1 Samuel 13:7-15 "Some Hebrews crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead..."

“Some Hebrews crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. He waited for seven days, the time appointed by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people began to slip away from Saul. So Saul said, “Bring the burnt-offering here to me, and the offerings of well-being.” And he offered the burnt-offering. As soon as he had finished offering the burnt-offering, Samuel arrived; and Saul went out to meet him and salute him. Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul replied, “When I saw that the people were slipping away from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines were mustering at Michmash, I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down upon me at Gilgal, and I have not entreated the favor of the Lord’; so I forced myself, and offered the burnt-offering.” Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which he commanded you. The Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel for ever, but now your kingdom will not continue; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart; and the Lord has appointed him to be ruler over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” And Samuel left and went on his way from Gilgal. The rest of the people followed Saul to join the army; they went up from Gilgal towards Gibeah of Benjamin” (1 Samuel 13:7-15).

Question:

This morning in Sunday school, the passage of study was I Samuel, where Saul was said to have displeased God because Saul did not “pull a Hitler” and kill everybody he was “supposed” to kill. What is this about? Did this really happen in Jewish history? If so, was it because people were of such low evolution that the only way they could learn anything was to have it literally happen to them? So now, since society has evolved a bit, can we interpret this as meaning that the divinity within us, or “God,” wants us to totally annihilate the enemies within ourselves?
 

Comment:

This is the passage that describes Saul’s initial alienation from the Lord. It says nothing about who he did or did not kill. His “sin” is rather one of impatience and presumption. When the priest Samuel did not come at an appointed time, Saul took on the role of priest for himself, and “offered the burnt offering.” In Samuel’s estimation, this indicated a dangerous lack of faith, and faith—as it will be exemplified by David—is essential in the leader who will bring the Israelites together into a nation. Metaphysically, the same dynamic is at play within us. It’s tempting to get impatient at our spiritual progress, to decide to overreach, to “act for God.” However well intentioned, such choices indicate a lack of faith, and the results will be challenging. When we completely surrender our human sense of what has to happen to an utter confidence in the energy and rhythm of God, the results are better than we could realize on our own.   The question of why God seems so bloodthirsty in parts of the Hebrew Scriptures is an important one. It’s essential to realize that while the energy of infinite love we call God is constant and eternal, our ability to understand and express that energy is constantly changing. Much has been written about the fact that God seems to change dramatically as the Bible unfolds; in fact, it is collective human consciousness that changes in our ability to understand, accept and express the truth of our intimate Oneness with that divine energy. The dramas we unfold as we stumble forward to greater awareness and expression may seem horrible. But in spiritual truth, what you describe as “total annihilation” is not possible; it is an illusion of the human dimension. It may distract us from our spiritual purpose; it may slow us down in our process of learning to express infinite love. But it does not affect the Omnipresence of that love in every situation.

Blessings!

Rev. Ed