Samuel VIII
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Samuel VIII 1 Sam 13: 1 -23
The late John Stott in his 1984 book opens the chapter on Christian Leadership this way: There is a serious dearth of leaders in the contemporary world. Massive problems confront us… Morally, Christians are disturbed by the forces which are undermining the stability of marriage and the family… Spiritually, I might add, there are the spread of materialism and the corresponding loss of any sense of transcendental reality. Many people are warning us that the world is heading for disaster… Do you think Saul could relate to this or has he missed the point but Samuel would understand? It is much the same today. John Stott goes on: There are many kinds and degrees of leadership… Clergy are leaders in the local church and community. Parents are leaders in their home and family. So are teachers in school and lecturers in college. Senior executives in business and industry, judges, doctors, politicians, social workers and union officials all have leadership responsibilities in their respective spheres. Today’s passage is in part a test of leadership. An example of leadership is also given in the exchange between US President Lincoln and member of his cabinet. The story goes that the President gave a page a message to take to him. On reading the note he became quite violent and tore up the message saying “President Lincoln is a fool!” The page returned to the President and recounted the event. The President thought for a moment and then said, “Well, perhaps Secretary Stanton is right.” The comment below the quote is ‘because of his greatness of soul and soft answer, Lincoln completely unarmed the man who so frequently opposed him.”
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Let’s pray:
Although we have already ready heard the farewell speech from Samuel, we will continue to hear from him occasionally. But the focus of our attention is now on Saul. Very quickly his son Jonathan is introduced to us. These chapters: 13, 14 and 15, deal with the establishment of Saul as king. Remember he was chosen, anointed and proclaimed king back in chapters 9 and 10. You will remember that Saul stood out from his peers because he was tall and good-looking. However in establishing his kingship he forgets about whose kingdom it is. Today’s passage can be divided into three sections: Saul prepares to fight the Philistines
vv1 to 7
Saul performs the unlawful sacrifice
vv 8 to 15a
The Philistines prepare
vv 15b to 18
And a foot note
vv 19 to 23
Do you notice in the first verse? I some versions it is translated with dots instead of numbers. Slide v1 – some versions show the figures as missing. It would appear clear that something is wrong when it says that Saul became king at one year of age. From other parts of scripture we can estimate the numbers. There are places in scripture where we are not sure either what a word means or even what the word was in the original. They are quite rare and do not interfere with our saving knowledge. And as in this case by surveying the rest of scripture we can work out what should be there. In highly accurate literal translations we will be provided with what remains and in less precise translations and paraphrases we will be given what the editor has worked out from his knowledge of scripture and the input of less reliable ancient fragments of the book.
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BUT notice in terms of salvation it is not required! This is the pattern in the English Bible – what is critical is never in doubt. Section 1 ~ Saul prepares to fight the Philistines Saul had chosen 3 thousand men. They were divided two thousand with Saul and one thousand with Jonathan, his son. The remainder of Israel’s army had been sent home. Jonathan and his men storm the garrison at Geba. The Philistines had installed these troops to control Israel. However the Philistines had heard about the victory and in anticipation Saul calls out the nation. The people are to muster at Gilgal. The Philistines mustered at Michmash. The 30 thousand chariots is an issue. This is a huge number and seems odd when there are only 6 thousand horsemen. A number of 3 000 chariots is more likely and it appears in a few of the ancient manuscripts. Verse 6, the men of Israel saw the impressive army of the Philistines and recognised they were in trouble. Many hid themselves; others ran off to safer territory across the Jordan River. Those who were left were scared – verse 7 they all trembled! The Philistines had done a good job in suppressing the Israelites; they could quell a rebellion simply by a show of strength. Section 2
~ Saul performs the unlawful sacrifice
The first section provides background that draws a picture of Saul and his army and the situation they faced. Verse 8, Saul was waiting for Samuel to come, back in chapter 10, Samuel had commanded Saul to wait for him to arrive, and he would there in seven days. On the morning of the 7th day Saul was worried, his forces were deserting and the Philistines were closing in. His situation was desperate. Verse 9, Saul calls for the materials for the offering that Samuel was to make and made the sacrifice himself. BUT what was God’s command: wait for Samuel.
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That same day as soon as he had finished the sacrifice Samuel arrives, verse 10. Saul goes out to greet him and is greeted with verse 11: “What have you done?” A rhetorical question if ever there was one? Have you ever heard it before? Did it come from you as a parent for example, to your child, who meets you at the door looking guilty? What do your children do? They do not explain what they have done or confess; they start making excuses and blaming their brother or sister. So it is with King Saul, verse 11: “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favour of the Lord.’” Out of his own mouth, he did not have the favour of the Lord. He was not obedient to the Lord’s command that is why he did not have favour. Saul continued: “So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.” He forced himself? In the vernacular, “Yeah right!”
He was operating out of fear not faith.
