Vol. 6/9 Fighting the enemies of the children of Israel

I Samuel 13:1-4   Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel,  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 (Saul's son) in Gibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent.

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.

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.

(Wasn't it Jonathan who smote the garrison of the Philistines rather than Saul?)

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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.

This is a mighty army to have 30,000 chariots.  I lived, at one time, in a town that had a population of 36,000.  It is amazing to think of what this number of chariots would look like and also the 6,000 horsemen, and people like sand on sea shore there were so many.

6-9   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.

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.

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.  

And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. 

And he (Saul) offered the burnt offering.

This that Saul did was a great sin.  Also it shows a character flaw in Saul that would help to bring about Saul's destruction in the end.  Saul exalted Himself above God when he did this for Saul was not appointed by God to offer burnt offerings.

This is similar to the story where Moses was in the mountain receiving information from God and the people grew tired of waiting and commanded Aaron to make them a god that would go before them for they didn't know what had become of this  man Moses.  So Aaron commanded that they give them the golden earrings and Aaron fashioned the gold into a calf and the people set the calf before them as a god.  

We have to wait upon the Lord until we have HIS instruction after we pray.

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10-13    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.

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;

(So many excuses against everyone but himself)

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.

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.

The Holy Spirit reminds me of something that happened in our church group:  There was a woman in our group.  God said to her, "Now is the time to get a dog."  The woman foolishly handled this word for she waited from November to the following April and still had no dog. (Now to me means immediately but several months passed as she hunted "the perfect dog.")   

Finally she found online a dog that suited her and she bought that dog.  

The dog was being delivered to her in Texas where she lived.  

A pet-carrier would come by commercial plane with the dog.  He would arrive in her city around mid-night.  

When I heard the plan I was disturbed, for this woman often got lost in the town, even in daylight, and the airport was about 15-miles North of the town and was on country roads, and she would be going out there alone at midnight? 

I prayed about this and had the following word delivered to me which I delivered to this woman. "Rent a chauffer driven car to take you to the airport to pick up the dog."  (I rejoiced knowing this was from God and the perfect solution.)  

At first, this woman also rejoiced.  She contacted the local car rental and found it didn't cost much to do this and she could easily afford to do this.  It was all settled.  

Then this woman, in her wisdom, changed the instruction!  

I was horrified when she told me she could drive herself, so she planned to do that, and then she would drive that man, who brought the animal that night, to his hotel, and she had hired a chauffeured car to pick this man up at his hotel the next morning and take this man to the airport.  

I was probably as livid about this as Samuel was when he saw what Saul had done.  

Some people cannot follow instructions. 

 After this woman saw how angry I was over her plan, she went back to the plan of hiring the chauffer to take her to airport.  (God's plan.)

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But sometimes your change from God's plan brings serious consequences.

Samuel said to Saul:

14-15 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought HIM a man after HIS own heart (David), and the Lord hath commanded him (David) to be captain over HIS people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.

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.

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16-22   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.

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:  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.

(There were 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen so there were plenty in the army of the Philistines to divide into 3 companies for different cities.)

Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears:

But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock.

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.  (Only Saul and Jonathan had sword and spear.)

23   And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the passage of Michmash.

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Jonathan and his armorbearer slay the Philistines:

I Samuel 14:1-5   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.

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;

And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod'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.

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.

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.

Here is an important example:  

In the following story, we see God send one angel and that angel killed 185,000 men all by himself!

II Kings 19:34-35  God says: For I will defend this city, to save it, for Mine own sake, and for MY servant David's sake.   And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.  (185,000 dead bodies slain by one angel of God)

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I Samuel 14:7    And his (Jonathan's) armourbearer said unto him,  Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart.

Many times I have used this as a guide after prayer.  Is it in my heart to do this?  There have been times when it was not in my heart to do something and I forced myself to do it anyway and failed.  I've always felt when it was in my heart after prayer, that God was showing me that HE was with me in my plan.

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8-24   Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over unto these men, and we will discover ourselves unto them.  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.  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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went on beating down one another.

Then said Saul unto the people that were with him, Number now, and see who is gone from us. And when they had numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armourbearer were not there.

And Saul said unto Ahiah, Bring hither the ark of God. For the ark of God was at that time with the children of Israel.

And it came to pass, while Saul talked unto the priest, that the noise that was in the host of the Philistines went on and increased: and Saul said unto the priest, Withdraw thine hand.

And Saul and all the people that were with him assembled themselves, and they came to the battle: and, behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture.

Moreover the Hebrews that were with the Philistines before that time, which went up with them into the camp from the country round about, even they also turned to be with the Israelites that were with Saul and Jonathan.

Likewise all the men of Israel which had hid themselves in mount Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed hard after them in the battle.

So the Lord saved Israel that day: and the battle passed over unto Bethaven.

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Saul declares a commandment that was not from God:

This is a very serious problem.  For the ruler set up that which the people had to obey, but it was not a commandment of God.

