Sha’ul Tries to Kill David
First Samuel 19: 1-24

Sha’ul tries to kill David DIG: Why is Sha’ul so eager to kill David? How did David respond to Sha’ul’s hatred of him? What did that say about David? How is Sha’ul fighting God’s will? Why would a person knowingly do this? Why do you think Jonathan seems more loyal to David than to his own father? Why did David seem to trust Sha’ul’s vow at this point? Why did YHVH send an evil spirit to Sha’ul again? What is the LORD trying to do? Why did David play the lyre again, after all he and Sha’ul had been through? Like Jonathan, does it surprise you that Michal, David’s wife, was more loyal to him than to her father? The prophesying here was probably singing and praising ADONAI. Why did this seem to keep Sha’ul’s men from capturing David? Why is it ironic that Sha’ul ends up prophesying also? 

REFLECT: Has someone ever hated you for no good reason? How did you react? How has your loyalty to friends been tested recently? Did you pass the loyalty test? How so? Is there any situation in your life right now in which you feel like “the enemy is closing in?” Have you devised a plan of escape? Do you have any less than loyal plans that ADONAI might be frustrating? What would it take for you to submit to the Lord’s stronger and wiser will? How can praise and worship help you in your times of trouble?

Knowing the evil intentions of his heart,
God treated Sha’ul like Pharaoh and hardened his heart.

Sha’ul – ever fearful and threatened, as well as aware that his dynasty was cursed and his kingdom would not last – soon grew suspicious of the young champion, saw him as his rival, and sought to murder him. Under this deadly threat, David would seemingly have had no chance. But he had an ally in the court, his friend Jonathan. Their lives had been knit together in such a way that they made a covenant of loyalty to each other even though David, who was in his early twenties at the time, was half Jonathan’s age (18:3).³⁶⁸

Sha’ul Tries to Kill David by His Servants: Sha’ul was tired of behind-the-scenes plots and was out to destroy his son-in-law in the quickest way possible, so he told his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David. Apparently Sha’ul was not aware of the deep friendship between his son and David. When this happened the prince warned David of his father’s intention. But Jonathan was very fond of David, and told him, “My father Sha’ul is out to have you killed. Therefore you must be very cautious tomorrow morning. Find a well-concealed place to hide in. The conspiracy was well planned. I will go out and stand next to my father in the countryside where you’re hiding. I will talk with my father about you; and if I learn anything, I’ll tell you” (19:13 CJB).

Jonathan even interceded with his father and spoke well of David, “Let not the king do wrong to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly. He took his life in his hands when he killed the Philistine. YHVH won a great victory for all Isra’el, and you saw it and were glad. Why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David by killing him for no reason? Sha’ul, enjoying a sane moment, listened to Jonathan and took this oath, “As surely as ADONAI lives, David will not be put to death.” So Jonathan called David and told him the whole conversation. He brought him to Sha’ul, and David was with Sha’ul as before (19:4-7). It’s remarkable that such a magnificent son could belong to such a wicked father! Had Jonathan been selfish, he could have helped to eliminate David and secure the crown for himself, but he submitted to ADONAI and assisted David.³⁶⁹

Sha’ul Tries to Kill David by the Spear Again: After an initial and successful attempt by Jonathan to smooth his father’s feelings toward David, Sha’ul continued his jealous attack against Isra’el’s future king. Once more war broke out, and David again went out and fought the Philistines and again he was extremely successful. He struck them with such force that they fled before him. Sha’ul was elected king to free the nation from the Philistines, but David was more successful than Sha’ul ever thought of being. Therefore, all of Jonathan’s efforts left Sha’ul unmoved and murderous in his resolve. So YHVH treated Sha’ul like Pharaoh and hardened his heart, and knowing the evil intentions of his heart, gave him over to an evil spirit as he was sitting in his house with his spear (scepter) in his hand. The Adversary is a liar and murderer (John 8:44), and because the Evil One controlled Sha’ul, he tried to pin David to the wall with his spear while he was playing the lyre. But David eluded him as Sha’ul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape (19:8-10). David was then a hunted man, sought by the king. Thus far in the narrative David is completely passive. He took no initiative, nor are we told of his responses to Sha’ul. The story simply gives room for the venom of Sha’ul to have its full, self-destructive play.³⁷⁰

Sha’ul Tries to Kill David by the His Messengers: Sha’ul can now think of nothing except the threat of David. So he sent men to David’s house to watch it and to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, knowing her father’s thought processes, warned him, “If you don’t run for your life tonight, tomorrow you’ll be killed.” So Michal let David down through a window (evidently an unguarded position with the messengers watching only the doors), and he fled and escaped. While Michal was scheming, David was praying (to see link click Cu – Sha’ul Sent Men to Kill David). Then Michal took one of her own idols (the house of Sha’ul was not totally free of idolatry) and laid it on the bed, covering it with a garment and putting some goat’s hair at the head. Apparently the men went back to Sha’ul and told him that David never came out. But when Sha’ul sent the men back a second time to capture David, Michal said, “He is ill.” They did not enter the house to check out Michal’s story so Sha’ul sent the men back a third time to see David and told them, “Bring him up to me in his bed so I may kill him.” But when the men entered, they discovered what the reader already knows: David was not there. There was the idol in the bed, and at the head was some goat’s hair. Only then does the father speak to his daughter. Only then do we hear the anguish in Sha’ul’s voice: Why did you deceive me like this and send my enemy away so he escaped?” Sha’ul’s sadness, however, wasn’t enough to compel Michal’s honest respect. She told him, “He said to me, ‘Let me get away. Why should I kill you’ (19:11-17)?”

We seem to be watching a soap opera. There is nothing here about ADONAI, ADONAI’s will, or ADONAI’s Kingdom. We are watching calculating humans that do not measure up to our expectations. Michal despised David in her heart so she chose to do wrong out of a selfish heart- just like her father. The hardened and selfish heart attitude of Sha’ul had infected the whole scene. David had escaped and Sha’ul was left with his evil spirit and without the object of his intense hatred. As a result of his obsession to kill David, Sha’ul had lost a son, and then a daughter.³⁷¹

David Flees to Ramah: When David had fled and made his escape, he went to Samuel at his home in Ramah and told him all that Sha’ul had done to him. This was a logical place because it was Samuel who anointed David as the next king in place of Sha’ul. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth, a section of Ramah containing the school of the prophets, which would provide a measure of sanctuary, and stayed there.

But Sha’ul’s spies were everywhere, and they reported to the king where he could find David. Word came to Sha’ul, “David is in Naioth at Ramah,” so he sent men to capture him. But when they saw a group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing there as their leader, the Ruach Ha’Kodesh came upon Sha’ul’s men, and they also prophesied. Keep in mind, this is not a blessing – but a judgment. They fell into a trance-like state that made it impossible for them to harm David. Sha’ul was told about it, and he sent more men a third time, and they also prophesied. Finally, in sheer exasperation, Sha’ul tried to take matters into his own hands by going to Ramah and went to the great cistern at Seku.

And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” David’s presence in Ramah was no secret because the people knew where they were. “Over in Naioth at Ramah,” they said. So Sha’ul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Ruach Ha’Kodesh came even on him, which was a judgment because it made it impossible for Sha’ul to carry out his wicked plan. And he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth. He stripped off his garments and he too prophesied in Samuel’s presence. This would be their last meeting until that fateful night when Samuel came up from Sh’ol to pass judgment on the king (See Dj – Sha’ul and the Medium at Endor). Sha’ul lay naked (a person was called naked whose outer clothes were thrown aside, leaving nothing but a long tunic next to the skin) in judgment all that day and all that night. And this gave David ample time to escape (19:18-24a). This pitifully embarrassing scene is that of this once great man, still tall but no longer great, prostrate on the ground, clearly not in control, shamed, now rendered pitiful and powerless.

But this wasn’t the first time he had prophecied. When Samuel anointed Sha’ul as the first king of Isra’el, he predicted that Sha’ul would prophecy, saying: The Spirit of ADONAI will fall on you, and you will prohesy . . . and be turned into a different man (10:6)! This came true on the same day. When they arrived at the hill, and there in front of him was a group of prophets, the Spirit of God fell on Sha’ul and he prophesied along with them. When those who knew him from before saw him there, prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What’s happened to Kish’s son? Is Sha’ul a prophet, too?” (10:10-11). This is why people ask, “Is Sha’ul also among the prophets” (19:24b)?

These two events, one in Chapter 10 and one in Chapter 19, prove that a person can have a remarkable religious experience and yet have no change of heart. In Sha’ul’s case, both experiences were actually sent by Ha’Shem, but Sha’ul didn’t profit from either one. Judas preached sermons and even performed miracles (Matthew 10:1-8), yet was not a believer. He ended up betraying the Lord and taking his own life (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Lm – Judas Hangs Himself). Sha’ul, like Judas, had many opportunities to see God’s hand at work, and yet he never had a life-changing experience.³⁷²

Even though the people asked: Is Sha’ul also among the prophets? – this question, however, can be asked in two very different tones of voice. In the first instance the question can be asked with expectancy, suggesting this surprising king, then powerfully energized by the Ruach HaKodesh, would rule in obedience to YHVH. But all that is left in the end is an empty shell of hate, no longer a king. Sha’ul’s career will be winding down for a while, but the narrator wants us to see that his rule is, in fact, finished.³⁷³

While Sha’ul was occupied at the school of the prophets, David slipped away from Ramah and went to meet Jonathan somewhere near Gibeah. David and Jonathan would make one final attempt to reconcile with the king, and it would almost cost Jonathan his life. Sha’ul was double-minded and unstable in all his ways (James 1:8). He would try to rule Judah and defeat the Philistines while also chasing David all over the landscape trying to kill him. The longer David eluded him, the more fanatical Sha’ul became until he finally ended his own life on the battlefield (see Dk – Sha’ul Take His Own Life), rejecting the help of the One who could have given him victory.³⁷⁴

Dear heavenly Father, praise You that You hold my life in Your hands. When King Sha’ul tried to kill David, Your hand of protection was upon David and so in no way would Sha’ul ever be able to do what was against Your will. How wonderful that those who have faith in You have no fear of death, but wait in eager expectation of a glorious life with You in Your marvelous heaven. They shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them and be their God. He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. Nor shall there be mourning or crying or pain any longer, for the former things have passed away (Revelation 21:3b-4). When the time has come that You have decided to take me home with You. Nothing can separate me from You. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Messiah Yeshua our Lord (Romans 8:38-39). Thank You for the great future joy of living with you eternally! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His Resurrection. Amen

Sha’ul’s Jealousy of David
First Samuel 18: 10-30

Sha’ul’s jealousy of David DIG: What resulted from Sha’ul’s deep jealousy of David? Why do people see Sha’ul and David so differently? Why does Sha’ul offer his oldest daughter in marriage? Why did she marry another instead? Why did Sha’ul offer Michal to David? Why did David continue to refuse to become the king’s son-in-law? Do you think David suspected Sha’ul’s motives? Why or why not? How did Sha’ul react when his offer was accepted? What did that say about Sha’ul’s relationship to ADONAI? Why weren’t any of Sha’ul’s plots against David successful?

REFLECT: How can popularity and praise from people test and prepare someone? How do you respond to someone out to get you, either personally or professionally? Why has your jealousy been aroused by someone dismissing your achievements in relation to a rival? What do such interpersonal relationships reveal about your relationship to God? In what area of your life do you compare yourself to others? Do you compare your weaknesses to others’ strengths? Does that work for you?

Jealousy got into Sha’ul’s soul, and ripened until it became a murderous intent.

At one time, Sha’ul loved David (First Samuel 16:21), but his attitude changed into jealousy and then hatred. ADONAI was with David, however, and Sha’ul was not permitted to harm him. During the five years that David was a fugitive (see the Life of David, to see link click Au – David on the Run), YHVH not only thwarted Sha’ul’s plans repeatedly, but He even used the king’s hostility to mature David and make him into a man of courage and faith. While Sha’ul was guarding his throne, David was being prepared to replace him.³⁶⁴

Sha’ul Tries to Kill David by the Spear: Jealousy got into Sha’ul’s soul, and it ripened until it became a murderous intent (James 1:13-15). The very next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully on Sha’ul who went into a frenzy while David was playing the lyre, as David usually did. Sha’ul had a spear in his hand (serving as his scepter) and he hurled it, saying to himself, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” Before the music had had its effect, Sha’ul had twice made an attempt on David’s life. To Sha’ul, David came to represent the enemy. Sha’ul was afraid of David, because ADONAI was with David, but had departed from Sha’ul (18:10-12). Note the gradual growth of Sha’ul’s hatred. First, he was afraid of David (verse 12), then he stood in awe of him (verse 15), then he was even more afraid (verse 29), and in the end he gave orders for David’s assassination (29:1).

Faith is living without scheming, but Sha’ul was better at scheming than in trusting God. If the king disobeyed YHVH, he always had an excuse ready to get himself out of trouble, and if people challenged his leadership, he simply got rid of them. Possessed by anger, paranoia and envy, and determined to hold on to his crown, Sha’ul decided that David needed to die.³⁶⁵ The king apparently hoped that David, a young and inexperienced officer, (only about 22 years old at the time) would be killed leading his men into battle. So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns. But in everything David did he had great success, because the LORD was with him. When Sha’ul saw how successful David was, he stood in awe (Hebrew: gur) of him. And all Isra’el and Judah loved David, because he led them to victory in their campaigns and he became the darling of the people. This only increased Sha’ul’s fear of David all the more (18:13-16).

Sha’ul Tries to Kill David by the Philistines: This involved the story of two of Sha’ul’s daughters. Sha’ul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merav. I will give her to you as your wife.” This should have already taken place because of Sha’ul’s promise to give his daughter to whoever killed Goliath (see Cq – David Kills Goliath). But now there was a new condition he wanted to add: only continue displaying your courage for me, and fight ADONAI’s battles. Sha’ul was thinking, “I don’t dare touch him or the people would turn against me, so let the Philistines do away with him.” Again, his hope was that David would die in battle. But what Sha’ul wanted to do to David, David would later do to Uriah the Hittite (see the Life of David Dc – David and Bathsheba). David’s response to Sha’ul was appreciation: Who am I, and what is my family or my clan in Isra’el, that I should become the king’s son-in-law? Now David probably does sense a trap. However, he did not clearly reject the offer and he fulfilled the added condition of defeating the Philistines in battle. But Sha’ul broke his promise. When the time came for Merav, Sha’ul’s daughter to be given to David, she was given to Adriel of Meholah instead (18:17-19 CJB). This was not only an insult to David, but all Isra’el would know that Sha’ul broke his commitment.

Now Sha’ul’s younger daughter Michal was in love with David, and when they told Sha’ul about it, he was pleased to have another chance to have David killed by the Philistines. Sha’ul wasn’t beneath using his own daughter as a tool to get rid of David. “I will give her to David,” he thought, “so that she may be a snare to him (he assumed she would side with him) and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Sha’ul said to David, “Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law” (18:20-21).

There were two attempts to convince David to marry Michal because at this point he didn’t trust Sha’ul, and for good reason. First, Sha’ul ordered his attendants to speak to David privately because he didn’t trust Sha’ul, having been deceived in the case of Merav. They said: Look, the king likes you, and his attendants all love you, now become his son-in-law. Sha’ul’s servants relayed the king’s message to David, but he replied: Do you think being the king’s son-in-law is something to be treated so casually, given that I’m a poor man without social standing and would not have enough money to pay the bride price. Sha’ul’s servants reported back to him how David had responded (18:22-24 CJB).

Then Sha’ul made a second attempt, saying: Here’s what you are to say to David, “The king doesn’t want you to pay the bride price; instead, he wants a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, so that he can have vengeance on the king’s enemies. The assumption was that to kill that many Philistines, it would take many sword fights, and the odds of David surviving all of them would not be good. For Sha’ul was hoping to have David killed by the Philistines. When the king’s servants said these words to David, it pleased him to become the king’s son-in-law. The date was set and David had to kill the allotment of Philistines before time ran out. But even before it was time to be married, David and his men got up, set out and killed two hundred Philistines and brought back their foreskins and gave all of them to Sha’ul in order to become the king’s son-in-law (18:25-26).

Then Sha’ul had run out of excuses, and he gave his daughter Michal to David to be his wife because he wouldn’t dare to break his promise a second time. Too many people were involved in conveying this commitment to David. Sha’ul saw and understood that ADONAI was with David because he survived the dangerous exploits that he had sent him on, and that Michal his daughter loved him. In fact, she loved him so much that she would side with her husband over her father and would not be a snare to David that Sha’ul had hoped. This only made Sha’ul even more afraid of David and Sha’ul became David’s enemy for the rest of his life. The Philistine commanders continued to attack; but whenever they did, David was more successful than any of Sha’ul’s officers, so that his name became well known, which only increased Sha’ul’s jealousy of David (18:27-30 CJB).³⁶⁶

Failing to understand the spiritual reality of the situation, Sha’ul was placed in an impossible circumstance. David drives Sha’ul crazy, but only David could soothe Sha’ul’s soul. Therefore, Sha’ul was left with an endless cycle of rage and comfort, where the comforter evokes more rage, which requires more comfort. Given this no-win state of affairs, Sha’ul gave up trying to have David killed by the Philistines. He would try more direct methods.

By the end of this chapter, Sha’ul is a remarkably isolated man. He sees clearly that he is losing control, and like sand slipping through his fingers, he is helpless to hold on to it. In every instance YHVH is keeping His promise to give the Kingdom over to this one after His own heart (13:14). David takes no initiatives. He doesn’t assert himself or express any ambition. He only receives what is given. David has received the submission of Jonathan, Sha’ul’s heir apparent. He is married to the king’s daughter who loves him. He is the hero to the people. A new history had begun in this man by the power of God. The defeat of Goliath started David’s rise, but it was not a sufficient explanation for his enormous success and popularity. The only explanation is that ADONAI was with him. Sha’ul was not yet ready to yield . . . but he already knew.³⁶⁷

Needless to say, fighting against God is a losing battle!

Dear Heavenly Father, praise You that You are greater than any huge problem, or terrible situation that may come. It is a comfort to know that when I am walking close with You, I am safe. No one is wiser than You, for You know everything, including the motives of men’s hearts (First Corinthians 4:5), and You know all that will happen the future (Daniel 2, 7). Therefore, it is comforting for me to place my problems and concerns into Your hands to follow Your Word. No matter how difficult the problem may seem to be, running to You, is always the wisest thing to do. Help me to always remember to cast all my worries on You, because I know that You care for me (First Peter 5:7).

David experienced many painful trials and times fof broken relationships; yet by putting his trust in Your steadfast love, You were always there to comfort and encourage him (Psalm 63:1-7). David knew it was your power and strength working in events that provided the victory. Even though David was the one who threw the slingshot that killed Goliath, he lovingly and wisely gave all glory to You, Adonai-Tzva’ot, The LORD of heaven’s angelic armies (First Samuel 17:45). Thank You for always being with me to help me in my battles. For God Himself has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5c). In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Sha’ul’s Growing Fear of David
First Samuel 18:1 to 20:42

Joyous dancing and singing, accompanied by instrumental music, welcomed the victorious army home, as the women expressed their appreciation of the heroes of the battle. Not surprisingly, David was hailed as the number one hero, while Sha’ul was put in second place, a judgment that he couldn’t handle, but which annoyed and festered into incurable jealousy. It just ate him up inside. The song was not meant to be derogatory to the king in the process of celebrating the outstanding bravery of David, but, in the light of Samuel’s rejection of Sha’ul (15:1-34), the words seemed to point to David as his replacement. This realization poisoned Sha’ul’s relationship with David from that point forward.³⁶³ Sha’ul tried to kill David by using his spear (18:10-16), by the Philistines (18:17-30), by his servants (19:1-7), again by using his spear (19:8-10) and by his messengers (19:11-17).

David Kills Goliath
First Samuel 17: 17-58

David kills goliath DIG: How would you describe the sibling rivalry between David and Eli’av? What might be the root cause of that jealousy? How did David seek to persuade Sha’ul to let him fight Goliath? Where does David find the confidence to face Goliath? Why did David take five smooth stones with him? How does David’s attitude compare with Sha’ul’s? What is the end result of David’s boldness for Goliath? For the men of Isra’el and Y’hudah? For the Philistines? For David himself?

REFLECT: What’s holding you back from taking the “bull by the horns” (or Goliath by the sling)? What do you fear might happen if you turned and faced the enemy who taunts you and defiles God? Having imagined that, re-write the end result with ADONAI on your side. Where have you seen God’s name ridiculed or blasphemed? What could you have done to set the record straight? David’s oldest brother thought he was conceited (17:28). How can you tell the difference between conceit and faith? What evidence of faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did David demonstrate in this chapter? As you look at your own life, how does this story affect you?

