Under Pressure: Trust and Wait (1 Samuel 13:1-15a) - 1/18/26

INTRO

• Saul’s kingship is still early and unstable.

• Israel faces pressure… panic ensues and the troops scatter.

• Saul gathers at Gilgal under immediate threat.

• The crisis sets up the central issue of the passage: whether Saul will wait for God’s instruction or act on his own.
  

Pressure Will Come (vv. 1–7).

• Saul divides a small standing army

• Jonathan strikes the Philistines

• Saul sounds the trumpet

• The Philistines muster

• Israel hides and scatters

Pressure often hits when resources feel thin. Opposition is the norm as we live this side of heaven. Expect it  and prepare for it.

We Must Trust/Wait (vv. 8–12).

• Saul waited seven days (10:8)

• The people grow anxious and scattered

• Saul offers the burnt offering

• Samuel arrives: “What have you done?”

• Saul explains: “I forced myself…”

Saul knew what God said but didn’t obey fully. Under pressure, it’s easy to grasp for control and then justify it. When opposition comes, do we trust and wait or act in our own strength.

The Price of Compromise (vv. 13–15a)

• “You have done foolishly”

• “You have not kept the command”

• “Your kingdom shall not continue”

• Samuel departs

Treating God’s word as negotiable always costs. Short-term relief can bring long-term loss. Know the Word. Trust the Word. Do the Word. Compromise comes with a cost.

THE WHAT NOW

• Pressure will come. Don’t fear it… expect it.

• Obey God’s word and wait.

• Refuse shortcuts… compromise costs.