Verse 13 Samuel sums up his actions – in much the same way that a parent might: “You have done foolishly.” He does not leave it there, Samuel goes to say why: “You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you.”
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So it was not the sacrifice so much as not being obedient that lost Saul God’s favour. Next Samuel goes on to tell Saul the two fold result of his failure to be obedient: 1. If you had obeyed God, he would have established your kingdom forever, verse 13 2. So now the kingdom shall be taken from you. It will not continue, verse 14. Furthermore God has already decided to seek a man after His own heart. This of course was to be David, but his name is not mentioned because at this stage it is simply enough to say, “A man after God’s own heart.” Slide blank Verse 15 Samuel left and Saul and the people moved toward Gibeah.
Section 3 ~ The Philistines prepare Saul counted the people with him as 600. This was only a fifth of the number who had first come – it shows the real seriousness of the situation that Saul saw - especially if you do not have faith. How easy it is to be motivated by fear – but God is there and you just need to have faith. The Philistines remained in camp at Michmash and sent out raiding parties, verse 17. The raiding parties or companies were literally called “destroyers”. No doubt their scouts had seen the evaporation of the Israelite army and decided raiding rather than a proper battle was appropriate.
The foot note This last section illustrates just how bad things were within Israel. The Philistines had made sure there were no blacksmiths in Israel. So, verse 19, they could make no spears or swords. Indeed when the Israelites needed to sharpen their tools they had to take them to a Philistine town and pay
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exorbitant prices. The Philistines were truly ensuring that Israel was under the thumb and staying there. Verse 22, Saul and Jonathan had swords but there was not a spear or a sword in the rest of Israel. So the Philistines had an extraordinary advantage in battle, there were no iron weapons in Israel. It is interesting to me that this whole discussion does not mention bows and arrows, maybe they had them, with flint arrow heads of course but of no use in close fighting. So we also meet Jonathan, Saul’s son already a military leader and already taking initiatives. It makes me wonder whether there was an age difference between him and David when they met later.
Slide my own heart Our reading from Acts, this morning, list two rulers by name, David and Saul. The contrast between these two men is great and is used in both the Old and the New Testaments to illustrate the importance for a ruler to be not perfect but to be a man after God’s own heart. It is the relationship with God that makes the difference. That is why when we chose rulers we are told to select them on the Spiritual qualities that we see. It is a person’s Christ-likeness that makes him or her suitable for leadership. So in our small group we should always pray for the Spiritual growth of our leaders and of those who will be called to leadership. AMEN
Samuel VIII 1 Sam 13: 1 -23
The late John Stott in his 1984 book opens the chapter on Christian Leadership this way: There is a serious dearth of leaders in the contemporary world. Massive problems confront us… Morally, Christians are disturbed by the forces which are undermining the stability of marriage and the family… Spiritually, I might add, there are the spread of materialism and the corresponding loss of any sense of transcendental reality. Many people are warning us that the world is heading for disaster… Do you think Saul could relate to this or has he missed the point but Samuel would understand? It is much the same today. John Stott goes on: There are many kinds and degrees of leadership… Clergy are leaders in the local church and community. Parents are leaders in their home and family. So are teachers in school and lecturers in college. Senior executives in business and industry, judges, doctors, politicians, social workers and union officials all have leadership responsibilities in their respective spheres. Today’s passage is in part a test of leadership. An example of leadership is also given in the exchange between US President Lincoln and member of his cabinet. The story goes that the President gave a page a message to take to him. On reading the note he became quite violent and tore up the message saying “President Lincoln is a fool!” The page returned to the President and recounted the event. The President thought for a moment and then said, “Well, perhaps Secretary Stanton is right.” The comment below the quote is ‘because of his greatness of soul and soft answer, Lincoln completely unarmed the man who so frequently opposed him.”
2|Page
Let’s pray:
Although we have already ready heard the farewell speech from Samuel, we will continue to hear from him occasionally. But the focus of our attention is now on Saul. Very quickly his son Jonathan is introduced to us. These chapters: 13, 14 and 15, deal with the establishment of Saul as king. Remember he was chosen, anointed and proclaimed king back in chapters 9 and 10. You will remember that Saul stood out from his peers because he was tall and good-looking. However in establishing his kingship he forgets about whose kingdom it is. Today’s passage can be divided into three sections: Saul prepares to fight the Philistines
vv1 to 7
Saul performs the unlawful sacrifice
vv 8 to 15a
The Philistines prepare
vv 15b to 18
And a foot note
vv 19 to 23
Do you notice in the first verse? I some versions it is translated with dots instead of numbers. Slide v1 – some versions show the figures as missing. It would appear clear that something is wrong when it says that Saul became king at one year of age. From other parts of scripture we can estimate the numbers. There are places in scripture where we are not sure either what a word means or even what the word was in the original. They are quite rare and do not interfere with our saving knowledge. And as in this case by surveying the rest of scripture we can work out what should be there. In highly accurate literal translations we will be provided with what remains and in less precise translations and paraphrases we will be given what the editor has worked out from his knowledge of scripture and the input of less reliable ancient fragments of the book.
