by David Scott Robertson
"Then Saul said, 'Let's chase the Philistines all night and destroy every last one of them.' His men replied, 'We'll do whatever you think is best.' But the priest said, 'Let's ask God first'" (1 Samuel 14:36).
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Leaders, like King Saul in this instance, will often make decisions out of emotion instead of wisdom gained by seeking God. Unfortunately, there are those who will follow right along saying, "we'll do whatever you think is best." But priceless is the person who will interrupt the process by saying, "let's ask God first."
In Saul's case, the words of the priest prompted the king to inquire of the Lord which led to the discovery that there was sin in the camp that would have prohibited God from supporting Saul's battle orders.
Earlier, Saul had initiated inquiring of the Lord but bailed out prematurely.
"Then Saul shouted to Ahijah, 'Bring the ephod here…But while Saul was talking to the priest, the shouting and confusion in the Philistine camp grew louder and louder. So Saul said to Ahijah, 'Never mind; let's get going!' Then Saul and his six hundred men rushed out to the battle…" (1 Samuel 14:18-19).
Saul's career as king was plagued with poor decisions, rash vows, and blatant disobedience to the Lord. Saul's chronic habit of making soulish decisions (based on his reasoning ability and emotional state at the time) caused God's first choice of a king for His people to become disqualified and the Lord replaced him with David (a man after His own heart).
Had Saul learned early in his reign to observe two key rules of effective leadership consistently, he would have enjoyed an enduring dynasty, for God had said through the prophet Samuel:
"...Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time" (1 Samuel 13:13).
The two principles Saul (and any aspiring leader) should consistently observe are:
1. Ask God first
2. Wait until you hear His reply before acting
Untold grief, heartache, and peril can be avoided by observing these two simple rules.
Saul and his men "rushed off into battle" without the word of the Lord and in the process of time it cost them all their lives. True wisdom lies in the ability to learn from the mistakes of others without repeating them yourself.
God's will for you and me is to successfully navigate around the many pitfalls and booby traps the enemy has set before us. To do this requires asking God before entering the minefield and having the good sense to wait on Him to reveal where the explosives are hidden before rushing off into spiritual battle.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him"(James 1:5).
DSR
5/24/04