David knew that he would kill Goliath because the giant had insulted ADONAI.

David’s Arrival at the Camp: Now Jesse said to his son David, who may have been about 15 at that time, “Hurry to the camp and take these five bushels of roasted grain and ten loaves of bread to your brothers. Also bring these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. Find out if your brothers are well, and bring back some token from them so I can know that they are safe. They are with Sha’ul and all the men of Isra’el in the Elah Valley, fighting against the Philistines” (17:17-19).

Early in the morning David left the flock in the care of a shepherd, loaded up, and set out, just as his father had directed. David’s obedience saved the nation. He reached the camp just as the army was going out to their battle positions and shouting the war cry. Isra’el and the Philistines had set up their battle lines facing each other across the Elah Valley. David left the roasted grain, loaves of bread and cheeses with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle line and asked his brothers if they were well. As providence would have it, just as he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his battle line and shouted his usual defiance – and David heard it (17:20-23). David arrived at the very moment when the Spirit-less Sha’ul and his dispirited army were at their lowest point.

Their defeatist attitude proved Isra’el to be devoid of faith in their God. Goliath’s challenge was really a test of their confidence in YHVH. It was as if Goliath was saying, “Am I not a pagan, God-hating Philistine? Then why won’t any of you men of ‘the living God,’ come and fight me? You must not really believe in Him at all! In fact, you must believe that a nine-foot warrior is actually stronger than your ‘living God’ in battle.”

This is the kind of test the world still delights to pose for believers, often with Goliath-like mockery. “We know what you teach, but let’s see how you do when faced with real-life sensual temptation, or an opportunity to get rich by cheating. Let’s see the look on your God-praising face when you receive a terrifying medical diagnosis or your stock portfolio crashes! Let’s see how you respond when given an opportunity to cheat on an important college exam!” Behind Goliath was the same devil that wages spiritual warfare today. The issue is always the same, “Do you really trust a loving God of power and grace?”

Perceiving this spiritual dynamic helps us to understand David’s shocking reaction to the sight before him. This may have been the first time that he had ever heard anyone blaspheme the name of ADONAI. How humiliated David must have been when he saw all the Israelites run away in great fear (17:24).³⁵⁴

Now while the king would not risk his own neck and fight the formidable Philistine, he was willing to richly reward anyone who would. The Israelites had been saying to each other, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Isra’el. Whoever kills him, the king will give a rich reward; he’ll also give him his daughter in marriage and exempt his father’s family from all military service and taxes in Isra’el.” Thinking of his family, David asked for some clarification and verification of what he had just heard to make sure that it was just not a rumor. So he said to the men standing with him, “What reward will be given to the one who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Isra’el? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, “This is what will be done for the one who kills Goliath” (17:25-27).

Despite the reward, the only reason David did what he was about to do was for the glory of YHVH. David came to the contest in the name of ADONAI-Tzva’ot, and he wanted Goliath, the Philistine army, and all the Gentile nations to know that the true and living God was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

When Eli’av, David’s oldest brother heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness?” “I know how conceited you (but David was humble) are and how wicked your heart is (but this is a young man after God’s own heart); you came down only to watch the battle.” Just as Joseph’s older brothers reacted with jealous hatred to his dreams of sovereignty over them (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Iz – Joseph’s Dreams), so also David’s older brother misunderstood and angrily questioned David’s motives for coming down to the battlefield. David’s response to Eli’av was respectful but firm. “Now what have I done?” answered David. “I only asked a question.” He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. Then David’s contempt for Goliath was overheard and reported to Sha’ul, and the king sent for him (17:28-31).

David prepared before the battle: Finally David came to Sha’ul, being summoned because the king had heard of David’s bold, defiant question (17:26). Undaunted by his brothers rebuke, David said to Sha’ul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” It had been a long time since Sha’ul had such a brave volunteer, but his initial response was to dismiss David: You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; but you are just an inexperienced youth (Hebrew: naur) and Goliath has been a warrior from his youth” (17:32-33).

But David said to Sha’ul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by the hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defiled the armies of the living God. Then David said: ADONAI, who rescued me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will rescue me from the paw of this Philistine! Up until now no one else in the story has named the name of ADONAI. The others were cowards, because they had abandoned their only source of courage. Finally Sha’ul agreed and said to David, “Go, may the LORD be with you” (17:34-37). It was though David had given the king the courage and faith to speak again of YHVH.³⁵⁵

As a rule, the soldiers will reflect the spirit of their leader. And that was the problem, for the Ruach Ha’Kodesh had departed from Sha’ul and he was left to his own limited resources.³⁵⁶ When Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost (14:1-23), Sha’ul was merely a spectator, and his bad decisions almost cost them the victory. Here, once again, Sha’ul simply watched as David defeated the enemy single-handedly. Unfortunately, this would be Sha’ul’s pattern of leadership to the tragic end of his life.³⁵⁷

Sha’ul still didn’t get it. He tried to dress David in his own armor – he put a bronze helmet on his head and gave him a coat of armor to wear. Isra’el had yearned to have a king like the Gentile nations (8:5). So God gave them Sha’ul, and he was preparing David for battle just like the Gentile giant. David buckled the king’s sword on his armor and tried to walk around, but it was too heavy and he wasn’t used to such equipment. Then David said to Sha’ul, “I can’t move wearing these things, because I’m not used to them.” So David took them off (17:38-39). David refused to be like Sha’ul, or like the Gentile nations, or like the Philistine.

Then David took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag (17:40a). Why five smooth stones? David was merely being prepared. ADONAI had not promised that he would kill Goliath with the first stone. And what if the Philistines had attacked? How would he defend himself? Five would be just right. Such was David’s alternative to usual modes of self-defense.

And with his leather sling in his hand, approached the Philistine (17:40b). This was not a kid with a toy on the battlefield. It took an extraordinary amount of skill and practice, but in an experienced hand, the sling was a devastating weapon. Shepherds could whip their slingshots six to seven times per second before hitting their target. An experienced slinger could kill or seriously injure a target 200 yards away with accuracy. The Benjamites had seven hundred slingers, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss (Judges 20:16). They could hit birds in flight. The stones released from their slingshots had the impact of firing a .45 caliber handgun. David was a master marksman . . . a sharpshooter, if you will.³⁵⁸

As Sha’ul watched David going out to meet Goliath, he said to Abner, commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is that young lad?” Notice that Sha’ul didn’t ask who David was. The king could hardly forget the red headed youth (see 16:12, from the Hebrew word adom, meaning to be red, the same as Esau in Genesis 25:25) that had been his court musician, but apparently had forgotten the name of David’s father. He needed that information in order to reward the family for the victory.³⁵⁹ Abner replied, “As surely as you live, your majesty, I don’t know.” The king said, “Find out whose son this young lad is” (17:55-56).

David prevailed in the battle: Meanwhile, Goliath, with his limited eyesight and double vision (see Cp – Goliath Mocks Isra’el), had his shield bearer in front of him to guide him. As he came closer to David he was finally able to see him. The Philistine looked David up and down and had nothing but scorn for what he saw – a boy with ruddy cheeks, red hair and good looks. Shepherds carried a staff that they held at the center. It was used not only for support in climbing hills, but also for the purpose of beating bushes and low brushwood in which the flocks stray, and where snakes and other reptiles could be found. It would also be used for correcting the shepherd dogs and making them obey.³⁶⁰ Enraged, Goliath said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” David had only one staff. Goliath saw two. And the Philistine cursed David by his Philistine gods, saying: Come here to me and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals (17:41-44 CJB). Why didn’t Goliath go to David? He couldn’t. He was a statue. The giant’s supposed greatest strength, his height and size, was his greatest weakness. On top of that, he could hardly see. What happened next?

David preserved God’s name: David was undaunted and said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of ADONAI-Tzva’ot, the God of the armies of Isra’el, whom you have defiled (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Ag – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh). This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole Gentile world will know that there is a God in Isra’el. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that ADONAI saves; for the battle is Ha’Shem’s and He will give all of you into our hands (17:45-47). Just as David was confident that he would be victorious over Goliath, he was also confident that Isra’el would be victorious over the Philistines.

The talking was over. As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David, taking the offensive rather quickly, ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him powered by courage and strength. What could Goliath do? He was carrying over a hundred pounds of armor. He was prepared for a battle at close range where he could stand, immobile, warding off blows with his armor and delivering a mighty thrust of his javelin. He watched David approach, first with scorn, then with surprise, and then with anger. He seemed oblivious to what was happening or the danger he was in.³⁶¹

While still running, David reached into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead (Hebrew: metsch), his only point of vulnerability, and the giant fell face down on the ground. In boxing terms, it was a technical knockout within 5 seconds in the first round. The stone had stunned the giant, and now the sword must kill him. David took hold of the Philistine’s heavy sword with both hands and drew it from the sheath. After killing him, David cut off his head with the sword. Thus, David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down Goliath and killed him (17:48-51a). He was too big, too slow, and too blurry eyed to comprehend the way the tables had been turned until it was too late.

When the Philistines saw that their hero (Hebrew: gibor meaning a mighty one) had been decapitated with his own sword, they turned and ran. Then the men of Isra’el and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp (17:51b-53). The LORD is the hero of this story.

As soon as David returned from killing Goliath, Abner took him and brought him before Sha’ul, with David still holding the Philistine’s head. “Whose son are you, young man?” Sha’ul asked him. David replied: I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem (17:57-58). Now the king knew whose family to reward.

David took Goliath’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, which at the time was a city controlled by the Jebusites, would have been quite happy to see Goliath’s head. And as grisly as it was, it would also remind the Jebusites that David’s God was very powerful indeed. He put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent on the battlefield (17:54). Later, Goliath’s sword will show up with the Jewish priests in Nov (see the commentary on the Life of David Av – David at Nov), so David must have dedicated it to the LORD by giving it to the priests.

It has been said that there are people who make things happen, people who watch things happen, and people who don’t know what happened. David had insight into Isra’el’s plight and knew what was happening. He realized that it wasn’t a physical conflict between two armies, but a spiritual battle between truth and error, faith and superstition, the true and living God and dead, lifeless idols. David’s faith lifted the war to a much higher plane, just as Rabbi Sha’ul did with the church at Ephesus: Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12).³⁶²

Dear heavenly Father, praise You as the wonderful Father that ever could be! Your steadfast love is so awesome! (Psalms 36:7). Your wisdom is perfect, even knowing the secrets of men’s hearts (Matthew 9:4, 1 Samuel 16:7, Jeremiah 17:10). You are the living eternal God who knows the future as though it already happened. But Adonai Elohim is truth. He is the living God and eternal King. At His wrath the earth quakes and the nations cannot endure His indignation (Jeremiah 10:10 see also Daniel 6:26).

What a joy and comfort to know that your Holiness, steadfast love and great wisdom all work together to guide what happens in my life. It is wonderful when all is going well; but Your love and wisdom are still guiding me when things do not go well. Times of trial are opportunities to trust You even stronger and continue to praise You, as king Jehoshaphat did when several mighty armies came against his kingdom (Second Chronicles 20:18-22). You are still on the throne, in control and able to conquer and win when there are problems and temptations (First Corinthians 10:13). Trials are opportunities to trust You. David went thru many severe trials and huge problems, but as he kept his trust in You, he was encouraged and not afraid. My foes trample me all day. For many are fighting me arrogantly. In a day when I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God – I keep praising His word – in God I trust, I will not fear (Psalms 56:2-4a).

David’s faith gave him courage to kill the mighty giant. Abraham’s faith enabled him to be the Father of many nations, though his body was as good as dead (Romans 4:19). Faith in Yeshua, the promised Messiah, results in the wonderful blessing of being sealed with an inheritance, the promised Ruach Ha’Kodesh. After you heard the message of truth – the Good News of your salvation – and when you put your trust in Him, you were sealed with the promised Ruach Ha’Kodesh. He is the guarantee of our inheritance, until the redemption of His possession – to His glorious praise! (Ephesians 1:13-14). How wonderful to have faith in You, for You are so wise and loving! It is a joy to love, trust and to follow You! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Goliath Mocks Isra’el
First Samuel 17: 1-16

Goliath mocks Isra’el DIG: What does Goliath’s armor and weaponry reveal about him? What is a possible explanation for his extraordinary height? What other problems would it cause? Why didn’t the Philistines and the Israelites charge each other? What motivated David to fight Goliath? What was at stake?

REFLECT: Is your attitude more like Sha’ul’s or David’s? Are there any areas in your life that you have tried to throw off your shackles and have your own way with God? Finances? Relationships? Career? How can that attitude be changed? How can David’s actions of faith and courage be a model in your walk with God?

For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand,
denouncing the armies of Isra’el.

The Challenge of Goliath: Now the Philistines gathered their troops for war and assembled in the Elah Valley in Judah (17:1a). At the heart of ancient Palestine is the region known as the Shephelah, a series of ridges and valleys connecting the Judean Mountains to the east with the wide, flat expanse of the Mediterranean plain. It is an area of breathtaking beauty, home to vineyards and wheat fields and forests of sycamore and terebinth. But it was also of great strategic importance.

Over the centuries, numerous battles have been fought for control of the region because the valleys rising from the Mediterranean plain offer those on the coast a clear path to the cities of Hebron, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem, in the Judaean highlands. The Elah Valley was the most important valley in Aijalon, in the north; but the most storied is Elah. It was where Saladin faced off against the knights of the Crusades in the twelfth century. The Elah Valley played a central role in the Maccabean wars with Syria more than a thousand years before that, and most famously, during the days of TaNaKh, it was where the fledgling kingdom of Isra’el squared off against the armies of the Philistines.

The Philistines pitched their camp on the southern ridge between Sokoh and Azekah in Ephes Dammim (meaning the boundary of blood, for all the battles that had been fought there). Sha’ul and the men of Isra’el set up their camp along the northern ridge of the Elah Valley, and drew up their battle line opposite the Philistines. The two armies looked at each other across a deep and narrow gorge cut out by a stream running down the middle of the valley. The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites the other (17:1b-3). Neither army dared to move. To attack meant descending down the ridge and then making a suicidal climb up to the enemy’s position on the other side.³⁵¹

Finally, the Philistines had enough. A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. The word champion means a challenger, a representative, or the man of the between. In those days it was common for two armies to choose two representatives to fight each other. Whichever man won the individual battle, also won for his nation, the battle between the two armies. The Philistines sent Goliath out as their representative. In the Israelite camp, no one moved. Who could win against such an opponent?

Goliath was nine feet, nine inches tall. But he probably had a very serious medical condition. He looked and sounded like someone suffering from what is called acromegaly. A disease caused by a benign tumor of the pituitary gland. The tumor causes an overproduction of the human growth hormone, which would explain Goliath’s extraordinary size. And furthermore, one of the common side effects of acromegaly is a vision problem. The pituitary tumors can grow to the point where they compress the nerves leading to the eyes, resulting in severely restricted eyesight and double vision.³⁵²

Not only was his height imposing, but his armor was also intimidating. He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he wore a coat of scale armor of bronze, fashioned from several hundred small bronze plates that resembled fish scales, weighing one hundred and twenty-five pounds, very advanced military equipment. He had bronze armor protecting his legs and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His shaft of his javelin was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed twenty pounds. Because he could not see very well, his shield-bearer went ahead of him and guided him to the spot where he would stand (17:4-7). The Hebrew word for shield here is not magm, which means a small shield, but is tzinah, which is a large shield that would protect the whole body.

The only thing that matched Goliath’s size was his bluster. He stood and shouted to the armies of Isra’el, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? There is no need for two whole armies to fight. Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Sha’ul, so choose a man for yourselves, and have him come down to me. If he can fight me and kill me, we’ll be your slaves; but if I beat him and kill him, you will become slaves and serve us. Then the Philistine taunted and mocked the Israelites, “This day I defy the armies of Isra’el. Give me a man and let us fight each other!” Having thrown down the gauntlet, the Philistine challenger had no takers at first.

Before Goliath, there was King Sha’ul. That is, before going out to fight the giant, David had to overcome his own lethargic and unbelieving king. Sha’ul, after all, was Isra’el’s Goliath: the tall and impressive champion, the one whose prowess would gain the nation victory. But the taller Philistine had bested Sha’ul, and now he was cowering in fear.³⁵³ When Sha’ul and all Isra’el heard the Philistine’s words, they were shaken and terrified (17:8-11). This sets the stage for David’s heroic act.

Rabbinic tradition teaches that Orpah (see the commentary on Ruth, to see link click An – Your People Will Be My People and Your God My God) was the mother of Goliath. In the Aggadah, it gives her real name was Harafu and that when she returned to Mo’av she was given a new husband, the Philistine king of Gath, resulting in a shrewd political alliance between Eglon King of Mo’av and the Philistines. In those days there were still giants living in Mo’av, but most of them had moved to Philistia. Rabbinic tradition also teaches that Orpah became the wife of one of those giants and the mother of Goliath. Naomi’s other daughter-in-law, Ruth, chose the harder path of leaving her homeland of Mo’av to follow the God of Isra’el. Ruth gave birth to David, a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). Even when the path is hard, it is better to follow the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The Family of David: While the giant’s physical features are highlighted to impress us, it is David’s covenant lineage that sets him apart: Now David was the son of an Ephrathite Judah named Jesse. It is clear from Genesis 35:19, Ruth 4:11 and Micah 5:2, that Ephrath(ah) was another name for Bethlehem in Judah (opposed to Bethlehem in Zebulun – Joshua 19:10). Jesse had eight sons, and in the time of Sha’ul he was very old – the years had taken their toll. Jesse’s three oldest sons, loyal warriors, had followed Sha’ul into battle. The firstborn was Eli’av; the second was Avinadav; and the third was Shammah. David may have been fifteen years old, and the youngest. The three oldest followed Sha’ul, but David went back and forth from Sha’ul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem (17:12-15).

For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand (Hebrew: yatsar), denouncing the armies of Isra’el (17:16). The Bible uses the number forty for a definite period of testing. We can think of Isra’el’s forty years in the wilderness (Numbers 32:13), and Yeshua’s forty days of temptation (see The Life of Christ Bj – Jesus is Tempted in the Wilderness). Therefore, David’s arrival occurred at the exact point when Isra’el’s army had completely failed the challenge set before them by Goliath.

The psalter agreed with the Ruach when he wrote: Why do the Gentile nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? Why do they even bother? The kings of the earth take their stand (Hebrew: yatsar) against ADONAI and against His anointed, saying: Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles. The kingdoms of this earth are by nature opposed to the rule of YHVH and His Messiah. However, the One enthroned in heaven, laughs; ADONAI scoffs at them. He rebukes them in His anger and terrifies them in His wrath, mocking the feeble attempts of anyone to overthrow Him, saying: But as for Me, I (in the emphatic position), I have set My King on Tziyon, My holy mountain (Psalm 2:1-6). After the bluster from Goliath, God will have the final say, not only with the kings of the earth, but also with the Philistine giant.

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for Your almighty strength and power and that You use when I am in trouble and I cry out to You. I don’t need to worry if You will hear me, for You have promised to come and to dwell with those who love You. Yeshua answered and said to him: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him (John 14:23). It is so awesome that Your promises are always trustworthy. For in Him (Yeshua the Messiah) all the promises of God are “Yes.” (Second Corinthians 1:20a). This comforts my soul. When I face an extremely terrible situation, You are right there with me. The outcome of the battle does not depend on my strength nor size; but in Your strength. It is a joy to trust and to obey You! In the Name of Him who sits at Your right hand. Amen

David and Goliath
First Samuel 17: 1-58

The Bible commonly teaches issues of faith and righteousness by using contrasts. And of all these contrasts, none is more powerful than that between Sha’ul and David. The battle between David and Goliath in Chapter 17 begins in earnest a contest between David and Sha’ul that will take up the remainder of First Samuel. Here, in David’s first public appearance, Sha’ul and David are contrasted in their response to the Philistine giant’s challenge: Give me a man, that we may fight each other (17:10 NET)!

The account of David slaying the giant Goliath is a classic tale, having the ingredients of drama and excitement, anticipation and the satisfaction of “the good guy” defeating “the bad guy” against all odds. “David and Goliath” has become a stock phrase for any “little guy” who takes on and defeats a bigger, stronger foe, whether in war, sports, business or politics. The prominence of the story is not accidental. This is the longest of all the accounts in Samuel, including more quotations than any other and featuring the longest and most vivid speech from one of Isra’el’s enemies. Careful attention is paid to small details, such as the number of cheeses brought by David, the pieces and weight of Goliath’s armor, the number of small stones picked up by David, and so on.

