The Human Condition

Continuing a chronological Bible study set forth by Skip Andrews, we move to a psalm of David.  In the last post, in 1 Samuel 16, David was anointed to be the next king.  However, Saul did not yet know this, and he called David to be a musician for him.  Although the following psalm seems inappropriate for this time in David's life, as I started with this particular chronological study, I must complete it so that I don't miss any part of the Bible. 

(Psalm 39:1) To the chief musician, to Jeduthun, a psalm of David: I said, "I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue; I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me."

David wrote this psalm to the chief musician, Jeduthun, who was, and remained under the reign of David, one of the chief leaders of worship.  David purposed to take heed of his actions and to mind his tongue that he not sin.  He would bridle his tongue and restrain himself from saying what was in his mind.  While these seem like expected thoughts of someone new to the palace of the king, the fact that he spoke of the wicked, sounds like it was a later time.  There has yet been no evidence of David facing the wicked, so once again, I don't feel that this is the correct chronological place for this psalm.  However, being new to the palace, it would be smart to bridle his tongue before anyone.

(2) I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good, and my sorrow was stirred.

It seems David was quite silent, as if mute.  He held his peace even from saying good things, and because he held all his feelings in, his sorrow was stirred.  Again this sounds like a later point in David's life when he had a reason for sorrow or anguish.  However, a lesson here might be that it is not good to hold all thoughts and feelings inside.  Even if it is not wise to speak them to present company, those feelings can always go to God.  One can always pour out his feelings to God in prayer, and then he might find answers to prayer which will direct him and give him relief.

(3) My heart was hot within me; while I was musing, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue, (4) "Lord, make me to know my end and the measure of my days, what it is, that I may know how frail I am."

While David meditated on the subject on which he had been silent, that sorrow that was stirred became as a flame inside of him, and he had to speak to the Lord.  He seemed to be suggesting he was weary with life and wanted to know how much longer he must endure it.  Perhaps he meant he was weary with his present struggle and wanted to know how much longer he must endure that.  These definitely are not the words of a young fresh-faced man just anointed by God and living in the palace of the king and surely don't belong here chronologically.  However, recognizing how frail one is and his need for God are appropriate responses to any situation.

(5) "Behold, You have made my days a handbreadth and my age as nothing before You; verily, every man at his best state is altogether vanity." Selah.

He realized that his life was but the span of a hand or even nothing in the eternity of God.  He recognized that man at his best was really nothing in the scheme of God's eternity.  All his projects, plans, schemes, etc., soon come to nothing, as even his body would return to dust and pass from the sight and remembrance of men.  "Selah" meant a suspension of music or a pause at that point in the psalm, according to Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries.

(6) "Surely every man walks in a vain show; surely they are disquieted in vain. He heaps up and does not know who shall gather them."

He sees man as walking in a vain show, an illusion, in which there is nothing solid or satisfactory.  Men are full of anxiety as they bustle about doing things that are of no real value.  Men heap up things, possessions or wealth, in a lifetime, not knowing who will gather them to themselves after they are gone. 

(7) "And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You."

Realizing that man's life on earth is only vanity, he turns his attention back to God, the only one in whom his hope lies.

(8) "Deliver me from all my transgressions; make me not the reproach of the foolish."

He asked the Lord to deliver him from his transgressions and pardon his sins.  He seemed to acknowledge that his sins were the source of his troubles and sorrow.  He asked that he not be a laughingstock of the foolish and Godless, because in his transgressions he might be ridiculed as a hypocrite and a fake.  His desire was to be more Godlike, a reflection of his Lord, an object of divine favor, that would put the foolish and Godless to shame.

(9) "I was dumb; I did not open my mouth because You did it."

I believe the sense is that at that point he became mute again and held his tongue from complaining, realizing all was God's will.  He was submitting to God's will.

(10) "Remove Your stroke away from me; I am consumed by the blow of Your hand. (11) When You with rebukes correct man for iniquity, You make his beauty to consume away like a moth; surely every man is vanity." Selah 

He quit complaining and submitted to God's will, but then prayerfully asked that God remove that cup from him, so to speak, as Jesus prayed in Luke 22:42, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours be done."  Jesus demonstrated that submitting to God's will did not mean we couldn't humbly ask for His deliverance.  Without God's deliverance, David felt he would be totally consumed.  When the all-powerful God of the universe rebukes a man, all his vain beauty, strength, desires, etc., are brought to nothing.  Every man is vanity, nothing, with no strength or permanency, by the ease with which God takes away all on which he had prided himself.  

(12) "Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; do not hold Your peace at my tears, for I am a stranger with You, a sojourner, as all my fathers."

David pleaded with the Lord to hear his prayer, his cries, and not to refuse to answer him, for he was a stranger with God, a sojourner, just passing through this world to the next, in eternity, just as his forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, lived their entire lives as men with no permanent home here.  They lived their lives on a journey to their promised land, an illustration of how we are to live as on a journey to our promised land, our eternal home in heaven with Jesus.

(13) "O spare me that I may recover strength before I go away and am no more."

David asked that the Lord spare him from complete destruction so that he might recover his strength before this calamity completely consumed him until he was no more.

This psalm was evidently composed in a time of affliction and does not belong here chronologically, but as it cannot be ascertained exactly when it was written, the author of this particular chronological Bible study placed it here.  The feelings expressed in the psalm often feel incongruent with one another, and I believe that might be the point.  They are all the feelings that might pass through the mind of one undergoing a trial.  In the beginning, one might try to suppress his feelings and not give voice to them, until they become so intense like a fire burning inside, that he must let them out.  Those thoughts often explode into complaints about the vanity, unfairness, and sorrows of human life.  Then the mind turns back to God, realizing He is the only hope in this fallen world.  It is brought back into submission to God, and one seeks forgiveness and deliverance, and also strength to endure the trial.

We can take comfort in the fact that these thoughts are quite normal and do not shock God.  He allowed them to be written in His book of instruction for our lives.  Even David had these thoughts, and he was a man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22).

David is Secretly Anointed

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(1 Samuel 16:1) And the Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided Me a king among his sons."

At the end of the last chapter, the Lord had completely rejected Saul as king over Israel after he had disobeyed the Lord's commandment again.  Samuel had cried to the Lord and still mourned for Saul, how long the scripture doesn't say, but in 1 Samuel 13:14, when Samuel first told Saul his kingdom would not continue, and God had sought a man after his own heart to replace him, David was not yet born.  And now the Lord was telling Samuel to fill his horn with oil to make ready for a journey and go and see Jesse the Bethlehemite, the father of David.  God told Samuel he had made one of Jesse's sons His king.

