1 Samuel 13:8-15
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. Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal. The rest of the people went up after Saul to meet the army; they went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin.
“But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” (1 Cor. 9:27)
St. Paul’s statement here of the danger of negligence within himself is a sobering caution to preachers. If he does not preach first to himself, not only should he not expect anyone else to take him seriously, but he places himself at risk of jeopardizing his own salvation.
To anyone who might read this, I speak primarily of myself. I acknowledge I have not demonstrated the kind of discipline I should. Self-control, especially in spiritual things, is an exhausting and illusive virtue. The thought of having the very treasure of Christ which I have the privilege to proclaim lost out of my own hands is alarming. Yes, the world would lure us away from our hope in Christ; the devil would gladly snatch from us the prize; but the greatest danger in my case anyway, would be to fumble away the victory of my own accord.
This is why I implore you to pray for your pastor(s).
Doctor Luther in one of his sacristy prayers, beseeches God, “O Lord God, dear Father in heaven, I am indeed unworthy of the office and ministry in which I am to make known Thy glory and to nurture and to serve this congregation. But since Thou hast appointed me to be a pastor and teacher, and the people are in need of the teachings and the instructions, O be Thou my helper and let Thy holy angels attend me.”
Then in another prayer, he confesses, “… you see how unsuited I am to meet so great and difficult a task. If I had
lacked Your help, I would have ruined everything long ago… but do not forsake me, for if ever I should be on my own, I would easily wreck it all.”
What stands out for me here is the thought, “If ever I should be on my own.”
To forge ahead on one’s own is surely to imperil one’s life. To go solo is to have no recourse but one’s own wit, will, and work. To assume for oneself the entire responsibility for life and future is fearsome. How can I, for example, as a pastor take responsibility for the spiritual good of others if I cannot manage my own heart, faith, and conduct? (1 Tim. 3:5)
I’m put in mind of Jesus in his home town of Nazareth, teaching in the synagogue from Isaiah that He Himself was the Messiah whose coming is good news to the poor, release for the captives, sight for the blind, and liberty for the oppressed. (Luke 4:16-30) But Jesus’ neighbors took offense that He should take such authority into his own hands and call them to repentance by the Scripture’s testimony that God's grace will be given to those outside Israel should the Jews fail to do so.
Jesus anticipated their resentful retort, “Physician, heal yourself” (v. 23). In other words; Jesus, take care of your own business before you presume to preach to us. Don’t you dare lecture us until you’ve made good with your own affairs. This angry “Parthian shot” at Jesus is classic, “Mind your own business!”
Those in the synagogue didn’t realize Jesus was minding his business.
It was the work of the Holy One to preach, teach, pardon, heal, evangelize, and liberate the captives. Jesus did mind his business, the concerns for which His Father sent him. He reprimanded and admonished the self-reliant; he consoled and lifted the contrite; and in the end completed the one great responsibility assigned to Him—a vicarious death by which you and I would be qualified before God and entitled to all the treasures of the kingdom of God.
This is why pastors must realize they are never independent. Preachers of the Gospel are not autonomous prima donnas. There is nothing more caustic to the church than narcissism in a pastor. It is in this that we see the failing of King Saul. His office went to his head.
Saul supposed himself competent and able to “mind his own business.” He would do things his way rather than by the Lord’s command. Saul preened himself and crowed about victories in which he had no hand. He had an inflated sense of himself. When the tide turned and matters didn’t suit his timing or inclination, Saul took matters into his own hands. He made it his business to do what wasn't his business. Saul offered burnt offerings contrary to the exclusive function and prerogative of the priests. By doing so, he not only believed he could handle things himself but even ventured to annex God. The foolhardy decisions and errors of Saul just pile up (read 1 Samuel 14-15).
Saul was one of the weakest characters in Scripture because he took matters into his own hands. He “took care of business” all right. He did his business right into the ground.
He would have done well to pray, “O God, do not forsake me, for if ever I should be on my own, I would easily wreck it all.”
Fortunately, we can learn as much from the ham-handed, improvident, and flawed persons of Scripture as we can from the upright and righteous. We can learn of the folly and futility of a life undisciplined by the Word of God—a life disconnected from the very thing we presume to proclaim. From this, dear Father, protect us.
This applies to all of us, not just pastors. A terrible attitude of parishioners toward their pastors, for example, is the “Mind your own business” mind-set. I don’t need a visit. I don’t need instruction. I don’t need an imperfect pastor—like you—telling me I need correction, healing, or nourishment. I can take care of my own business. My faith is a private affair.
As a pastor, I readily confess I have a wretched struggle when it comes to mastering my own spiritual discipline. The track record is downright sad. But as Luther said, “If ever I should be on my own, I would easily wreck it all.”
Saul presumed to go solo, to manage God, to trust his own hands and choices. It was a disaster. The Jews in Nazareth dared to tell the Messiah not to interfere with their private lives and mind his own business.
The paradox is that Jesus did what none of us could do — what none of us must ever attempt to do. He proceeded on His own. By himself, He bore the weight, shame, and torment of the cross. He received no aid, no relief, and no consolation. One man truly alone and single-handedly saved the world. He was ineligible for mercy, disallowed even the slightest kindness or pity.
It is this substance of His work and achievement we proclaim. Any severance from Him by being wrapped up in ourselves must be the vanguard prayer of our confession, “Physician, heal me! And then— never ever let me go it alone, lest I so easily wreck it all.”