As we approach this great chapter, we should realize that David’s victory does not primarily foretell triumphs that we will personally achieve by faith, but rather, the victory of Messiah for our salvation. David as a hero and king presents a foreshadowing portrait, a type if you will, of his greater descendant, Yeshua Messiah. Furthermore, while we may recognize David’s faith, character, experience from shepherding, and application of biblical principles as having played a role in his success. David triumphed primarily because the Ruach Ha’Kodesh indwelt him, having rushed upon him at his anointing (16:13). Therefore, David’s actions remind us that faith, godliness, and courage should always result from a Spirit-filled life, and that ADONAI will often use these qualities to aide us as we walk with Him daily.³⁵⁰

David in Sha’ul’s Service
First Samuel 16: 14-23

David in Sha’ul’s service DIG: How was the Ruach Ha’Kodesh at work in the life of David and Sha’ul? In what ways was David especially suited for the work YHVH had for him to do? How could the evil spirit tormenting Sha’ul be from God, when He is holy and loving? Why do you think YHVH sent an evil spirit to Sha’ul? Why is music advised for Sha’ul’s troubled soul? What was David’s most attractive attribute?

REFLECT: When have you sinned and tried to find relief through remedies other than repentance? When others look at you, can they see the LORD working in your life? What do you think the servant meant when he said: The LORD is with him (16:18)? Can the same be said of you? Explain.

An evil spirit from the LORD would suddenly come over Sha’ul.

Sha’ul had run afoul of Ha’Shem and His prophet Samuel (to see link click Ck – God Rejects Sha’ul). The LORD had given Sha’ul one last chance to obey His word, but Sha’ul had followed his own counsel and the people’s greed instead of God’s commands. As a result, Samuel told him, “Because you have rejected the word of ADONAI, ADONAI has rejected you as king over Isra’el” (15:28b CJB). God’s rejection had two immediate results.

First, the Spirit of YHVH had departed from Sha’ul (16:14a CJB). The chaotic situation during the rest of Sha’ul’s life reflects the fact that the Spirit was no longer empowering Sha’ul to serve as King. It is important to remember that whereas the indwelling of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh in the Dispensation of Torah (Exodus 19:1 to Acts 1:26) was selective and temporary, in the Dispensation of Grace (Acts 2:1 to Revelation 19:21) the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is permanent among believers (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer). But as the Ruach departed from Sha’ul . . . that same Spirit filled David.

Second, an evil (Hebrew: ra’ah) spirit from the LORD would suddenly come over Sha’ul (16:14b CJB). Just as God had sent an evil spirit to perform His will during the days of Abimelech (Judges 9:23), so He also sent a demon to Sha’ul. The Hebrew implies that the demon terrified Sha’ul. The presence of this evil spirit was manifested in Sha’ul by his manic depression, insecurity, periods of intense despair, homicidal tendencies for no reason, and delusions of plots against him.

Sha’ul, once so impressive as a young man, had become gloomy and unstable. His court of course, noticed this. His attendants believed music was the answer, and they said to him, “See an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the lyre (similar to a harp, but smaller). He will play when the evil spirit from God comes on you, and you will feel better. So Sha’ul said to his attendants, “Find someone who plays well and bring him to me” (16:15-17). The king agreed to the solution. Yet their remedy was superficial. In ancient times the playing of the lyre was widely held to combat evil spirits, and even today we know the soothing power of music. However, Sha’ul’s true problem was his sin against ADONAI. Spiritually sound advice would have urged the king to turn to YHVH in heartfelt repentance. God’s grace is always available to anyone who will repent and believe: Return to Me and I will return to you (Zechariah 1:3).³⁴⁷ But Sha’ul was a suspicious and revengeful man, and this gave the demon a beachhead for his operation (Ephesians 4:25-27).

God, who plans for the future before it happens, had a servant in Sha’ul’s household who knew of David’s feats of mighty strength in defeating wild animals and of the Lord being with David. One of the servants answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He is strong (Hebrew: gibbor), with the heart of a warrior (evidently David’s defense of his sheep from the lion and the bear was well known). He speaks well and is fine-looking. But how would a member of Sha’ul’s household know about someone from such an obscure Judean village? The reader, however, knows of David’s secret anointing (see the commentary on the Life of David Ah – Samuel Anoints David).³⁴⁸ And besides, ADONAI is with him” (16:18). This was the key to David’s success in life. This was also the secret of the success of Joseph (Genesis 39:2-3, 21, 23), Joshua (Joshua 6:27), and Samuel (3:19). It’s also the basis for success in every believer’s life today. So the hand of God was beginning to move to bring David into the court of the king of Isra’el.

Then Sha’ul sent messengers to Jesse and said: Send me your son David, who is with the sheep. Unwittingly, Sha’ul summons the very one who possessed the Ruach Ha’Kodesh and would, in due time, displace him. When Sha’ul was sitting on his tarnished throne, David’s royal training began. No one appeared before the king empty-handed, so Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Sha’ul (16:19-20). So when David was about 12 years old, he came to Sha’ul and entered his service. David, however, returned to his father’s house to tend his sheep when needed. Thus, David was given an invaluable introduction to the royal court.

Sha’ul liked him very much. Then Sha’ul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Allow David to be of service to me, for I am pleased with him.” Whenever the evil spirit from God came on Sha’ul, David would take up his lyre and play and the Spirit of God would return to the king. Then relief would come to Sha’ul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him (16:21-23). However, that affection was gradually replaced by envy, and then fear, until Sha’ul was determined to kill David. Sha’ul became David’s enemy; but David never treated Sha’ul like an enemy. David behaved wisely and tried to help Sha’ul get over his fits of depression, but they only became worse. Like all of us, without YHVH in our lives, Sha’ul was a total failure. The chapter ends with young David, Isra’el’s future king, coming to serve a rejected and dejected ruler who is totally unaware of the implication of his welcoming him into his court. Not just “a handsome peasant with a rustic lyre,” Jesse’s son had already been anointed as Isra’el’ king.³⁴⁹

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for being so wise and loving. Your steadfast love gives me such comfort. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him (Psalm 103:11). Your wisdom is so great! O the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God (Romans 11:33)! You plan for my future before it happens, without hindering my free will to chose. There is nothing that can happen without Your ability to solve the problem. For nothing will be impossible with God (Luke 1:37). Just as you placed a servant in Sha’ul’s household who knew of David’s ability to play the lyre, so Your steadfast love goes ahead me to guide and to bless me abundantly as I obey Your Word. But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children (Psalm 103:17). Praise and thank You for being such a faithful heavenly Father! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His Resurrection. Amen

Samuel Anoints David
First Samuel 16: 1-13

Samuel anoints David DIG: Why was Samuel mourning? Why does Samuel hesitate to go to Beit-Lehem? What do Samuel’s fears say about Sha’ul’s character? How does YHVH calm his fears? Why do the elders of the town tremble at the sight of Samuel? What does that say about the rift between Sha’ul and Samuel? Beyond normal worship, what does Samuel’s sacrifice signify? Why did Samuel initially think Eli’av was the LORD’s anointed? What is the irony here? The Jews had chosen a king that looked like Eli’av (see 10:23-24), but that would end in disaster. When else had ADONAI ignored tradition and chosen one with a heart for God to fulfill His covenant (Genesis 25:23)? What was the significance of the anointing of David by Samuel?

REFLECT: What do you look for when you search for a leader you can trust? When have you judged a fellow believer because of their appearance? What difference would it make if you saw him or her as YHVH does? What is God calling you to do despite what other people think?

People look at the outward appearance, but ADONAI looks at the heart.

The people had chosen Sha’ul because he looked like a king. But he wasn’t a godly man and failed his nation and his God miserably. Therefore, YHVH spoke through His prophet Samuel to choose another who would be king over all Isra’el (15:1-35). After Sha’ul’s further rebellion against ADONAI and his subsequent rejection by God, Samuel was commissioned to seek out the one who would succeed Sha’ul on the throne of Isra’el. This one had already been identified as a man after God’s own heart (13:14) and one of Sha’ul’s neighbors who was better than he (15:28). David had been chosen from eternity past to be ruler of Isra’el.

The rejection of Sha’ul did not force Ha’Shem to a new course of action. Rather, God’s action followed His omniscient plan in such a way as to use Sha’ul’s disobedience as the human occasion for implementing His higher plan. YHVH had permitted the people to have the king of their choice. Now that that king and their mistake in choosing him had been clearly seen, the LORD proved the superiority of His own wisdom in raising up a king who would come in fulfillment of His perfect will.³⁴⁰

As the story begins, we see an aged man. He is the greatest man of his time, one of God’s mightiest servants. At one time, this man had been used by God to rescue His people in one of their darkest hours (2:12-3:21). But now Samuel, Isra’el’s last judge and still God’s prophet, trembles and weeps. The cause of Samuel’s grief is Isra’el’s king, whom Samuel had tried to serve and help for decades. King Sha’ul, chosen by the people because of his worldly qualifications, proved to have none of the spiritual qualities needed for leading God’s people. Sha’ul would not obey the voice of the LORD, so Samuel was called by YHVH to rebuke and ultimately reject him as king.³⁴¹ In the end, God regretted that He had made Sha’ul king over Isra’el, and Samuel grieved over Sha’ul (15:35).

Samuel’s Journey: ADONAI said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Sha’ul, since I have rejected him as king over Isra’el? It was very difficult for Samuel to accept the fact that Sha’ul had failed, and God was replacing him with another king. But YHVH is a God of action, and He commanded Samuel to move forward despite his sense of personal loss. Fill your horn with oil (for the purpose of anointing) and be on your way.

Earlier in First Samuel ADONAI selected someone of His own choosing after His own heart (13:14), someone better than Sha’ul (15:28), to replace him as king. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem (see the commentary on Ruth, to see link click Bd – Coda: The Genealogy of David). I have chosen for Myself one of his sons to be king” (16:1 CJB). The people had chosen King Sha’ul, but this time ADONAI will make the choice. Now Samuel knew that Ha’Shem had rejected Sha’ul as king over Isra’el (15:26), but he didn’t know who the new king would be. Here, at least, the search was whittled down to Jesse and his sons.³⁴²

As Isra’el’s judge and prophet, Samuel had the right to travel where he pleased. But the times were difficult because Sha’ul was a suspicious man, and his spies were everywhere. The road from Ramah where Samuel lived, to Bethlehem where Jesse lived, went right through Gibeah, where Sha’ul lived. If the king found out that Samuel was in Bethlehem to anoint a new king, he would have viewed Samuel’s actions as treason. So Samuel said: How can I go? If Sha’ul hears about it, he will kill me. So YHVH said: Take a heifer with you and say, “I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.” If questions arose about his visit to Bethlehem, Samuel could simply say he was there to sacrifice to ADONAI. He told the truth and protected his life at the same time. Secrecy is not the same as deceit. Samuel only told Sha’ul only what he needed to know at that time. This principle is seen in the B’rit Chadashah when Yeshua sent out His apostles. They were not to be naïve. He warned them: I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16). This was a matter of life and death, requiring honesty with carefulness to answer in a non-incriminating way. Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and anoint for me the one I indicate” (16:2-3). Since it was common for Samuel to go to various towns to sacrifice, this wouldn’t seem unusual. Samuel did what Ha’Shem said.

When he arrived in Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him because they knew Samuel and Sha’ul were estranged. Whenever the high officials of the court came to a village, there was only trouble and risk. Such officials never came to give, but always to take. Either Samuel was loyal to Sha’ul, which meant trouble, or he was not, which put them at risk with the king. The elders thought they were in a no-win situation. They asked, “Do you come in peace or judgment?” Samuel replied: In peace, therefore alleviating the noticeable tension. I have come to sacrifice to ADONAI. Consecrate yourselves (which would have been by ritual immersion) and come to the sacrifice with me. Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons (all but one as we shall see) and invited them to the sacrifice (16:4-5). Before the guests sat down to enjoy the fellowship feast, Samuel looked over seven of Jesse’s sons.

The Rejection of the Seven Brothers: Samuel may have looked at their faces and their forms, but the LORD examined their hearts. When they arrived, Samuel saw Jesse’s first son Eli’av and thought to himself, “Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here. This was not the first time Samuel had considered impressive physical appearance a criterion for ruling Isra’el as king (10:23-24). But looks can be deceiving. God said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height like Sha’ul, for I have rejected him. YHVH does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart (16:6-7).

Looks can be deceiving and often are. Samuel needed help in learning to see God’s perspective regarding David. Likewise, we need God’s perspective in our lives. We often fail to see the God-potential in others (or in ourselves) because the wrong things too easily impress us. David, who would become the ideal anointed figure, is an unassuming sort when we first meet him. He would not have naturally attracted attention as a potential savior of his people. He is too young, too inexperienced, and too insignificant in his family’s birth order. But David is also a forerunner to One greater than he, to Messiah, who also bore no especially striking physical characteristics: He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed Him not (Isaiah 53:2b-3).³⁴³

Then Jesse called his second son Avinadav and had him pass in front of Samuel. But the prophet said: The LORD has not chosen this one either. Jesse then called on his third son Shammah to pass by, but Samuel said: Nor has God chosen this one (16:9). Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel. The firstborn was Eli’av, also called Elihu in First Chronicles 27:18; the second was Avinadav; the third was Shim’a, also called Shim’ah in Second Samuel 13:3 and 32; the fourth Nethanel; the fifth Raddai, the sixth Ozem, and the seventh son is unnamed, which probably means that one of David’s older brothers died without offspring and is therefore omitted from the genealogy in First Chronicles 2:13-15. But the prophet said to him, “YHVH has not chosen any of these” (16:8-10). We also learn from First Chronicles 2:16-17 that Jesse had two daughters. One of these daughters was named Zeruiah, she is the mother of David’s nephews Abishai, Joab and Asah’el, all of whom will have major roles in his life. The second daughter was Abigail, the mother of Amasa, whose father was Jether the Ishmaelite (Second Samuel 17:25; First Chronicles 2:17).

David was the eighth son. The number eight in the Bible represents a new beginning. Jewish boys were circumcised on the eighth day (Leviticus 12:3) and the number eight symbolizes circumcision of the heart through Messiah and the receiving of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh (Romans 2:28-29; Ephesians 2:10). In addition, like the Passover Lamb, Jesus was selected as the Lamb of God on the 10^th of Nisan. He was crucified on the 14^th of Nisan. His resurrection occurred three days and three nights after He was buried, which was at the end of Shabbat that fell on the 17^th of Nisan, eight days after being chosen as the Passover Lamb (see The Life of Christ Ix – The Examination of the Lamb). Therefore, God used David to bring a new beginning to Isra’el.

The Choosing of David: The number seven is a number of fullness and completeness (see the commentary on Genesis Ae – The Number Seven), indicating Samuel appeared to have reached the total of sons available. No one feels it necessary to include the youngest son of Jesse. So he asked, “Are these all the sons you have?” He was apparently so unlikely a candidate it hardly seemed necessary to summon him.³⁴⁴ There is still the youngest, “Jesse answered: He is off tending the sheep.” Samuel said: Send for him; we will not sit down for the sacrificial meal until he arrives (16:11). Unlike Sha’ul, who was physically impressive, the LORD chose a diminutive shepherd boy, probably about ten years old. As a pre-teen youth, the youngest of eight brother’s, David wasn’t the tallest or the strongest. But as God had reminded Samuel, “People look at the outward appearance, but ADONAI looks at the heart” (16:7).

Apparently no one thought this young boy could possibly be God’s choice. But YHVH often turns things upside down. It is a common theme in the TaNaKh that Ha’Shem often uses the least likely to accomplish His purposes. When twins were born to Rebekah, it was the older that would serve the younger (see Genesis Gm – Two Nations, One Womb). Among the sons of Jacob, Reuben was older and Judah was stronger. But it was Joseph who acquired the right of the firstborn (1 Chron 5:1-2). This, the firstborn is often displaced by a younger sibling, as with Abel and Cain, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau. Likewise in the stories of Ephraim and Manasseh, Moses and Aaron, Solomon and Adonijah, it is regularly the younger who rises to prominence in the LORD’s economy. In addition, it is not only the youngest but often the weakest whom ADONAI chooses to use. God’s salvation can come in the form of an infant (see Isaiah Cb – The LORD Himself Will Give You a Sign), or a suffering servant (see Isaiah Iy – The Death of the Suffering Servant).³⁴⁵

So Jesse sent for him and had him brought in. Once summoned, however, YHVH quickly confirmed His choice: With ruddy cheeks, red hair, and beautiful eyes, he was handsome in appearance. Then ADONAI said: Stand up and anoint him, he’s the one. So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David (Hebrew: beloved) in the presence of his brothers, and from that day forward the Ruach Ha’Kodesh rushed upon him with power (16:12-13a). But at the same time the Spirit departed from Sha’ul. Isra’el would never be the same again. The anointing was not a public event, that would happen much later (see the Life of David Cm – David Anointed King Over Isra’el), but it was a sacred act binding YHVH to this new vision of the Kingdom.

Samuel must have been moved to sing with Simeon, “Now, ADONAI, as You have promised in Isaiah, You may now dismiss Your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen Your salvation” (Luke 2:29-30; Isaiah 40:5). Simeon was not speaking English but in Hebrew. The Hebrew word for salvation is Yeshuah; the Hebrew word for Jesus is almost the same, Yeshua. Both come from the same Hebrew root yasha, which means to save. The only difference is the final letter “h” which is silent. Therefore, in Hebrew the word salvation and the word Jesus sound the same. In a real way, what he said was not only my eyes have seen Your salvation, but also, my eyes have seen Your Yeshua that You have prepared in the sight of all nations, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for the glory of Your people Isra’el (see The Life of Christ Au – Jesus Dedicated in the Temple).

Then Samuel went home to Ramah (16:13b CJB). His job was done, he had fulfilled his calling. It is likely that Samuel privately told David that he had been chosen to be the next king. If so, David’s behavior while serving Sha’ul was remarkably mature for a young boy who would one day wear the crown. No doubt it was the assurance of this future hope that helped to keep David faithful during the ensuing years of trial and persecution. But his trials during those wilderness years helped to build his faith and develop his godly character and prepare him for the ministry that God had planned for him.³⁴⁶ Samuel may have gone back to Ramah, but the narrative is sent in more powerful directions than Ramah: toward Zion, kingship, and power.

Dear heavenly Father, praise Your awesome wisdom and great love! It is such a comfort that You are in control and no one can push You to do something that You do not want to do. You are gracious and kind and do not force people to listen to You and to follow Your Word. You wisely choose what is best for Your children; and yet, You allow us to make a choice to follow Your wise way or to go our own foolish way. So knowing all that happens in the future, You were not surprised by Sha’ul’s disobedience. As God Almighty (Genesis 17:1a) You proved the superiority of your wisdom by using Shau’l’s time as king to raise up a man after Your own heart (First Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22).

The years when Sha’ul was envious of David and would chase after him trying to kill him, were years that You allowed to strengthen David to trust in You (Psalm 57:1). There were times when, though David had done no wrong, bloodthirsty men rose up against him (Psalm 59:1-3). David wisely chose the best response, to sing praises to God who shows His steadfast love. But I – I sing of Your strength! Yes, in the morning I sing aloud of Your lovingkindness. For You have been my fortress, a refuge in the day of my trouble. O my strength, to You I sing praises. For God is my strong tower – my God of lovingkindness (Psalms 59:16-17).

Thank You for being such a wise and wonderful heavenly Father. It is such a delight to meditate on Your awesome characteristics and to praise You! You are always near, always faithful and always wonderful! There is nothing that You could do to be better, for You are perfect in love and holiness! Your arms of love are always around me. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God (Psalms 42:5-6a). In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The Rise of David
First Samuel 16:1 to 31:13

Just as the story of the beginning of Israelite monarchy (Chapters 8-15) begins with an account of the rise of Sha’ul (Chapters 8-12), so does the story of the establishment of that monarchy begin with an account of the rise of David. In this case, however, the rise of David is so intimately intertwined with the decline of Sha’ul that the story occupies much more space in the telling.³³⁹

God Rejects Sha’ul
First Samuel 15: 1-35

God rejects Sha’ul DIG: Why did Sha’ul make a burnt offering to the LORD? Why did Samuel react in anger? Why did Sha’ul not kill the king of the Amalekites? Why did he keep the plunder? Why were these things sinful? Why did Ha’Shem demand the complete destruction of the Amalekites, including their possessions? What does this reveal about the character of God? Did ADONAI change His mind regarding Sha’ul? What does this reveal about God’s expectations for those in authority over His people? In what ways did Sha’ul make expedience more important than obedience?

