FRAMEWORKS:
1 Samuel 13: Saul provoked to disobedience
v.1,2
Saul gathered an army to himself
v.3-7
Jonathan provokes a Philistine attack
v.8-10
Saul offers Burnt Offerings
v.11-15
Samuel rebukes Saul for crossing spiritual boundaries
v.16-23
Philistine Raiding Parties Continue but Israel are without Weapons
v.1,2
Saul gathered an army to himself
v.1
Saul
was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned over
Israel forty- two years.
v.2
Saul
chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand were with him
at Mikmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were
with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent
back to their homes.
[Notes:
The
events that roll out in the remainder of 1 Samuel, can thus be
seen to be spread over a twelve year period (although there are
some manuscript doubts over these periods so it may be longer).
Saul, establishing his rule no doubt, forms two small armies,
one under his control and the other under that of his son, Jonathan,
in two towns a few miles apart. Thus Jonathan has freedom to act
as he will.]
v.3-7
Jonathan provokes a Philistine attack
v.3
Jonathan
attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard
about it. Then Saul had the trumpet blown throughout the land
and said, “Let the Hebrews hear!”
v.4
So
all Israel heard the news: “Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost,
and now Israel has become obnoxious to the Philistines.” And the
people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.
v.5
The
Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand chariots,
six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand
on the seashore. They went up and camped at Mikmash, east of Beth
Aven.
v.6
When
the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and that
their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among
the rocks, and in pits and cisterns.
v.7
Some
Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.
Saul
remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with
fear.
[Notes:
Jonathan's
base is nearer the still-enemy Philistines and so he attacks them
with the result that Saul has to call out Israel to oppose the
upset Philistines. However the Philistines are able to muster
a much bigger and better equipped army which creates fear in Israel.]
v.8-10
Saul offers Burnt Offerings
v.8
He
waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not
come to Gilgal, and Saul's men began to scatter.
v.9
So
he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.”
And Saul offered up the burnt offering.
v.10
Just
as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went
out to greet him.
[Notes:
Saul,
meantime, has been waiting for Samuel to arrive and encourage
the troops and, when he doesn't appear, Saul feels he has to provide
the spiritual input and so starts making offerings – but he's
not a priest from the tribe of Levi – and then Samuel arrives.]
v.11-15
Samuel rebukes Saul for crossing spiritual boundaries
v.11 “What
have you done?” asked Samuel.
Saul
replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you
did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling
at Mikmash,
v.12
I
thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal,
and I have not sought the Lord
's favor.'
So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”
v.13
“You
have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the
command the Lord
your God gave
you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel
for all time.
v.14
But
now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord
has sought out a man after his own heart
and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept
the Lord 's
command.”
v.15
Then
Samuel left Gilgal and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin, and Saul
counted the men who were with him. They numbered about six hundred.
[
Notes:
Samuel
rebukes Saul who makes excuses, the main one being that Samuel
had not turned up when he said he would, thus he had to act. Samuel
refuses to accept this and prophesies that the kingdom will be
taken from him and given to another. Verse 13 is taken up by the
apostle Paul to identify David – see Acts 13:22]
v.16-23
Philistine Raiding Parties Continue but Israel are without Weapons
v.16
Saul
and his son Jonathan and the men with them were staying in Gibeah
in Benjamin, while the Philistines camped at Mikmash.
v.17
Raiding
parties went out from the Philistine camp in three detachments.
One turned toward Ophrah in the vicinity of Shual,
v.18
another
toward Beth Horon, and the third toward the borderland overlooking
the Valley of Zeboyim facing the wilderness.
v.19
Not
a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because
the Philistines had said, “Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords
or spears!”
v.20
So
all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plow points,
mattocks, axes and sickles sharpened.
v.21
The
price was two-thirds of a shekel for sharpening plow points and
mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening forks and axes
and for repointing goads.
v.22
So
on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan
had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan
had them.
v.23
Now
a detachment of Philistines had gone out to the pass at Mikmash.
[Notes:
The
Israelites are hopelessly ‘outgunned' having no weapons like the
Philistines, only Saul and Jonathan having swords or spears. They
are not yet a nation equipped for fighting wars.]
CONTINUE
TO CHAPTER 14