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

The Ammonite War
First Samuel 11: 1-15

The Ammonite war DIG: Why did Nahash make such harsh terms of surrender? Why then did Nahash give the people of Jabesh-Gilead a chance to fortify their troops? How were the Israelites rallied with united hearts? What did the victory mean for the citizens of Jabesh-Gilead? For the Israelites? Even for the worthless rebels?

REFLECT: In what situation have you felt ADONAI truly empowering you? What did you do that, without the Lord, you could not have done? When was YHVH vindicated in the eyes of worthless rebels or skeptics? What challenges are you facing now in which you need God to embolden and empower you? In victory are you magnanimous or not?

The people of Isra’el were happy to have such a king,
and Sha’ul was happy to be such a king.

At this point in our Bible, at the break between First Samuel 10 and 11, there is a sudden transition from Sha’ul to a new character, Nahash the Ammonite, and to a new location, Jabesh-Gilead, to the east of Jordan. In the Qumran manuscript 4QSam^a, however, the extra paragraph does provide a helpful introduction to the Ammonite war, and Josephus reveals that it was part of text he used (Josephus, Antiquates 6.5.1). It appears to have been omitted from the LXX and MT. It explains that Nahash had been oppressing the tribes of Reuben and Gad, putting out the right eyes of all the men they captured, but that seven thousand had taken refuge in the city of Jabesh-Gilead. The last words of First Samuel 10:27 are transformed by a slight change in the Hebrew to the meaning “About a month later,” as in the LXX and Josephus, thus giving the indication of the passing of time between the two incidents. However, the text does not add anything substantial to the meaning of the bible. The manuscript reads:

Now Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had been severely oppressing the tribes of Reuben and Gad by gouging out the right eye of each of them, and allowing no deliverer. No Israelites were across the Jordan whose right eye Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had not gouged out. But seven thousand men had escaped from the Ammonites and entered into Jabesh-Gilead.²⁴⁷

After his public coronation, Sha’ul returned home to Gibeah and resumed his normal life. Perhaps he was keeping a low profile while waiting for an opportunity to prove himself, in keeping with the judges before him. Unwittingly, the Ammonites provided just the opportunity that Sha’ul needed to take the initiative, and answer the question: How can this man save us from our enemies (10:26-27)?

The Ammonites were related to Isra’el (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Fb – Let’s Get Our Father to Drink Wine and then Lie with Him), but were typically aggressive, harassing the tribes east of the Jordan River from their territory further to the east (Judges 3:13). They claimed that the east bank of the Jordan belonged to them (Judges 11:12-13). It is clear from Jephthah’s battle with the Ammonites (see Judges Bp – The Defeat of the Amorites), that in the initial battle Jephthah led troops from the Transjordan tribes only. The rallying-point was at Mitzpah in Gilead (Judges 11:29), the place from which Jephthah came from, and no help was expected from any of the tribes west of the Jordan (Judges 12:2). For their part, the people of Jabesh-Gilead had refused to participate in the war against Benjamin. As a result, there was little hope that in the looming conflict with the Ammonites, there would be any help from the western tribes.

The challenge (11:1-4): Then Nahash (Hebrew: snake), the king of the Ammonites (12:12), came up and set up camp to fight Jabesh-Gilead. Intermarriage between the Benjamites and the people of Jabesh-Gilead would have established a bond between them, which forms part of the background to Sha’ul’s reaction as we will soon see. All the men of Jabesh-Gilead said to Nahash, “If you will make a treaty with us, we will be subject to you.” But rather than engage in a long and costly siege, Nahash replied: I’ll make a treaty with you only on this condition: that all your right eyes be gouged out (11:1-2a).²⁴⁸ According to Josephus, warriors of that day fought in formation with interlocking shields, so that the left eye was covered by the shield. By gouging out the right eye, Nahash rendered them unfit for battle, though still eligible for slave labor (Josephus, The Antiquities of the Jews, 6.5). If Nahash had succeeded, Isra’el could have lost her territory east of the Jordan River permanently.