Something else that struck me about this verse was that the Lord in effect told Samuel to stop mourning because He had rejected Saul.  For one, it was useless to continue mourning when God had made His decision and was not going to change it.  But also, to keep mourning over someone who had rejected God and whom God rejected seems to elevate that person over God.  There comes a time when we must give such people over to God and trust He will deal with them righteously, which He will because He is completely righteous, just, loving, merciful, and all good.  He also wishes all people to be saved, but some people are more hard-headed, and it takes a little more trouble in their lives to turn them.  God knows what they need and we must trust Him to deal with them, and we must turn our attention back to God and what we should be doing for His kingdom.

(2) And Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears, he will kill me." And the Lord said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.'"

Samuel wondered how he would be able to do what God instructed when surely Saul would kill him if he heard about it.  The Lord told Samuel to take a heifer with him, and if questioned, just say he was going to sacrifice it to the Lord.  In those times, there were occasions when a sacrifice might be made anywhere for different reasons, so that should satisfy Saul.

(3) "And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; you shall anoint to Me whom I name to you."

The Lord told Samuel to call Jesse to the sacrifice, and He would tell Samuel what to do.  He was to anoint the person whom the Lord named to him at that time.

(4) And Samuel did that which the Lord spoke and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, "Do you come peaceably?"

Samuel did what the Lord had told him to do, and he went to Bethlehem with a heifer.  The elders of the town were fearful of why Samuel might be coming to them.  As a prophet of the Lord, he might have come to denounce them and bring some judgment on them for their sins.  Therefore, they asked if he had come to them peaceably.

(5) And he said, "Peaceably. I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and called them to the sacrifice.

Samuel said he had come peaceably to sacrifice to the Lord, and he invited the elders to sanctify themselves and go with him to the sacrifice.  Sanctifying themselves would probably have consisted of washing themselves and changing to clean garments and preparing their hearts and minds to offer acceptably to the Lord.  Samuel then called Jesse and his sons to sanctify themselves and go to the sacrifice, as well.

(6) And it came to pass, when they had come, that he looked on Eliab and said, "Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him."

When Jesse and his sons came, Samuel took notice of Jesse's oldest son, Eliab, and thought that he must have been the one that God wanted anointed as king.

(7) But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his countenance or on the height of his stature because I have refused him; for not as man sees, for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."

However, the Lord told Samuel not to look at Eliab's appearance or his height as qualifications for being king.  The Lord had not chosen Eliab because He did not look at the outward appearance of a man, but rather He looked at the heart.

(8) Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen him." (9) Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen him."

Jesse called his second son, Abinadab, to pass before Samuel, but he said that the Lord had not chosen him.  The same with Jesse's third son, Shammah; Samuel said the Lord had not chosen him either.

(10) Again, Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen these." (11) And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your children here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he keeps the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and fetch him, for we will not sit down till he comes here."

One by one, Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but each time Samuel told him the Lord had not chosen them.  He then asked Jesse if all his sons were there.  Jesse told him there was only the youngest left who was tending the sheep.  Samuel told Jesse to send for him, for they would not sit down at the table to eat of that part of the peace offerings which belonged to Samuel as he had offered the sacrifice, and which he had invited Jesse and his sons to partake of, until the youngest son joined them.

(12) And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and with a beautiful countenance and good-looking. And the Lord said, "Arise, anoint him, for this is he."

Jesse sent for his youngest son, David, and brought him to Samuel.  David had a ruddy complexion and was good-looking with a beautiful countenance.  It's funny, I always thought of ruddy as sort of rough and ruddy or red, more like Esau (Genesis 25:25), whom I pictured red, rough, and hairy.  However, the dictionary definition of ruddy is "having a fresh, healthy red color."  That seems more fitting for young David, fresh-faced and good-looking.  The Lord told Samuel that David was the one He wanted anointed.

(13) Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brethren, and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

Samuel took the horn of oil he had carried with him and anointed David in the midst of his brothers.  Dr. John Gill in his Exposition of the Bible, wrote that the sense was more like he "anointed him from the midst of his brethren," as in he was chosen from the midst of his brothers.  Or I suppose that if he did anoint him in the midst of his brothers, that they had no idea it was because he was to be king, for there was "secrecy with which Samuel was directed to manage this affair, and which was necessary to observe, to keep it from the knowledge of Saul."  The Spirit of the Lord came upon David that day and was with him from that day forward.  Samuel, having done his duty, rose up and went back to Ramah.

(14) But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.

However, the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul.  It's not as if the Lord had only so much Spirit to give, and when He gave it to David, it must come from Saul.  But David was now God's chosen leader, His anointed, and Saul no longer was because of his disobedience.  An evil spirit then troubled Saul.  It is said to be from the Lord, but I imagine that just withdrawing His Holy Spirit would make Saul susceptible to evil spirits.  I think of it as like it was for Job; God gave Satan permission to torment him.  God doesn't have an evil spirit, but evil spirits are definitely under His command, and He could call them at any time to exact His purposes. 

(15) And Saul's servants said to him, "Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubles you. (16) Let our lord command your servants before you to seek out a man, a skillful player on a harp, and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon you, that he shall play with his hand, and you shall be well."

Saul's servants observed that he was troubled by an evil spirit.  They asked that they be allowed to seek out a harpist who would play when the evil spirit was upon him, as “music hath charms to sooth the savage breast.”

(17) And Saul said to his servants, "Provide me now a man who can play well and bring him to me." (18) Then answered one of the servants, and said, "Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is skillful in playing, a mighty valiant man, a man of war, prudent in matters, a handsome person, and the Lord is with him."

Saul told his servants to find him such a man.  One of his servants said he knew of a son of Jesse who was skillful in playing, as well as a valiant man of war who spoke well and was handsome, and most of all, the Lord was with him.  He had all the qualities that would make him fit to be in the palace of the king.  I find it interesting that the servants could tell that the Lord was with David, and that He had sent an evil spirit to Saul.  They could discern spirits, and it seemed just a simple matter of fact.

(19) Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, "Send me David your son, who is with the sheep." (20) And Jesse took a donkey with bread, a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son to Saul.

Saul sent messengers to Jesse and told him to send his son David to him.  Jesse took a donkey and loaded on it bread, a bottle of wine, and a kid goat, as gifts to the king, and he sent David with them to Saul.

(21) And David came to Saul and stood before him, and he loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer. (22) And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, "Let David, I pray you, stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight."

When David came before Saul, the king was very pleased with him, and he put him into his service.  The original word "keliy" that was translated as "armor" actually was transcribed most often as "vessel" or "instrument."  There is no evidence that David was an armor bearer for Saul, so it is most likely that he became a personal servant to Saul, bearing household vessels, or it may just be that he was a bearer of musical instruments.  Saul sent word to Jesse asking that David be allowed to stay with him as he had found favor with him.

