"And Samuel said to Saul: You have done foolishly; you have not kept the
commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now
would the LORD have established your kingdom upon Israel forever.“
King Saul had hardly ascended to the throne when he lost it. His blunder features front and
center in Samuel 13, a failure that stripped him of the moral right to continue occupying the
land’s highest public office.
What was his sin? Abravanel examines Saul’s misconduct and the circumstances surrounding it.
In assessing the king’s wrongdoing, Abravanel takes a close look at our lead verse. Was Saul’s
downfall associated with offering sacrifices in Gilgal, Abravanel considers? “And Saul said: Bring
hither to me the burnt-offering and the peace-offerings. And he offered the burnt-offering.”
Given that the Temple had yet to be built, Abravanel answers, there was no ban on offering
sacrifices in Gilgal. Hence, he acted reasonably.
And if Saul’s crime had to do with the timing of the sacrifice, insofar as Samuel instructed Saul
to wait a week in Gilgal for him to arrive, that too, can be rebutted. “And he tarried seven days,
according to the set time that Samuel had appointed; but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the
people were scattered from him.” A week had elapsed, and besides, the king was losing his
audience, if you will. Thus, we cannot find fault with timing. Abravanel revisits our verse. By so
doing, we better grasp the gravitas of the Saul’s royal misstep. Let’s delineate three aspects of
his sin.
Misjudgment. By offering the sacrifices in Gilgal, King Saul usurped Samuel’s prerogative. God’s
will dictated that the prophet, solely, perform sacrificial services in Gilgal.
Impetuosity. While it is true that King Saul waited seven days for Samuel’s arrival, that missed
the point. Instead of trusting in the Maker that the prophet would show up, Saul acted rashly.
So, even if Samuel tarried, Saul should have bided his time, knowing that the seer’s coming was
imminent. Emphasis lay with his arrival and not with the seven-day duration. Abravanel goes
further here. He states that King Saul offered the sacrifice early in the morning of day seven,
believing that was the optimal time to do so. The prophet, in fact, came to Gilgal later that day.
Misplanning. King Saul mobilized troops, setting in motion his military strategy. The prophet,
however, wanted nothing of the sort. Nor did Samuel ask Saul to engage in war against the
Philistines. His instruction to Saul was explicit. “Seven days shall you tarry, till I come unto you,
and tell you what you shall do.” (Samuel 10) Granted that King Saul feared the Philistines, and
further unsettling was Saul’s witness of the wholescale desertion of his troops.
Notwithstanding, Saul needed to step back in order to see the whole picture. That would have
allowed him to realign and upgrade his relationship with the One Above. Faith was called for. In
addition, the king needed to be fully attuned to the prophet’s words. Flouting Samuel’s
command carried stiff consequence: death. The point is this. Despite King Saul’s good
intentions, intentions are not being judged; belief in God and acceptance of the prophet’s role
were.
Self-initiative has its time and place, but this was neither. “And Samuel said to Saul: You have
done foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He
commanded you.” Saul’s reliance on Samuel should have been implicit. After all, hadn’t Saul
heard and then witnessed Samuel’s earlier signs and omens play out? Why hadn’t the king
deferred to the prophet?
Abravanel leaves little doubt. King Saul faltered and forfeited his kingship – for reasons stated.
There had been a toxic mix of misjudgment, impetuosity, and misplanning. This admixture,
then, precipitated the king’s fall. God intended to bring to bear a divine show of providence in
avenging the Philistines. Saul’s bungling spoiled things. Disobeying Samuel’s prophetic directive
would not be condoned. As a result, God had little use for Saul. The Maker moved on.
Meanwhile, in Bethlehem, a young man tended his father’s flock….