REFLECT: The people thought Sha’ul had won a great victory, but in God’s sight Sha’ul was a failure. What was the key difference? When you see how Samuel dealt with Agag, what lessons can be drawn from that example concerning how believers should deal with compromise and sin in their own lives? In what ways are you more like Sha’ul than Samuel? In what ways are you more like Samuel than Sha’ul? Is your life characterized by obedience or by expedience? What area of obedience might the LORD be asking of you this coming week? How can we make sure not to be a failure in God’s sight?

To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

This is a pivotal chapter in the life of Sha’ul. ADONAI gave him another chance to prove himself, but he failed again, lied about it, and was judged. Sha’ul had a habit of substituting saying for doing and of making excuses instead of confessing his sins. No matter what happened, it was always somebody else’s fault. He was more concerned about looking good before people than being good before God. Consider the five stages in this event that cost Sha’ul the kingdom, and eventually his life.³²³

1. Disobeying God (1:11): When Samuel appeared suddenly to Sha’ul, it was to point out to him that he was king, not by popular demand, but the LORD’s choosing. Samuel said to Sha’ul, “ADONAI sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Isra’el. Now listen to what ADONAI has to say. Sha’ul’s duty was to carry out God’s commands. Here is what ADONAI-Tzva’ot says: I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Isra’el, how they fought against Isra’el when they were coming up from Egypt. Now go and attack the Amalekites, and completely destroy (Hebrew: cherem) everything they have. Do not spare them, kill all the men and women, children and babies, cows and sheep, camels and donkeys (15:1-3).

It was an ancient injustice, not a recent one, that Sha’ul was sent to avenge. The Amalekites were descendants of Esau, the unbelieving brother of Jacob (Genesis 35:19-26), inhabiting the desert between the southern borders of Judah, south of Beersheba, and Egypt, but extending south to the Sinai Peninsula. It was in this last region that they had tried to prevent Isra’el from reaching the Sinai after their miraculous crossing of the Sea of Reeds (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Cv – The Amalekites Attacked the Israelites at Rephidim). And for that opposition to God’s saving purpose, the Amalekites were doomed to destruction (Numbers 24:20 and Deuteronomy 25:17-19).

It fell on Sha’ul to carry out the sentence of Ha’Shem. This made the king’s assignment quite different from all the other battles that he led (see Cj – The Summary of Sha’ul’s Wars). He was to engage in a holy war.³²⁴ Some people find it difficult to believe that the LORD would command an entire nation to be destroyed just because of what their ancestors had done (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Ag – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh). Some of these critics, however, may rely more on sentiment than on biblical truth, not realizing how long-suffering YHVH had been with those nations and how unspeakably wicked they were (First Samuel 15:18 and 33). God’s covenant with the Jewish nation includes the promise: I will curse those who curse you (Genesis 12:3). And God always keeps His word!³²⁵

It was to be a war carried out on Ha’Shem’s behalf. The victory was to be the LORD’s, so there was nothing to be gained for the army. All the spoils of war would belong to ADONAI because they were holy. People and property alike were put under the cherem ban (see Leviticus Ff – Cherem), and set apart for destruction. No one was to take possession of them. It would be easy to understand the viewpoint of the soldiers who would be tempted to complain that they had put their lives on the line for nothing. Nevertheless, the principle was well understood, for it had operated in the battles against Jericho (see the commentary on Joshua Bd – The Sin of Achan) and Ai (see Joshua Be – The Defeat at Ai), and underlay the conquest of Canaan.

As a result, it came about that the sinful nation of Isra’el (see Bq – Give Us a King) became the agent of ADONAI in defeating another sinful nation. It was a necessary stage in the progressive revelation of God to bring about the salvation of mankind, and we need to see it in that light, not forgetting that Isra’el’s unfaithfulness met a similar, though less total, destruction at the hands of the Assyrians (see the commentary on the Life of Solomon Dn – The Kings of Isra’el) and Babylonians (see the commentary on Jeremiah Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule). This incident is a reminder that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31).³²⁶

So Sha’ul responded immediately by rallying the fighting men and mustering them at Telaim — 200,000 foot soldiers, and another 10,000 men from Judah. Sha’ul arrived at the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. Sha’ul said to the Kenites (see the commentary on Numbers Dy – Balaam’s Sixth Oracle), “Go away, withdraw, leave your homes there with the Amalekites. Otherwise, I might destroy you along with them, even though you were kind to the Israelites when they came out of Egypt.” So the Kenites moved away from among the Amalekites. Then Sha’ul attacked the Amalekites, starting at Havilah, and continuing toward Shur, at the border of Egypt (15:4-7).

While we admire Sha’ul for being careful to protect the Kenites, he wasn’t so careful to obey God’s will. He completely destroyed the Amalekites, putting them to the sword, but he took Agag their king captive. Not only that, Sha’ul’s army took the best of their sheep and cattle, also the fat of calves and lambs . . . everything that was good. There is a clear hint that Sha’ul wanted to keep on the right side of popular opinion with his troops. The Amalekite people were dispensable, but it seemed to be a pity to destroy such excellent stock!³²⁷ But everything that was worthless or weak they completely destroyed (15:8-9). Sha’ul committed the same sin as Achan by stealing things that were dedicated to YHVH; however, Achan stole only a few articles, while Sha’ul stole on a large scale. What’s worse, he led his whole army into sin.³²⁸

Then the word of ADONAI came to Samuel, saying: I am grieved (Hebrew: nacham, carrying the idea of comfort and consolation, often in the context of grief or distress) that I have made Sha’ul king, because he has turned back from following Me and hasn’t obeyed My commands (15:10-11a). Did YHVH change His mind? Heaven forbid! The Bible teaches us that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Therefore, we must conclude that God doesn’t change . . . people do, situations do; however, God still achieves His ultimate aims. We can see this in a positive light how Ha’Shem dealt with the Ninevites (see the commentary on Jonah Ax – The Ninevites Believed in God). Jonah was sent to the cruel, violent city of Nineveh to proclaim God’s message. If they did not repent, God was going to wipe them out. But, when God saw that they had turned from their evil (Hebrew: ra’ah) ways, He relented (Hebrew: nhm) with compassion and did not bring on them the destruction (ra’ah) He had threatened (Jonah 3:10).

A human being repenting normally suggests that he or she has sinned and needs to turn from wickedness (Hebrew: ra’ah). Since we know that Ha’Shem is free from sin, the idea of His repenting seems contradictory until we discover that the Hebrew verb relent (nhm) can also be translated moved to pity. Therefore, when Scripture speaks of God relenting, it doesn’t mean that He’s done something wrong or made a mistake; rather, that He’s chosen a compassionate response as a result of another’s decision. God really hadn’t changed His mind . . . the Ninevites had.³²⁹ Furthermore, as Jeremiah 18:7-8 makes clear, prophetic pronouncements of judgment were not absolute, but conditional: At one time, I may speak about uprooting, breaking down and destroying a nation or kingdom; but if that nation turns from their evil, which prompted Me to speak against it, then I relent concerning the disaster I had planned to inflict on it.

So, what we see in a positive light regarding the Ninevites, we see in a negative light concerning Sha’ul. ADONAI had promised an eternal kingdom for Sha’ul if only he would obey. Sha’ul had experienced the LORD’s favor in defeating the Ammonites (see Bz – The Ammonite War), but at the first sign of adversity, he failed the test. The penalty was severe. Samuel said to Sha’ul, “You did a foolish thing. You didn’t observe the mitzvah of ADONAI (making a sacrifice without being a priest), which He gave you. If you had obeyed, Ha’Shem would have set up your kingship over Isra’el forever (13:13). So, God didn’t change, Sha’ul disobeyed, and was rejected. The LORD does not change His mind in the sense that His purposes change, but He could no longer use Sha’ul, who was fully responsible for his attitudes and actions. The sovereign God is so fully in control that He takes in stride the sin of human beings and adjusts His plans when necessary.³³⁰ God would still achieve His ultimate purpose, as far as Isra’el is concerned, only with David as king.

This made Samuel very sad, and he cried to ADONAI all night (15:11b). What exactly was it that caused Samuel to be so very sad (even angry)? In the first place, Samuel’s theology was being put into question. Against his better judgment he had cooperated in king-making, announcing that Sha’ul was the one whom the LORD had chosen (First Samuel 10:1, 24 and 11:15). Now it appeared to him that Ha’Shem had changed His mind, and Samuel couldn’t come to terms with this challenge to God’s sovereignty. In the second place, what was to become of the leadership of Isra’el? Now, the nation was in worse shape than ever. Last but not least, Samuel was torn within himself by the Divine Word, and needed to settle his own turmoil before the LORD. The personal cost of ministry is seen in the life of Samuel, and in this passage in particular.³³¹

2. Sha’ul lies to Samuel (15:12-15): In the eyes of the soldiers and the Jewish people, Sha’ul had won a great victory over a long-time enemy, but in God’s eyes he was a failure. Expecting that Sha’ul would still be in the Negev, Samuel set off southwards, only to find that he had gone the wrong direction. Early the next morning Samuel got up and went to meet Sha’ul; however, Samuel was told, “Sha’ul went to Carmel to set up a monument for his own honor (in Judah, not the Carmel on the upper Mediterranean coast), but now he has left and is on his way down to Gilgal” (15:12). The king was so impressed with himself that he went to Carmel and erected a stone monument in his own honor and then went to Gilgal, where he had previously failed God and Samuel (see Cc – Samuel Rebukes Sha’ul). Was he trying to avoid Samuel? Perhaps, but he failed. It was fifteen miles from Samuel’s home in Ramah to Gilgal, perhaps a day’s journey for the old prophet.

When Samuel reached him, Sha’ul said: May ADONAI bless you! Sha’ul’s greeting was sheer hypocrisy. He had no blessing to give Samuel, and he had not obeyed the LORD. First, he lied to himself in thinking he could get away with lying, saying: I have carried out ADONAI’s commands (15:13). Then he lied to Samuel who already knew the truth. But Samuel answered, “If so, why do I hear sheep bleating and cows mooing?” Sha’ul answered: The soldiers spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to ADONAI your God. But we completely destroyed the rest (15:14-15). He even tried to lie to God by saying he would use the spared animals for sacrifices (First John 1:5-10)! Sha’ul even blamed his own troops for sparing the spoils, saying: The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites. It was always somebody else’s fault.³³²

Sha’ul’s behavior reminds us that spiritual leaders who would seek God’s blessing must be willing to obey the Bible’s commands even when they are unpopular. Paul encouraged Timothy that along with false teachers and imposters, the Church would be plagued with people who will not endure sound doctrine, but having itching ears they will gather for themselves teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths (Second Timothy 4:3-4). Timothy, however, should continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed (First Timothy 3:14), and faithfully preach the Word (First Timothy 4:2). Sha’ul would have obeyed ADONAI if only he had killed Agag and forbidden his soldiers from taking the Amalekites’ sheep and cattle. Then things would have been done according to Ha’Shem’s actual commands. The same is true of messianic rabbis, pastors, parents and individual believers today, who obey the Lord when they insist that all things be done in accordance with God’s clear commands in His Word.³³³

3. Sha’ul argues with Samuel (15:16-23a): Sha’ul might have discounted the significance of his compromises, but to YHVH, his disobedience had the gravest of repercussions. Then Samuel said to Sha’ul, “Stop! I’m going to tell you what ADONAI said to me last night.” “Tell me,” replied Sha’ul. Samuel then said: Although you were once small in your own eyes (9:21), did you not become the head of the tribes of Isra’el? ADONAI anointed you king over Isra’el! Now He sent you on a mission and told you, “Go and completely destroy those wicked Amalekites; keep making war on them until they have been exterminated.” Why did you not obey ADONAI? Why did you seize the spoils and do evil in the eyes of ADONAI” (15:16-19)?

But Sha’ul began to argue with God’s servant, and lied a second time when he declared: “I did obey ADONAI,” Sha’ul said. “I carried out the mission that ADONIA assigned to me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. And for the second time blamed his army saying that the soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder. And for the second time he used the feeble excuse of dedicating the best the animals to God, in order to sacrifice them to ADONAI in Gilgal (15:20-21).³³⁴

But Samuel replied: Does ADONAI delight in burnt offerings (see the commentary on Leviticus Ai – The Burnt Offering: Accepted by God) and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? In a memorable prophetic utterance, Samuel pronounces for all time the futility of attempting to rely on ritual sacrifice when what is required is obedience. No ritual can make up for a rebellious heart towards God and His commandments, because obstinate resistance to YHVH elevates self-will to the place of authority, which only belongs to ADONAI.³³⁵ To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of sorcery, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry (15:22-23a). In other words, to flagrantly reject the clear teaching of God’s Word is practical apostasy. Sha’ul might well have gone to occult mystics to gain divine revelation, as he later will do (see Dj – Sha’ul and the Medium at Endor), if he was going to follow his own inventions. Sha’ul’s will was his real god. In practice, he had dethroned God from his heart.

The ultimate contrast with Sha’ul is the true King of God’s people, the righteous Lord Messiah. When Yeshua presented Himself to YHVH at the end of His earthly ministry, He gave a report very different from King Sha’ul’s. I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work that You gave Me to do (John 17:4). Perfect obedience was the memorial that our Lord erected in His life. This is why God the Father accepted Yeshua and His ministry on behalf of all those who trust in Him. When Messiah came into the world, He said: Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for Me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings You were not pleased. Then I said, “Here I am – it is written about me in the scroll – I have come to do Your will, My God” (Hebrews 10:5-7, quoting Psalm 40:6-8).

What, then, do we give in gratitude to ADONAI who already has everything? Does God need sheep or cattle from us? Does He need our money, or songs, or prayers? We should no doubt offer these to God in thanks and love. But if we really want to please YHVH (and what could be more worthwhile than that!), we will do His will, as it is written in His Book, in the name of Yeshua Messiah, the true and righteous King who offered no other sacrifice to God than His own obedient life, shedding His precious blood for our sins.³³⁶

4. Sha’ul is rejected by God (15:23b-26): Because you have rejected the word of ADONAI, He has rejected you as king. In the face of Samuel’s blistering rebukes, Sha’ul finally realized that he must admit what should have been obvious: Then Sha’ul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated ADONAI’s commandment and your instructions also. I was afraid of the soldiers and listened to what they said. Still failing to understand the gravity of his sin, Sha’ul pleaded for pardon and restoration. Now, I beg you, forgive my sin; and come back with me, so that I can worship ADONAI.” But Samuel repeated his statement of Sha’ul’s rejection, which could not be reversed. Sha’ul needed to live with the results of his own decisions. The prophet said to him, “I will not go back with you, because you have rejected the word of ADONAI, and ADONAI has rejected you as king over Isra’el.”

5. Sha’ul is rejected by Samuel (15:27-35): As Samuel was turning around to leave, Sha’ul took hold of the tzit-zit of his robe in an attempt to salvage some shred of his reputation, but he it tore (see the commentary on Numbers Cl – Tzit-zit and Blue Thread). This provided a vivid picture of the kingdom being torn from Sha’ul. Samuel said to him, “ADONAI has torn the kingdom of Isra’el away from you today and given it to a fellow countryman – one better than you. Moreover, the Eternal One of Isra’el will not lie or change his mind, because he isn’t a mere human being subject to changing his mind.” But Sha’ul, unwilling to lose face in front of everyone, begged Samuel, saying: I have sinned; but in spite of that, please show me respect now before the leaders of my people and before Isra’el by coming back with me, so that I can worship ADONAI. So Samuel relented, and followed Sha’ul back, and Sha’ul worshiped ADONAI (15:27-31).

Samuel had not quite fulfilled his prophetic tasks. Though he was old (8:1) and so far as we know had never killed anyone in his life, he needed to complete what Sha’ul had left undone, and devote Agag, the Amalekite king, to the LORD by putting him to death. Then Samuel declared: Bring me Agag the king of Amalekites. Whereas Sha’ul had torn off the tzit-zit of Samuel’s robe that symbolized obedience to God’s Torah, Samuel showed his spiritual commitment by tearing apart the Amalekite king in fulfillment of Ha’Shem’s command.³³⁷ Agag came to him confidently, thinking, “Surely the passions of the battle have now cooled, and I will be spared.” But Samuel said: Just as your sword has left women childless, so will your mother be left childless among women. Then Samuel cut Agag to pieces before ADONIA in Gilgal (15:32-33).

Then Samuel returned to Ramah, and Sha’ul went up to his house in Gibeah of Sha’ul (15:34). First Samuel 15:35 indicates that Samuel did not see Sha’ul again until the day he died, though Samuel, who knew Sha’ul from his youth, mourned for him. Yet, later on, Sha’ul was with Samuel at Ramah (19:24). The key to this apparent discrepancy is that the Hebrew verb translated to see can mean to give attention to, to take heed, or to regard with interest. The point is that just as ADONAI was through with Sha’ul as king, so was Samuel. The prophet didn’t have any interest in Sha’ul as king for the rest of his life.³³⁸ Thus, ADONAI was grieved that He had made Sha’ul king over Isra’el (15:35). Is it ever too late to repent? Clearly it was for and Sha’ul, just as the writer to the Hebrews says it is possible for people to arrive at the place where they have rejected the light forever (see the commentary on Hebrews Ci – If We Deliberately Keep on Sinning, No Sacrifice For Sins is Left: The Danger of Apostasy). Samuel knew, perhaps by God’s revelation, that Sha’ul was too far gone, so his only recourse was to grieve. Perhaps you are grieving for someone.

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for being so wise and loving. You see into all hearts and know when the situation is right for You to show compassion, or when You need to act in discipline or punishment. It is such a comfort to me that the reward for my faith is eternal life, and that I will have an eternal home in heaven with You. Living for the applause of men is so hollow and empty and is over before it has begun. Living for You, even during severe trials, is the wisest thing to do. When I keep my eyes on the future and life with You forever in heaven, it makes the trials seem so small. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:18). In the Name of Him who sits at Your right hand. Amen

The Summary of Sha’ul’s Wars
First Samuel 14: 47-52

The summary of Sha’ul’s wars DIG: Overall, was Sha’ul a strong leader or a weak leader? What do you think? Why? What was Sha’ul’s overall record as a general in his troops? Who did he fight against? Who was Abner? Why was Michal estranged from David? What is your overall feeling about Sha’ul’s family?

REFLECT: Is there an area of your life that would surprise other people, either positively or negatively? What wars are you fighting today? Do you feel like you’re winning or losing? Why? What can you do to turn the situation around? How does your family compare with Sha’ul’s family? Who can you help?

No matter which way Sha’ul turned, he defeated his enemies.

First Samuel 14 concludes with a short summary of the long reign of King Sha’ul. It shows us that much more could have been written about it, and that the incidents related in detail have been selected with a purpose. A similar summary can be seen in the commentary on life of David (see the commentary on the Life of David, to see link click Cx – David’s Victories).³¹⁹

The summary of Sha’ul’s wars (14:47-48 and 52): So, Sha’ul took over the rulership of Isra’el. This is an unusual phrase, indicating that there had been internal opposition to overcome (10:27), while simultaneously engaging and defeating surrounding peoples, uneasy at Isra’el’s new status as a kingdom. Although for the most part we don’t know the times of extent of Sha’ul’s wars against his enemies, he was successful wherever he went.³²⁰ Sha’ul fought against all his enemies on every side – against Mo’av, the people of ‘Amon (Chapter 11), Edom, the kings of Tzovah and the Philistines. This list of campaigns puts Sha’ul in a new light. Isra’el’s king had won the allegiance of his men to the extent that they had followed him and fought off enemies near and far. No matter which way he turned, he defeated them in the early days of his reign (14:47). In anticipation of Sha’ul’s fiasco in Chapter 15, the narrator reserves the Amalekites for special attention. He demonstrated his strength by attacking ‘Amalek (see Ck – God Rejects Sha’ul), and he saved Isra’el from the power of those who were plundering them. This sums up the satisfaction felt by many, no doubt, who had hoped for just such security when they asked for a king. Sha’ul became their beloved king. Never before had Isra’el been so victorious with such a succession of invaders, and Sha’ul did it courageously.³²¹

Chapter 14 concludes with reminders of the never-ending and all-pervasive Philistine threat, and of the king’s continuing need for fresh troops (the latter of which Samuel had warned the people about when they asked for a king in 8:11). Whenever Sha’ul saw any strong or courageous man, he recruited him into his service (14:48). Against all the other nations, Sha’ul was victorious, but not so with the Philistines. And the main cause of his failure with them was all because of his foolish oath (see Ch – Sha’ul’s Foolish Oath). As a result, as long as Sha’ul lived there was a bitter war against the Philistines (14:52).