(23) And it came to pass, when the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took a harp and played with his hand, so Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

David did stay with Saul, and whenever the evil spirit came upon Saul, David would play his harp for him, and Saul would become refreshed and well, and the evil spirit left him.  Certainly, it appears that Saul knew nothing of David's being anointed as his successor.  I believe it can be safely assumed that his anointing was done privately.  Had even his brothers known that David was to be king, that word would have spread quickly.

The Lord Rejects Saul

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(1 Samuel 15:1) Samuel also said to Saul, "The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel; now therefore, hearken to the voice of the words of the Lord."

At the end of the last chapter, we were told how Saul re-established his kingdom over Israel after Jonathan's victory.  Saul fought his enemies on all sides, including the Moabites, the Ammonites, the Edomites, and the Philistines, defending Israel against them.  He assembled an army and struck the Amalekites, delivering Israel out of the hands of all who plundered them. It may be that Samuel spoke to Saul sometime before he struck the Amalekites, judging by what comes next.  Samuel told Saul that the Lord had sent him to anoint him as king over His people, therefore Saul had an obligation to listen to and obey the commands of the Lord.

(2) "Thus says the Lord of hosts, 'I remember what Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him on the way, when he came up from Egypt. (3) Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'"

Samuel told Saul the words of the Lord of all hosts, the heavenly host of angels, Israel's army, and all the armies of the world.  He remembered what the Amalekites had done to Israel when they were coming out of Egypt when they were faint and weary (Exodus 17:8).  In Deuteronomy 25:17-19, God retold about the event, about how the Amalekites killed the most feeble of the Israelites who lagged behind the others.  God said then that when Israel had been given rest in their promised land, He would blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.  It seems the time was now, some four hundred years later!  He told Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites, not sparing any of them, not man, woman, child, or any of their animals.  All were to be totally wiped out.

(4) And Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen and ten thousand men of Judah.

Saul gathered the people together in a place called Telaim, which may be Telem in Judah (Joshua 15:24).  He assembled two hundred thousand footmen and another ten thousand men from Judah.  As has been discussed before, Samuel probably wrote these accounts later in his life and after a time when Israel and Judah were two separate kingdoms.

(5) And Saul came to a city of Amalek and laid wait in the valley. (6) And Saul said to the Kenites, "Go, depart, get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

Saul and his army went to a city in Amalek and laid wait in the valley.  The Kenites were not Israelites but were on friendly terms with the Israelites.  They were apparently living among the Amalekites, and Saul sent word to them to get away from the Amalekites so they would not be destroyed with the Amalekites, and that was because they had shown kindness to Israel when they came out of Egypt.  Jethro, Moses's father-in-law had been a Kenite, and these people were likely his posterity.  The Kenites heeded Saul's warning and departed from the Amalekites.

(7) And Saul struck the Amalekites from Havilah to when you come to Shur that is across from Egypt. (8) And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

Saul struck the Amalekites from one end of their country to the other, from Havilah in the northeast to Shur in the southwest.  He utterly destroyed all the people, at least the ones he came across in the land; it seems some escaped as we will hear about the Amalekites again.  However, Saul did spare the king of the Amalekites, Agag.

(9) But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. But everything vile and wasted, that they destroyed utterly.

The Lord had said to destroy absolutely every living thing, but Saul saved all the best of the animals, and I suppose you could say the best of the people, the king.  Anything that was good, and I imagine useful to Saul, he would not destroy, but anything defective and not good, he did destroy.

(10) Then came the word of the Lord to Samuel, saying, (11) "It repents Me that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not performed My commandments." And it grieved Samuel, and he cried to the Lord all night.

The Lord spoke to Samuel.  Repent means to change, reverse course.  When people repent of their wrongdoing, they have a change of heart, they are sorrowful for what they have done, they confess their wrongdoing, and they change their ways.  The Lord's nature does not change; He does no wrong, and His heart never changes.  What does change is how He deals with matters.  He showed kindness and mercy to Saul as he was once a fine and good man (1 Samuel 9:2), and he must have followed the Lord initially for the Lord said that he had now turned away from following Him.  The Lord would now change His purpose for Saul and how He would deal with him because he had turned from the Lord and did not obey His commandments.  It's the way the Lord blessed His people when they did good and chastised them when they sinned.  His love for them never changed, but how He dealt with them did.

The Lord knew all along what Saul would do; nothing takes Him by surprise so that He must change course.  The change is written the way it is for our benefit, for our instruction.  God knew all along that Saul was just a placeholder for David, the king He wanted for Israel, a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22).  Actually, the Lord had already changed the course for Saul in 1 Samuel 13:14 when He through Samuel told Saul his kingdom would not continue because he had not kept God's commandment.  So He actually never changed, but He was letting Samuel know how he dealt with Saul was about to change.  It grieved Samuel very much, and he cried to the Lord all night.

(12) And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, "Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set him up a place and is gone about and passed on and gone down to Gilgal.

Samuel rose up early the next morning to meet Saul, but he was told that Saul was not there.  He was told that Saul had come to Carmel in Judah which would have been on his way back from Amalek.  He had set up a "place" for himself there.  The original word "yad" literally means "hand."  Maybe "hand" didn't make sense to the KJV translators, so they used a generic "place."  But this probably was some sort of hand as a monument to himself; "he set him up a hand."  The hand represented power, strength, dominion, or even direction, so it could have pointed to the place where Saul had gained his victory.  From Carmel, it sounds as if he did not make a straight trek back, but went here and there, probably in some sort of celebratory manner, and then went to Gilgal where he probably expected to meet Samuel there.

(13) And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, "Blessed you of the Lord; I have performed the commandment of the Lord."

Samuel came to Saul, and Saul greeted him, calling him blessed of the Lord because he had sent him on a great mission and he had succeeded.  It's remarkable that he thought he had performed the commandment of the Lord.  Either he really did think that doing 90% of the Lord's commandment was performing well, or he knew he had not completely obeyed God's commandment, and he was lying to Samuel to save himself from Samuel's reproof.

(14) And Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?" (15) And Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have utterly destroyed."

If Saul had performed the commandment of the Lord, which was to utterly destroy every living thing (verse 3), then why did Samuel hear the bleating of sheep and lowing of oxen?  Notice Saul said "they" had brought them back from the Amalekites.  He seems to always shift the blame to someone else.  "The people" had spared the best of the sheep and oxen to sacrifice to the Lord, something He had not asked for and had strictly commanded against.  But they all utterly destroyed the rest of the livestock.  Also I have noticed that Saul always seems to say, "the Lord your God."  He doesn't say "the Lord our God" or "the Lord my God."  I can't help but think it was his way of trying to manipulate Samuel's feelings by saying all he did was for his Lord.  "You wouldn't want to take from your Lord, would you?"