But Nahash also held a serious grudge against the Israelites, wanting to bring disgrace on all of Isra’el (11:2b). The Ammonites were Isra’el’s cousins via incest, having descended from the forbidden union between drunken Lot and one of his daughters after their flight from the destruction of Sodom (Genesis 19:38). The Israelites didn’t hold the Ammonites in high regard, to say the least, and the feeling was mutual. During Isra’el’s wilderness wanderings, the Ammonites had refused to offer their cousins needed provisions (Deut 23:4), and they are listed among the traditional enemies of Isra’el (Isaiah 11:14; Jeremiah 9:25-26). Finally, during the judgeship of Jephthah the Gileadite, the Ammonites made war in these same regions. Jephthah defeated the Ammonites and captured twenty of their cities (Judges 11:33). Needless to say, the hatred between Isra’el and Ammon was long-standing. So desperate was the situation of Jabesh-Gilead that they could only surrender and accept the terms. They were at the mercy of the Ammonites.²⁴⁹

Wisely, the leaders of Jabesh answered him, saying: Give us seven days’ grace to send messengers throughout Isra’el’s territory; then, if no one will rescue us, we will surrender to you. For the reasons above, Nahash delighted in causing the Israelites of Jabesh-Gilead to writhe in fear before him. Not only that, it was better to wait seven days than to engage in a lengthy and costly siege. In his estimation, help was unlikely because seven days was barely enough time for messengers to reach the whole land, and return. When the messengers came to Gibeah, where Sha’ul lived, and said these words in the hearing of the people, they all wept aloud because the people of Benjamin had a blood connection with the people of Jabesh-Gilead as seen below (11:3-4). Nevertheless, the people of Jabesh-Gilead had no plan of action.²⁵⁰

The conquest (11:5-11): It appears that the messengers were unaware of Sha’ul’s new kingship, since they went to the people in general, rather than approaching the king directly. The fact that they all wept aloud hints that behind their grief was an especially strong bond between Gibeah and Jabesh-Gilead. In the war against Benjamin (see Judges Cd – War Against the Tribe of Benjamin), Jabesh-Gilead had refused to participate. As a result, all the unmarried maidens of Jabesh-Gilead had been given to provide wives for the men of Gibeah (see Judges Ce – The Preservation of the Tribe of Benjamin). The result was that many of the people in Sha’ul’s home town were the sons and daughters of women from Jabesh-Gilead. So there was a blood relationship between the tribe of Benjamin and the people of Jabesh-Gilead. As this was going on, Sha’ul was returning from the fields, behind his oxen. At that time the office of a king was not yet a royal status; however, the Ammonite war was about to change all that for good. Sha’ul asked, “What’s wrong with the people to make them cry like that?” They told him what the men of Jabesh-Gilead had said (11:5).

With this news, a decisive moment had come to the newly enthroned Sha’ul. It was the threat of invasion that had largely motivated the elders’ demand for a king (8:20). Now that such an invasion had occurred, it was the king’s duty to save Isra’el. This had been the very concern raised by Sha’ul’s opponents: How can this man save us (10:27)? Therefore, his actions at that moment would be a critical turning point for the king and his new regime.

Fortunately for Sha’ul, his greatest need was met at that very moment. When Sha’ul heard their words, the Spirit of God fell on him in power (11:6a). The coming of the Spirit made a remarkable point, because it showed the LORD’s favor toward that king who had been installed as a result of the people’ rebellion (see Bq – Give us a King!). ADONAI would give Sha’ul every opportunity to serve in God’s own strength; He was graciously willing to remain Isra’el’s Savior throughout the kingship of Sha’ul. Just as the Ruach Ha’Kodesh had rushed into Samson, giving him the supernatural strength to strike a young lion with his hands or the Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey (Judges 14:6 and 19, 15:14), and just as the Spirit had empowered Othniel, Gideon, and Jephthah in their victories, now the Ruach came to empower Sha’ul with courage and vigor to lead Isra’el in that time of crisis.²⁵¹

The coming of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh caused Sha’ul to burn with righteous anger for Nahash’s evil and with a violent resolve to strike out in defense of God’s people (11:6b). This righteous anger reflects Ha’Shem’s own wrath against evil. Consequently, Sha’ul’s situation called for bold and decisive action. Sha’ul acted accordingly: He seized a pair of oxen and cut them into pieces; then he sent them throughout Isra’el with the same messengers that had come from Jabesh-Gilead, saying, “Anyone who doesn’t come and follow Sha’ul and Samuel, this is what will be done to his oxen!” Sha’ul was not harsh, threatening death to those who opposed him, but only imposing the civil punishment of death on their oxen (11:7a). Sha’ul began acting like the king he was chosen to be.

