September 10th, 2026
1 Samuel 13:8-9 — He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him.
Why was it so problematic that Saul offered up a burnt offering to God? I’ve been making the case that Adam was established by God through the covenant of works to be a priest-king to all of humanity by his appointment as covenant head and recipient of the covenant stipulation, and he was positioned as the high priest by God’s placing him in the Garden where God’s presence was manifested. But with the breaking of the covenant, Adam was dethroned from both of those positions. While still the covenant head of humanity, he was now cut off from God, excommunicated from the garden, and there would not be another priest-king of his significance until the resurrection of the Son of God (Melchizedek being an exception that proves the reality).
God proceeds to make new covenants with man, and in the Covenant at Sinai, God gave Moses the law in which the authority to offer offerings are strictly restricted to the Levitical class of priests. Saul is waiting at Gilgal in preparation for battle, and he sees his troops becoming discouraged and disinterested. The prophet (and a priest) Samuel has not arrived to offer a burnt offering before battle, and that seems like a bad omen, and for Saul, seeing troops abandon him seems to be a statement about his authority and leadership. Saul takes matters into his own hands.
But, "As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him” (1 Sam 13:10). Saul makes his case to why he made the offering, blaming Samuel and the discouragement of his forces as grounds to why he “had to” make this offering which was not in his authority to make. The fault was one of presumption made out of arrogance and insecurity — the two seem to go together regularly.
Saul was appointed to be a king, not a priest. God commanded in his law that offerings were to be offered through those whom He had set apart for his service as priests. But Saul, seeing a need trusted in himself and feared the disappointment of those around him. Samuel later clarifies the offense: “And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king” (1 Sam 15:22-23).
Saul, like Adam, failed to serve in the office of king because he sought to serve himself before serving God and the nation of Israel. At times God calls people to lead within a specific capacity within the church, and it is easy to think too much of oneself. We all want to see the church grow, I want to see the church grow, but we must never forget Paul’s words: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Cor 3:6-7). God will grow his church, we must be faithful to what he put before us. And that will look different for each of us, but we must resist the temptation to “be like God” as the serpent tempted Eve.
The Church is not for us, it is for Christ, and we must resist the urge to be presumptuous that “I must do X in order for there to be growth.” This is one of the beauties of presbyterian polity. I am not alone in leading our church as the pastor. I had elders around me. I have elders above me in the presbytery. But most importantly, we each have the Holy Spirit, speaking through His Word to guide us, to humble us, and to equip us.
Saul’s biggest mistakes were insecurity and impatience, and we must resist those same temptations as we seek God to build His kingdom here on earth. His time is rarely at the pace that we expect or desire, and His wisdom is greater than ours. So let us be a people who trust him, make ourselves less so He may increase, and seek unity with one another over seeking fulfillment of our own desires and preferences.
God lead us!
Rev. Joshua Fried
Pastor
Why was it so problematic that Saul offered up a burnt offering to God? I’ve been making the case that Adam was established by God through the covenant of works to be a priest-king to all of humanity by his appointment as covenant head and recipient of the covenant stipulation, and he was positioned as the high priest by God’s placing him in the Garden where God’s presence was manifested. But with the breaking of the covenant, Adam was dethroned from both of those positions. While still the covenant head of humanity, he was now cut off from God, excommunicated from the garden, and there would not be another priest-king of his significance until the resurrection of the Son of God (Melchizedek being an exception that proves the reality).
God proceeds to make new covenants with man, and in the Covenant at Sinai, God gave Moses the law in which the authority to offer offerings are strictly restricted to the Levitical class of priests. Saul is waiting at Gilgal in preparation for battle, and he sees his troops becoming discouraged and disinterested. The prophet (and a priest) Samuel has not arrived to offer a burnt offering before battle, and that seems like a bad omen, and for Saul, seeing troops abandon him seems to be a statement about his authority and leadership. Saul takes matters into his own hands.
But, "As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him” (1 Sam 13:10). Saul makes his case to why he made the offering, blaming Samuel and the discouragement of his forces as grounds to why he “had to” make this offering which was not in his authority to make. The fault was one of presumption made out of arrogance and insecurity — the two seem to go together regularly.
Saul was appointed to be a king, not a priest. God commanded in his law that offerings were to be offered through those whom He had set apart for his service as priests. But Saul, seeing a need trusted in himself and feared the disappointment of those around him. Samuel later clarifies the offense: “And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king” (1 Sam 15:22-23).
Saul, like Adam, failed to serve in the office of king because he sought to serve himself before serving God and the nation of Israel. At times God calls people to lead within a specific capacity within the church, and it is easy to think too much of oneself. We all want to see the church grow, I want to see the church grow, but we must never forget Paul’s words: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Cor 3:6-7). God will grow his church, we must be faithful to what he put before us. And that will look different for each of us, but we must resist the temptation to “be like God” as the serpent tempted Eve.
The Church is not for us, it is for Christ, and we must resist the urge to be presumptuous that “I must do X in order for there to be growth.” This is one of the beauties of presbyterian polity. I am not alone in leading our church as the pastor. I had elders around me. I have elders above me in the presbytery. But most importantly, we each have the Holy Spirit, speaking through His Word to guide us, to humble us, and to equip us.
Saul’s biggest mistakes were insecurity and impatience, and we must resist those same temptations as we seek God to build His kingdom here on earth. His time is rarely at the pace that we expect or desire, and His wisdom is greater than ours. So let us be a people who trust him, make ourselves less so He may increase, and seek unity with one another over seeking fulfillment of our own desires and preferences.
God lead us!
Rev. Joshua Fried
Pastor
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