(16) Then Samuel said to Saul, "Stay, and I will tell you what the Lord has said to me this night." And he said to him, "Say on." (17) And Samuel said, "When you were little in your own sight, were you not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed you king over Israel?"

Samuel told Saul he wanted to tell him what the Lord had spoken to him that night before.  He reminded Saul that when he was little in his own sight, as he had said in 1 Samuel 9:21, that he was of the smallest tribe and of the least of the families in his tribe, God had made him king over Israel.

(18) "And the Lord sent you on a journey, and said, 'Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.' (19) Why then, did you not obey the voice of the Lord, but did fly upon the spoil and did evil in the sight of the Lord?"

Samuel continued relaying how the Lord had then sent Saul on a mission to utterly destroy the Amalekites until every living thing was consumed.  He asked Saul why he did not obey the command of the Lord, but seized upon the spoil of the Amalekites and therefore had done evil in the sight of the Lord by disobeying Him.

(20) And Saul said to Samuel, "Yes, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord and have gone the way which the Lord sent me and have brought Agag the king of Amalek and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. (21) But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal."

Incredibly, Saul told Samuel that he had obeyed the Lord, but it was those people who took the spoil that he knew should have been destroyed, but it was to sacrifice to Samuel's Lord, a good thing, right?  Even though he said he had obeyed the Lord, he admitted that he had spared the king of the Amalekites and brought him back.  Saul may have thought he had done what was most important to the Lord, and that was what should be important to Samuel, but at the very least, Saul showed a careless respect for the Lord and His commands.

(22) And Samuel said, "Has the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, to hearken than the fat of rams. (23) For rebellion is the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from king."

Samuel asked Saul if he thought the Lord had more delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, or rather in obedience to Him.  Then he said rebellion was witchcraft, or divination, which is how the original word "qesem" was usually translated.  Either word refers to seeking knowledge by occult means and from a spirit other than God.  Samuel said that stubbornness was a sin and idolatry.  It's the idolatry of oneself, judging himself to be more knowledgeable than God at a given moment.  I can't help but think of the current times when everything seems acceptable.  Surely God didn't know how the times would change, and divorce, abortion, same-sex marriage, etc., would demand different rules--man elevating himself over God.  Samuel told Saul that because he had rejected the word of the Lord, God had rejected him as king.

(24) And Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words because I feared the people and obeyed their voice."

Saul told Samuel he recognized that he had sinned against the commandment of the Lord, but it was because he feared the people.  Once again he blamed the people.  He admitted that he feared the people more than he did the Lord.  Actually, I don't believe that was really true; he just wanted to lay the blame elsewhere.  "I have sinned, but..."  Anytime there is a "but," it negates what came before it.

(25) "Now therefore, I pray you, pardon my sin and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord." (26) And Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel."

Saul asked Samuel to pardon his sin and continue with him to Gilgal to worship the Lord, possibly in offering sacrifice to Him to atone for his sin.  However, Samuel told him he would not go with him because he had rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord had therefore rejected him as king over Israel.  Samuel had not seen any true repentance of Saul, and he left him for the Lord to deal with, as we sometimes have to do.  Ephesians 5:11 says to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but reprove them.  There comes a point when a person's fruits or actions show what is really in his heart, and we can no longer have fellowship with that person, but it doesn't mean we can't still love and pray for him.  However, several places in the Bible tell us how keeping company with sinners will eventually corrupt and harm us:

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14)

Be not deceived: Evil companionships corrupt good morals. (1 Corinthians 15:33)

...Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4)

A violent man entices his neighbor and leads him in a way that is not good. (Proverbs 16:29)

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2)

And many more, but once again, this does not mean we have nothing to do with sinners.  We are all sinners, and Jesus associated with sinners, fortunately for us!  But He didn't live with the sinners; they weren't His closest disciples.  That is the point.  He loved and helped sinners; He encouraged us to love and help them.  But He would tell them to go and sin no more.  And He also said whoever would not receive you or hear your words, shake the dust off your feet of that place and leave.  And that doesn't mean you won't come back to see or talk to that person again, especially if it is someone close, but the danger comes when you commune with that person continually, and you begin to accept his sin as okay which shows approval of it, and before you know it, you find yourself slipping into his ways.  With that, one last verse:

The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; he who keeps his way preserves his soul. (Proverbs 16:17)

Sometimes you just have to remove yourself from bad company and friends and not associate with them anymore in order to save your own soul.

(27) And as Samuel turned around to go away, he laid hold on the skirt of his robe, and it tore. (28) And Samuel said to him, "The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, better than you. (29) And also the Strength of Israel will not lie or repent, for He is not a man that He should repent."

As Samuel turned around to leave, Saul grabbed hold of his robe to detain him.  Since it only says "he" and "his," we can't be positive that it wasn't Samuel who tore his own robe or that he might have torn Saul's robe.  Any way that it happened had the same meaning.  Samuel told Saul it was a sign that the Lord had torn the kingdom of Israel away from him and had given it to a better man than he was, a neighbor of his.  The Lord was the Strength of Israel.  Undoubtedly, little Israel could never in history have made it this far without God's mighty hand.  Samuel told Saul that the Lord did not lie when He said He was taking the kingdom away from Saul, and He would not change His mind the way a mere man might.

(30) Then he said, "I have sinned; honor me now, I pray you, before the elders of my people and before Israel and turn again with me that I may worship the Lord your God." (31) So Samuel turned again after Saul, and Saul worshipped the Lord.

Saul acknowledged he had sinned, and there was no "but" this time or blaming of others.  He acknowledged that he himself had sinned, and he asked that Samuel stay with him to worship the Lord.  However, note that it was to not embarrass him among the people of Israel.  Once again, it was all about Saul.  However, there was probably some wisdom in that, that the people not totally reject Saul until the Lord raised up David who may not have even been born yet.  That seems a plausible reason for why Samuel turned back to Saul, after all.  Besides, Saul was begging, and Samuel was a good and Godly man.  Samuel stayed with Saul while he worshipped the Lord.  Note that scripture didn't say that Samuel worshipped the Lord with Saul.  I'm sure he didn't agree with the things Saul did and said in his worship, so he allowed those things to be between Saul and his Lord.

(32) Then Samuel said, "Bring here to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came to him cautiously. And Agag said, "Surely the bitterness of death is past." (33) And Samuel said, "As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women." And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.

Then Samuel told Saul to bring Agag, the king of the Amalekites whom Saul had spared, to him.  Agag came forward to Samuel cautiously and seemed to suggest that all the death and violence could be put behind them, and perhaps his life could be spared.  However, Samuel told him that just as his sword had made women childless, he was going to make Agag's mother childless, and he proceeded to chop Agag to pieces.  He did this before the Lord; he finished the job that God had commanded Saul do.

