FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL

Study Continued

For the TEXT of the following study please see previous posting

CHAPTER 13

In this chapter we see the beginning of the fall of King Saul.                                                                     

As best stated by Joyce Baldwin about the situation Saul faced as he began to reign.

"In relation to Samuel ( the Prophet) , it is obvious that Saul ( the King)had a problem.

On the one hand he owed his appointment to Samuel, but on the other hand he was taking over Samuel's position as Israel's leader. Samuel spoke frequently of the wickedness of the people

in requesting a king, apparently implying that he, Saul, should not really be in office. Yet Saul had not sought to be king, and would have preferred, at least at first, to have been left in obscurity, 

but he had not been offered any option. Too many signs had been given that he was the person   

of God's appointment, and prayers for deliverance from the Ammonites had been marvellously answered. He was king by divine anointing, by God's overruling of the sacred lot, and by united popular demand. He had caught the imagination of the people, who wanted a hero, and against all odds he was expected to pass muster. Had he realized it, Saul could have gained much by the presence of a seasoned prophet like Samuel alongside him, ready to give guidance, instruction and, if necessary, rebuke. Above all, Samuel was an intercessor who knew the Lord's mind, and saw prayer answered. Samuel would indicate the right way, and all Saul had to do was follow. He could have leant hard on Samuel and he would have found reassurance. In the event, this was exactly what Saul could not bring himself to do."

Verse 1

Saul was . . . *years old when he began to reign; and he reigned . . . and two* years over Israel

In the Bible there appears to be a ‘ blank ‘ where the age and reign of King Saul is noted. Many writers have tried to ‘ fill in the blanks’. Acts 13:21 tells us that King Saul reigned about 40 years. If he died on Mt Gilboa ( See chapter 31 ) at 70 or 80 years old that means that he was 30 or 40 when he began his reign.

Verse 2 – 4 

We are introduced to King Saul’s son Jonathan.

“ Jonathan” means – “ A gift of God.”                                      

This is the first mention of Jonathan, a key player in the Bible and in the battles that would ensue.

Gibeah or Geba ( meaning “Hill”; about four miles north of Jerusalem ) was Saul's hometown and his capital. Michmash was about five miles northeast of Jerusalem. Both where within the tribe of Benjamin, Saul himself being of that tribe. Evidently Saul wanted  to clear the area around Gibeah,     and the central Benjamin plateau on which it stood, of Philistines, to make this population center more secure.

Thus King Saul takes 2,000 men at Michmash while Jonathan is given 1,000 at Gibeah.

Jonathan fights the  Philistines and wins. Ironically it is King Saul who calls and receives the glory.

Verse 5 – 7

In response the Philistines gathered their forces at Michmash – a huge army of chariots and troops. This was so frightening to the Hebrew People that they hid themselves away – even in tombs and in cisterns ! Even after the initial battle of King Saul and now Jonathan’s victory the people remained without faith and in fear.

Verse 8 – 13

The Prophet Samuel tells King Saul and his army to wait. Samuel will arrive in seven days – seven being the ‘complete’ number. He, Samuel is to offer sacrifice for the battle. King Saul , with few troops to begin with and now many deserting him panics and is impatient. HE, King Saul goes ahead and offers the sacrifice. This was a violation of the Law. Saul decides not only to play the role of King but now of Priest ! He is so proud of this that King Saul goes out to meet Samuel so that ‘ he ( Samuel ) may salute him ( Saul ) -   Imagine !  Contrast this to David's submission to Nathan the prophet in 2 Samuel 12:1-15.

Saul could have offered prayers and yet went beyond himself in offering the sacrifice.

When Samuel challenges Saul the king is not longer proud of this moment but seeks an ‘ excuse’ - he says in verse 11  -  "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 upon me at Gilgal, and I have not entreated the favour of the LORD'; so I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering." This sounds like the echo of Adam and Eve who when found out by God offered every excuse – except admitting it .

Verse 14

God through Samuel then makes his pronouncement against King Saul – 
" But now your kingdom shall not continue; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart."     This was to be David ( “David” translated means “Beloved” )

This may seem a harsh judgement but Saul was to be the first King the People of Israel.

This was a serious responsibility. King Saul had failed in this seriousness.

Verse 15

Disheartened we see the results. King Saul goes from Gilgal to Gibe-ah of Benjamin; his army once numbering 3,000 is now 600; his army was to be without any weapons at all – only Jonathan and Saul carried weapons; Israel was without smiths to fashion any spears or swords; the enemy,
the Philistines roamed about freely.

And so now what would be the results ?

The Hebrew People and King Saul ( and Jonathan who would increasingly lead the charge ) now fully disarmed would HAVE TO rely on God. The results ? Chapter 14 . 

QUESTIONS
Feel free to add your thoughts in Comments section

1.       King Saul clearly oversteps his role and God-given responsibilities. Why did he do this ? Can you think of modern examples whereby God-given roles are overstepped ?

2.       King Saul has full excuses for why he did what he did. Why did he not just take responsibility for his actions ? Can you think of a situation where someone DID take humble ownership of their faults ?

3.       The Hebrew People ‘lose’ every earthly defence. Yet – you can imagine what will happen – God alone will triumph. Can you think of a situation where a person, nation or community group or faith community was divested of ‘ self ‘ and had to rely on God ?

Text

1 Samuel

Chapter 13

1 Saul was . . . *years old when he began to reign; and he reigned . . . and two* years over Israel. 2 Saul chose three thousand men of Israel; two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibe-ah of Benjamin; the rest of the people he sent home, every man to his tent. 3 Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines which was at Geba; and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear." 4 And all Israel heard it said that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become odious to the Philistines. And the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal. 5 And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude; they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven. 6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in straits (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns, 7 or crossed the fords of the Jordan* to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. 8 He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. 9 So Saul said, "Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings." And he offered the burnt offering. 10 As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and salute him. 11 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, 12 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." 13 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 for ever. 14* But now your kingdom shall not continue; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart; and the LORD has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you." 15 And Samuel arose, and went up from Gilgal to Gibe-ah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men. 16 And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people who were present with them, stayed in Geba of Benjamin; but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17 And raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies; one company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual, 18 another company turned toward Beth-horon, and another company turned toward the border that looks down upon the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness. 19 Now there was no smith to be found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, "Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears"; 20 but every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle; * 21 and the charge was a pim for the plowshares and for the mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads. * 22 So on the day of the battle there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan; but Saul and Jonathan his son had them. 23 And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.