The summary of Sha’ul’s family (14:49-51): The names of Sha’ul’s children are recorded in verse 49 and those of other family members appear in verses 50-51. In addition to his firstborn, Johnathan, Sha’ul had at least two other sons: Ishvi, who is probably to be identified with Ish-Bosheth (First Chronicles 8:33), since the latter was not killed (31:2) in Sha’ul’s last battle, and Malki-Shua. Each of the four references listed for Malki-Shua also includes the name of a fourth son, Abinadab; why he is not mentioned here in verse 49 is unknown. Sha’ul’s two daughters, Merav (Second Samuel 21:8), and Michal, are listed in their proper genealogical order (14:49). Both were later offered in marriage to David (18:17-27). However, even after being married to David, Michal was more loyal to the house of Sha’ul, than to her husband (see the Life of David Cr – The Ark Brought to Jerusalem: The Estrangement of David and Michal). Which cost her dearly. Sha’ul’s wife was named Achino‘am the daughter of Achima‘atz. Sha’ul had a concubine named Rizpah (2 Samuel 3:7). The commander of Sha’ul’s army was his cousin Abner. Sha’ul’s father, Kish, and his uncle Ner were both sons of Avi’el (14:50-51).³²²

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for being so wise and loving. How thankful I am that You have rescued people from the penalty of their sins, not according to how many wars they have won; but according to the faith I have in You. You come to dwell within those who trust in You. Jesus replied: Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them (John 14:23). The only way to enter heaven is thru accepting You as our sacrifice as the Lamb of God (John 1:29). You are so gracious to open your arms to all who will choose to call you their Lord and Savior. If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame” (Romans 10:9-11). How foolish it is for anyone to live to please themselves as the most important thing in their lives. This life will soon be over and eternity is forever! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The Rescue of Jonathan
First Samuel 14: 36-46

The rescue of Jonathan DIG: Why do you suppose God refused to answer Sha’ul? Why did ADONAI single out Jonathan? What could YHVH be trying to tell Sha’ul through the Urim and Thummim? Why did Sha’ul make another oath? Where did the loyalty of Sha’ul’s troops lie: With Sha’ul? Jonathan? ADONAI?

REFLECT: What position of authority do you presently find yourself in? How do you guard yourself from being bullied by abusive authority? How can you be more godly in defending yourself? In what ways are you impulsive and uncertain in your words? What lessons can be learned from Sha’ul’s foolish behavior?

The Bible’s commentary on Sha’ul’s foolish oath,
is given by means of an incident involving his son Jonathan.

Earlier, we heard Jonathan’s frustration with his father’s foolish oath to act religious (to see link click Ch – Sha’ul’s Foolish Oath). Now, it is another man closest to the king who expressed concern over the wisdom of his commands. Evening had already come, and that’s why Sha’ul’s oath was not long binding, and everyone had eaten. Now the king envisioned a renewed pursuit of the Philistines during the night.³¹⁴ Sha’ul said: Let’s attack the Philistines by night. This would be a surprise attack because armies of that day didn’t fight at night. We’ll plunder them until dawn. Then he added: We won’t leave one of them alive (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Ag – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh). His purpose would be to destroy the Philistine ability to continue waging war. The soldiers answered: Do whatever seems good to you. By that time they had eaten and their energy had returned.

The Urim and Thummim (14:36-37): But Ahijah the high priest said: Let’s inquire of God here. This was a polite way of suggesting that they consult the LORD before acting on Sha’ul’s plan. Sha’ul, perhaps deriving new hope from his most recent religious observance, agreed to seek a revelation from YHVH through the Urim and the Thummim of the high priest (see the commentary on Exodus Gb – The Urim and Thummim: The Means of Making Decisions). So Sha’ul consulted God, asking: Should I go down in pursuit of the Philistines? Will you hand them over to Isra’el? But the response of the Urim and Thummim was that God didn’t answer him that day. ADONAI wouldn’t answer either “yes” or “no.” We can only imagine Sha’ul’s frustration. Therefore, although Sha’ul’s oath was a foolish one, it was still a binding oath made in God’s Name, and the sin resulted in the silence of Ha’Shem.³¹⁵ Imagine the effect this failure must have had on the troops, standing by to renew the assault, only to witness the silence of the LORD toward their king and high priest. God’s refusal to give an omen was an ominous omen in itself!

Sin in the camp (14:38-39): ADONAI’s refusal to speak to Sha’ul or Ahijah subjected the king’s religious observance to public ridicule. The king obviously felt it necessary to provide a reason for the failure, and remembering Isra’el’s earlier lesson in which Achan’s sin had hampered the whole nation (see the commentary on Joshua Bd – The Sin of Achan). Then, calling for the Urim and Thummim again, Sha’ul said: Come here, all you who are leaders of the army. Think carefully: who has committed this sin today? Sha’ul knew there was sin in the camp that caused the silence of God. But he didn’t know what the sin was or who committed it. Then, not surprisingly, Sha’ul made another rash oath. For, as sure as ADONAI is Isra’el’s deliverer, even if it proves to be Jonathan my son, he must be put to death. Just as Jonathan personified the triumphant faith of Gideon of old, Sha’ul personified the foolishness of Jephthah (Judges 11:30-40). But even though there were those present who knew that Jonathan was the guilty party, no one among all the people answered him. They did not want to be responsible for Jonathan’s death.

The identification of Jonathan (14:40-42): Then he said to all Isra’el, “You be on one side, and Jonathan my son and I will be on the other side.” It is obvious that Sha’ul expected the guilty one to be among the people. The people replied to Sha’ul, “Do what seems good to you.” Then Sha’ul prayed to ADONAI, the God of Isra’el, “Give me the perfect answer?” So, Ahijah the high priest inquired of the Urim and Thummim, and Jonathan and Sha’ul were chosen, and contrary to Sha’ul’s expectations, the people were free from any guilt. It was not obvious why Sha’ul put himself and his son on one side and the rest of Isra’el on the other. Perhaps this reflected his guilty need to exonerate himself, and he added Jonathan in an attempt to bolster his case. Having exonerated himself, he could then safely play the role of Joshua in calling for a new Achan to emerge to face judgment. But this plan, too, was frustrated by the LORD. Then Sha’ul said to Ahijah, “Cast the Urim and Thummim once again between me and Jonathan, my son. And Jonathan was chosen.” Ha’Shem did not pronounce the death sentence, He merely identified the one who had broken Sha’ul’s oath made in God’s Name.³¹⁶

The rescue of Jonathan (14:43-46): Then Sha’ul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you did.” Jonathan confessed, “Yes, I tasted a little honey with the end of the staff in my hand. And he did not try to justify himself by saying he had not heard of the oath before doing so. He candidly admitted, and for that I must die.” Jonathan recognized that he must pay the penalty for violating an oath made in God’s Name. But Sha’ul, showing his true character and lack of leadership, said: May God do the same to me and more also if you are not put to death, Jonathan (14:43-44)! Now the penalty for violating an oath was not death. However, Sha’ul had made another oath in God’s Name to execute the guilty party; thus, for Sha’ul not to execute his son, put Sha’ul in violation of his own oath!³¹⁷

But the people said to Sha’ul, “Must Jonathan die, he who has accomplished this great deliverance in Isra’el (see Ce – Jonathan Attacks the Philistines)? The irony was that without Jonathan, there would have been no great victory to begin with! No! Now the people made their own oath! As ADONAI lives, not one hair of his head will fall to the ground; because he did this today with God’s help!” In this way the people rescued (Hebrew: vaiyifdu, meaning redeemed) Jonathan, so that he didn’t die. Then Sha’ul stopped pursuing the Philistines from a more decisive defeat, and the Philistines returned to their own land (14:45-46). Sha’ul’s credibility was now completely shattered – a remarkable achievement for a king on a day when God had granted such a great victory over his enemies. Yet, because of Sha’ul’s foolishness, the Philistine army lived to fight again, and ironically, this would eventually cost Sha’ul his own life (see Dk – Sha’ul Takes His Own Life).

What lessons should we learn from Sha’ul’s foolish behavior? As Richard Phillips relates in his commentary on 1 Samuel, the first lesson is that the recovery of God’s favor requires those who have sinned to humble themselves before ADONAI, seeking His grace. The absence of such humble contrition, with a frank admission of his sins and failures, is the glaring omission from the many accounts of Sha’ul’s reign.

The difference between sinful Sha’ul and sinful David is the same difference between the sinful apostate Judas and the sinful apostle Peter, both of whom betrayed Yeshua on the night of His arrest. The difference between David and Peter, on the one hand, and Sha’ul and Judas, on the other, is a humility that repents of sin and seeks the Lord’s mercy. David’s great prayer of repentance begins with both a fervent plea for mercy and a trusting faith in God’s offer of forgiveness through the sacrificial blood: Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin (Psalm 51:1-2). David’s faith was looking forward to the true Lamb of God, Yeshua Messiah, represented by the blood of lambs and goats and bulls, who takes away our sin (John 1:29). There was nothing keeping Sha’ul from this same kind of sincere repentance and faith, with the result that he would have been restored to ADONAI’s favor, except the hardness of his unbelieving heart. Here we see Sha’ul’s ultimate foolishness: at every turn he resorted to outward shows of religious observance, which served only to avoid the opening of his heart in humble repentance before the LORD.

This lesson applies to every sinner affected with the foolishness of his or her own sin. Do not think that God can be bought off with good works, religious observance, or cash payments. Ha’Shem calls on every sinner to confess his or her sin and appeal to the blood of the Savior whom YHVH has sent, Yeshua Messiah. He promises: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (First John 1:9). Yeshua Himself gives the verdict on Sha’ul’s failed religion: Everyone who lifts himself up will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be lifted up (Luke 18:14). Since Sha’ul was seeking to lift himself up, his proud progress was all downhill; whereas, if he had lowered himself in humility, God would have lifted him up in true spiritual progress and strength.

Second, Sha’ul shows the need for spiritual leaders to be sincerely motivated for God’s will and the salvation of God’s people, and not for mere self-interested gain. People who rely on their positional leadership, without an inspiring example of faith and a living ministry of God’s grace, are as likely to harden their followers against the Lord as they are to lead them to salvation (see Ezra-Nehemiah Ch – The Completion of the Walls Despite Opposition: ten fatal flaws that derail those who think they are in charge). Consider the remarkable faithfulness exhibited by Jonathan and the faithful endurance of Isra’el’s soldiers, who did their best to keep Sha’ul’s foolish oath. Yet, in the end, the bitter effects of hard-hearted spiritual leadership can only alienate true-hearted followers, so the foolish leaders find their strongest opposition in the most faithful servants.

Third, Sha’ul reveals the destiny of even the best of us if we are not guided by the Word of God. Notice the absence of the prophet Samuel and the silence of YHVH! This reveals Ha’Shem’s primary judgment on Sha’ul’s unbelief. How tragic it is when we believers foolishly place ourselves in the same position by failing to pray and reflect daily on God’s Word. It is a fearful thing to leave ADONAI and His ways only to give one’s self up to the impulses of one’s own heart? Fearful for even the humblest of us, let alone one with great resources and influence, with a whole nation under him! Let us fear, indeed, that such a disaster should happen to us, our families, or the congregations of God. Instead, let the wisdom of the Psalms speak to the desire of our hearts. Make me know Your ways, ADONAI, teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth, and teach me; for You are the God who saves me, my hope is in You all day long. Remember Your compassion and grace, ADONAI; for these are ages old. O LORD, don’t remember my youthful sins or transgressions; but remember me according to Your grace for the sake of Your goodness (Psalm 25:4-7).³¹⁸

Sha’ul’s Foolish Oath
First Samuel 14: 24-35

Sha’ul’s foolish oath DIG: What was Sha’ul’s reasoning behind making that oath? What were the two possible reasons for Sha’ul’s giving his foolish vow? Why did Sha’ul start to become more “religious?” Why did Jonathan eat the honey if there was a curse against it? Why did the soldiers eat meat with blood in it?

REFLECT: Have you ever committed yourself to something foolish? What can believers do to make sure that we aren’t committed to doing something foolish? When have you become exhausted following someone else’s wayward plans? What blueprint for living should you be following? Who can you pray for?

The Bible’s commentary on Sha’ul’s foolish oath,
is given by means of an incident involving his son Jonathan.

The spiritual conditions of our hearts are revealed not only by the actions we perform but also by the words we speak. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Mt 12:34). When you read King Sha’ul’s words recorded in Scripture, they often reveal a heart controlled by pride, foolishness, and deceit. He would say foolish things just to impress people with his “spirituality,” when in reality he was walking far from God.³⁰⁶

The reasons for Sha’ul’s oath (14:24-27): The effect of Sha’ul’s foolishness can be seen in the transition between the first half of Chapter 14 and the second half: So ADONAI delivered Isra’el that day . . . Now Isra’el’s soldiers had been driven to physical exhaustion and hunger that day (14:23a-24). The first statement refers to the results of Jonathan’s bold assault (to see link click Cf – Isra’el Routs the Philistines), which received God’s blessing. The second part resulted from Sha’ul’s leadership. The king’s effort served to almost snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, and by his foolishness the Philistines were able to survive their stunning defeat, and fight another day.

Jonathan’s heroic assault drove the Philistines from the battlefield in panic and confusion. Now a relentless pursuit was necessary to utterly destroy their forces once-and-for-all. To that end, Sha’ul, who had seemingly awoken from a daze of fear, issued this warning to them, saying: A curse on any man who eats any food until evening, when I will have finished taking vengeance on my enemies. So none of the troops tasted any food (14:24). To break it meant the death penalty. Sha’ul’s heart was not right with ADONAI and he foolishly forced his army to agree to a vow of fasting until evening. He didn’t impose the fast because it was the will of YHVH but because he wanted his soldiers to think he was a man wholly dedicated to the LORD. But this command was only more evidence of Sha’ul’s confused and irrational faith. He thought that their fasting would impress Ha’Shem and He would give them victory. But no sensible commander would deprive his troops of food for energy while they were fighting the enemy.³⁰⁷ The Bible doesn’t inform us of Sha’ul’s precise reasoning in making the oath, but two possibilities seem most likely.

First, the king may have had a legitimate concern that the pursuit of the Philistines would lag behind if Isra’el’s soldiers were preoccupied with looting the enemy camp for food and other valuables. Ancient soldiers had to provide their own food, so the temptation of being preoccupied from the fight to gain the spoils of victory was real. Instead of this, Sha’ul wanted every soldier to press the fight unceasingly and destroy the enemy completely. If that was Sha’ul’s intent, then his oath was foolishly harsh, both in forbidding the soldiers from eating and in binding them to his oath. As a result, Isra’el’s soldiers had been driven to physical exhaustion and hunger that day (14:24).

Second, the reason for the oath becomes more likely when we consider the context of his recent experiences. Sha’ul was becoming more “religious” since his rejection by Samuel for the sin of improperly sacrificing a burnt offering (see the commentary of Leviticus Ai – The Burnt Offering: Accepted by God) at Gilgal (13:8-9). After Sha’ul’s initial battle that began this war with the Philistines, Samuel had directed the king to go to the ancestral meeting place and wait for seven days for the prophet to arrive and make the sacrifice that would bring God’s favor. As the period drew to its end without Samuel having arrived, and as his military situation got worse by the minute, Sha’ul had rashly offered the sacrifice himself, in violation of God’s commands. For this, Samuel rebuked Sha’ul and informed him that the LORD had rejected his kingship (13:8-14). In the aftermath of this rebuke, Sha’ul seems to have devoted himself to religious observance at the same time that his heart grew more reckless and harder. One example is the way in which Sha’ul first sought divine guidance after Jonathan had attacked and then impatiently interrupted the high priest when YHVH refused to answer (14:18-19). As a further example of this renewed commitment to religious observance, as seen above (14:24), Sha’ul ordered the Israelite soldiers to fast during their battle, perhaps as a foolish attempt to appease ADONAI, who was silent to him.³⁰⁸

The Bible’s commentary on Sha’ul’s foolish oath is given by means of an incident involving his son Jonathan, the hero of this chapter. When Jonathan and his armor-bearer joined the Israelite army in their pursuit of the Philistines the entire army came to a forest where there was some honey on the ground. When they had entered the forest, they saw the honeycomb with honey dripping out; but no one put his hand to his mouth, because they feared the oath. But Jonathan hadn’t heard his father charging the people with the oath, so unwittingly, he put out the end of the staff in his hand, dipped it in the honeycomb, raised it to his mouth, and his eyes lit up, implying renewal of strength (14:25-27).

The results of Sha’ul’s oath (14:28-35): But one of Jonathan’s fellow soldiers saw him and warned: Your father strictly charged the army with an oath, “A curse on any man who eats any food today,” even though the soldiers are fainting with hunger.” But Jonathan wasn’t too worried, and he even dared to admit that his father’s leadership had brought trouble to the land, by imposing an unnecessary hardship on his soldiers (14:28).³⁰⁹ Jonathan knew that militarily, it was a foolish decision. This was a provocative statement because it is the same terminology used previously in the Bible for an individual whose sin caused Isra’el to lose God’s blessing. In the book of Joshua, Achan brought trouble on Isra’el by his sins of stealing dedicated items from the ruin of Jericho (see the commentary on Joshua Bf – The Execution of Achan). Jonathan, who surely knew his father’s heart and motives well, plainly stated that his father’s sin and foolishness were hindering Isra’el from enjoying God’s full blessing in battle. This was the practical effect of Sha’ul’s oath, for the soldiers were fainting with hunger. Jonathan exclaimed sadly: Just look how my eyes have lit up because I tasted a little of this honey. How much greater would the slaughter of the Philistines have been today if the soldiers had been able to eat freely of the spoil they found among their enemies (14:29-30)!³¹⁰

Sha’ul’s foolish oath not only weakened the soldiers physically and hindered their ability to pursue the enemy, but it also created in the men an abnormal craving for food. That day they had attacked the Philistines from Micmash to Aijalon, the border of the Philistine plain, about twenty miles away. But the soldiers were very hungry (14:31). When the sun set and ushered in a new day, the oath was no longer in force, and the soldiers acted like animals as they rushed at the spoil, seizing sheep, cows and calves, slaughtering them on the ground, and eating the flesh with the blood. However, because blood was a symbol of life (Leviticus 17:1-16), the Israelites were not permitted to eat meats that had not yet been drained of blood (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Cu – Do Not Eat the Blood). A truly spiritual oath always brings out the best in people, but Sha’ul’s oath brought out the worst.³¹¹

Once again, Sha’ul was anxious to make an impression by his outward show of “religion.” Accordingly, when someone informed him that the men are sinning against ADONAI, eating with the blood,” he responded with zeal. Scolding the “treacherous” soldiers, he said arrogantly: You have sinned! Immediately, the king took charge, he ordered: Roll a large stone to me immediately (14:32-33)! That large stone was a place where the blood could be immediately drained. It would also serve as an altar where the blood could be sprinkled; and in that way, it did become a high place. This would serve the same purpose as another large stone did earlier in Beth-Shemesh (see Bk – The Ark at Beth-Shemesh). Consequently, the killing and draining of the blood would not require a priest.³¹²

Then Sha’ul sent messengers to all the soldiers, saying, “Each of you is to bring his cow and his sheep and slaughter them here. Then eat. Don’t sin against ADONAI by eating with the blood.” So each man brought his animal with him that evening and killed it there (14:34). Flush with this external religious observance, Sha’ul built an altar on top of the large stone to ADONAI. The text adds the suggestive note: it was the first time he had done that (14:35). Sha’ul, who was distancing himself from ADONAI, now began to build altars, being most zealous (as many are) for the form of godliness when he was denying the power of it. In all his actions, Sha’ul showed no sign of repentance toward YHVH, grieving over sin, or a real zeal in honoring the LORD. He only felt that his own interests as king were being threatened (see the commentary on Ezra-Nehemiah Ch – The Completion of the Walls Despite Opposition: ten fatal flaws that derail those who think they are in charge). It was that selfish motive that made him determined to be even more “religious.”³¹³

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for being so wonderful! I can hardly imagine how amazing life will be living with You in heaven for all eternity! It is incredible that Messiah is preparing a place in heaven for those who love Him. Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me.  In My Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that where I am you may also be (John 14:1-3).

Thank You that Messiah will return to take His Bride home to heaven (Revelation 19:6-9). For if we believe that Yeshua died and rose again, so with Him God will also bring those who have fallen asleep in Yeshua.  For this we tell you, by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord shall in no way precede those who are asleep.  For the Lord Himself shall come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the blast of God’s shofar, and the dead in Messiah shall rise first.  Then we who are alive, who are left behind, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air – and so we shall always be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17).