(34) Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul. (35) And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless, Samuel mourned for Saul, and the Lord repented that He had made Saul king over Israel.

Then Samuel left and went back to his residence in Ramah, and Saul went to his place in Gibeah.  Samuel never again went to see Saul, but he still mourned for him and probably prayed for him.  Just as discussed above, one can still love and care and pray for someone without being his constant companion.  Once again, we have that word "repent."  Samuel just said that the Lord did not repent (verse 29).  However, I believe the context is that the Lord does not repent the way man repents.  Our dictionary definition of "repent" is "to feel sorry, self-reproachful, or contrite for past conduct; regret or be conscience-stricken about a past action, attitude, etc."  Obviously, the Lord does not do that.  The Biblical meaning does mean that for people who have a change of heart and repent for their sins.  But another meaning is to merely change direction.  That's what the Lord did.  He changed direction from having Saul as king to making David king.

Jonathan Defeats the Philistines

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(1 Samuel 14:1) Now it came to pass one day that Jonathan, the son of Saul, said to the young man who bore his armor, "Come and let us go over to the Philistines' garrison that is on the other side." But he did not tell his father.

At the end of the last chapter, three companies of Philistines had pretty much surrounded Saul, Jonathan, and their small army of six hundred men.  The Philistines were busy plundering the land and not immediately intent on attacking Saul and his men.  It appears they must have remained like that for at least a couple of days or more, because "one day" Jonathan, Saul's son, decided it was time to do something.  He told his armor-bearer that they should go over to the Philistine garrison that was on the other side of them.  However, he did not tell his father of his plan.

(2) And Saul tarried in the uttermost part of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Migron, and the people with him were about six hundred men, (3) And Ahijah, 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 did not know that Jonathan was gone.

Saul waited in the uppermost part of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Migron which was north of Gibeah in the field of Gibeah.  He still had his six hundred men, no more or no less, and that included Ahijah the priest.  He came from the line of Eli who had been the Lord's priest in Shiloh.  Ichabod was the child that Phinehas's wife bore prematurely on hearing the news that the ark had been taken and that her husband and Eli, her father-in-law, had died (1 Samuel 4:19).  Ichabod apparently had an older brother named Ahitub, whose son was Ahijah.  Saul and the people with him did not know that Jonathan was gone.

(4) And between the passages, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistines' garrison, a sharp rock on the one side and a sharp rock on the other side, and the name of the one Bozez and the name of the other Seneh. 

I believe "the passages" refers to the common passageways from one place to another that were now obstructed by the Philistines.  Jonathan had to find another way to cross over to the Philistine garrison.  Between the passages were two large sharp rocks that were known and even named, one Bozez meaning "shining" which might suggest smooth and slippery, and the other Seneh meaning "thorn" or "bramble."  

(5) The forefront of the one was situated northward opposite Michmash and the other southward opposite Gibeah.

I believe the sense is that both rocks were in the way between the passages, not across from each other, but the northern one faced Michmash and the southern one faced Gibeah.

(6) And Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, "Come and let us go over to 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."

Jonathan again told his armor bearer that they should go over to the garrison of the Philistines, and in additional encouragement, he said that the Lord might do the work for them, as there was no limit to God's power.  God could save with an army or with just a few men.  That shows that Jonathan had great faith in the Lord.  He hadn't said that the Lord would definitely do the work for them, because he had not received a word from the Lord, but he had no doubt that his Lord was well able if it was in His will to do so.

(7) And his armorbearer said to him, "Do all that is in your heart; turn, behold, I am with you according to your heart."

Jonathan's armor bearer told Jonathan to do what was in his heart to do, to turn the way he wanted to go, and he would willingly follow him.

(8) Then Jonathan said, "Behold, we will pass over to these men, and we will let them discover us. (9) If they say thus to us, 'Wait until we come to you,' then we will stand still in our place and will not go up to them. (10) But if they say thus, 'Come up to us,' then we will go up, for the Lord has delivered them into our hand, and this be a sign to us."

Jonathan told his armor bearer that they would pass over to the Philistines and let them discover them.  Then if the Philistines told them to wait there until they came to them, they would stand there and not go to them.  However, if they said, "Come up to us," they would see that as a sign that the Lord had delivered the Philistines into their hands, and they would indeed go to the Philistines.  That would be a sign from the Lord telling them what they should do.

It's funny; my first instinct was that Jonathan should have prayed to the Lord, that it was a bit arrogant to set up his own scheme and expect the Lord to go along with it.  Well, for one thing, we don't know that Jonathan didn't pray first.  He probably did have some sort of leading to make him take such a bold step.  But then I also realized that I have done the same thing.  When the Lord doesn't speak directly to you, then asking Him to show you the right way between two choices with a sign from Him seems perfectly acceptable and shows faith in Him to direct your paths, "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:6).  Jonathan did acknowledge God and His power to save them (verse 6), and he had faith that He would direct them in the way they should go.

(11) And both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines, and the Philistines said, "Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid themselves."

Jonathan and his armor bearer did indeed reveal themselves to the Philistines at that post, and the Philistines took note among themselves that the Hebrews had come out of hiding.

(12) And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armor bearer, and said, "Come up to us, and we will show you something." And Jonathan said to his armor bearer, "Come up after me, for the Lord has delivered them into the hand of Israel."

The men at the garrison responded to Jonathan and his armor bearer's presence, by telling them to come up to them and they would show them something.  Jonathan told his armor bearer to follow him, as he had full faith and confidence that the Lord had delivered those Philistines into Israel's hand.  Not that it made a difference in the way the Philistines told them to come to them, but they did use the exact phrase "Come up to us" that Jonathan had put forth in his plan (verse 10). 

(13) And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armor bearer after him, and they fell before Jonathan, and his armor bearer slew after him.

Jonathan climbed up on his hands and knees in a way not easily accessible.  He didn't go the way the Philistines would have expected him to go on the main passageway.  He evidently caught the men off guard, and they fell before him.  Obviously, we know Who really knocked them down.  His armor bearer then killed the men.

(14) At that first slaughter which Jonathan and his armor bearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were a half acre of land.

Jonathan and his armor bearer killed about twenty men at that garrison and within half an acre from it.

(15) 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.

The Philistine host trembled with fear, those in the field, and among all the people.  Men inside the garrison who had not been outside and killed, and the plunderers who ravaged the land, were also terrified and panic-stricken, especially when the earth began to quake, as well, which was surely by God.

(16) And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude melted away, and they went on stampeding.

The watchmen of Saul at Gibeah saw the Philistine army melting away, as they fled and stampeded over one another.

(17) Then Saul said to the people with him, "Number now, and see who is gone from us." And when they had numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armor bearer were not there.

