6 When the Israelites saw that their situation was criticaland that their army was hard pressed, they hid in cavesand thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns. - P87
7 Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the landof Gad and Gilead. Saul remained at Gilgal, and all thetroops with him were quaking with fear.
8 He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; butSamuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul‘s men beganto scatter. 9 So he said, "Bring me the burnt offeringand the fellowship offerings." And Saul offeredburnt offering.
- P87
11 "What have you done?" asked Samuel. Saul replied,
"When I saw that the men were scattering, and that youdid not come at the set time, and that the Philistineswere assembling at Mikmash, 12 I thought, ‘Now thePhilistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and Ihave not sought the LORD‘s favor.‘ So I felt compelledto offer the burnt offering.‘ - P87
Saul is thirty when he becomes king, and he reigns over Israel for forty-twoyears. His son Jonathan attacks a Philistine outpost, and the Philistines assem-ble to fight Israel. - P87
The Israelites hide in fear, and Saul‘s men begin to scatter.
When Samuel does not come to Saul, Saul makes an offering himself. Samuelarrives and asks Saul what he has done. - P87
Saul divides a relatively small band of soldiers between him and hisson Jonathan while the rest of the army is sent home. - P88
When Jonathanattacks the Philistine outpost, it triggers a backlash where Saul and hisarmy are ill-prepared to face the heavily
armed Philistine troops. - P88
Sometimes we can be caught off-guard
by Satan‘s attacks, especially whenwe become complacent in our Christian walk. - P88
The Christian faith is aspiritual war, and there should never be a time when we let our guarddown. - P88
The good news is that even if we might feel outnumbered by theenemy, we have the Word of God and the Holy Spirit that enable us to overcome every attack.
- P88
When Saul‘s army is confronted by the Philistines, they feel outnum-ezbered, and many abandon Saul. Those who remain are quaking withfear. - P88
Saul has been trying to wait for Samuel, who is supposed to inquireof the Lord about what Israel should do. - P88
Desperate, Saul takes it uponhimself to offer the sacrifice in Samuel‘s absence. - P88
Saul‘s actions are unfortunately
very similar to the mistakes many believers make when theyare under pressure. - P88
They choose to do things their way because God‘sways seem too slow or outdated. - P88
But God is pleased when we honorHim not only when things are going well with us but also in extremelytrying times. - P88
Let us be obedient to Him in all circumstances. - P88
"At the root of insecurity-the anxiety
over how others think of us-is pride.
Thispride is an excessive desire for others to see us as impressive and admirable."
- Jon Bloom - P88
Many of us also have had moments when we have felt abandoned,
misunderstood, or ignored by those who should be closest to us. - P89
Evenprayer can sometimes be difficult because we don‘t always feel thepresence of God. There are times when we feel as though God hasabandoned us. - P89
Our prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling, and wefeel we are talking to ourselves. - P89
Yet God is always there with us. He is our ever-present help whenever
we are in trouble and need Him (Ps.46:1). - P89
Those closest to us may abandon us. Our own feelings maydeceive and betray us. But God is always there, with us and for us. - P89
Dear Lord, I pray that You will be my source of strength and courage in mo-ments when I feel overwhelmed and inadequate. - P89
Help me to know that Youare always with me even when I feel alone. In Jesus‘ name, amen. - P89
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