HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 625
1 SAM UEL 13
page 255
the Philistines now hated the Israelites more
than ever. So the entire Israelite army was summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.
5 The Philistines mustered a mighty army of
3,000* chariots, 6,000 charioteers, and as many
warriors as the grains of sand on the seashore!
They camped at Micmash east of Beth-aven.
6 The men of Israel saw what a tight spot they
were in; and because they were hard pressed
by the enemy, they tried to hide in caves, thickets, rocks, holes, and cisterns. 7 Some of them
crossed the Jordan River and escaped into the
land of Gad and Gilead.
Saul’s Disobedience and Samuel’s Rebuke
Meanwhile, Saul stayed at Gilgal, and his
men were trembling with fear. 8 Saul waited
there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had
instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn’t
come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly
slipping away. 9 So he demanded, “Bring me the
burnt offering and the peace offerings!” And
Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself.
10 Just as Saul was finishing with the burnt
offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet
and welcome him, 11 but Samuel said, “What is
this you have done?”
Saul replied, “I saw my men scattering from
me, and you didn’t arrive when you said you
would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready
for battle. 12 So I said, ‘The Philistines are ready
to march against us at Gilgal, and I haven’t
even asked for the Lord’s help!’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before
you came.”
13 “How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You
have not kept the command the Lord your God
gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have
established your kingdom over Israel forever.
14 But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord
has sought out a man after his own heart. The
Lord has already appointed him to be the leader
of his people, because you have not kept the
Lord’s command.”
Israel’s Military Disadvantage
15 Samuel then left Gilgal and went on his way,
but the rest of the troops went with Saul to meet
the army. They went up from Gilgal to Gibeah
in the land of Benjamin.* When Saul counted
the men who were still with him, he found only
600 were left! 16 Saul and Jonathan and the troops
with them were staying at Geba in the land of
Benjamin. The Philistines set up their camp at
Micmash. 17 Three raiding parties soon left the
camp of the Philistines. One went north toward
Ophrah in the land of Shual, 18 another went
13:5 As in Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew reads
30,000. 13:15 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads Samuel
then left Gilgal and went to Gibeah in the land of Benjamin.
13:20 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads or plowshares.
13:21a Hebrew 1 pim [8 grams]. 13:21b Hebrew 1 ⁄3 [of a
shekel] [4 grams].
west to Beth-horon, and the third moved toward
the border above the valley of Zeboim near the
wilderness.
19 There were no blacksmiths in the land of
Israel in those days. The Philistines wouldn’t
allow them for fear they would make swords
and spears for the Hebrews. 20 So whenever the
Israelites needed to sharpen their plowshares,
picks, axes, or sickles,* they had to take them
to a Philistine blacksmith. 21 The charges were
as follows: a quarter of an ounce* of silver for
sharpening a plowshare or a pick, and an eighth
of an ounce* for sharpening an ax or making
the point of an ox goad. 22 So on the day of the
battle none of the people of Israel had a sword
or spear, except for Saul and Jonathan.
23 The pass at Micmash had meanwhile been
secured by a contingent of the Philistine army.
• Patience
1 S A M U E L 13:7-14
One of the most difficult times to trust
God is when you feel your resources
slipping away. When Saul felt that time
was running out, his restlessness and
impatience caused him to act against
God’s will. The sacrifice became
more important than the God of the
sacrifice. When you are faced with a
difficult decision, don’t let impatience
drive you to do something that is not
in agreement with God’s Word. When
you know what God wants, don’t go
against that plan no matter what the
circumstances.
• Accountability
1 S A M U E L 13:11-13
Having someone to hold you accountable is worthless if you don’t follow their
advice. Saul had a wise and godly man,
Samuel, to hold him accountable. In
fact, without Samuel’s presence, Saul
probably would have fallen much sooner
than he did. But Saul got tired of listening
to Samuel’s advice; in fact, he really
didn’t want to listen. He wanted to do
things his way. An accountability partner
keeps you from using wrong methods
to accomplish what may be good and
legitimate goals. Do you find yourself
seeking out advice from others but rarely
following it? For accountability to work,
you need to accept negative feedback
and be willing to change.