Then the fear of ADONAI fell on the people, and they came out with united hearts. Inspired by the Ruach, Sha’ul spoke with authority. Again, aided by God’s Spirit, Sha’ul quickly mustered the army at Bezek, about twenty miles from Jabesh-Gilead; there were 300,000 from the people of Isra’el, and the men of Judah numbered 30,000. Sha’ul sent a message to Jabesh-Gilead that help was coming the next day before noon. “Tomorrow, by midday, you will have been rescued.” When the messengers returned and told the men of Jabesh-Gilead, they were overjoyed. Shrewdly, the citizens of Jabesh were confident in their king and said [to Nahash], “Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do with us whatever you like.” Sha’ul may have known the story of Gideon and his defeat of the Midianites because the next day, like Gideon (Judges 7:16), he divided his men into three companies. Then they entered the camp of the Ammonites and surprised them before dawn (from 3am to 6am). The Israelites slaughtered them until midday. Those who survived were so scattered that no two of them were left together (11:7b-11).²⁵²

The conformation (11:12-15): Sha’ul’s victory at Jabesh-Gilead established his kingdom among the tribes of Isra’el. But the people demanded the death of those who opposed the king at his public coronation. The people said to Samuel, “Who are the men who said, ‘Is Sha’ul to rule over us’ (10:27)? Hand them over to us, so we can put them to death.” However, the answer didn’t come from Samuel, but from Sha’ul. The king declared: No one will be put to death today, because today ADONAI has rescued Isra’el. The events seem to have brought satisfaction to Samuel. Isra’el had rejected him as well as the LORD in demanding a king. But now God’s Spirit had come to Sha’ul, so that Samuel might hope for godliness and faith in the new ruler. Sha’ul had done the kingly thing and led his people to a great victory. So, the prophet quickly took advantage of the situation.²⁵³ Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let’s go to Gilgal and confirm the kingship there. Gilgal was also the place where the Israelites under Joshua first set foot on the soil of Canaan, and acknowledged ADONAI’s great power on their behalf, as well as the fact that they belonged to Him (Joshua 4:23-24 and 5:2-7). So all the people went to Gilgal and confirmed Sha’ul as their king in the presence of ADONAI. There they presented sacrifices as peace offerings before ADONAI (see the commentary on Leviticus Ak – The Peace Offerings: At Peace with God), and Sha’ul and all the people of Isra’el celebrated with great joy. The people of Isra’el were happy to have such a king, and Sha’ul was happy to be such a king.²⁵⁴ His reign had started out well.

As Richard Phillips relates in his commentary in 1 Samuel, Sha’ul’s victory over the Ammonite Nahash presents a challenge to all believers and the congregations of God today. It’s a challenge for us to realize that no matter how friendly our circumstances may seem, on a spiritual plane, ADONAI’s people are always at war. Paul warns us that we are not struggling against human beings, but against the rulers, authorities and cosmic powers governing this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm (see the commentary on Ephesians Cb – The Armor of God). These spiritual foes are just as eager to destroy God’s people today as Nahash and the Ammonites were in the day of King Sha’ul.

Yet despite the warning of this text, the reality is that the Church today rarely sees itself engaged in deadly spiritual warfare. This can be seen in the fact that most of the congregations of God see themselves according to business plans, rather than battle plans. “Going to battle” is not how we like to think of our evangelistic efforts. In many ways the business world has replaced the battlefield. Gospel work is then not war but business: we go to sell a product, not to fight a battle. We become marketers, not soldiers. We have a product, not to fight a battle. We face potential customers, not an enemy. We are out to expand our market share and increase our customer base, not to capture, defeat, and destroy an enemy. The language of war, weapons, and battle is too extreme for the way we think about evangelism. We are more like advertisers than fighters.