Saul then ordered a roll be taken, and when it was, it was discovered that Jonathan and his armor bearer were not there.

(18) And Saul said to Ahijah, "Bring the ark of God here" (for the ark of God was at that time with the children of Israel).

Saul told the priest Ahijah to bring the ark of God to him, for the Israelites had brought the ark with them.

(19) And it came to pass, while Saul talked to the priest, that the noise in the host of the Philistines went on and increased, and Saul said to the priest, "Withdraw your hand."

While Saul was talking to the priest, the noise of the Philistines grew louder, and Saul told the priest to stop what he was doing, which was surely to inquire of the Lord over the ark.  Saul once again showed some impatience.

(20) And Saul and all the people with him assembled themselves, and they came to battle, and behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, very great confusion.

Saul and his men assembled themselves to battle against the Philistines, but they witnessed their enemy fighting themselves because there was so much confusion.  God, whom Saul was too impatient to hear from, had already taken care of the matter.

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

The Israelites who had been with the Philistines as their servants, had also gone with the Philistines to their camp from the areas round about the camp.  They then went and joined Saul and Jonathan.

(22) Likewise, all the men of Israel who had hid themselves in Mount Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed hard after them in the battle.

Additionally, the men of Israel who had been hiding in Mount Ephraim, in caves, rocks, thickets, and pits (1 Samuel 13:6), when they heard that the Philistines had fled, they also joined Saul's army and chased after the fleeing Philistines.  The historian Josephus wrote that at this time Saul's army had increased to 10,000.

(23) So the Lord saved Israel that day, and the battle passed over to Beth Aven. 

So the Lord had saved Israel that day with only two men, as Jonathan had had faith He could (verse 6).  Now the battle shifted to Beth Aven. 

(24) And the men of Israel were distressed that day for Saul had adjured the people, saying, "Cursed the man who eats food until evening, that I may be avenged on my enemies." So none of the people tasted food.

It appears that when Saul had assembled his people to pursue the Philistines (verse 20), he had given them a strict order that none of them was to eat anything until the evening so that no time would be lost in making victory over the Philistines, that "he" might be avenged on "his" enemies.  That sounds a bit arrogant and self-centered considering it had been Jonathan and his armor bearer who had thus far done the avenging.

(25) And all the land came to a wood, and there was honey on the ground. (26) And when the people had come into the wood, behold, the honey dropped, but no man put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath.

As the people were pursuing the Philistines, they came into a wooded area where there was honey on the ground.  Honey was dripping all over, but no one dared pick up any to eat because of the severe command of Saul that carried with it a curse (verse 24).

(27) But Jonathan had not heard when his father charged the people with the oath; therefore he put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it in a honeycomb and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes were enlightened.

Jonathan had not heard his father's order, and he took his rod and dipped the end of it in a honeycomb and ate the honey.  His eyes brightened as he became refreshed.

(28) Then answered one of the people who said, "Your father straitly charged the people with an oath, saying, 'Cursed the man who eats food this day.'" And the people were faint.

Someone spoke up and told Jonathan that his father had ordered that no one eat until the evening and had issued the order with a curse. And all the people were faint with hunger.

(29) Then Jonathan said, "My father has troubled the land. See, I pray you, how my eyes have been enlightened because I tasted a little of this honey. (30) How much more, if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found? For now would there not have been a much greater slaughter among the Philistines?"

Jonathan said that his father had distressed the people with his order.  He told the people to observe how his eyes had brightened because he was refreshed with a little bit of honey.  He added that had the people been allowed to eat freely of the spoil of the Philistines as they came upon it, there would probably have been a much greater slaughter of their enemies by that time.

(31) And they struck the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon, and the people were very faint.

The people struck the Philistines from Michmash, the place where the camp of the Philistines was when Jonathan first attacked them, to Aijalon in Judah, about twelve miles.  It appears the people did not eat the honey as Jonathan had encouraged them to do.  By this time, they were extremely faint.  

(32) And the people flew upon the spoil, and took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and killed them on the ground, and the people ate them with the blood.

The people were so starved they rushed upon the spoil of the Philistines and took sheep, oxen, and calves, and killed them on the spot and ate them raw with the blood still in them, which was against God's law.  

(33) Then they told Saul, saying, "Behold, the people sin against the Lord in that they eat with the blood." And he said, "You have transgressed; roll a great stone to me this day." (34) And Saul said, "Disperse yourselves among the people, and say to them, 'Bring me here every man's ox, and every man's sheep, and slaughter them here, and eat, and do not sin against the Lord in eating with the blood.'" And all the people brought every man his ox with him that night and killed them there.

It was told to Saul that the people had sinned against the Lord in eating flesh with the blood.  Saul then told the people that they had sinned and asked that a large stone be rolled to him.  He then sent word among the people to bring their oxen and their sheep, whatever they intended to eat, and slaughter them there on the stone where they could properly drain the blood, and thusly not sin against the Lord.  All the people brought their animals that night to the stone and killed them there. 

So it was night by the time the people flew upon the spoil of the Philistines and ate ravenously flesh of the animals with the blood.  So they had waited to eat until the evening.  Note that the people feared the order of Saul more than they feared sinning against the Lord.   

(35) And Saul built an altar to the Lord; the same was the first altar that he built to the Lord.

Saul built an altar to the Lord.  It was the first one he had built himself.  He had before sacrificed at altars that were already there, but this was the first he built himself.   

(36) And Saul said, "Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them." And they said, "Do whatever seems good to you." Then the priest said, "Let us draw near here to God."

Saul then proposed that they go after the Philistines by night and plunder them all night long until the morning light and not leave a man of them alive.  The people agreed to do whatever Saul thought was right.  Then the priest suggested that they should draw near to God to ask what He wanted them to do.

(37) And Saul asked counsel of God, "Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You deliver them into the hand of Israel?" But He did not answer him that day.

Saul had already made up his mind what he wanted to do.  He just wanted God to bless his plan.  He had not inquired of God first what he should do.  He went through the motions now that the priest had suggested it, and he asked God if he should go after the Philistines, and would He deliver them into the hand of Israel.  But God did not answer him.  From the beginning, Saul had not waited for instruction from the Lord.  In verse 19, he was too impatient to wait for the priest to inquire of the Lord and had gone through with his own plan.  He had made a foolish strict order that caused the people to sin.  He now made a decision to go after the Philistines that night and now made a show of pretending that he sought the Lord's guidance.  The Lord did not play that game.

(38) And Saul said, "Draw near here, all the chief of the people, and know and see where this sin has been this day. (39) For as the Lord lives who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die." But not a man among all the people answered him.

