April
7th 1 Samuel 13 Saul’s first sin
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
Beth-aven. 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. 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. 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 Beth-horon: and
another company turned to the way of the border that looketh to the valley of
Zeboim toward the wilderness.
Israel lacks weapons
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.
1
Samuel 14 Jonathan’s daring attack
1: Now it came to pass upon a day,
that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that bare his armour,
Come, and let us go over to the Philistines' garrison, that is on the other
side. But he told not his father. 2:
And Saul tarried in the uttermost part of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which
is in Migron: and the people that were with him were about six hundred men; 3: And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub,
I-chabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD's priest in
Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone. 4: And between the passages, by which
Jonathan sought to go over unto the Philistines' garrison, there was a sharp
rock on the one side and a sharp rock on the other side: and the name of the
one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. 5: The forefront of the one was situate northward over against
Michmash, and the other southward over against Gibeah. 6: And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour,
Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be
that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save
by many or by few. 7: And his
armourbearer said unto him, Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I
am with thee according to thy heart. 8:
Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over unto these men, and we will
discover ourselves unto them. 9:
If they say thus unto us, Tarry until we come to you; then we will stand still
in our place, and will not go up unto them. 10: But if they say thus, Come up unto us; then we will go up:
for the LORD hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be a sign unto
us. 11: And both of them
discovered themselves unto the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines
said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid
themselves. 12: And the men of
the garrison answered Jonathan and his armourbearer, and said, Come up to us,
and we will shew you a thing. And Jonathan said unto his armourbearer, Come up
after me: for the LORD hath delivered them into the hand of Israel. 13: And Jonathan climbed up upon his
hands and upon his feet, and his armourbearer after him: and they fell before
Jonathan; and his armourbearer slew after him. 14: And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his
armourbearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were an half acre of
land, which a yoke of oxen might plow. 15:
And there was trembling in the host, in the field, and among all the people:
the garrison, and the spoilers, they also trembled, and the earth quaked: so it
was a very great trembling.
In today’s Bible reading we see the beginning of Saul’s
reign and of an early fateful battle in which Saul sins against the Lord. We
also realise that Israel had a significant lack of effective weaponry with
which to defend herself or fight. Then we read of Jonathan Saul faithful son
who made a daring raid on the Philistines. The first year of Saul’s reign went
ok but in the second year he found himself at war again with the Philistines. Saul
had raised a small standing army of 3,000 men, of whom 2,000 were with him, in
Michmash about ten miles north east of Jerusalem and 1,000 with Jonathan at
Gibeah which was about 3 miles north of Jerusalem. Jonathan attacked a company
of Philistines which were south west of Michmash by about 3 miles. When Saul
sounded a trumpet the Whole of Israel gathered to him. And the Philistines also
gathered for war. They had 30,000 chariots, 6,000 cavalry and infantry like the
sand on the sea shore. When the Philistines came to battle the children of
Israel hid themselves in caves and thickets. While Saul waited for Samuel he
offered sacrifices to the Lord. But when Samuel arrived he said to Saul what
have you done? (It was not permitted for kings to offer sacrifice) Samuel told
him flatly that he had forfeited his kingdom because he had failed to keep the
commandments of the LORD. He said the LORD will find another man who has the
same mind as the LORD. Saul gathered 600 men to fight but the Philistines came
in three groups and took spoil of the Israelites. The Philistines had enacted a
policy of forbidding the Israelites to practise weapon making and the children
of Israel had to go to the Philistines to sharpen their swords, axes etc. When
battle commenced Israel was undefended being without weapons. One day Jonathan
gathered his men, 600 in all and went to battle without telling his father
about it. Jonathan said lets go to the Philistines maybe the LORD will fight
for us – God is not restrained to save many or few. His faithful armour bearer
said do everything in your heart Look l am with you. Jonathan went forward and
killed 20 men and there was a great earthquake. And so Jonathan brought about a
daring raid on the Philistines. Jonathan was a very brave man but God with
him.
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