Read: 1 Samuel 13
'He waited 7 days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal and the people were scattering from him. So Saul said, "Bring the burnt offering here to me..." (1 Samuel 13: 8-9)
Saul felt desperate as he watched the people of Israel prepare to leave Gilgal. He could feel the aching absence of their applause, the hollow space within him that had only days before been filled with their praise. How could he return to the silence - to the invisibility he had once known? How could he live without their approval? How could he let them leave disappointed? And how could he go to battle against the Philistines without their help? The answer was simple: He couldn't. He wouldn't.
"Bring the burnt offering to here to me," he cried, knowing full well he had just cross the point of no return. This was the responsibility of Samuel - not Saul. To do this would be to go against the laws established by God Himself.
"And the peace offerings!" he commanded. Oh, to have been a fly on the altar and watched Israel's response to their King's defiance of the law! Did they gasp? Did they cringe? Did they cheer? One thing is for sure - they stayed. And for Saul, that was all that mattered.
Moments after the sacrifice was completed, Samuel arrived.
"What have you done?" he questioned.
"When I saw the people scattering, I..."
To "scatter"; disperse, spread abroad, break into pieces.
Saul's greatest fear was the loss of the people, not the loss of God's favor. He craved their loyalty like a starving child gazing upon a banqueting table and was willing to risk everything to taste of their acceptance again.
John 12 speaks of those who, like Saul, "loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God (vs 43)." Fearing the Pharisees and unwilling to face the consequence, they remained silent about their faith in Jesus when they should of spoke boldly. And I would love to judge them - but...haven't we all done the same?
So often in life, I have been motivated by man's reaction. If they approve, I am happy with my decision. If they disapprove, I feel ashamed. Their response or lack of it, their opinion whether good or bad, their choice to stick around or scatter - has often influenced my decision making.
But, hear me church, pleasing man was never to be our goal.
Paul wrote to the church in Galatia, "Am I trying to win the approval of human beings or God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ (Galatians 1:10)." As servants of Christ, our eyes must remain focused on the Father, our feet anchored securely to His Word. Whether they gather around our actions or scatter from them - we must remember that our lives are to be lived for His glory not our own.
In Matthew 6:1 Jesus challenges His disciples to be careful not to do their "good deeds" loudly - to be seen by others and celebrated by men. He says that if they do, they will receive man's applause, but will have lost heaven's reward. A few years ago as I read this portion of scripture, a prayer formed in my heart that I still pray to this day, "Lord, may I always live for heaven's reward and not man's applause."
Will you join me in praying this prayer?
Whether they scatter or stay - let's not allow man's reactions or responses be what determines the direction we take. Let's follow Jesus no matter what. And if none go with us - still let us follow.
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