I Samuel Chapter 13

Please read:  I Samuel 13 –

The kingship of Saul has now been established for two years, and it was time to rid themselves of the Philistines that encamped among them and were a constant threat breathing down their necks.  This is also the first mention of Saul having a family.  We learn that he had a son named Jonathan who proved to be a great leader in Saul’s army.  The number of the army of Israelites gathered was 3,000 men.  Saul took 2,000 of them and Jonathan had 1,000 men under his command.  Jonathan bravely led a fight against the Philistines at Geba and won.  His father took the credit for the victory and spread the victory news to all of Israel. 

This victory news became a stench to the Philistines.  As long as they could keep the Israelites subdued under their fear tactics, they kept control.  In retaliation the Philistines gathered a huge army against Israel.  The Philistines who mostly occupied the land along the coast had amassed a great number of weapons from foreign countries such as Greece.  The Israelites in comparison had only tools that they used to farm the land.  They were greatly outnumbered and greatly unprepared for war.  However, one truth still remained and that is that if they called out to God, He would come to their aid.

Let's Reflect

1.  The Philistines gathered a massive army to seek retaliation on the Israelites (Hebrews).  What was the size of the Philistine army?

2.  What was the reaction of the people when they heard about the size of the Philistine army coming their way?

3.  Saul knew that the right thing to do was to ask for God’s help, so he had asked Samuel to come and offer a sacrifice and to pray on behalf of Saul and the army.  The waiting for Samuel to arrive became more difficult as the days passed.  The men in Saul’s brigade lost faith in him and many abandoned him.  He went from having 3,000 men following him down to what number?

4.  Saul could wait no longer; he took it upon himself to offer the sacrifices.  This was strictly forbidden; it was something that only a priest could perform.  When did Samuel arrive?

5.  Samuel could probably smell the meat cooking on the fire and asked Saul what he had done.  What reasons did Saul provide for assuming the position of priest?

6.  Samuel told him that he was foolish because God was now going to strip the kingdom from him.  Saul would not be allowed to pass the throne down to his son.  The kingdom was not taken away from him immediately, but God would establish someone other than Saul’s son to be the succeeding king.  According to verse 14 what type of man would be the one who became the next king after Saul?

7.  The Philistines had come down to Michmash and from there they separated into various brigades probably planning to surround Saul’s army.  The remaining verses of this chapter describe how unprepared Saul’s men were for war.  The only weapons they had were those used for farming.  Over the years the Philistines had not allowed them to have any blacksmiths to make their own weapons.  To even sharpen their tools for farming they had to pay a Philistine blacksmith to do so.  The only real weapons of war were in the hands of Saul and Jonathan. How does verse 22 describe their preparedness for war?  Now more than ever they needed the help of the one true King!