1Samuel 13:1 ¶ Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel, 2 Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel; whereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in mount Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent. 3 And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in 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 say that Saul had smitten a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel also was had in abomination with the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to Gilgal. 5 And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude: and they came up, and pitched in Michmash, eastward from Bethaven. 6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits. 7 And some of the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
In the second year of Saul’s reign he goes to battle against a
much superior force, the Philistines. They are said to have thirty thousand
chariots at their disposal and six thousand horseman, a very large number which
in the ancient world could include mercenaries. At this point I might go back
to review what I’ve said previously about chariot warfare.
The chariot was a mobile fighting platform with a wooden box for
the occupants that could deliver an armed fighter using spears or arrows
quickly to a part of any battle although the vulnerability of its horses was a
weakness as the infantry would have killed them first to render the chariot
useless. The number of chariots an army fighting with very expensive bronze
technology for fittings and other parts versus one with cheaper iron is
significant.
The Pharaoh chasing Moses had 600 chariots as per Exodus 14:7. In
2Chronicles 12:3 Pharaoh Shishak represented an Egypt so powerful that it
possessed twice that number with which to invade Israel. This may be evidence
of how the world’s superpower of the time converted from bronze to iron.
Sisera, Jabin king of Canaan’s captain, in chapter 4 will field 900 chariots.
In 2Chronicles 14, though, the Ethiopians could only muster 300 chariots though
they came with a million soldiers. Now, if I can just be permitted to draw some
conclusion from these numbers. Solomon could field 4,000 chariots and teams it
is suggested by 2Chronicles 9:25. Consider the possibility that this increase
in numbers represented a cheaper military technology and a more fabulously
wealthy kingdom. It is possible they started out with bronze chariots and then
as iron became more prevalent some would have bronze chariots, fewer in number,
and at the height of chariot warfare some would have many more, less expensive
iron chariots. Just a thought. Cheaper iron means a revolution in military
technology as evidenced by the Philistines fielding 30,000 chariots here.
By taking the Philistine garrison at Geba Saul, with only three
thousand men, has painted a target on the Israelites. The Philistines will mean
to destroy them. The Israelites are terrified.
1Samuel 13:8 ¶ And he
tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed:
but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. 9 And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering
to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering. 10 And it came to pass, that as soon as he had
made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went
out to meet him, that he might salute him. 11
And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that
the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the
days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at
Michmash; 12 Therefore said I, The
Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made
supplication unto the LORD: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt
offering. 13 And Samuel said to Saul,
Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy
God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy
kingdom upon Israel for ever. 14 But now
thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own
heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people,
because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.
See what Samuel had said;
1Samuel 10:8 And thou shalt
go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer
burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days
shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do.
Saul disobeys and when Samuel arrives he confronts Saul with his
disobedience. Saul, not willing to admit guilt, blames Samuel for being late.
Imagine a child or even an employee who, when confronted with outright
disobedience, turns it back on you and blames you for their transgression.
Saul makes excuses for his actions, justifying himself. There are
three things, it has been said, that mankind is known for; a lust for
self-glorification, self-propagation, and self-justification.
This is a good lesson for us. Think of others who have lied and
excused wrongs they have committed.
Adam;
Genesis 3:12 And the man
said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I
did eat.
Aaron;
Exodus 32:1 ¶ And when the
people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people
gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods,
which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out
of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the
golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your
daughters, and bring them unto me. 3 And
all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and
brought them unto Aaron. 4 And he
received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had
made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which
brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 5
And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made
proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD. 6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and
offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down
to eat and to drink, and rose up to play…21 ¶
And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou
hast brought so great a sin upon them? 22
And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the
people, that they are set on mischief. 23
For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as
for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not
what is become of him. 24 And I said
unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me:
then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.
See this episode in Acts where someone lies to the Holy Ghost.
Acts 5:1 ¶ But a certain
man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, 2 And kept back part of the price, his wife
also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid
it at the apostles’ feet. 3
But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the
Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and
after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this
thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. 5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down,
and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
This disobedience will cost Saul his kingdom. I wonder how many
kings throughout history lost their kingdoms because they willfully disobeyed
God and justified it.
Communists in the present day and other weak-minded people will
justify their actions based on their feeling a need to do something. They
justify any egregious sin against God simply by saying they had no choice, that
pragmatically, it was something they just had to do and that makes it okay.
God is seeking him a man after his own heart. See the
reference in Acts back to this.
Acts 13:22 And when he had
removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he
gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine
own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.
If you think this to be a trivial matter for which to be punished
consider what Samuel will say;
1 Samuel 15:23 For
rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and
idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also
rejected thee from being king.
1Samuel 13:15 ¶ And Samuel
arose, and gat him up from Gilgal unto Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered
the people that were present with him, about six hundred men. 16 And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the
people that were present with them, abode in Gibeah of Benjamin: but the
Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17 And
the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one
company turned unto the way that leadeth to Ophrah, unto the land of
Shual: 18 And another company turned the
way to Bethhoron: and another company turned to the way of the
border that looketh to the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness. 19 Now there was no smith found throughout all
the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them
swords or spears: 20 But all the
Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and
his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock. 21
Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks,
and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads. 22
So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword
nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and
Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found. 23 And the garrison of the Philistines went out
to the passage of Michmash.
Saul started out with three thousand men, divided by two thousand
directly following him and a thousand with his son, Jonathan. By now only six
hundred are left with him suggesting a very high desertion as they feared the Philistines’
wrath as noted earlier in this chapter. They are facing an enormously powerful
army with a very small number of fighters.
Notice also how poorly armed the Israelites are, with the only
truly legitimate weapons of war being with Saul and Jonathan. The Philistines
sent out parties from their base at Michmash of what are called in the text spoilers
to ravage the countryside after Saul and his army attacked the Philistine
garrison at Geba. Things don’t look good for Israel.
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