1 Samuel 13:8-14, “As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. So, Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering. Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him. And Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore, I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering. And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

            This section of scripture above showed the demised of Saul. His demise and that of many others in the public eye are similar. They choose to entertain the people over obeying God. One example of these people is Aaron. In the wilderness, he chose to build the people the golden calf while the One True God was on top of the mountain talking to his brother Moses. Aaron and Saul feared the people over God.

            It is easy to criticize Saul, Aaron, and any other old testament saints who chose man over God; but we forget that we do the same thing. Their mistakes are magnified because of their positions. Choosing to fear man is not just a peer-pressure thing. It is a flesh-pressure thing. Choosing to entertain our flesh over God. We do that all the time. We sometimes sense in our spirit that God wants us to pray, read the Bible or listen to a teaching, but we choose Netflix or something else.

            Fearing God or man is not about who terrifies me the most. It is who I respect and choose to submit to. There are a lot of nuances to this choice that make the decision difficult every time. The best way to make the decision easier is by building a relationship with God. As that relationship becomes strong the choice is made easier.