1 Samuel 13

CHAPTER 13THEME: Saul rebels against GodThe real nature of Saul begins to show. His son Jonathan got the victory at Michmash, but Saul blew the trumpet and took credit for it. In presumption, Saul intruded into the priest’s office. Samuel rebuked and rejected Saul. The disarmament of Israel is revealed. In this chapter I think I will be able to sustain the thesis that I presented in chapter 9 relative to King Saul. Saul’s outward veneer made him look like a king, but underneath he was no king at all. He was nothing but a paper-doll king.

1 Samuel 13:1

The true character of Saul is beginning to emerge. When we get a good view of him, we are going to see that he is a phony. We read in these verses that Jonathan “smote the garrison of the Philistines.” Who got credit for the victory? It was Saul. Jonathan appears to be a capable military leader. Later on we will find that he gains another great victory by using very interesting strategy.

But in this particular battle Jonathan did the fighting, and Saul blew the trumpet. Saul took the credit for winning. Saul believed in the motto: “He who tooteth not his own horn, said horn will go untooted.” Saul blew his own horn. He did not give his son credit for winning the battle. He called all of Israel together and gave a phony report. The army knew Saul’s report was not true and so did the followers of Jonathan.

Folk are beginning to suspect that there is a weakness in Saul’s army and that it is his Achilles’ heel. Is he humble? I said at the beginning that Saul had a case of false humility, and this fact is coming to light now.

1 Samuel 13:5

Apparently the Philistines recovered from their losses and came with force against the Israelites.

1 Samuel 13:8

Here is another revelation concerning Saul. He presumed that because of his position as king he could offer a burnt offering. Later on we will find that another king by the name of Uzziah also presumed he could perform a priestly duty. God judged him severelyhe became a leper (2 Chron. 26). Saul ignored God’s explicit instructions that only a priest from the tribe of Levi could offer a burnt offering.

1 Samuel 13:10

Saul was not willing to wait for Samuel. He was impatient and presumptuous. He thought he had three good reasons for not waiting for Samuel to appear: (1) The people were scattered; (2) the Philistines were coming against him; and (3) Samuel was a little late in arriving. Saul was rationalizing, of course. He was blaming everything and everyone else.

1 Samuel 13:12

Saul “forced” himself to offer an offering and make supplication unto the Lord. May I say that he was lying. He was being falsely pious. This is the real Saul emerging.

1 Samuel 13:13

Saul was told in the beginning that if he obeyed God, he would be blessed, but if he disobeyed, there would be judgment. The ruler must obey the Lord. And what the world needs today is a ruler who is being ruled by the Lord. Our problems stem from the fact that we don’t have that kind of ruler. Of course we will not get one until the Lord Jesus comes back to earth; that is God’s ultimate goal for this earth. Saul has disobeyed, so God has another man to be king. He is going to bring him on the scene a little later. Even Samuel, at this time, does not know who he is.

1 Samuel 13:15

The battle is about to begin. We will see here the real danger of disarmament. There are people today who are trying to disarm America. They think that if you destroy all of the ammunition somehow or other war will be eliminated. Others believe that if a gun law is passed and honest people are disarmed, this will stop the crooks. You cannot disarm the crooks, friend. All you do is lay honest people open to violation by the unlawful ones. This is idealistic, foolish thinking.

1 Samuel 13:19

The Philistines had disarmed the Israelites. The Israelites were permitted, however, some farm implements. But in order to sharpen them, they had to go down to the Philistines. In this way the enemy was able to keep an accurate count of what the Israelites had in the way of weapons.

1 Samuel 13:22

Only two men, Saul and Jonathan, had swords. I suppose the other men in the army carried mattocks, axes, clubs, and similar instruments. This was the way Saul’s army was equipped to fight!