Fame and fortune will mean nothing when we leave this earth for our heavenly dwelling. All that matters is to live for You while we have the wonderful opportunity to love You with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30-31, Luke 10:27). It is a joy and a privilege to do everything for Your approval, seeking to please You in our thinking, in our planning, in all we do. What peace it brings to give You first place in my life by praising You when I go to sleep and also praising You first thing when I rise. You are worthy! With a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (Revelation 5:12b-c). In the name of Messiah Yeshua and thru the power of His resurrection. Amen

Sha’ul’s Foolishness
First Samuel 14: 24-46

In the 1850’s, the name of John Banvard was one of the most famous in America. He was the world’s most renowned painter, and his innovative, moving panoramas of landscapes from the American West made him an exceptionally rich man. Returning home from his triumphant tour of Europe, Banvard celebrated his worldwide acclaim by building himself a replica of Windsor Castle on Long Island, New York. One biographer says of him, “Acclaimed by millions and by such contemporaries as Dickens, Longfellow, and Queen Victoria, his artistry, wealth, and stature all seemed undeniable.” Yet, within a short period of time, Banvard would be penniless and his reputation disgraced. What happened? As is outlined in the book Thirteen Tales of People Who Didn’t Change the World: Banvard’s Folly, Banvard committed the critical mistake of staking all his money and prestige in a venture that quickly got him in over his head. The locals called it “Banvard’s folly.” Then, building a vast museum in New York City, Banvard launched into a head-to-head battle with the great showman and promoter P. T. Barnum. In that duel, Banvard was continually outsmarted, until Banvard’s foolishness was fully exposed in the demise of his museum and collapse of his fortune. If Paul Collins, the biographer who wrote of Banvard’s and others’ sudden demise in his book Thirteen Tales of People Who Didn’t Change the World, had expanded his study to include the ancient world, he could hardly have found a better subject than Isra’el’s King Sha’ul. When it comes to gross and self-destructive behavior, few can surpass Sha’ul. His foolish actions and fall from national respect are recorded in 1 Samuel 14, a chapter that reminds us of our need to be guided by the teaching of God’s Word and humble prayer.³⁰⁵

Isra’el Routs the Philistines
First Samuel 14: 15-23

Isra’el routs the Philistines DIG: How did ADONAI help Jonathan when he attacked the Philistines? Why do you think Sha’ul asked for the Ark? What is meant by Sha’ul’s command to the high priest? What did that action reveal about Sha’ul? How did Sha’ul hurt himself? Who is credited with the victory?

REFLECT: On a scale of 1 (trusting self) to 10 (trusting God), how would an impartial observer rate your current trust level? What story lies behind that rating? How committed are you to worldwide missions, church planting, Jewish evangelism (Romans 1:16), Isra’el, and to the peace of Jerusalem?

One man with God is always in the majority.

Contagious faith (14:15-22): How could the success of Jonathan’s commando raid be explained (to see link click Ce – Jonathan Attacks the Philistines)? It might be explained by entirely human factors: one well-trained and well-armed attacker comes by a difficult route, springs on his enemies and gains an immediate advantage. Of course, Jonathan would have none of it. His theological perspective was immediately reinforced by more dramatic help from the LORD. And there was panic in the field camp among all the Philistines; likewise, the garrison and the raiding party panicked. ADONAI Himself had intervened! Besides all this, there was an earthquake; thus it grew into panic caused by God (14:15). This was God at work with Jonathan, just as He had been with Gideon before (see the commentary on Judges Bb – Gideon’s Victory Over the Midianites), clouding the minds of Isra’el’s foes and driving them away in panic and fear.³⁰¹

Jonathan’s faith was contagious and succeeded in rallying the failing hearts of all Isra’el, so that the nation was inspired to action. With this in mind, the scene returns to Sha’ul’s camp. Sha’ul and his 600 men were back at Gibeah where Sha’ul lived, and the watchmen on the walls could see the Philistine forces retreating and couldn’t explain why. Sha’ul’s lookouts at Gibeah of Benjamin saw the enemy camp scattering and running in all directions (14:16). Did part of the Israeli army plan a sneak attack without Sha’ul’s permission? Then Sha’ul said to the men who were with him, “Muster the forces and see who is missing.” When they did, they realized that Jonathan and his armor-bearer were not present (14:17). This was the second time that Jonathan had acted on his own (13:3), and it probably irritated Sha’ul that his own son should be independent. As we study the life of Sha’ul, we can see more and more evidence that he was what some people call a “control freak.” He envied other people’s success, he was suspicious of any strategy he didn’t come up with himself, or at least approve, and he was ruthless when it came to removing people who challenged his leadership or exposing his foolish actions.³⁰²

Sha’ul told Ahijah, “Bring the ephod of God here” (see Exodus Fz – Make the Ephod of Gold, Blue and Purple Yarn) so you can determine God’s will for the battle by casting the Urim and Thummim (see Exodus Gb – The Urim and Thummim: The Means of Making Decisions); for at that time the ephod of God was with the people of Isra’el (14:18). The Ark was at the house of Abinadab (see Bl – The Ark at Abinadab’s House), at least a day’s journey away. Sha’ul didn’t have that kind of time. So Ahijah never got the chance to determine God’s will, for while Sha’ul was talking to the priest, the uproar in the camp of the Philistines continued and kept getting louder. Once again, Sha’ul’s impatience got the best of him, and he acted without knowing God’s will or receiving His blessing. So, Sha’ul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand down,” meaning he was to stop seeking divine guidance (14:19). Sha’ul was desperately anxious to prove himself as good a soldier as Jonathan, and he badly wanted to avenge himself against his enemies (14:24). The point was that his purpose was to fulfill his own personal ego, not to honor YHVH, that he rushed into the battle spiritually unprepared. What a contrast there was between Sha’ul’s fake religion and Jonathan’s bold faith!

But even Sha’ul’s royal incompetence was not enough to stem the tide of victory for the Israelites that day. Sha’ul’s confidence was rallied by Jonathan’s contagious faith. There was nothing orderly about the ensuing battle. Then Sha’ul and all his men assembled and went to battle, but they found all the Philistines turning on each other with their swords (Judges 7:22) in utter panic and confusion (14:20).

Jonathan’s faith had brought the LORD’s help.

As Sha’ul and his army moved toward the battlefield, they were joined by Israelites who had deserted to the enemy camp. Likewise, on hearing that the Philistines were fleeing, all the men of Isra’el who had hidden themselves in the hills of Ephraim joined the battle in hot pursuit (14:21-22). We wonder what kind of soldiers those quitters turned out to be. But the fact that Sha’ul accepted them may indicate that he was trusting in his army and not trusting in ADONAI. Six hundred soldiers don’t make a large army, so he welcomed even the weakest of the deserters. Yet in a few hours, Sha’ul would be willing to kill his own son for eating some honey and breaking his father’s foolish vow (see Ch – Sha’ul’s Foolish Oath)! Sha’ul’s emotional unbalance will show up again and again, and do great harm to the kingdom. One day he would rush ahead like a horse, and the next day he would hold back like a mule (Psalm 32:9).

So we must remember that it was not Sha’ul and his army who won the battle, but the LORD who used Jonathan and his armor-bearer (14:23). The Israelite army followed the Philistines for the next fifteen miles from Micmash to Bethel, and ADONAI enabled them to defeat the enemy. But Sha’ul had joined the battle so late, and his men were so weak and famished, that they couldn’t achieve the kind of victory that would have been decisive against the Philistines (14:30).³⁰³ As a result, Sha’ul’s poor leadership would ultimately cost Sha’ul his life (see Dj – Sha’ul Takes His Own Life).

One person with God (14:23): The passage concludes with the postscript: So ADONAI delivered Isra’el that day, and the battle spread as far as Bethel. While the praise rightly belonged to ADONAI alone – for who authored Jonathan’s faith if not the LORD; who answered his prayer, and who used his otherwise suicidal assault to rout the whole Philistine army? – We are nonetheless invited to reflect on the faith of young Jonathan. Do we believe, as he believed, that circumstances do not determine outcomes when God is involved? Do we believe in the possibility of God’s acting in our circumstances: opening doors for evangelism, providing resources for ministry, offering His might to give success where otherwise there would be only failure? If we believe these things, then we will not sit in idle hopelessness as the Adversary’s forces hostile to the Kingdom of God sweep our generation. We will not play the part of Sha’ul in his inaction or in his pragmatic, unprincipled religion. Rather, if we are inspired by Jonathan’s contagious faith, we will do as Jonathan did in offering ourselves to the Lord’s service, stepping out into the scene of the action, praying for YHVH to give openings and strength, and leaping into the opportunities that Ha’Shem provides, confident of His grace to empower and multiply our efforts.

One man who stood out for the Lord in his generation was John Knox. An early follower of the Reformation Gospel in Scotland, Know joined forces with the persecuted band of Gospel preachers, narrowly escaping with his life. Exiled to Geneva, he grew strong in faith under the ministry of John Calvin, seeing firsthand the power of God to transform a whole society. Returning to his homeland, he boldly advanced the Reformation cause, sending out the Gospel message and aggressively opposing the religious perversions that dominated in the land. Under his leadership, Scotland emerged from the darkness of medieval Roman Catholicism. How did John Knox accomplish so much? His own answer was given in memorable words, recalling the words of faithful Jonathan! Knox declared that “one man with God is always in the majority.” So it was for Jonathan: one man, accompanied by only one comrade, but aided by the thunder of almighty God, routed a vast army set against his people.

What will ADONAI do today through men and women who stand in the power of God for the cause of the Gospel truth and grace in our times? We will never know unless we, like Jonathan, step forward into the world, offering ourselves to God, believing that He can save with a few just as well as with many, saying: Maybe ADONAI will do something for us (14:6a), as He has so often worked for His daring people before. Jonathan’s example challenges us to be daring in giving and bold in our commitment to worldwide missions, church planting, Jewish evangelism (Romans 1:16), Isra’el, and to the peace of Jerusalem. Let us not sit under a pomegranate tree (14:2a), despondent over the evil around us. But go forth in faith, knowing that with God we will certainly be a majority, for if it is His gracious will, nothing can hinder ADONAI from saving, whether by many or by few (14:6b).³⁰⁴

Dear heavenly Father, praise You that having Your power is something that cannot be bought by any amount of money, nor by saying any number of superstitious chants, nor can it be obtained by having a religious object. The answer to how to obtain your power is very important. Your power is obtained by loving and trusting in You (John 1:12) so that You come to live within me (John 14:23). You are Almighty power. You give Your fantastic power to me because I love You, and You have promised to live within those who love You! Yeshua answered and said to him: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him (John 14:23).

Having a relationship of love with You is the most important thing to have in the world. Things, homes, clothes, food, parties will someday all be gone. Trials and problems, frustrations and anxious situations will also someday be gone forever, but the relationship of loving You will last throughout all eternity! For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). Thank you so very much for offering to be my heavenly Father. But whoever did receive Him, those trusting in His name, to these He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12). I am so thrilled to have You as their heavenly Father! I want to please You in all I do, and I am looking forward to praising You throughout all eternity! In Yeshua’s Name, my holy Messiah, and through His power of resurrection. Amen

Jonathan Attacks the Philistines
First Samuel 14: 1-14

Jonathan attacks the Philistines DIG: What attitude did the Philistine taunt reveal? What did the sign from God reveal? How did Jonathan contrast with his father Sha’ul? What enabled Jonathan and his armor-bearer to launch the incredible attack on the Philistines? Why did Jonathan feel so confident in God’s blessing? How does the author of the books of Samuel use comparisons?

REFLECT: What “cliffs” do you think ADONAI would have you climb? How do you typically deal with failure or the risk of failure? Do you think that victory in our endeavors is always a sign of God’s favor? Explain. How does your response to life’s obstacles compare with Jonathan’s? What rocky cliff are you willing to climb over to get there? How swiftly do you follow other godly leaders?

Jonathan realized that victory is not determined by humans, but by divine grace and power alone.

The focus in this chapter is on Jonathan, Sha’ul’s oldest son, who had won the first major battle against the Philistines, but his father had taken credit (13:1-4b). It’s a remarkable blessing of the grace of God that a fickle and wicked man like Sha’ul should have such a faithful and godly son as Jonathan. He was a courageous warrior (Second Samuel 1:22), a born leader, and a man of faith who sought to do the will of ADONAI. As the narrative progresses, it becomes obvious that Sha’ul is jealous of Jonathan and his popularity; and that jealousy only increased when Jonathan and David become devoted friends (see the commentary on the Life of David, to see link click An – David and Jonathan’s Friendship).²⁹⁵

Contrasting faith (14:2-3): As Richard Phillips makes clear in his commentary on 1 Samuel, the writer of the books of Samuel frequently makes his points through the use of contrasts: Hannah and ‘Eli, Samuel and ‘Eli, Sha’ul and David, David and Absalom, and Hushai and Ahithophel. This provides parallel details that make clear the issues of faith and unbelief, and virtue and sin. In this chapter the two contrasting figures are Jonathan and King Sha’ul. Having attempted to lead the people on the LORD’s behalf, Sha’ul had failed miserably. His first strike against the Philistines had provoked their massive retaliation, and his failure to obey God’s Word had led to his rejection by Ha’Shem (13:13-14). His present condition reflected both of those sad realities. Surrounded by an enemy vastly superior in both numbers and armament, Sha’ul was cornered on the outskirts of his capital with a mere six hundred soldiers who lacked the basic weapons of war (13:22). Accordingly, Sha’ul took no military initiative; however, Jonathan’s ability to slip away from his camp unobserved suggests that Sha’ul’s soldiers were so demoralized that no one was aware that Jonathan had left (14:3b). On the spiritual plane, Sha’ul’s situation was even worse. Sha’ul had set up his court and was sitting at the far edge of Gibeah (where he had been since leaving Geva back in 13:15) under the pomegranate tree in Migron; the force with him numbered about 600 men (14:2).

Sha’ul called for the high priest, wearing his ephod (see the commentary on Exodus Fz – Make the Ephod of Gold, Blue and Purple Yarn) with the Urim and Thummim (see Exodus Gb – The Urim and Thummim: The Means of Making Decisions) inside the fold of the breastpiece. So far so good – until we learn the identity of the high priest: Ahijah, the grandson of the wicked Phinehas, of the rejected and cursed house of ‘Eli (see Au – God’s Rejection of ‘Eli’s House). Ahijah was the nephew of Ichabod, or “the glory has departed” (14:3a). These words are not randomly inserted into the Biblical text. Rather they tell us something about Sha’ul. With his own royal “glory gone” (see Cc – Samuel Rebukes Sha’ul), where else would we expect Sha’ul to be than with a relative of “glory gone” (see Bd – The Birth of Ichabod). Sha’ul, who was no leader (see the commentary on Ezra-Nehemiah Ch – The Completion of the Walls Despite Opposition: ten fatal flaws that derail those who think they are in charge), replaced the wise counsel of Samuel with the disgraced counsel of Ahijah, had lost his way and was able to do little else than to grasp the tattered shreds of his lost credibility.

In contrast, is Sha’ul’s son Jonathan, a leader (see Ezra-Nehemiah Bt – The Third Return: A Manual for Leaders), who did not surround himself with royal hangers-on, but went only in the company of his armor-bearer. The picture of Sha’ul sitting under the pomegranate tree contrasts his timidity, and relative ease with Jonathan’s willingness to risk his very life for Isra’el. He was the one man other than Sha’ul in Isra’el’s army to possess a sword, and he used it not in safety, but by wielding it against the enemy. While Sha’ul sat, Jonathan acted. While Sha’ul’s pious inactivity inspired no help from ADONAI, Jonathan’s faith received God’s aid. Whereas Sha’ul, the commander, publicly dishonored the LORD through his fearful disobedience; Jonathan, the warrior, would bring honor to Ha’Shem through the fearlessness of his faith.

This comparison suggests that one way for us to strengthen our faith is to consider how our situation mirrors that of others in the Bible, and to remember how YHVH delivered His people of old. Moses and the Israelites had their backs to the Sea of Reeds with the army of Pharaoh bearing down, and the LORD parted the water to pass His people through, then to crash down on their pursuing enemies (see Exodus Ci – The Waters Were Divided and the Jews Went Through the Sea). Likewise, God will often provide an unforeseen way of escape for His struggling people today. Sennacherib’s army surrounded Jerusalem, but when Hezekiah took their taunts before Ha’Shem in prayer, an angel of ADONAI came and struck them all down (see the commentary on Isaiah Gw – Then the Angel of the LORD Put to Death a Hundred and Eighty-Five Thousand Men in the Assyrian Camp). Earlier still, when Joseph refused to offend the LORD by sinning with his master’s wife, for which he was thrown into Pharaoh’s dungeon unjustly, but God not only arranged for his release, but used a pagan king to elevate Joseph to second only to Pharaoh in Egypt (see the commentary on Genesis Jv – Joseph as Prime Minister). Likewise, we should trust God to use our afflictions to reveal His grace and power. These and many other biblical examples have parallels in our lives today, great and small, and should fuel the fires of a bold and daring faith.²⁹⁶

Daring faith (14:1 and 4-5): The strain of Sha’ul’s indecision was more than his son could bear. Therefore, one day, Jonathan, the son of Sha’ul, said to the young man carrying his armor, “Come, let’s go across to the garrison of the Philistines on the other side.” Jonathan had no definite plan. Rather, wearied by the inactivity, he simply went out to look for the opportunity to do something for the sake of the LORD and his people. But he didn’t tell his father (14:1). But why didn’t Jonathan tell his father that he had a plan to route the enemy? Because Sha’ul wouldn’t have believed in such a daring venture of faith, and Jonathan wanted to get the battle settled, as he had already done before with the Philistine outpost at Geva (13:3).

The opposing armies were situated across a valley several miles north of Jerusalem at a place where the ascent on both sides was especially demanding. Between the passes by which Jonathan was trying to cross to the garrison of the Philistines, there was a rocky cliff on one side and another rocky cliff on the other; the name of the one was Bozez (meaning shining because it was in the full sun), and of the other, Senneh (meaning thorny because it is almost always in the shade). Boaz rose up on the north side of the ravine toward Micmash, and Senneh rose up on the south side toward Geba (14:4-5). It was probably because of this difficult terrain that Sha’ul caused his army to retreat to Gibeah, and why the Philistines had contented themselves with besieging rather than assaulting the Israelites.

Strategic faith (14:6-14): Both sides viewed a frontal attack impossible. But Jonathan thought differently. Thus, he said to his armor-bearer, “Come on, let’s go across to the garrison of these uncircumcised people. Maybe ADONAI will do something for us. In other words, Jonathan realized that victory is not determined by humans, but by divine grace and power alone. If the LORD wanted to use Jonathan to gain the victory for Isra’el, then it didn’t matter what forces were against him or how difficult the terrain. He probably learned this from the record of God’s dealings with His people over the years, the most famous was ADONAI’s deliverance of Isra’el from the Midianites through Gideon (see the commentary on Judges Bb – Gideon’s Victory Over the Midianites). There are so many parallels in this chapter to Gideon’s victory over the Midianites that perhaps Jonathan referred to, and concluded examples that nothing can hinder ADONAI from saving, whether by many or by few (14:6).²⁹⁷

Such faith will often attract worthy followers, and Jonathan’s armor-bearer was eager to accompany him, saying: Do everything that is in your heart; I’m with you, whatever you decide (14:7). The ravine that Jonathan and his companion had to negotiate was steep and involved skillful rock climbing. As the two men approached the Philistine side of the ravine, Jonathan proposed a solution. He said, “Here, we’ll cross over to those men and let them know we’re there. If they say, ‘Wait till we come to you,’ we’ll stand still where we are and not go up to them. But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ we’ll go on up; and that will be the sign that ADONAI has given us victory over them” (14:8-10). It is likely that Jonathan combined his request for a sign with some military savvy. This was the last route anyone in their right mind would choose to take; hence, Jonathan managed to surprise his enemy.²⁹⁸ Expecting God’s help, he was ready to act boldly when it came.

With their false sense of security, the Philistine troops at the new outpost wouldn’t be afraid of a couple of Jews who managed to cross the ravine and climb the cliffs. Maybe the guards would see them as two Jewish men who wanted to desert Sha’ul’s army and find refuge with the enemy. No matter what, Jonathan wasn’t going to let the enemy attack first. So both of them let their presence be known to the garrison of the Philistines; and they said, “Look, some Hebrews, a derogatory term, coming out of the holes they’ve been hiding in” (14:11)! When the two-man assault team disclosed themselves to the enemy, the Philistines only laughed and mocked them. Sure enough, the men of the garrison said to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come up to us, and we’ll teach you a lesson.” That was the kind of arrogant self-confidence that Jonathan wanted to see, because this gave him and his armor-bearer an opportunity to get close to the guards before attacking. Who would fear one soldier and his armor-bearer?²⁹⁹ Goliath would learn the foolishness of saying, “Come here” (17:44), to a mere boy who seemed to pose no threat.

