.
Unfortunately for me, I had left my voracious appetite and longing for a great dinner back at fast-food land. I remember thinking when our waitress brought my spectacularly presented grilled swordfish, I wish I had waited for this.
King Saul was anxious. He and his troops were up to their shoulders in a battle at Gilgal, and he knew it was time to stop and worship the God who had promised to bring him through the conflict. Saul was waiting for the prophet Samuel, who was also a priest, to come and perform the service. He knew the law. Only God’s anointed priests had the right to do the sacrifice, but this time Samuel was late. Saul had had enough. He couldn’t wait. Ordering the elements to be delivered to him, Saul performed the service himself. When he had finished, Samuel showed up.
“What have you done, Saul?” Samuel asked. “How foolish could you be?” At that moment, Saul must have been filled with tremendous regret. I wish I had waited, he must have whispered to himself.
In reading this story, it’s easy for you and me to understand both sides—Saul shouldn’t have jumped the gun, but he was a driven man, and he had a battle to fight. Waiting was the last thing he wanted to do. But Saul had traded God’s best for an “innocent” shortcut. And it cost him God’s blessing and his job.
Sometimes God calls us to action. We hear His voice in many ways—the counsel of our respective wives, godly friends, something from the Bible, or that strong pull in our spirits that this is the right thing to do—and the orders seem to be clear. So we go. But sometimes God asks us to wait. “If you move now,” He seems to be saying, “you’ll be denying yourself the luxury of experiencing my best.” Waiting is tough. But losing our appetites over a silly burger and missing out on that grilled swordfish . . . or God’s blessing . . . is even worse.
Learn from Saul. Experiencing God’s finest is always worth the wait.