Saul Fails the Lord
13:1 Saul was [thirty] years old when he began to reign; he ruled over Israel for [forty] years.
Many skeptics claim that this verse is a bible contradiction. Acts 13:21 indicates that Saul reigned for forty years. The Hebrew text in this verse is uncertain. The Septuagint omits this verse. Literally, the Hebrew text actually reads, “Saul was — years old when he began to reign, and he reigned — and two years over Israel.” The best translation of this verse would seem to be, “Saul was [40] years old when he began to reign, and he reigned over Israel for two years.” Since the actual numbers are unknown, then the best English translation must come from Paul’s summary in Acts 13:21.
A copyist error or omission is not a bible error, because only the originals are inspired. 99% of the original texts are available, so these copyist errors are very minimal and they do not effect any bible doctrine. Satan will raise up his intellectual mouthpieces in order to cause confusion among biblically-ignorant believers and unbelievers.
13:2 Saul selected for himself three thousand men from Israel. Two thousand of these were with Saul at Micmash and in the hill country of Bethel; the remaining thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. He sent all the rest of the people back home.
Saul learned a hard lesson from the Ammonites. He never wanted to be caught by surprise again. Therefore, he created a standing army of 3,000 trained troops. Saul controlled 2,000 of these soldiers. His son Jonathan controlled the other 1,000 soldiers.
13:3 Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost that was at Geba and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul alerted all the land saying, “Let the Hebrews pay attention!”
Samson never could defeat the Philistines. Jonathan was a mighty warrior who went on the offensive, attempting to run the Philistines out of the Promised Land.
13:4 All Israel heard this message, “Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel is repulsive to the Philistines!” So the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.
All of Israel responded to this attack and joined forces.
13:5 For the battle with Israel the Philistines had amassed 3,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen, and an army as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Micmash, east of Beth Aven.
There are some ancient Syriac, Septuagint and Arabic Bible manuscripts which read “three thousand chariots," so this could be a copyist error. However, it may be possible that the Philistines could have enlisted many allies. This verse does state that the Philistine army was “as numerous as the sand on the seashore." This is a biblical metaphor for the literal concept of a very large army. I Chronicles 19:7 stated that the Ammonites used thirty-two thousand chariots against David, so this number was very possible.
13:6 The men of Israel realized they had a problem because their army was hard pressed. So the army hid in caves, thickets, cliffs, strongholds, and cisterns.
The Philistines' superior numbers caused the Israelites to spread out and hide in natural surroundings.
13:7 Some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan River to the land of Gad and Gilead. But Saul stayed at Gilgal; the entire army that was with him was terrified.
Many of the Hebrew soldiers crossed the Jordan to find safer ground. Saul stayed at Gilgal, but his soldiers were frightened.
13:8 He waited for seven days, the time period indicated by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the army began to abandon Saul.
Israel needed direct divine information from God. At this time in Israelite history, God used prophets to advise His kings.
13:9 So Saul said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” Then he offered a burnt offering.
In 1 Samuel 10:8, Samuel informed Saul to wait at Gilgal for seven days until Samuel could offer sacrifices and then show King Saul what to do. King Saul disobeyed these direct instructions from a prophet of God. King Saul elevated his kingly status above the Mosaic Law. Only priests could offer sacrifices. King Uzziah would later be judged with leprosy for committing a similar offense.
13:10 Just when he had finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel appeared on the scene. Saul went out to meet him and to greet him.
Immediately after King Saul broke the Mosaic Law, Samuel appeared. Samuel was no longer a judge at this time, but he was a priest and prophet.
13:11 But Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul replied, “When I saw that the army had started to abandon me and that you didn’t come at the appointed time and that the Philistines had assembled at Micmash, 13:12 I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down on me at Gilgal and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt obligated to offer the burnt offering.”
King Saul gave his excuse for breaking the Mosaic Law.
13:13 Then Samuel said to Saul, “You have made a foolish choice! You have not obeyed the commandment that the Lord your God gave you. Had you done that, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever!
King Saul’s sin was that he made himself an autocrat, meaning one who possessed absolute power in civil and religious matters. Samuel waited for seven days to see if Saul would pass the test and remain obedient to God. Saul failed by invading the priestly office.
If Saul would have obeyed God, then God would have established a permanent dynasty in His name. However, God is sovereign. He knew that King Saul would use his free will to disobey God, so God had another king ready to replace Saul.
13:14 But now your kingdom will not continue! The Lord has sought out for himself a man who is loyal to him and the Lord has appointed him to be leader over his people, for you have not obeyed what the Lord commanded you.”
Jehovah was preparing the shepherd boy David to become the next king. David was receiving his first royal lesson by becoming a shepherd in the wilderness.
13:15 Then Samuel set out and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. Saul mustered the army that remained with him; there were about six hundred men.
Saul prepared his army of 600 men to attack the Philistines.
13:16 Saul, his son Jonathan, and the army that remained with them stayed in Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin, while the Philistines camped in Micmash.
Israel and the Philistines were camped opposite of each other.
13:17 Raiding bands went out from the camp of the Philistines in three groups. One band turned toward the road leading to Ophrah by the land of Shual; 13:18 another band turned toward the road leading to Beth Horon; and yet another band turned toward the road leading to the border that overlooks the valley of Zeboim in the direction of the desert.
The Philistines divided their army into three raiding bands.
13:19 A blacksmith could not be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines had said, “This will prevent the Hebrews from making swords and spears.”
The Philistines enlisted all of the blacksmiths into their army so that Israel would not possess any iron weapons.
13:20 So all Israel had to go down to the Philistines in order to get their plowshares, cutting instruments, axes, and sickles sharpened.
The Philistines were seafaring people. They learned metallurgy from either the Hittites or some other Anatolian peoples with whom they had come into contact. Israel did not possess this skill. They had to depend upon the Philistines for iron weapons and tools
13:21 They charged two-thirds of a shekel to sharpen plowshares and cutting instruments, and a third of a shekel to sharpen picks and axes, and to set ox goads.
The Philistines inflated their prices so that they could make more profit.
13:22 So on the day of the battle no sword or spear was to be found in the hand of anyone in the army that was with Saul and Jonathan. No one but Saul and his son Jonathan had them.
Saul and Jonathan were the only two soldiers who possessed iron weapons.
Jonathan Ignites a Battle
13:23 A garrison of the Philistines had gone out to the pass at Micmash.
The Philistines began their attack operation upon Israel. Israel was greatly outnumbered. They had no chariots and no iron weapons.