Waiting is hard, as our current period of “social distancing” has made all too painfully clear. Whenever problems arise, we want to do something about them right away. And the more serious the problem, the greater our sense of restless urgency.

Yes, we can understand why Saul forced the issue. After all, the Israelites were obviously outmanned and outgunned. The Philistines had 30,000 chariots, the premier battlefield forces of the day (I Samuel 13:5). They enjoyed a tremendous technological advantage, having mastered the art of forging iron, while the Israelites remained mired in the Bronze Age (I Samuel 13:19-21). It’s no wonder that the Israelite army was draining away from Saul day by day – who wants to fight when you have no chance of winning?

So, Saul was desperate to attack while he still had some soldiers with him. But he couldn’t start the battle unless certain sacrifices to God had been made. Yes, the prophet Samuel had said he would arrive in 7 days (I Samuel 13:8), but the seventh day had come, and Samuel had not yet arrived. So, Saul went ahead – it was the only rational thing, the only commonsensical thing to do.

But it was not the faithful thing to do. And because Saul put his trust in his own works, because Saul relied on his own reason and experience, he lost favor with God (I Samuel 13:14). It turns out that someone who is close to God’s heart is someone who is willing to wait for the Lord.

And there are times when God still calls us to express our trust in Him, not by doing something ourselves, but by praying that He would do something. In fact, where it comes to our biggest problems – sin and death – there’s nothing we can do at all. We are just as helpless as those Israelites facing the Philistine war machine, waiting on a Savior to deliver us.

So, because this virus has forced us to cancel so many of our daily activities, and because there’s really nothing we can do about it, let’s take the opportunity to wait for God. After all, Samuel eventually showed up (I Samuel 13:10), and God eventually sent an earthquake to throw the Philistines into a panic (I Samuel 14:15). It turned out that Saul didn’t need to be so fearful and frantic after all. And we can be just as confident today in God’s timing as we are in His power and His love.

I Samuel 13:5-14 (NASB)

5 Now the Philistines assembled to fight with Israel, 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen, and people like the sand which is on the seashore in abundance; and they came up and camped in Michmash, east of Beth-aven. 6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were hard-pressed), then the people hid themselves in caves, in thickets, in cliffs, in cellars, and in pits. 7 Also some of the Hebrews crossed the Jordan into the land of Gad and Gilead. But as for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
8 Now he waited seven days, according to the appointed time set by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattering from him. 9 So Saul said, “Bring to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10 And it came about as soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, that behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and to greet him. 11 But Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the appointed days, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, 12 therefore I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the LORD.’ So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.” 13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, for now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 “But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”