•
Samuel (1-7)
•
Transition to
king (8)
•
The Reign of
Saul (9-14)
•
The decline of
Saul –
rise of David (15-31)
rise of David (15-31)
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•
David’s Rule
of Judah (1-4)
•
David’s Rule
of Israel (4-24)
CONTEXT The
Reign of Saul (9-14)
9) Search Finds Samuel
(vs. 15-16)
10) Saul Announced King (vs. 1, 25-27
11) Saul Defeats Ammonites at Jabesh (vs. 12-13)
12) King Saul Confirmed (vs. 19-20
13) Saul Shows No Heart (War with Philistines)
14) War with Philistines (continued)
15) Sin in Attack on Amalek (Saul shows he is spiritually unfit.)
Title: Watch for the Head Fake
Explain what a "head fake" is in sports.
Watch for Saul in this passage to "fake" a loyalty to God while really taking matters into his own hands.
BIG IDEA:
Don't let life's pressures distract you from (obeying) God.
1. Setting
- Textual problems
- Troop Strength
Verse 1, There is
likely a textual problem with the numbers in verse one.
· NKJV and ESV have one year and two years
· RSV has ellipsis to show indicate they are missing
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1 SAMUEL 13:1—WHAT IS THE CORRECT NUMBER IN THIS VERSE?
PROBLEM: Among the several translations of the OT, 1 Samuel 13:1 is rendered as “one year” in the nkjv, by “forty” in the nasb, by “thirty” for the first number and “[forty-]two” for the second number in the ___. Which of these is the right number or numbers for this verse?
SOLUTION: The problem arises from the fact that the number is missing in the manuscripts of the Masoretic text. The verse simply reads, “Saul was the son of ... years when he became king, and he reigned two years over Israel.” The verse does not include the word “reigned” in the first part. It literally says that “Saul was the son of ... years.” Consequently, the renderings of the various translations are simply the attempts of translators to fill in the missing information based on other data.
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Verse 2 The number of three thousand
might simply represent three companies IVPBBC
2. Rising Action 3-8
- Jonathan's attack
- Sault's call to arms
- The Philistines assemble
Verse 3 The Hebrew word nâtsiyb (garrison) may also denote “a prefect” or “official,” and the
passage would then denote the assassination of this representative of the
Philistines an signal general revolt. --Merrill Unger
Jonathan's actions showed that the Israelites were going to attempt to throw off the Philistine yoke.
Saul sounded a general call to muster at Gilgal near the
Jordan in preparation for battle.
Verse. 4 “Saul”
had
attacked/smitten/defeated the garrison
Some would use the
attribution of this attack to Saul as a sign of dishonesty and pride.
There is often a tendency of leaders to take credit for the
accomplishments of their subordinates.
Verses 5-6 An
overwhelming Philistine force was deployed.
The Israelites saw they were in serious trouble and began to hide
themselves.
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1 SAMUEL 13:5—HOW COULD THE PHILISTINES HAVE AN ARMY OF 30,000 CHARIOTS?PROBLEM: According to this passage, the Philistines gathered together 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen. However, an army of 30,000 chariots has never been recorded in all of ancient history, even among the most powerful empires. How could the Philistines have amassed such a large group of chariots?
SOLUTION: It is probably an error that has crept into the manuscripts during transmission. It is very unlikely that there would be such a ratio of chariots to horsemen. It is much more likely that the original manuscripts recorded the number of chariots at 3,000. This would give a better ratio of chariots to horsemen. Because the Hebrew numbers are very similar, it is quite probable that some copyist simply miscopied the 3,000 as 30,000. The accurate recording of numerical designations is very difficult, leading to this kind of problem.
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- With this flurry of events and the serious situation our attention is diverted to what is going to happen with the Philistines.
- Instead, the text points us to Saul’s hasty act of sacrificing the burnt offering.
Verses 7b-8 Evidently ritual was very important to him, so he offered the sacrifice and disobeyed Samuel. His choice suggests that he had a rather superficial relationship with Yahweh. --JStubbs
Only a priest could offer that sacrifice (cf. Num. 16:1-40)
APPLICATION: Why was Saul impatient? Taking matters into his own hands? What happens when we take matters into our own hands today? --JStubbs
3. Climax 9-15
- Samuel's delay
- Samuel's rebuke
- Saul's fullish excuses
- Samuel leaves
10b SAUL: Greets Samuel.
11 SAMUEL: What have you done?
(Note the value of not jumping to conclusions though
here it seemed obvious)
SAUL: Excuses
1. The
people were scattering.
2. You did
not come within the days appointed.
3. The
Philistines had mustered at Michmash, soon coming to Gilgal.
4. I needed
to seek the favor of the Lord, so I “forced myself.”
APPLICATION: Excuses squelch repentance. "If we confess OUR sins..."
13-14 SAMUEL:
1. You have
done foolishly.
Why does Samuel call Saul’s behavior? (foolish, disobedient)
Relying on feeling is always dangerous, need to always discern between God’s leading and our own “compelling” desires and leadings…..
2. You have
disobeyed.
3. The Lord
would have established your kingdom, but…
4. The Lord
has sought a man after His own heart.
You have done foolishly is a stronger
condemnation than we might suppose, for in Scripture the fool is morally and spiritually blameworthy,
not merely lacking in intellect. Saul had seen the Lord undertake for him in the
Ammonite battle; he had heard the Lord’s word of assurance through Samuel
(1 Sam. 12:14), but at the first moment of strain he has failed to be obedient
to the Lord his God. Tyndale OT Commentary
APPLICATION: “Watch for the
head fake.”
While Saul was preoccupied with the events around him,
God was watching his heart.
Would he allow this world to conform him to human
expediency? or would he trust and obey?
He had no rational hope of defeating the Philistines
anyway.
APPLICATION: Where is your heart? Part of seeking the kingdom of God (Matt 6:33) is looking for what He is doing, what He wants us to do, and not allowing our faith in Him to be dislodged by circumstances.
4. Resolution 16-23
- Raiding parties
- No Iron in Israel
Verses 15b – 18
The Israelites pretty much observed helplessly as the
Philistines sent out raiding parties at will.
Verses 19-23
The lack of iron weapons gave the Philistines a huge
economic and military advantage.
What is the writer’s point in
bringing up the blacksmith issue?
The main physical advantage the Philistines
enjoyed was their ability to smelt iron. This advanced technology gave them a
strong military edge over the Israelites.[1]
The lack of iron also made the Israelites subject to exorbitant fees to sharpen their tools.
APPLICATION: Were the disadvantages in technology the real problem?
We see a description of events when Israel has removed God's favor by rejecting his Lordship over all their lives.
Notice how the acts of the leaders affected the lives of those under their authority. The same is true for parents, bosses, and other kinds of leaders today.
BIG IDEA:
Don't let life's pressures distract you from (obeying) God.
[1]Dothan, p. 20.
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