As a result, we need to rethink our approach. Our challenge in evangelism is not to present an appealing product to a consumer culture. Rather, Paul says that the god of this world has blinded their minds, in order to prevent them from seeing the light shining from the Good News about the glory of the Messiah, who is the image of God (Second Corinthians 4:4). Since Paul is correct and the combination of spiritual domination and depravity is the problem with unbelievers, then evangelism will have to rely on something different from worldly appeals of persuasion. After all, the Gospel cannot be sold to those who are blind and even hostile to it. We must understand ourselves as being engaged in spiritual warfare, taking up the spiritual weapons of prayer and God’s Word (Hebrews 4:12-13; First Peter 1:23). As Paul writes: For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have God’s power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Messiah (see the commentary on Second Corinthians Bt – Winning the Spiritual War).²⁵⁵

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for being the Almighty Invincible Warrior who wins battles and who has given into the hands of His children a very powerful weapon. Yes, we have the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17) which is also very powerful; but there is another extremely powerful weapon you so graciously place into your children’s hands. That weapon is not made of metal or of steel. It is prayer (Ephesians 6:18)! It is a weapon that places the situation into your hands and asks you to guide and to move in mighty ways to bring glory to Your Name. You have never lost any battle that You desired to win. Though you did sometimes allow Isra’el to be defeated, that was only because you were disciplining them and seeking to bring them back to loving and following You whole heartedly. Dear Lord, when I am in the midst of the spiritual battle, please help me to remember to pray to You. For You are so gracious and merciful to listen to me. To the One who sits at Your right hand. Amen

Long Live the King
First Samuel 10: 17-27

Long live the king DIG: In publicly anointing Sha’ul, how does Samuel implicitly judge Isra’el and reward their protest (10:17-19, see 8:19-20)? Why the elimination process, when Samuel already knew Sha’ul was God’s elect? In what sense was there “no one like Sha’ul?” How do the Israelites respond to their new king? Why this mixed reaction? How did Sha’ul receive the praises of the people?

REFLECT: Describe a time when people were surprised at how God was working in your life. Were you equally surprised by the grace of ADONAI? What major “calamity” in your past has the LORD delivered you from? How has the memory of that event shaped your relationship with YHVH now? How so? Why not? When you think of reigning with Messiah for eternity, how does that make you feel?

In His anger, God gave Sha’ul to Isra’el; but in His mercy, he gave us His Son, Yeshua.

Samuel, who had sent the people to their homes (8:22), now assembles them once again at Miztpah, the very place where he had interceded (7:5), and close to where he had set up the stone of the Helper (7:12). Where Samuel’s prophetic leadership had been most clearly vindicated, he was to inaugurate the new era that the people had demanded.²³⁹ However, He had returned not merely to remember the prior repentance (to see link click Bn – Repentance and Recommitment at Mizpah), but in the hopes that a new repentance would occur. Therefore, while the public coronation would normally call for polite and formal behavior, with bland speeches and cheery affirmations, Samuel took the occasion to rebuke the nation for its unbelief in demanding a king in place of ADONAI.

Isra’el’s unbelief rebuked (10:17-19a): Samuel called the people of Isra’el to ADONAI at Mitzpah, shortly after Samuel’s private coronation of Sha’ul as Isra’el’s first king. In the past He said to them, “Here is what ADONAI, the God of Isra’el, says: I brought Isra’el up out of Egypt. I rescued you from the power of the Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that oppressed you. But, speaking as God’s mouthpiece, he declared: Today you have rejected your God, who Himself saves you from all your disasters and distress. You have said to Him, ‘No! Set a king over us!’

Isra’el’s king revealed (10:19b-24a): Then, after reminding them of their foolish insistence on having a king like all the other nations, Samuel demonstrated God’s selection of Sha’ul by a process of elimination.²⁴⁰ So now, present yourselves before ADONAI by your tribes and clans.” God Himself guided the decision by means of the Urim and Thummim (see Exodus Gb – The Urim and Thummim: The Means of Making Decisions). So Samuel had all the tribes come forward, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken (Hebrew: lakad) (10:19b-20). Therefore, the king would come from that tribe. Next, Samuel had the tribe of Benjamin come forward by families, and the family of the Matri was taken. Finally Sha’ul the son of Kish was taken.