Saul called all the chiefs of the people together to determine what sin had been committed that day, for he concluded that the reason the Lord didn't answer was because there was sin among them.  He never considered it might be his own.  Then Saul made another rash oath.  He said as the Lord who saved Israel lived, even if the sin was found in his own son, even he would die.  But none of the people answered him.  They knew Jonathan had eaten honey against his father's order, but he had done it unknowingly, and besides, they probably had affection for him as he was the one who had truly saved them that day.

Saul did proclaim that the Lord was the one who saved Israel, but in his arrogance, he was more concerned about someone not obeying his order than any real sin against God.  If someone disobeyed his order, was that really a sin?  It always seems that Saul gives a show of religion, but God is not the true object of his heart.  It always seems to be about Saul first.  Jesus said in Matthew 15:9, "But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."  James said in James 1:26, "If any man among you seems to be religious and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is vain."  Those seem to sum up Saul pretty well.

(40) Then he said to all Israel, "You be on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side." And the people said to Saul, "Do what seems good to you." (41) Therefore Saul said to the Lord God of Israel, "Give a perfect lot." And Saul and Jonathan were taken, but the people escaped.

Then Saul spoke to all the people, instructing them to divide into two groups, he and Jonathan on one side against all the people on the other.  The people again told Saul he should do what seemed good to him.  Saul then asked the Lord to give a perfect lot, as if He didn't always, and have it land on the guilty party.  The lot showed that the guilty party was among Saul and Jonathan, and the people were shown to be innocent.

(42) And Saul said, "Cast between me and Jonathan my son." And Jonathan was taken.

Saul, having no sense of his own guilt, would have his own son put to death because he did not obey his order.  It's interesting that God would show Jonathan as the guilty one.  Eating the honey was not a sin against God.  However, it wasn't God's intention that Jonathan be killed, but rather to reveal Saul's arrogant rashness in making such an oath.

(43) Then Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what you have done." And Jonathan told him, and said, "I only tasted a little honey with the end of the rod in my hand; lo, I must die."

Saul asked Jonathan what he had done to have the lot fall to him, what "sin" had he committed?  Jonathan told him that he had only tasted a little honey with the end of his rod, and for that, he must die.  Jonathan didn't even try to defend himself with the fact he had not heard his father's order.  He willingly accepted his fate.  Or was he rather pointing out that for so trivial a matter, he must die, pointing out the absurdity of so harsh a punishment for something that was not a sin against God.  Since God was using this as a lesson for Saul, I'm sure His spirit could have been directing responses.

(44) And Saul answered, "God do so and more also, for you shall surely die, Jonathan."

Saul's point was that God may do even more evil if he did not follow through with his oath, so he told Jonathan he must surely die.

(45) And the people said to Saul, "Shall Jonathan die, who has wrought this great salvation in Israel? God forbid! As the Lord lives, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day." So the people rescued Jonathan that he did not die.

The people spoke up for Jonathan, asking if Jonathan with whom God had surely worked to bring salvation to Israel should die.  It was obvious that he had not offended God, but God had used him mightily to save Israel.  Adam Clarke put it this way, in his Commentary on the Bible, "Here was a righteous and impartial jury, who brought in a verdict according to the evidence."  After all, no man should die except for a breach of the law of God, and Jonathan had not broken any law of God, so he should not die.  So the people rescued Jonathan from his death penalty, but actually, it was God who saved him by exposing Saul's arrogance and recklessness.

(46) Then Saul went up from following the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.

Saul gave up following the Philistines since he did not get an answer from the Lord, and he probably thought he had lost the opportunity, since his plan had been to attack at night.  The Philistines who remained went back to their own place.

(47) 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 wherever he turned himself, he vexed them. (48) And he gathered a host and struck the Amalekites and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them.

Saul established his sovereignty over Israel.  It seemed to have been taken from him when he was in Gibeah with only 600 men and surrounded by Philistines.  Having obtained victory over the Philistines, he recovered his kingdom and resumed his administration.  He fought his enemies on all sides, defending Israel against them.  Wherever he turned, he troubled his enemies.  He assembled an army and struck the Amalekites, as well, delivering Israel out of the hands of all who plundered them.

(49) Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, and Ishui, and Malchishua, and the names of his two daughters were, the name of the firstborn Merab, and the name of the younger Michal.

Saul had three sons, Jonathan, Ishui, and Malchishua, and two daughters, Merab and Michal.  Actually, Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Bible, pointed out that Saul had other children.  He had another son named Ishbosheth, sometimes called Eshbaal.  The commentators I study presume that the reason he wasn't mentioned here is because the author intended to mention only Saul's sons who went with him into the battles.  Saul also had other children by a concubine, or second wife, Rizpah.

(50) And the name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz, and the name of the captain of his army was Abner, the son of Ner, Saul's uncle. (51) And Kish, the father of Saul, and Ner, the father of Abner, were the sons of Abiel.

Saul's wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz.  The captain of his army was Abner, the son of Saul's uncle Ner, making Abner his cousin.  Saul's father Kish and his uncle Ner were brothers and the sons of Abiel.

(52) And there was fierce war against the Philistines all the days of Saul, and when Saul saw any strong man, or any valiant man, he took him to him.

Saul continued to fight fierce battles against the Philistines all the days of his life.  Whenever he saw any strong or valiant man, he took them for his purposes, just as Samuel had forewarned the people he would do, in 1 Samuel 8:11, "This will be the manner of the king who shall reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them for himself..."

Invasion of the Philistines and King Saul's First Great Error

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(1 Samuel 13:1) Saul reigned one year, and when he had reigned two years over Israel, 

Before the parenthetical chapter of Samuel's address to the people in chapter 12, the people had come to accept Saul as their rightful king after he had defeated the Ammonites, and he was made king officially (again) in 1 Samuel 11:15.  Since then he had reigned one year with nothing in it worth recording, but after he had reigned two years over Israel, the following occurred:

(2) Saul chose him three thousand of Israel; two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in Mount Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin, and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent.

Saul chose three thousand men of the men of Israel.  Two thousand were under Saul's command and he placed them at Michmash and at Mount Bethel, with probably one thousand in each place.  A thousand men were with Jonathan, who we will learn was Saul's son, and they were at Gibeah.  Saul sent the rest of the people back to their tents.  This map borrowed from Precept Austin shows the three posts occupied by the three thousand men across from Philistia:

(3) And Jonathan struck the garrison of the Philistines in Geba, and the Philistines heard. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear!"

Jonathan and his men struck a garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, which was between Gibeah and Michmash, seen in the inset of the map above.  The Philistines heard about it, which led Saul to blow the trumpet, or order it to be blown throughout the land to let the people know that the Philistines were preparing to attack.

(4) And all Israel heard it said Saul had struck a garrison of the Philistines, and Israel had also become an abomination to the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to Gilgal.

