I Samuel 13:19 Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears
All of us face battles and struggles on a fairly regular basis, but sometimes it feels like we are being sabotaged from the inside out, as if there must be a spy inside the camp who is scuttling our best plans and ambitions.
First Samuel 13 is a story of Saul leading Israel into battle against their arch enemy, the Philistines. Verse 6 says, “When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people were distressed.)” Israel’s soldiers were in a bad way. Some were running off into thickets, hiding in rocks, caves, and pits. They were avoiding the battle. It is during this chaos of battle, when things are confusing and smoke is hanging over the battlefield, that it is easy to be sabotaged. It may be easy to know what is right, but it is not easy to do it. It is easy to do the wrong thing in order to gain a good victory. That is where Saul was. What follows are the actions of Saul that caused the prophet Samuel to say, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of God and God is going to seek someone who is after His own heart.”
What is interesting about this sabotage is it seems as though Saul couldn’t win for losing, because the two ways he failed seem to be opposites. When there are ditches on both sides of the road, it doesn’t matter in which ditch you end up; they both are ditches that keep you from moving forward on the road of progress. So, sometimes your greatest threat is an inside job. That is certainly true when you read the story of Israel and the Philistines.
There are two ways in particular that their defeat was an inside job. First, we read of a wrong kind of independence. When Israel saw that they were in a strait, the Bible says in verse 8, “And he [Saul] tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed.” Saul had been told to wait for Samuel, but Samuel had not come. The people were scattered from Saul, so he said, “Bring me hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings.” Then, “he offered the burnt offering.”
Later, Saul offered an excuse to Samuel, “I forced myself because I saw that the people were scattered from me. You didn’t come at the appointed time, so I took it upon myself to sacrifice.” Offering a sacrifice was something only the priests were to do. It is easy to think if you are king, “Hey, nothing is forbidden me. I have total authority.” But even as a king, that is not the case. A king is not a priest any more than a priest is a king. When push cames to shove, Saul took authority upon himself in independence from God and the authority that God had set up. That authority did not belong to him. God was with Israel in a cause that was just, but Saul, not willing to be patient for Samuel, sabotaged himself.
We need to watch out for this kind of independence in our own lives and institutions. We need to realize that the home is not the church, the church is not the government, and the government is not the home. Each institution is ordained of and given by God. If I am a dad, I need to realize that I am not the pastor. If I am a pastor, I need to realize I cannot be the father. Although a pastor can give counsel and preach, he is not responsible for the kids of someone in the church as a father and mother are. Government cannot take the place of God’s church. Though there may be instances of overlapping authority, trying to be completely independent and grabbing authority in every facet of life is not God’s way and it is not right.
So, Saul was sabotaged by an inside job inasmuch as Saul was impatient and rebellious even as king because he took authority that did not belong to him. In short, it was a form of bad independence.
Ironically, the second act of sabotage is the exact opposite. It is an example of bad dependence, dependence on the wrong source. Verses 19-20 say, “Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears. But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen…his share…and his axe…” As the Philistines gained control over that region, they effectively disarmed the Israelites. Disarming those they wish to control has been the tactic of tyrants from the beginning of time. Verse 22 says, “So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan.” That is not a surprise because Israel had let the enemy dictate the rules of engagement.
In the US military we talk about ROE, Rules of Engagement, where we know exactly what must be done in different situations because of preplanned rules of engagement. It gives our military men confidence in what, when, and how to engage the enemy. Well, it is not wise to let the enemy dictate the rules of engagement because you cannot win by the enemy’s rules. In application, you can’t win, honor God, or do what is right when you try to win by the world’s standards or rules of engagement.
So many times, we try to fight moral battles on financial or pragmatic grounds. Whenever it comes to questions about the home, people may hold a good position, but they do so by the world’s standards or priorities. They defend the home on some sort of financial basis. Now, I think an intact home is a good thing financially, but what if by some setup we can obliterate the home and still do fine financially. Is that okay? No! You must hold your standards because of moral reasons that come from the Creator. These morals cannot be changed by men because of practicality or financial solvency.
We are from a time and culture that tend to fight God’s battles on the world’s terms. Sometimes our greatest threats are an inside job. It behooves us to know when to be independent and when to be dependent. It is the Lord God who leads, who guides, and whom we should follow.