I Samuel 13
13
Saul’s Unlawful Sacrifice
1Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel, 2Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in #Deut. 28:36Michmash and in the mountains of Bethel, and a thousand were with #1 Sam. 14:5, 31Jonathan in #1 Sam. 14:1Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent away, every man to his tent.
3And Jonathan attacked #1 Sam. 10:26the garrison of the Philistines that was in #1 Sam. 10:5Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!” 4Now all Israel heard it said that Saul had attacked a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel had also become an abomination to the Philistines. And the people were called together to Saul at Gilgal.
5Then the Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people #2 Sam. 5:25as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. And they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of #Judg. 7:12Beth Aven. 6When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger (for the people were distressed), then the people #Josh. 7:2; 1 Sam. 14:23hid in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in holes, and in pits. 7And some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the #Judg. 6:2; 1 Sam. 14:11land of Gad and Gilead.
As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. 8#Num. 32:1–42Then 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. 9So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10Now 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.
11And 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, 12then 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.”
13And Samuel said to Saul, #1 Sam. 10:8“You have done foolishly. #2 Chr. 16:9You 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. 14#1 Sam. 15:11, 22, 28But now your kingdom shall not continue. #1 Sam. 15:28; 31:6The Lord has sought for Himself a man #1 Sam. 16:1after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have #Ps. 89:20; Acts 7:46; 13:22not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
15Then Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people present with him, #1 Sam. 15:11, 19about six hundred men.
No Weapons for the Army
16Saul, Jonathan his son, and the people present with them remained in Gibeah of Benjamin. But the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17Then raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned onto the road to #1 Sam. 13:2, 6, 7; 14:2Ophrah, to the land of Shual, 18another company turned to the road to #Josh. 18:23Beth Horon, and another company turned to the road of the border that overlooks the Valley of #Josh. 16:3; 18:13, 14Zeboim toward the wilderness.
19Now #Gen. 14:2; Neh. 11:34there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears.” 20But all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each man’s plowshare, his mattock, his ax, and his sickle; 21and the charge for a sharpening was a pim for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, and to set the points of the goads. 22So it came about, on the day of battle, that #Judg. 5:8; 2 Kin. 24:14; Jer. 24:1; 29:2there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan. But they were found with Saul and Jonathan his son.
23#Judg. 5:8And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.
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I Samuel 13: NKJV
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
1 Samuel 13
13
1[Saul was…years old when he became king and he reigned…-two years over Israel.]#A formula like that of 2 Sm 5:4 was introduced here at some time; but the age of Saul when he became king remains a blank, and the two years assigned for his reign in the Masoretic text cannot be correct. Acts 13:21 offers the round number of forty years.
Saul Offers Sacrifice. 2Saul chose three thousand of Israel, of whom two thousand remained with him in Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and one thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. He sent the rest of the army back to their tents. 3Now Jonathan struck the Philistine garrison#The Philistine garrison: see note on 10:5. Let the Hebrews hear: a different reading of these verses, based on the Greek, would yield: “And the Philistines heard that the Hebrews (or: the slaves) had revolted. Saul in the meantime sounded the trumpet throughout all the land (v. 4), and all Israel heard that Saul….” in Gibeah, and the Philistines got word of it. Then Saul sounded the horn throughout the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!”#1 Sm 14:1–15; Jgs 3:27; 6:34; 2 Sm 20:1–2. 4Then all Israel heard the report, “Saul has struck the garrison of the Philistines! Israel has become odious to the Philistines!” Then the army was called up to Saul in Gilgal. 5The Philistines also assembled for battle against Israel, with thirty thousand chariots,#Thirty thousand chariots: some Greek manuscripts read “three thousand chariots.” six thousand horsemen, and foot soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore.#Gn 22:17; 41:49; Jgs 7:12. They came up and encamped in Michmash, east of Beth-aven.#1 Sm 14:22. 6When the soldiers saw they were in danger because the army was hardpressed, they hid themselves in caves, thickets, rocks, caverns, and cisterns. 7Other Hebrews crossed the Jordan into the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul, however, held out in Gilgal, all his army trembling in fear behind him.#These verses, like 10:8, anticipate the rejection of Saul; a different occasion and motivation for this are given in chap. 15 and 28:17–18. 8He waited seven days, until the appointed time Samuel had set, but Samuel did not come, and the army deserted Saul.#1 Sm 10:8. 9He then said, “Bring me the burnt offering and communion offerings!” Then he sacrificed the burnt offering.
King Saul Reproved. 10As he finished sacrificing the burnt offering, there came Samuel! So Saul went out toward him in order to greet him. 11Samuel asked him, “What have you done?” Saul explained: “When I saw that the army was deserting me and you did not come on the appointed day, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, 12I said to myself, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not yet sought the Lord’s blessing.’ So I thought I should sacrifice the burnt offering.” 13Samuel replied to Saul: “You have acted foolishly! Had you kept the command the Lord your God gave you, the Lord would now establish your kingship in Israel forever; 14but now your kingship shall not endure. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart#After his own heart: i.e., of his choosing, for his purpose. While the verse undoubtedly refers to David, it concerns the Lord’s decision to continue the kingship, even though he has rejected Saul, by selecting the heir to Saul’s throne. to appoint as ruler over his people because you did not observe what the Lord commanded you.”#1 Sm 15:28; 25:30; 2 Sm 7:15–16; Ps 78:70; Acts 13:22.
Philistine Invasion. 15Then Samuel set out from Gilgal and went his own way; but what was left of the army went up after Saul to meet the soldiers, going from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. Saul then counted the soldiers he had with him, about six hundred.#1 Sm 14:2. 16Saul, his son Jonathan, and the soldiers they had with them were now occupying Geba of Benjamin, and the Philistines were encamped at Michmash. 17Meanwhile, raiders left the camp of the Philistines in three bands.#1 Sm 14:15. One band took the Ophrah road toward the district of Shual; 18another turned in the direction of Beth-horon; and the third took the road for Geba that overlooks the Valley of the Hyenas toward the desert.
Disarmament of Israel.#These details emphasize the Philistines’ military power and superior technology, a reminder that an Israelite victory depends on God. 19Not a single smith was to be found anywhere in Israel, for the Philistines had said, “Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears.”#Jgs 5:8. 20All Israel, therefore, had to go down to the Philistines to sharpen their plowshares, mattocks, axes, and sickles. 21The price for the plowshares and mattocks was two thirds of a shekel, and a third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and for setting the ox-goads. 22And so on the day of battle neither sword nor spear could be found in the hand of any of the soldiers with Saul or Jonathan. Only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.
Jonathan’s Exploit. 23An outpost of the Philistines had pushed forward to the pass of Michmash.#1 Sm 14:15.
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