All Israel heard that Saul had struck a garrison of the Philistines.  Although it had actually been Jonathan and his men, they were undoubtedly directed by Saul.  That had made the Philistines filled with hate for the Israelites which might lead to severe retribution.  Therefore the people were called to Saul at Gilgal east of where their posts were.

(5) And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand on the seashore in multitude, and they came up and pitched in Michmash eastward from Beth Aven.

The Philistines gathered themselves together to fight against Israel, with thirty thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and people as numerous as sand on the seashore.  They pitched at Michmash which is where Saul had had his men until he went to Gilgal.  Michmash was to the east of Beth Aven which was said to be east of Bethel.

(6) When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger (for the people were distressed), then the people hid themselves in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in high places, and in pits.

The men of Israel saw that they were in danger.  The probable interpretation of the parenthetical part is that the Philistine people were distressing the Israelites, and they saw they were in danger and hid themselves in various places.

(7) And some of the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people following him, trembling.

Some of the Israelites went as far as east of the Jordan River to Gad and Gilead.  Saul stayed in Gilgal, which appears to be one of those times he was supposed to stay there until Samuel came to him to give him advice and counsel (1 Samuel 10:8).  The people following him, probably his army of two thousand (verse 2) stayed with him, but with trembling hearts.

(8) And he tarried seven days, according to the time set by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattered from him.

Saul indeed waited for seven days as he had been directed by Samuel, but Samuel did not come.  Saul's people were scattering and deserting him.

(9) And Saul said, "Bring here a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings." And he offered the burnt offering.

Saul ordered animals be brought to him for a burnt offering and for peace offerings, and he offered the burnt offering, which would not have been his place to do.  He had been instructed to wait for Samuel to make the offerings (1 Samuel 10:8).

(10) 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.

As soon as Saul had finished his burnt offering, he saw Samuel coming, and he went out to meet and greet him.  The fact that Samuel appeared so soon after Saul quit waiting tells me that Saul was a bit too impatient and rushed the time.  If this was the seventh day, he should have waited until the end of that day, as Samuel did indeed show up that day.

(11) And Samuel said, "What have you done?" And Saul said, "Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and you did not come within the days appointed, and the Philistines gathered themselves together at MichMash; (12) Therefore I said, 'The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.' I forced myself therefore and offered a burnt offering."

Samuel asked Saul what he had done as he obviously saw that Saul had sacrificed without him.  Saul said that because he saw his men deserting him, and Samuel had not come in the appointed time, and the Philistines were gathering themselves against him, he felt he would soon be overtaken by the Philistines, so he "forced" himself to offer a burnt offering.  

Lots to unpack there.  First of all, as it was the same day, Samuel had come in the appointed time.  Saul had been either impatient or fearful or both.  If he was impatient, then he showed himself to be disrespectful and even arrogant.  He knew he had done wrong or he wouldn't have made so many excuses, and one of his excuses was to blame Samuel for not coming on time.  The fact that he said he "forced" himself sounds like while he tried to knock Samuel down a notch, he was trying to raise himself up a notch, insinuating that he knew what he was supposed to do, but because of Samuel's delay, he had to force himself to go against what Samuel had told him.  If he was just plain afraid of the Philistines, then he lacked faith in God that He would protect him if he did what God had asked of him through Samuel.  There are many Bible verses that speak of patience and waiting on the Lord and His timing, but these seem to sum up Saul and his situation perfectly:

(Psalm 27:14) Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD.

(Proverbs 20:22) Do not say, “I will recompense evil;" wait on the LORD, and He shall save you. 

(Psalm 37:34) Wait on the LORD, and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you shall see.

Saul said he had not made supplication (verse 12), so he offered the burnt offering.  He could have made supplication to the Lord without the offering.  Had he prayed to the Lord, the Lord would have strengthened his heart to enable him to wait longer.  Had he not rushed to do something about the Philistines and had waited as he was supposed to, the Lord would save him.  Had he waited on the Lord and did as he had been instructed, the Lord would exalt him and his kingdom.  Impatience and lack of faith in God were not good qualities in a king.

(13) And Samuel said to Saul, "You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God which He commanded you, for now would the Lord have established your kingdom on Israel forever."

Indeed, Samuel told Saul that he had acted foolishly.  If he had kept the commandment of the Lord which Samuel had told him, the Lord would have established his kingdom forever.  Had he waited as he was supposed to, the Lord would have exalted him (Psalm 37:34 above).

(14) "But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought Him a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be captain over his people because you have not kept that which the Lord commanded you."

Samuel told Saul that because he had not done what the Lord through Samuel told him to do, his kingdom would not continue.  The Lord had sought another to reign over His people.  According to this wonderful timeline found at Biblical Archeology, David wasn't even born yet when Samuel uttered this prophecy about the Lord choosing David, a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22):

(15) And Samuel arose and got himself up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people present with him, about six hundred men.

Samuel rose up and went from there at Gilgal (verse 7) to Gibeah.  Note that he didn't tell Saul what he should do about his predicament.  That had been the reason Saul was supposed to go to Gilgal and wait on Samuel to show him what he should do (1 Samuel 10:8).  Saul took the opportunity to number the people who were still with him, and they numbered six hundred men.

(16) And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people present with them, abode in Gibeah of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Michmash.

Saul, his son Jonathan, and the six hundred men present with them, also went to Gibeah where they abode while the Philistines were encamped at Michmash.

(17) And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies; one company turned to the way to Ophrah, to the land of Shual, (18) And another company turned the way to Beth Horon, and another turned to the way of the border that looks to the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.

The Philistines sent out three companies of soldiers to ravage and spoil the land, demonstrating how useless the Israelite king that the people had so wanted, really was.  God allowed this to convince the people of their vain confidence in a king when their trust should have been in their Lord God.  Never was their country more exposed to violence and plunder than it was at that time under their king.

(19) Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, "Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears." (20) But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen every man his share, and his hoe, and his axe, and his pickaxe. (21) Yet they had a file for the pickaxes, and for the hoes, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads.

Because the Philistines ruled over the Israelites at that time, they did not allow Israel to have a blacksmith because they were afraid they would make weapons.  The Israelites were forced to go to the Philistines to have their tools sharpened.  However, the Israelites were permitted to have files or some blunt instrument, as that is what the original word suggests, "bluntness."

(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 with Saul and Jonathan, but with Saul and with Jonathan his son, there was found.

Because the Philistines did not allow the Israelites to have a blacksmith, none of the men with Saul had a sword or a spear.  However, Saul and Jonathan did, but they were the only ones.

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

I believe the sense is that the Philistine post was moving outward from Michmash to the way leading to it, which meant they were also moving closer to Saul and his small army.

It's not looking too well for King Saul and the people who had depended on him.  This chapter ends with a cliffhanger that will conclude in the next chapter.