Why was it wrong for Saul to offer a sacrifice?

Response

In 1 Samuel 13, Saul and his army awaited Samuel’s arrival to perform a sacrifice before heading to battle. Samuel had not shown up yet, and the soldiers were getting ready to run away instead of facing the Philistines. Becoming impatient, Saul decided to offer a sacrifice by himself.

Right after Saul completed the sacrifice, Samuel appeared and rebuked him, saying, “You have acted foolishly. . . . You have not kept the command of the LORD your God” «And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: 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. », (1 Samuel 13:13). Why was Saul’s sacrifice considered foolish? Because he had disobeyed a direct order from the prophet Samuel given in 1 Samuel 10:8: “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.”

These seven days were apparently meant to teach Saul about patience and reliance on God. He waited the full seven days, but just barely. As soon as the week ended, he offered the sacrifice on his own, unwilling to wait any longer for Samuel. In this presumptuous act, Saul displayed various weaknesses that rendered him unsuitable to be king, such as impatience and self-reliance. His action revealed that he did not desire to cooperate with Samuel or obey God; instead, he sought to take matters into his own hands. The king was supposed to adhere to the Lord’s instructions, yet Saul believed he could act as he pleased, leading to a foolish error.

Additionally, Saul’s action was wrong indirectly because he was not a priest or Levite. Therefore, he was not authorized to offer a burnt offering or peace offering. Saul belonged to the tribe of Benjamin and was not permitted to perform such religious acts.The work of a priest. However, the biblical text notes that the direct reason why Saul’s sacrifice was sinful was that Saul disobeyed Samuel’s command. Samuel was a prophet and a person of authority, and the word of the Lord had been spoken through him to Saul.

In fact, King David, the king who followed Saul, offered a burnt offering to the Lord. In 2 Samuel 24:25, we read, “David built an altar to the LORD there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.” In this case, however, David did so in obedience to the command of the prophet Gad (2 Samuel 24:18-19).

Many valuable lessons can be learned from Saul’s situation. First, it is clear that God desires our obedience. Second, much patience is often needed to fully follow God’s Word. Third, there are negative consequences when we choose our way instead of God’s. Though it may not be easy or convenient, obeying God’s Word is the best choice for our lives and for our service to others.