We see this continually in today's church.  Men in charge of the churches make up rules for the church which are not rules of God, as set forth in the Holy Bible, and the people worship those rules of men doing that which men tell them to do.

* The observance of Lent is not a commandment of God.  In fact it is a sin to do this thing, making yourself as god by your own works.

There are many other idols set up also in today's churches:  Idols in the church are defined as things coming from the ideas of men, from the hands of men, and not from the Spirit of God.

Unless it is in the New Testament telling the church to do this thing, then it is as an "idol" and the people who do such, practice "idolatry", which is forbidden by God, and will bring damnation on those who practice these things, unless they see the Word of God on the matter and stop doing these things and turn from these things and repent.

Unless you have the love of the truth of the Bible in you, giving up your idols in your religious acts, you will damn yourself by that which you do in the name of your religion.

II Thessalonians 2:10-12    And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

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I Samuel 14:24-26    And the men of Israel were distressed that day: for Saul had adjured the people, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth any food until evening, that I may be avenged on mine enemies. So none of the people tasted any food.

And all they of the land came to a wood; and there was honey upon the ground.

And when the people were come into the wood, behold, the honey dropped; but no man put his hand to his mouth: for the people feared the oath.

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27-30   But Jonathan heard not when his father charged the people with the oath: wherefore he put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand, and dipped it in an honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes were enlightened.

Then answered one of the people, and said, Thy father straitly charged the people with an oath, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth any food this day. And the people were faint.

Then said Jonathan, My father hath troubled the land: see, I pray you, how mine eyes have been enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey.  How much more, if haply the people had eaten freely to day of the spoil of their enemies which they found? for had there not been now a much greater slaughter among the Philistines?

31-32 And they smote the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon: and the people were very faint.   And the people flew upon the spoil, and took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and slew them on the ground: and the people did eat them with the blood.  (a sin to eat the blood)

(So their king, Saul, set up something in his commandment that caused the people to sin against God's word.)

33-35    Then they told Saul, saying, Behold, the people sin against the Lord, in that they eat with the blood. 

And he said, Ye have transgressed: roll a great stone unto me this day.

And Saul said, Disperse yourselves among the people, and say unto them, Bring me hither every man his ox, and every man his sheep, and slay them here, and eat; and sin not against the Lord in eating with the blood. 

And all the people brought every man his ox with him that night, and slew them there.

And Saul built an altar unto the Lord: the same was the first altar that he built unto the Lord.

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36-37   And Saul said, Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and spoil them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them. 

And they said, Do whatsoever seemeth good unto thee. 

Then said the priest, Let us draw near hither unto God.

And Saul asked counsel of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? wilt THOU deliver them into the hand of Israel? But HE (God) answered him not that day.

Notice it was the priest who thought of asking God about Saul's plan.  But when they asked God, God would not answer Saul.

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38-45    And Saul said, Draw ye near hither, all the chief of the people: and know and see wherein this sin hath been this day.

For, as the Lord liveth, which saveth Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die. 

But there was not a man among all the people that answered him.

(Since God did not answer him, Saul reasoned that someone had committed a sin in Israel.)

Then said he unto all Israel, Be ye on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side. 

And the people said unto Saul, Do what seemeth good unto thee.

Therefore Saul said unto the Lord God of Israel, Give a perfect lot. (to see who has committed the sin)  And Saul and Jonathan were taken: but the people escaped.

And Saul said, Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son. 

And Jonathan was taken.  

(But Saul also had sinned in commanding the men not to eat and causing them to become so faint that they couldn't break Saul's oath but they broke the commandment of God and ate the meat raw with the blood which was forbidden by God.)

Then Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me what thou hast done. 

And Jonathan told him, and said, I did but taste a little honey with the end of the rod that was in mine hand, and, lo, I must die.

And Saul answered, God do so and more also: for thou shalt surely die, Jonathan.

And the people said unto Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought this great salvation in Israel? God forbid: as the Lord liveth, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he hath wrought with God this day. 

So the people rescued Jonathan, that he died not.

(Saul has gotten to the point that he cannot tell good from evil.)

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46-48    Then Saul went up from following the Philistines: and the Philistines went to their own place.

So Saul took the kingdom over Israel, and fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, and against the children of Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines: and whithersoever he turned himself, he vexed them.

And he gathered an host, and smote the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of them that spoiled them.

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49-52  Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, and Ishui, and Melchishua: and the names of his two daughters were these; the name of the firstborn Merab, and the name of the younger Michal (who became one of the wives of David):

The men of the Old Testament often had multiple wives and multiple concubines.  The women had only one husband, unless her husband died and then she could marry again, such as Abigail who married David.  (I Samuel 25)

And the name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz: and the name of the captain of his host was Abner, the son of Ner, Saul's uncle.

And Kish was the father of Saul; and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.

And there was sore war against the Philistines all the days of Saul: and when Saul saw any strong man, or any valiant man, he took him unto him.  (as Samuel told the people their king would do)

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