Jonathan told his armor-bearer, “Come on up after me, for ADONAI has handed them over to Isra’el.” Meanwhile, the Philistines had returned to their duties, not worrying about the threat of two men climbing this unlikely steep ravine. Wasting no time, Jonathan climbed up over the top of the cliff named Boaz, using his hands as well as his feet. And before the Philistines knew what hit them, Jonathan attacked them with his sword. One by one, the Israelite hero destroyed his enemies, with his armor-bearer coming behind to finish them off. Before long, there were about twenty men who would never teach another Hebrew lesson!³⁰⁰ All this was accomplished by Jonathan and his armor bearer in a space only half as long as one side of the area a pair of oxen could plow in a day [about 200 yards], or an acre of land (14:12-14).

Isra’el without Weapons
First Samuel 13: 15b-23

Isra’el without weapons DIG: What are the signs of Sha’ul’s failure as a leader? How did Sha’ul’s army compare with Gideon’s? How extensive was the Philistines’ influence over Isra’el? How did their weapons compare? Who was in the Iron Age? Bronze Age? What did it mean for Isra’el to be “the pupil of God’s eye?”

REFLECT: What has Ha’Shem given us so we can win our spiritual battles? What must we do to receive this aid from God? In what specific ways do you have your weakness and “unsharpened swords?” Which of your inferior tools will you entrust to God for sharpening and for His use today, so that His power may be seen?

There was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Isra’el,
for the Philistines were afraid that the Israelites would make swords and spears.

A dwindling army (13:15b-16): As Sha’ul departed from Samuel and returned to his modest army (to see link click Cc – Samuel Rebukes Sha’ul), the scene was one of despair. Everything had gone wrong, especially Sha’ul’s misguided attempt to honor ADONAI. Samuel’s departure was symbolic of the breach between himself and Sha’ul, who was abandoned without any guidance on how to defeat the Philistines, and, with the sacrificial offerings not accepted by God, he was left to his own devices.²⁸⁷ When the king counted how many men were still there with him to face the Philistine army, the wholesale defections had reduced his troops to about 600 (13:15b). Meaning about 1,400 men had deserted him since 13:2.

The Philistines assembled themselves an army as large as the number of sand grains on the seashore (13:5), a simile also used for the army that Gideon faced (Judges 7:12) – and Sha’ul’s army was twice as large as Gideon’s! But the difference wasn’t so much in the size of the army as the strength of the leader’s faith. Gideon trusted ADONAI for victory and He honored him, while Sha’ul was punished for disobedience. Sha’ul had previously mustered his large army by means of fear (11:7), so when his men began to fear the enemy more than the king, they began to desert the camp and go to places of safety. Jonathan knew that the LORD didn’t need great numbers to accomplish His purposes (14:6), but He did honor great faith.²⁸⁸ Sha’ul, his son Jonathan, and the men with them took up quarters at Geba of Benjamin (which had been taken by Jonathan back in 13:3), separated from the Philistines by a deep ravine that acted as a barrier between them (13:16). From their vantage point, it was easy for the Israelites to keep track of every move of the enemy.²⁸⁹

A threatened army (13:17-18 and 23): The Philistines repeatedly sent our raiding parties to protect the roads and passes that the Jews might use if they attacked, and at the same time the Philistines kept any residents from helping the Jewish army. Then raiding parties started to continually come out from the camp of the Philistines, three of them: one group turned north toward the road leading to ‘Ophrah in the territory of Shu‘al; another group took the west road toward Beth-Horon; and another company took the east road toward the desert through the territory overlooking Valley of Zeboim (13:17-18). A fourth garrison of the Philistines had gone south out to the pass of Micmash toward Gibeah to prevent the Jewish army from moving up to Geba (13:23). With all those Philistine soldiers moving about in the area, what hope was there for the Jews? No matter which way Isra’el turned, they would meet the enemy! And yet the LORD was going to use Jonathan and his armor-bearer to win a great victory (see Ce – Jonathan Attacks the Philistines), for with God, nothing is impossible.²⁹⁰

A deprived army (13:19-22): It was bad enough that Sha’ul lacked men, but it was even worse that the men he did have were not properly equipped. This parenthetical note explains how the Israelites were at a huge disadvantage because the Philistines would not allow them to manufacture iron. The Philistines had apparently learned sophisticated methods of working with iron from the Hittites or other Anatolian peoples with whom they had come into contact as part of the Sea People’s migration from the Aegean Sea area to Canaan around 1200 BC. As a result, Isra’el had to depend on the Philistines for iron tools.²⁹¹ So, while the Philistines were in the Iron Age, the Israelites were still in the Bronze Age. Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Isra’el for the Philistines were afraid that the Israelites would make swords and spears and rise up against them (13:19). This describes a people who had been reduced to serfdom. They couldn’t even repair their farm tools. We can imagine, in such a state of humiliation, the miserable jeers directed at Sha’ul for his pitiful attempt to obey God’s command. As a result, the nation was in a far worse condition than ever, and God’s honor was even more disgraced.

The Israelites even had to pay inflated prices to have their farm tools sharpened. So, whenever any of the people of Isra’el wanted to sharpen his hoe, plowshare, axe or pick, he had to go down to the Philistines, where the exorbitant prices were two-thirds of a shekel for filing a pick or plowshare and one-third of a shekel for filing an axe or setting an ox goad in its handle. As the chapter ends, Sha’ul is cornered at Geba that he had taken, the nation was utterly subjugated once again, and the people were deprived of any chance of resistance, for no one in the army of Sha’ul and Jonathan was equipped with either sword or spear; although Sha’ul and Jonathan did have them (13:20-22).²⁹²

The Benjamites were skilled at using slings (Judges 20:15-16), but slings were not practical in close combat, and what about the vast number of Philistine chariots? The Jewish army was small in number and had small supplies of weapons, but they had a great God, if only they would trust Him.²⁹³ Little did Sha’ul imagine how near the help of Ha’Shem was, and how soon it would be before God struck out against the oppressors to save His people. Sha’ul may have failed the LORD, but he was still the king of Isra’el, however illegitimate, and Isra’el was still the people of ADONAI. As ADONAI-Tzva’ot would say to a later generation of Israelites, “Whoever injures you injures the very pupil of My eye” (Zechariah 2:8). The rabbis say that the world is like a human eyeball; the white of the eye is like the ocean surrounding the world; the iris is the continent; the pupil is Jerusalem, and the image of the pupil is the Holy Temple (Talmud, Derech Eretz Zuta 9). And as the apostle Paul discovered in his own time of need, God says: My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness (Second Corinthians 12:9).²⁹⁴

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for being wonderful, wise and loving! How awesome it is that who wins the battle is not due to a physical strength, nor due to who has the sharpest weapons for war, the outcome of battles is in Your hand. Thus ADONAI says to you, “Do not be afraid or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (Second Chronicles 20:15b-c).

May Your children follow the example of king Jehoshaphat, bowing down in worship, and then praising You.  Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before ADONAI to worship ADONAI.  Levites, from the sons of Kohath and the sons of Korah, stood up to praise ADONAI, the God of Isra’el, with a very loud voice. Early in the morning they arose and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. As they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, O Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in ADONAI your God and you will be confirmed. Trust in His prophets and you will succeed.” After consulting with the people, he appointed singers to Adonai praising the splendor of His holiness, as they went out before the army saying, “Praise ADONAI, for His mercy endures forever.” As they began singing and praising, ADONAI set ambushes against the children of Ammon, Mo’ab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were defeated (Second Chronicles 20:18-22).

Please help me to always remember that You are greater than any situation, greater than any enemy. You live within those who love You. Yeshua answered and said to him: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him (John 14:23). So, You are always there to help and to guide me. Thank You for being so wonderful! In Messiah holy Name and power of His resurrection Amen.

Samuel Rebukes Sha’ul
First Samuel 13: 1-15a

Samuel rebukes Sha’ul DIG: Combating the Philistine threat was to be Sha’ul’s life work. What were Isra’el’s odds of victory? How do Sha’ul’s reasons for deciding to sacrifice sound to you? How did Sha’ul show pride? Unbelief? Impatience? Deception? What happened as a result of Sha’ul’s disobedience? What, exactly, was Sha’ul’s sin? How did God react to it? 

REFLECT: What do you think you would have done if you were in Sha’ul’s situation? When has God been “late” in keeping a promise to you? How often do you take matters into your own hands, as if to say, “It’s OK God, I got this!” How has God tested your patience as He tested Sha’ul? Why does God test His people? What are the lessons of Sha’ul’s sin?

If you had obeyed, ADONAI would have set up your kingship over Isra’el forever;
but as it is now, your kingship will not be established.

The key to understanding this chapter is to realize that Sha’ul had finally gotten around to obeying Samuel’s instructions, given to him at the time of his public coronation a year earlier (to see link click By – Long live the King). After providing Sha’ul with three supernatural confirmations of his anointing, Samuel commanded him, “When these signs come over you, just do whatever you feel like doing, because God is with you. You are to go down ahead of me to Gilgal and wait there seven days, until I come and tell you what to do” (10:7-8). The command to “do what you want to do” was a subtle way of directing Sha’ul to attack the Philistines, a command that Sha’ul did not keep at that time. So much had happened in the meantime! Sha’ul had been confirmed as Isra’el’s king. Samuel had called on both the king and the people to be careful to obey God’s Word, “Only fear ADONAI, and serve Him faithfully with all your heart and thinking about what great things He has done for you! However, if you insist on doing evil, you will be swept away – both you and your king” (see Ca – Samuel’s Farewell Speech)! Perhaps it took a year of thinking about this to work up his courage, and perhaps it was Jonathan’s initiative that forced his hand, but Sha’ul finally committed himself to do as the prophet had directed.²⁷⁴

Pride (13:1-4): Now the account of Sha’ul’s reign was about to begin, the formula that accompanies the record of each of the kings in the books of Samuel and Kings is inserted (for example Second Samuel 5:4-5 and Second Kings 12:1). Sha’ul was a young man when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years (13:1 The Message and Acts 13:21). As a result of the Philistine forces who maintained fortresses in Israelite territory, He chose three thousand trained men of Isra’el. Two thousand of them were with Sha’ul at Micmash and in the hills of Bethel, and a thousand were with his son Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin; both were central locations on the west side of the Jordan River, from which they could respond in virtually any direction. The rest of the men he sent back to their respective tents (13:2). However, the fact that Isra’el was mustering an army put the Philistines on the alert. They had garrisons in different parts of the country and monitored the situation carefully.²⁷⁵

Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geva, about one mile southwest of Micmash, and the Philistines heard of it. Then, anticipating retaliation from the Philistines, Sha’ul had the shofar sound throughout the land, saying, “Let the [Israelites] hear.” So all Isra’el heard that Sha’ul had attacked the Philistine outpost, and thus made Isra’el a stench in the nostrils of the Philistines (13:3-4a). But Sha’ul didn’t attack the Philistine outpost, it was Jonathan. So we see here the pride that begins to rise up in Sha’ul that would eventually lead to his destruction (James 1:12-15). And from this moment on, Sha’ul begins to have evil feelings toward his son. He would even go so far as to try and kill him (see Ci – The Rescue of Jonathan). This is where the people started to turn against Sha’ul and look elsewhere for a replacement, and Jonathan himself pointed to David (23:17).

Thus, the people rallied behind Sha’ul in Gilgal, where he had been confirmed as king by Samuel and the people (13:4b). It is never wrong for believers to begin practicing what YHVH has commanded – and as seen here, better late than never – and Sha’ul was following the words of the prophet given at the time of his public coronation. When in doubt, believers should simply obey God’s Word as it applies to our situation. This is what Sha’ul did, and while it gained him universal scorn, we cannot fail to see this as the high-water mark of Sha’ul’s entire life and reign.²⁷⁶

Impatience (13:5-9): Meanwhile, the Philistines responded to Jonathan’s assault with immediate, savage, and overwhelming force. They assembled themselves together to make war on Isra’el with 3,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen and an army as large as the number of sand grains on the seashore. They came up and pitched camp at Micmash, less than twenty miles east of Bethel. The overwhelmingly superior forces of the Philistines, superior in both equipment and in numbers, took their stand in the very area Sha’ul had occupied. Sha’ul’s troops were so intimated that they hid themselves in caves, thickets, crevices, watchtowers and cisterns; while some of the [Israelites] crossed the Jordan to the territory of Gad and Gilead, areas east of the Jordan River to escape the expected slaughter. But Sha’ul was still in Gilgal waiting for Samuel, where all the people were eager to follow him over the anticipated Philistine attack (13:5-7).

This was the first of Isra’el’s three major battles with the Philistines in Sha’ul’s reign (see Cp – Goliath Mocks Isra’el) and see Dj – Sha’ul Takes His Own Life). This was the beginning of Isra’el’s war of liberation, although it wasn’t finished until after David became king (see the commentary on the Life of David Ce – David Anointed King Over Y’hudah). Sha’ul knew he must soon make a move against the Philistines if his volunteer militia would stand strong. In fact, the small army that remained was armed with mostly farm tools. Only Sha’ul and Jonathan had swords, and they were made of bronze rather than iron. He was very nervous as he impatiently waited for Samuel to offer the sacrifices that preceded the battle, and demonstrated Isra’el’s dependence on the LORD. It was a test.²⁷⁷

Meanwhile, Sha’ul had gone to Gilgal, exactly as Samuel had directed, to wait seven days until the prophet arrived. He waited seven days, as Samuel had instructed; but Samuel didn’t come and Sha’ul’s volunteer militia began to scatter. So he took matters into his own hands and said, “Bring me the burnt offering (see the commentary on Leviticus Ai – The Burnt Offering: Accepted by God) and the peace offerings (see Leviticus Ak – The Peace Offerings: At Peace with God),” although he was from the tribe of Benjamin and wasn’t a priest, he offered the burnt offering (13:8-9). While it was true that Sha’ul was in a tough spot with more of his army deserting every single day, circumstances are never an excuse to ignore God’s commands. He should have learned that no matter how many soldiers left him, ADONAI could still give him the victory. It is a serious matter for anyone to set aside God’s requirements, but it is especially serious for those in spiritual leadership. Even today, the Lord has set certain requirements on those who can and cannot act in the capacity of spiritual leadership (First Timothy 3:1-12 and Titus 1:5-9).²⁷⁸

How are we to understand the purposes of ADONAI at work through Sha’ul? Samuel had warned Sha’ul and the people in his farewell address to fear ADONAI, and serve Him faithfully with all your heart and thinking about what great things He has done for you! Sha’ul was trying to do that very thing, but everything was going wrong and utter defeat seemed inevitable. Did this mean that YHVH never intended for Sha’ul to succeed, so that God gave him a test that would strain any one of us to the breaking point? No! The LORD had offered him an eternal kingship if only he had obeyed (13:13). The reality is that Ha’Shem does test His people with severe trials, giving grace to those who trust Him. Moshe learned to trust ADONAI with his back to the Sea of Reeds – which God parted to save His people and destroy the Egyptian army. Likewise, Sha’ul would need to trust YHVH in trying times if he wanted to see God’s deliverance.²⁷⁹

Deception (13:10-12): As Sha’ul decays in character, we see him deceiving himself and others more and more. No sooner had he sacrificed the Burnt Offering, than Samuel arrived on the seventh day, only to be greeted by the king as if nothing had happened. But Sha’ul had violated the holy standards of the LORD by disobeying the Torah and the word of His prophet Samuel, who had told him two years earlier to proceed to Gilgal and to wait there for him seven days in anticipation of Samuel’s sacrifice (10:1-8).²⁸⁰ Samuel declared, “What have you done?” We are reminded of the voice of the LORD speaking to Adam and Eve after their sin in the garden (Genesis 3:9-13). Like Adam with his fig leaves, Sha’ul sought to cover his disobedience with an excuse. Sha’ul answered, “When I saw that the army was deserting me, that you hadn’t come during the time appointed (but it was still the seventh day) and that the Philistines had assembled at Micmash. Sha’ul reacted not by faith but based on what he saw. He feared losing his men and did not properly consider what God wanted him to do. So I thought, “Now the Philistines will attack me at Gilgal, and I haven’t asked the favor of ADONAI,” so I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering. From a human standpoint, Sha’ul did what he needed to do in a difficult situation. But from God’s point of view, difficult circumstances are never an excuse for disobedience.²⁸¹

Foolishness (13:13-14): Sha’ul had experienced the LORD’s favor in defeating the Ammonites (see Bz – The Ammonite War), but at the first sign of adversity, he failed the test. The penalty was severe. Samuel said to Sha’ul, “You did a foolish thing. You didn’t observe the mitzvah of ADONAI (making a sacrifice without being a priest). If you had obeyed, ADONAI would have set up your kingship over Isra’el forever (13:13). We must take this statement at face value, however unlikely its fulfillment was. Therefore, at this point, Sha’ul was not rejected as king, it was just that he would not have an eternal dynasty.²⁸² Sha’ul needed to be reminded, as we need to be, that God is interested in the motives of the heart. What Sha’ul couldn’t grasp was the fact that character was, and is, the issue, and in that respect, he had completely failed. His pride, impatience, deception, and foolishness were all seen and judged by Ha’Shem, and Samuel announced the verdict: But as it is now, your kingship will not be established (13:14a). This clearly demonstrates YHVH was testing Sha’ul’s heart. If he had remained steadfast in obeying His mitzvot, God would have established Sha’ul’s lineage on the throne of Isra’el forever. Instead, Sha’ul proved his heart was not committed to following Ha’Shem as his Sovereign, and thus, God found another man whose heart was aligned with His.²⁸³

This was a severe judgment, and we might be tempted to think that Samuel overreacted, having subjected Samuel to an unnecessarily long period of waiting, only to condemn him. But Samuel was trying to establish once-and-for-all the essential difference between Isra’el’s monarchy and all the other nations. In Isra’el, ADONAI is King, and obedience to Him must be absolute. It follows that anything short of that would lead to disqualification, being equivalent to rebellion against YHVH.²⁸⁴

ADONAI had already chosen Sha’ul’s successor, a man after His own heart, and would appoint him to be the leader over His people, because Sha’ul didn’t keep ADONAI’s command to wait seven days. Then Samuel left Gilgal and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin, which at this point was safely in Jewish hands (13:14b-15a). If the people had been patient enough to wait for God’s timing, David would have been Isra’el’s first king. Nevertheless, Sha’ul’s sin at Gilgal cost him the dynasty, and his future sin involving the Amalekites would cost him his kingdom (see Ck – God Rejects Sha’ul). He eventually lost his crown and his life (see 15:16-34 and 31:1-13). ADONAI wanted a king with a heart that was aligned with His, a man with a shepherd’s heart, and He found that kind of a heart in David (see the life of David Ah – Samuel Anoints David). Sha’ul was a warrior and nothing more; he was never a shepherd. But, David had a shepherd’s heart, because ADONAI was his Shepherd (Psalm 23:1).²⁸⁵

The lessons of Sha’ul’s sin: What, exactly, was Sha’ul’s sin? As Richard Phillips describes in his commentary on 1 Samuel, the obvious answer was that he made the Burnt Offering without the authority to do so. Only a properly ordained priest could offer the burnt offering that would secure God’s favor. But given the dire national circumstances that Sha’ul was facing, it is possible that ADONAI would be more concerned with the proper ritual for the offering of His sacrifices than with Sha’ul’s need to get moving with organizing the war? The answer is “Yes.” The sacrificial offerings of the priesthood were more important than the king’s pursuit of the war. What we do in worship reveals our beliefs about who the LORD is and what He wants, so that our obedience in worship should receive priority in our lives. The sacrifices Sha’ul desecrated were holy, and they dealt with holy things, such as God’s wrath against our sin and His atoning work in Messiah for our forgiveness. In the final analysis, it was more important for YHVH to be worshiped properly than for Isra’el to survive its war.

Several aspects of Samuel’s rebuke apply to us. First, we notice that foolishness consists of violating the commands of the LORD. The proverb states: Trust in ADONAI with all your heart; and do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, then He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). Sha’ul violated this very precept in making the offering himself. Given the circumstances, it seemed best to him – even necessary – to violate the command of God. But it is never right to violate the command of Ha’Shem, who is sovereign over all circumstances and saves His people who trust in Him. This applies to believers today in matters such as child-raising, dating, marriage, and the use of money and time. Whereas our society encourages independence in children, the Bible commands obedience to parents (see Deuteronomy Bp – Honor Your Parents). Whereas the world applauds sexual indulgence in dating, God requires purity and self-control. So it goes in virtually every other aspect of life. When worldly ideas conflict with the teaching of God’s Word and especially with its clear commands, they are to be resisted, because, in reality, they are foolish (see the commentary on First Corinthians An – The Foolishness of Worldly Wisdom). As Samuel said to Sha’ul, so it could be said of us when our worldly “wisdom” leads us to violate God’s Word, “You did a foolish thing. You didn’t observe the mitzvah of ADONAI, which He gave you (13:13a).

