"He waited seven
days, until the appointed time Samuel had set, but Samuel did not come, and the
army deserted Saul. He then said, “Bring me the burnt offering and communion
offerings!” Then he sacrificed the burnt offering. King Saul Reproved. As he
finished sacrificing the burnt offering, there came Samuel! So Saul went out
toward him in order to greet him. Samuel asked him, “What have you done?” Saul
explained: “When I saw that the army was deserting me and you did not come on
the appointed day, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, I said
to myself, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have
not yet sought the LORD’s blessing.’ So I thought I should sacrifice the burnt
offering.” Samuel replied to Saul: “You have acted foolishly! Had you kept the
command the LORD your God gave you, the LORD would now establish your kingship
in Israel forever; but now your kingship shall not endure. The LORD has sought
out a man after his own heart* to appoint as ruler over his people because you
did not observe what the LORD commanded you.” (1 Samuel 13: 8-14)
The title of this Blog, SAUL FAILED TO KEEP THE TIME appears
ironic. If you read 1 Samuel 13: 8 – 14,
you would conclude that it was Samuel who failed to keep the time. Samuel and Saul were operating in two
different time frames. Saul was looking
at time as Chronos while Samuel was looking at time as Kairos. Chronos time measures time in seconds, hours,
days, years. Kairos time is the time of
grace, the fullness of time, the appointed time. In a similar situation as Saul, David waited
until word came (2 Samuel 15: 28)