3|Page
BUT notice in terms of salvation it is not required! This is the pattern in the English Bible – what is critical is never in doubt. Section 1 ~ Saul prepares to fight the Philistines Saul had chosen 3 thousand men. They were divided two thousand with Saul and one thousand with Jonathan, his son. The remainder of Israel’s army had been sent home. Jonathan and his men storm the garrison at Geba. The Philistines had installed these troops to control Israel. However the Philistines had heard about the victory and in anticipation Saul calls out the nation. The people are to muster at Gilgal. The Philistines mustered at Michmash. The 30 thousand chariots is an issue. This is a huge number and seems odd when there are only 6 thousand horsemen. A number of 3 000 chariots is more likely and it appears in a few of the ancient manuscripts. Verse 6, the men of Israel saw the impressive army of the Philistines and recognised they were in trouble. Many hid themselves; others ran off to safer territory across the Jordan River. Those who were left were scared – verse 7 they all trembled! The Philistines had done a good job in suppressing the Israelites; they could quell a rebellion simply by a show of strength. Section 2
~ Saul performs the unlawful sacrifice
The first section provides background that draws a picture of Saul and his army and the situation they faced. Verse 8, Saul was waiting for Samuel to come, back in chapter 10, Samuel had commanded Saul to wait for him to arrive, and he would there in seven days. On the morning of the 7th day Saul was worried, his forces were deserting and the Philistines were closing in. His situation was desperate. Verse 9, Saul calls for the materials for the offering that Samuel was to make and made the sacrifice himself. BUT what was God’s command: wait for Samuel.
4|Page
That same day as soon as he had finished the sacrifice Samuel arrives, verse 10. Saul goes out to greet him and is greeted with verse 11: “What have you done?” A rhetorical question if ever there was one? Have you ever heard it before? Did it come from you as a parent for example, to your child, who meets you at the door looking guilty? What do your children do? They do not explain what they have done or confess; they start making excuses and blaming their brother or sister. So it is with King Saul, verse 11: “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favour of the Lord.’” Out of his own mouth, he did not have the favour of the Lord. He was not obedient to the Lord’s command that is why he did not have favour. Saul continued: “So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.” He forced himself? In the vernacular, “Yeah right!”
He was operating out of fear not faith.
Verse 13 Samuel sums up his actions – in much the same way that a parent might: “You have done foolishly.” He does not leave it there, Samuel goes to say why: “You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you.”
5|Page
So it was not the sacrifice so much as not being obedient that lost Saul God’s favour. Next Samuel goes on to tell Saul the two fold result of his failure to be obedient: 1. If you had obeyed God, he would have established your kingdom forever, verse 13 2. So now the kingdom shall be taken from you. It will not continue, verse 14. Furthermore God has already decided to seek a man after His own heart. This of course was to be David, but his name is not mentioned because at this stage it is simply enough to say, “A man after God’s own heart.” Slide blank Verse 15 Samuel left and Saul and the people moved toward Gibeah.
Section 3 ~ The Philistines prepare Saul counted the people with him as 600. This was only a fifth of the number who had first come – it shows the real seriousness of the situation that Saul saw - especially if you do not have faith. How easy it is to be motivated by fear – but God is there and you just need to have faith. The Philistines remained in camp at Michmash and sent out raiding parties, verse 17. The raiding parties or companies were literally called “destroyers”. No doubt their scouts had seen the evaporation of the Israelite army and decided raiding rather than a proper battle was appropriate.
The foot note This last section illustrates just how bad things were within Israel. The Philistines had made sure there were no blacksmiths in Israel. So, verse 19, they could make no spears or swords. Indeed when the Israelites needed to sharpen their tools they had to take them to a Philistine town and pay
6|Page
exorbitant prices. The Philistines were truly ensuring that Israel was under the thumb and staying there. Verse 22, Saul and Jonathan had swords but there was not a spear or a sword in the rest of Israel. So the Philistines had an extraordinary advantage in battle, there were no iron weapons in Israel. It is interesting to me that this whole discussion does not mention bows and arrows, maybe they had them, with flint arrow heads of course but of no use in close fighting. So we also meet Jonathan, Saul’s son already a military leader and already taking initiatives. It makes me wonder whether there was an age difference between him and David when they met later.
Slide my own heart Our reading from Acts, this morning, list two rulers by name, David and Saul. The contrast between these two men is great and is used in both the Old and the New Testaments to illustrate the importance for a ruler to be not perfect but to be a man after God’s own heart. It is the relationship with God that makes the difference. That is why when we chose rulers we are told to select them on the Spiritual qualities that we see. It is a person’s Christ-likeness that makes him or her suitable for leadership. So in our small group we should always pray for the Spiritual growth of our leaders and of those who will be called to leadership. AMEN