Second, we see that obedience to God is obedience to God’s Word. The reason Sha’ul was guilty of breaking God’s command is that he violated the word that Samuel had given him. Today, we receive the Word of ADONAI in the Scriptures. Some people complain that to revere the Bible is to make it an idol. But the Bible is God’s Word, and the way that we worship and obey God is by obeying the teachings of the Bible. It was because Sha’ul treated God’s Word without reverence that he was rebuked by the Lord.

Third, Samuel reminds us that if we want to do God’s work, we must do it in accordance with God’s Word. Sha’ul was not on some agenda of his own; he was serving Isra’el against its enemies. So what was the problem? The problem was that he did not serve God in accordance with God’s Word, so that he was rebuked and rejected by Ha’Shem. Believers risk the same result today when we adapt the worship of the Church and plans for Church growth to worldly models copied from the entertainment and business worlds, rather than faithfully applying the kinds of worship and ministry taught and modeled in the Bible.

Fourth, we may be tempted to think that Samuel, and therefore YHVH, was excessive in His rebuke of Sha’ul. But this example shows us that what we consider to be small matters of negligence are often considered by ADONAI to be major indicators of a heart that is not devoted to Him. God looks on the heart as stated above, and it is in the small matters of life that our heart’s true attitude is often revealed.²⁸⁶

Dear heavenly Father, praise You that You are almighty and the Sovereign Ruler of the universe! You are so much wiser, greater and more powerful than any ruler, be he king, prime minister or president. Your authority and power is far above all rulers. You are always to be obeyed. Sometimes rulers get “big heads” and pride gets in their way. But You, who are the greatest Ruler, humbled Yourself and became a man to take our sin punishment. How wonderful You are! Who, though existing in the form of God, did not consider being equal to God a thing to be grasped. But He emptied Himself – taking on the form of a slave, becoming the likeness of men and being found in appearance as a man. He humbled Himself – becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:6-8).

What a glorious act of humility that was rewarded with being lifted above every name and before whom all shall bow! For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Yeshua every knee should bow, in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and every tongue profess that Yeshua the Messiah is Lord – to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11). It is a joy to be able to trust and follow You always, for You are so loving and wonderful! It is a joy to do things Your way. You always know best. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The Decline of King Sha’ul
First Samuel 13:1 to 15:35

Although the story of Sha’ul’s decline begins in Chapter 13 and is highlighted in Chapters 13 to 15, it continues sporadically to the end of First Samuel and is inextricably intertwined with the story of David’s rise (to see link click Cl – The Rise of David). The entire account of the interaction between the two men as recorded in Chapters 13 to 31 can be called “crossing fates.” As one man’s fate goes down, the other goes up.

The people had demanded a king, and ADONAI had selected one: a young man named Sha’ul from the tribe of Benjamin. As we have seen, he was tall, strong, wealthy, and probably well educated. He had everything going for him from the world’s perspective. Furthermore, the Ruach Ha’Kodesh had come upon him and given him a new outlook on life. As our passage begins, Sha’ul has been king for just two years and already experienced many victories from the LORD. He had successfully rallied the people to defend against the threat from the Ammonites, who were terrorizing the people of Jabesh-Gilead (see Bz – The Ammonite War). After that great military victory, all the people came to Gilgal to confirm Sha’ul as their king in the presence of ADONAI. There they presented sacrifices as peace offerings before ADONAI, and Sha’ul and all the people of Isra’el celebrated with great joy (11:15). The people of Isra’el were happy to have such a king, and Sha’ul was happy to be such a king.

While the people were assembled together at Gilgal, in his farewell address (see Ca – Samuel’s Farewell), Samuel had said: If you will fear ADONAI, serve him, obey what he says and not rebel against His commands – if both you and the king ruling over you remain followers of ADONAI your God – then things will go well for you. But if you refuse to obey what ADONAI says and rebel against His commands, then ADONAI will oppress both you and your leaders (12:14-15). This would prove to be a telling prophecy. Sha’ul rode his wave of success into his next battle against the Philistines (see Af – Isra’el and the Philistines). At first, things go well, just as they had before against the Ammonites. But when the battle grew fierce, and Sha’ul’s army started to desert him. It proved to be the big test of his faith. Whom would he serve? Would he be willing to submit himself to the LORD as the true King of Isra’el? Or would he take that authority upon himself? This would truly be the moment when Sha’ul would either show he was a man of faith after God’s own heart or a man of weakness in pursuit of his own interests. In the final analysis, he would choose himself, and because he rejected the word of God, ADONAI would reject Sha’ul as king. As Samuel declared to him, “Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams (15:22-23).

Chapters 13-15 may be outlined as follows. Samuel’s initial rebuke of Sha’ul (A) parallels God’s final rejection of Sha’ul (A); Sha’ul’s victory against the Philistines (B) parallels his victories against various enemies, including the Philistines (B); the hinge of the section is Sha’ul’s determination, however reluctant, to execute his firstborn son, Jonathan, heir to the throne (C).

A. Samuel Rebukes Sha’ul (13:1-15)

B. Isra’el Routs the Philistines (13:16-14:23)

C. The Cursing of Jonathan (14:24-46)

B. Further Wars of Sha’ul (14:47-52)

A. God Rejects Sha’ul (15:1-35)

Samuel’s Farewell
First Samuel 12: 1-25

Samuel’s farewell speech DIG: What do verses 1-5 reveal about Samuel’s character and faith? Why does he want the Israelites to agree that he is blameless? What is the purpose of Samuel’s history lesson in verses 6-17? How much faith do you suppose Samuel had in Isra’el’s ability to do what was “good and right (12:23)? How much confidence did Isra’el have? What did Samuel hope to achieve by praying for thunder and rain in the dry season? What, in fact, happened? When is failure to pray, a sin against God? What incentives, positive or negative, does he offer for loyal covenant living?

REFLECT: On the basis of the farewell speeches of the great men of the bible, how do you envision your own farewell speech? Do you think you will be more guilt-free, or guilt-ridden? How can you make sure you are blameless at the end of your life? How do you respond when you really blow it before the Lord? What is the biblical response? What “great things” has God done for you this past year? How have you been faithful since then? In what areas of your life has ADONAI continually proven faithful, yet you remain reluctant to trust him in those very areas? Who can you help this week?

Samuel wouldn’t continue as Isra’el’s judge,
but he would continue as the nation’s priest and prophet.

Whenever a great leader comes to the end of his career, his final words to his followers are usually extremely important. This was especially true for the great leaders of the Bible. In Deuteronomy, Moshe’s final words to Isra’el prior to him climbing up Mount Nebo to look upon the Promised Land and then die. His successor, Joshua, gathered all Isra’el to issue a challenge that still rings in our ears today: Choose this day whom you will serve, whether the false gods of their fathers or ADONAI, the God of Isra’el. But as for me and my house, Joshua concluded, we will serve the LORD (Joshua 24:15). When Paul passed through Ephesus for what he knew would be the last time, he gathered the elders to meet with him. The apostle reminded them what a true ministry is like . . . I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27) . . . and warned them against wolves that would enter the flock and tear apart the sheep (Acts 20:29-30). Most important is the final address of the Lord to His apostles at the last Seder. There, Yeshua drew attention to the work He was about to do in shedding His blood on the cross for our sins (see The Life of Christ, to see link click Kk – The Third Cup of Redemption), and He gave them instructions to guide them after His ascension.

Considering these examples, we can see a general pattern to the farewell addresses of the great men of the Bible. Most of them seek to recap and summarize their ministries, which they also vindicate as faithful to the LORD. Not only themselves, but those who remain to carry on in faithfulness in their own ministry. In response, it is also common for the people to express some sorrow at the loss of their leader, and to express a need for intercession with ADONAI that can ultimately be met only by Yeshua Messiah Himself. This is the very pattern reflected in the final address of the great prophet and judge Samuel, as he prepared to hand over the leadership of Isra’el to the newly confirmed King Sha’ul.

Samuel’s ministry vindicated (12:1-5): Now that all Isra’el had accepted Sha’ul as their king, Samuel had to withdraw as the leader of the nation, though he continued to exercise his prophetic ministry – although restricted, to some extent, in that the king could choose to ignore his advice. But first, he wanted to set the record straight, and point out that under his leadership, Isra’el had had just and effective administration, in keeping with the covenant, without any undue demands made upon their personal liberty.²⁵⁶

Samuel said to all Isra’el, “Here, I have done everything you asked me to do – I have made a king over you. Even though he considered the request for a king to be an insult to himself, and even more importantly an insult to God, and though he warned the people about what a disaster their request would bring (see Br – Samuel’s Warnings), he was willing to do his best to make it work. Not only that, when the LORD commanded Samuel to anoint Sha’ul as king, an action that Samuel probably found distasteful, the great judge and prophet did not hesitate to act in obedience. In fact, Samuel’s role in enthroning King Sha’ul showed just how disinterested he was in personal gain, for Sha’ul was his own replacement!²⁵⁷ Now you have a king as your leader. As for me, I am old and gray-headed and my sons are here with you, both of the reasons the people had asked for a king. I have been your leader from my youth until this day (12:1-2).

Samuel challenged the people, saying: Here I stand. Samuel, like Yeshua, stood before the people and asked: Which of you convicts Me of sin (John 8:46). Now is the time to witness against me before ADONAI and his anointed king. In the Near-East, it is expected that civil officials would use their offices to make money. But Samuel hadn’t done that. He obeyed the Torah and kept his hands clean (Exodus 20:17; Lev 19:13; Deut 16:19).²⁵⁸ Does any of you think I have taken your ox or donkey, cheated or oppressed you, or accepted a bribe to deprive you of justice? Tell me, and I will restore it to you.” The failure of anyone to come forward with a charge against him testified to his extraordinary godliness.²⁵⁹ Samuel was on sure ground. In response to Samuel’s plea, the people had no option but to respond positively. They answered, “You haven’t cheated or oppressed us, and you have accepted nothing from anyone.” They fully affirmed what Samuel had said about his righteousness. Then Samuel pressed his case, calling on both YHVH and the newly appointed king to be a witness to his faithfulness. He declared, “ADONAI and His anointed king are my witness today,” Samuel declared, “that my hands are clean.” And the people replied, “Yes, He is a witness” (12:3-5). If the people ever changed their mind, they would have to deal with YHVH and His appointed king!

Samuel pleads ADONAI’s case (12:6-17): The purpose behind Samuel’s vindication was not so much about his own legacy or reputation. Rather, Samuel set forth his own trustworthiness as a preamble for his main concern: he wanted the people to remember what a great and faithful God they served. This was another purpose in citing YHVH as a witness to his own integrity; having spoken of the LORD as witness, Samuel elaborates on the LORD’s faithfulness to Isra’el.²⁶⁰ Samuel said to the people, “It was ADONAI who appointed Moshe and Aaron and who brought your ancestors up from the land of Egypt. The point was that God was quite capable of delivering the right leaders at the right time to deliver Isra’el. He didn’t need a king then, and He certainly didn’t need a king now!²⁶¹ This was more than a lecture on history; Samuel used the language of a courtroom trial and intended for the people to stand before the bar of God’s justice. Now, stand still; because I am going to confront you with evidence before ADONAI regarding all the righteous acts of ADONAI that He did for you and your ancestors (12:6-7). These verses summarize the history of Isra’el from the time of Moses and the exodus through the period of the judges and their request for a king. Such historical prologues are common features of the suzerain-vassal documents throughout the Near East (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Ah – The Treaty of the Great King).²⁶²

After Jacob had entered Egypt, your ancestors cried to ADONAI; and ADONAI sent Moshe and Aaron, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and had them live here in this place (12:8). The language of verses 9-11 is heavily dependent on terminology characteristic of the book of Judges. The dreary cycle of rebellion, retribution, repentance, and restoration described throughout that book (see the commentary on Judges At – Twelve Cycles) is repeated here. Rebellion: But they forgot ADONAI their God; retribution: so he handed them over to Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor (Judges 4:2), and to the Philistines (Judges 3:31, 10:7 and 13:1), and to the king of Mo’av (Judges 3:12-14); and they fought against them. Repentance: But they cried out to ADONAI and said: We sinned by abandoning ADONAI and serving the Ba’al’s (the male Canaanite gods) and the Ashtoreths (the female Canaanite gods). But now, if you rescue us from the power of our enemies, we will serve you. And restoration: So ADONAI sent Jerub-Ba’al (another name for Gideon), Barak, Jephthah and, mentioning himself in the third person to retain the courtroom scene, Samuel and rescued you from the hands of our enemies on every side, so that you lived securely (12:9a-11). All this was accomplished without the use of kings.²⁶³

How should Isra’el have responded to this kind of national history? They should have expressed gratitude to the LORD and trusted Him for His continued care. They should have confessed the sin of unbelief and trusted Him alone. But what did they do?²⁶⁴ When you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites was attacking you, you said to me, “No, we want a king to rule over us” – even though ADONAI your God was your King. Now, humanly speaking, here’s the king you have chosen, the one you asked for. But, in God’s permissive will, ADONAI has set a king over you (12:12-13). Serving as the hinge of this chapter, this verse focuses once again on the gracious, permissive will of God who had given His people the king they had asked for. God’s eventual rejection of the very king the people demanded is eerily echoed later in a similar situation in Hosea where God declared: In my anger I gave you a king, and in My wrath I took him away (Hosea 13:10-11).²⁶⁵

These verses represent the blessings and curses that were part of the ancient suzerain-vassal covenants. If you will fear ADONAI, serve him, obey what he says and not rebel against His commands – if both you and the king ruling over you remain followers of ADONAI your God – then things will go well for you. Even though it was a sin to ask for a king, the reality was they now had one. But they were still obligated to obey the Torah. If you refused to obey what God says and rebel against His commands, then ADONAI will oppress both you as it was against your fathers (12:14-15).

Now then, stand still; and see the great thing that ADONAI is about to do before your very eyes. This would authenticate all of Samuel’s words. Samuel reminded the people that it was the time of year for the wheat harvest (mid-May to mid-June), which was usually the dry season. Then he promised a miracle that would convince them that they needed to repent. He declared: I am going to call on ADONAI to send thunder and rain, which would be extremely unusual in May and June. And you will realize what an evil thing you did in the eyes of ADONAI when you asked for a king (12:16-17). This miracle reminds us of the authenticating signs Moshe and Aaron accomplished in Egypt. Samuel was proving to the people that YHVH could do anything for them if they obeyed and trusted in Him, and that a mere king was helpless apart from God. When the Jews begged Samuel for deliverance, they sounded like Pharaoh confessing his sin and begging Moses for relief (Exodus 8:8, 9:27-28, and 10:16-17), and their repentance was probably just as sincere.²⁶⁶

Samuel’s mediation sought (12:18-25): Terrified, the people responded by asking Samuel to mediate, intercede for them. Then Samuel called upon ADONAI, and He sent lightening and rain that very day. Totally a miracle of timing, authenticating the message of Samuel. Then all the people became very much afraid of ADONAI and Samuel. The words of Samuel, reinforced by the storm, brought the people to repentance. All the people said to Samuel, “Pray to ADONAI your God for your servants (practically a quote from the lips of Pharaoh), so that we won’t die; because to all our other sins now we’ve added this evil as well, asking for a king over us.” Samuel reassured the people of God’s chesed (see the commentary on Ruth Af – The Concept of Chesed), and answered the people, “Don’t be afraid. You have indeed done all this evil in asking for a king, but it would not cause their destruction. Samuel not only acknowledged their sin, but also pointed them to its remedy. Just don’t turn away from following ADONAI; but serve ADONAI with all your heart. Don’t turn to the side and go after useless idols that can neither help nor rescue because they are so useless (12:18-21).

For the sake of his great Name, ADONAI will not abandon His people; because it has pleased ADONAI to make you a people for Himself. As for me, far be it from me to sin against ADONAI by ceasing to pray for you as a priest! Rather, I will continue to teach you as a prophet in the way that is good and right.²⁶⁷ But he would not continue as their judge; that meant that the period of the judges had officially ended, and the period of the monarchy had begun. Samuel felt obliged to remind them, however, that pursuing their inclination for evil would surely result in godly discipline: Only fear ADONAI, and serving Him faithfully with all your heart and thinking about what great things He has done for you! However, if you insist on doing evil, you will be swept away (Hebrew: saphah) – both you and your king (12:22-25)! The verbal root is sph, which appears again in 26:10, where David predicts that Ha’Shem will cause Sha’ul’s demise, that perhaps Sha’ul will go into battle and perish (Hebrew: saphah) . . . and so it happened (see Dj – Sha’ul Takes His Own Life). Thus, the final words of Samuel’s speech, and the final days of Sha’ul’s kingship, passages that frame the description of Sha’ul’s reign (Chapters 13 to 31), are soaked with the stench of death.²⁶⁸

Samuel was the last of the judges, and the first of the prophets; he had both civil and religious functions, but from this time on the kings would function as civil authorities and the priesthood continued to function as the religious authority. Lastly, God’s rule over Isra’el began with Moshe at Mount Sinai with the Mosaic Covenant as their constitution, now Isra’el would enter the monarchy period from the House of David through to Zedekiah, with Sha’ul merely being a transitional king from the human chosen king to the divine chosen king. With the death of Zedekiah, the times of the Gentiles began (see Revelation An – The Times of the Gentiles), and will continue until the Lord Himself will return and set up His Kingdom from Jerusalem and from the throne of David (see Isaiah Db – The Nine Missing Articles in the Messiah’s Coming Temple).²⁶⁹

Our true Mediator: As Richard Phillips relates in his commentary in 1 Samuel, with these words, the narrative of First Samuel changes from its focus on Samuel to a new focus on King Sha’ul. Samuel had been a faithful servant of ADONAI, as the people had affirmed, and a truly great man of God. When the Ammonite horde began pouring into the eastern region of Isra’el, the elders of Isra’el looked on an aged Samuel, and on his unruly sons, and decided they needed to look elsewhere for salvation, demanding the king whom God had now given in Sha’ul. We might honor Samuel’s legacy by recounting all the things that made him great. But a better way to honor him would be to look through him to see the reasons why Yeshua Messiah is an even better Savior, King, and Mediator in whom we may find all that we need for the eternal salvation of our souls.

First, while the people asked Samuel to mediate on their behalf with God, we have the better privilege of approaching God’s throne through the mediation of Yeshua. For all his righteousness, Samuel remained a sinner, even he could not ultimately stand before YHVH on his own merits. In the end, like Isra’el and like us, Samuel would have to take up the words that the evil Pharaoh begged Moshe, “Would you please bless me and intercede for me with God?” Yeshua is no mere holy man; He is the God-man, Immanuel, which means, “God with us,” God the Son who took on flesh to bring His people to YHVH (Isaiah 7:14 and Hebrews 2:14-17). By virtue of who Messiah is and what He has done, Paul states: There is one mediator between God and mankind, the man Messiah Yeshua (First Timothy 2:5). Yeshua is the one completely sinless man, who does not need His own Savior, and who as the Son of God is therefore able to offer His death for the forgiveness of everyone who believes in Him and calls on ADONAI’s Name for salvation.

Second, Yeshua is a better mediator than Samuel because He never grows old or feeble. Under Isra’el’s monarchy, even the best of kings grew old and ultimately died, so that the people had to tremble at what awaited them under a new regime. But the Kingdom of God knows no such anxiety. Yeshua our King, who died for our sins, has risen from the grave to eternal resurrection life. The writer of Hebrews thus praises Yeshua’s eternal priesthood, and the same is true of His office as Prophet and King. Because Yeshua lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever. Therefore He is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through Him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf (Hebrews 7:24-25).

Finally, while Samuel displayed a powerful prophetic preaching that stirred the souls of the people, and even backed it up with a striking miracle that awed his hearers (12:16-17a), yet his words lacked the power in themselves to change the heart. How different is our Lord Yeshua Messiah, who speaks and preaches with the power and persuasion of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh. Yeshua alone can say: My words . . . are spirit and life (John 6:63). If we will call on His Name – the Name of God’s one-and-only Son and Savior of the world – if we will enter into His Kingdom through faith, and if we will open our hearts to His living and eternal words, Yeshua says that we will have eternal life (see The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer). Faithful Samuel pointed us to the LORD, saying: Fear ADONAI, and serve Him faithfully with all your heart (12:24). Yeshua, the very Lord to whom Samuel pointed, calls to us, saying: I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12).²⁷⁰