Here's another one, another one that took the wrong way round. I'll give you two more, and then we'll show you just exactly what you need to do. It's found in 1 Samuel, Chapter 13. This is King Saul. Now here's what - Saul has actually had a word from God, and this was the word: I want you to go to this place, I want you to wait there until I come. Now here's what's happened, and we read in Verse 6 of 1 Samuel 13: the men of Israel saw they were in great danger. They were in danger, because in Verse 5, the Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel, 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen, people like the sand which is on the seashore, for the multitude came up and encamped at Michmash, at the end of Beth Aven.
The men of Israel saw they were in danger, and so they went and they hid in the caves, the thickets, the rocks, holes and in pits. Some of them followed crossed Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and the people were following him, trembling. He waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come, and the people were scattered. So he said: bring a burnt offering and peace offerings, and he offered the burnt offerings. Now it happened, as soon as he'd finished presenting the burnt offering, Samuel came, and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him. And Samuel said: what have you done? He said: I saw the people were scattered, you didn't come, the Philistines had gathered against me; and I said: I just need to go and make an offering to the Lord, so I forced myself, and did this offering.
He said: that's very foolish, you're going to lose your authority, you'll lose your kingdom, as a result of this. Now notice here, don't harbour fear or anxiety, and act in a reaction to what's going on. Don't hold on to fear and anxiety. Here's the problem with Saul. The problem was, he was insecure. Now what was the reason he was insecure? He was insecure, because he saw all the problems, but he didn't see how big God was. He was insecure because he saw the people leaving, and he didn't see God was still with him. He was insecure because he had no current word from God, except the last one to go on, and he's waiting for something to happen, so here's what happens. In the face of pressure, anxiety and fear took over him, he shut down, and he said: I know what I'll do, I'll make something happen to get my way out of this. How many have known what it's like to be in a place like that, where you've been tight, it's been difficult, it's been tense for you; and instead of actually waiting for God to give you directions, and show you what to do, you actually had to force yourself; but you tried to make something happen? When you do that, it always messes up. It always ends up like that.
That's the tendency we have, is we want to get back into control again, and feel safe; rather than actually leaning, and trusting, on the Lord. My experience has been God sometimes talks quickly, sometimes talks specifically, sometimes very directly; and sometimes He's incredibly silent, and it's distressing. You can go through all of these feelings, and want to try and do something. Here's the last one we'll look at it. It's found in Genesis 16, and this is Sarah. Sarah, Abram's wife, had borne no children - Verse 1 - and she had an Egyptian maidservant, whose name was Hagar. So Sarah said to Abram: see now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Notice she blames God for the situation? Please go into my maid, or have sexual relations with my maid; perhaps I'll obtain children by her. And Abram heeded the voice of Sarah. Then later on, Verse 11, the Angel of the Lord speaks to Hagar, and says: behold, you are with child, and you'll bear a son. You'll call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has heard your affliction; but he shall be a wild man, his hand against every man, and every man's hand against him. He shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.