Self-Reliance

WEDNESDAY
December 19
Self-Reliance

When Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, it wasn't simply because she doubted God's word. At the heart of the problem was her belief that she had enough wisdom to decide what was good and right for herself. She trusted her own judgment. When we rely on our own judgment as opposed to trusting God's Word, we open ourselves up to all sorts of problems.

The story of Saul describes the steps to self-reliance and the tragedy that so quickly follows. Samuel anointed Saul as God's king (1 Sam. 10:1). Then he gave Saul specific instructions (vs. 8), but Saul disobeyed.

Read the next part of the story in 1 Samuel 13:1-14. What did Saul do that led to his own downfall?

There are three steps that led Saul down the road to self-reliance so soon after having been made king. The problem is that none of the steps were that bad in themselves. Yet, they contained the seeds of tragedy because they were each taken independently of God. Notice the order in which Saul's fall occurred.

1. Saul said, "I saw" (N/V)—the scattering of his troops and Samuel's absence (vs. 11). Saul was under pressure, and he evaluated with his own eyes what was happening.

2. Saul moved from "I saw" to "I said"—that the Philistines would conquer them (vs. 12, NKJV). What he saw with his own eyes shaped what he said, or surmised, about the situation.

3. Saul moved from "I said" to "I felt"—compelled to offer sacrifice (vs. 12, NKJV). What Saul thought now shaped his feelings.

All of us have done this: We rely on our own human eyesight, which leads us to rely on our own human thinking, which leads us to rely on our own human feelings. And then we act on these feelings.

Why do you think it was so easy for Saul to follow his own judgment, even though he had God's clear instructions still ringing in his ears? If we know that we are so fragile and have such imperfect knowledge, why do we still try to rely on ourselves? What can we do to learn more to trust in the Lord's commands than upon ourselves?