But when they looked for him, he couldn’t be found. They asked ADONAI, “Where is he?” ADONAI answered through Samuel, “There he is, hiding out of fear, in among the baggage.” Evidently, he didn’t want to be king. This first official act on Sha’ul’s part suggests that there was trouble ahead. He was a reluctant ruler who followed his emotions instead of building his faith. Anxious to hail their new king, the people ran and brought him from there, and when he stood among the people he was head-and-shoulders taller than anyone around.²⁴¹ Samuel did what he could to salvage the embarrassing situation, and said to all the people, “Do you see the man ADONAI has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people” (10:21-24a)? He presented Sha’ul as God’s chosen king and highlighted Sha’ul admirable physical characteristics. Sha’ul had no opportunity to protest. By popular demand a king had been chosen, but if Isra’el thought he would solve all their problems by leading them to conquests, they were quite wrong.²⁴²

Ironically, the word taken (Hebrew: lakad) is normally translated to capture or seize. Ha’Shem gave them their king, but it ended up being part of His judgment against the nation. After being captured and taken to Babylon (see the commentary on Jeremiah Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule), Zedekiah would be the last human king of Isra’el (see Jeremiah Fy – A Warning to Zedekiah). God’s ultimate answer to their foolish decision is recorded in Hosea 13:9-11, “It is your destruction, Isra’el, although your help is in Me. So now, where is your king, to save you in all your cities? Where are your judges, of whom you said: Give me a king and leaders’? I gave you a king in my anger; and in my fury I took him away.”²⁴³

Isra’el’s king confirmed (10:24b and 26-27): Then all the people shouted, “Long live the king” (10:24b)! As Richard Phillips recounts in his commentary in 1 Samuel, with those words, Isra’el welcomed her new king, Sha’ul the son of Kish. But had the people consulted God’s Word, they would have known that however long Sha’ul might reign, his dynasty could not endure. For as Isra’el’s patriarch Jacob had prophesied, the royal scepter was destined for the tribe of Judah. The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet until He comes to whom [obedience] it belongs; and it is He whom the [Gentile nations] will obey (49:10).

First Samuel will tell the story of how the kingship passes from Sha’ul to David, and from the tribe of Benjamin to Judah. Isra’el’s kings were types of the true King over God’s Kingdom, His own Son, Yeshua Messiah, who was born of the line of David from the tribe of Judah. In Sha’ul’s case, we see more of a foil of Messiah: as a tainted king, he serves more to contrast with Yeshua than to typify the reign of God’s Son.

First, whatever we may think of Sha’ul’s hiding among the baggage, Yeshua also hid his royal calling from the people of Isra’el. Mark records that when Yeshua performed miracles of healing, he instructed the people: Do not tell anyone about His divine power (Mark 7:36). The reason for Messiah’s “messianic secret” was not His fear or reluctance, but that He had already been rejected by the Great Sanhedrin, and the fact that He had come to die for our sins and only later to return in royal glory and power.

A second contrast in Samuel’s praise of Sha’ul that there is none like him among all the people (10:24a). This was true outwardly of Sha’ul, but it is true inwardly of Messiah’s character and being. In this respect, Sha’ul shows us Yeshua, by what was missing in Sha’ul’s life. Our Lord alone is utterly pure and without sin (John 18:38). The book of Hebrews hails Him as greater than the angels, greater than Moshe, greater than Joshua, and greater than the high priest Aaron. For this reason Scripture says that God has crowned Messiah with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under His feet (Hebrews 2:7-8, quoting Psalm 8:5-6). There is truly none like Yeshua among all the people. Hebrews 7:26 describes Him as holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens, and He is worthy to reign over God’s people as King for all eternity.

Furthermore, we noted that Sha’uls public coronation was preceded by Samuel’s rebuke of Isra’el’s unbelief. In demanding a worldly king, the Israelites had sown the seeds of their own captivity and bondage in Babylon. Yeshua, however, came to deliver us from bondage, and to deliver God’s remedy for sin. His blood sacrifice fully satisfies all of YHVH’s wrath against our sin. The apostle John testified to this when he said: For you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth (Revelation 5:9-10). The Bible declares Yeshua’s kingship as a reign of grace over sin, so that all who belong to His Kingdom are those who have come to Him for cleansing, forgiveness, and redemption.

Finally, Sha’ul’s public coronation brought division to Isra’el. As the new king went home to Gibeah, he was accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched; part of the believing remnant of that day. Yet, there were others, some worthless rebels (the same expression is translated wicked men in 2:12) who despised him and brought him no gift, rejecting his authority, saying: How can this man save us from our enemies (10:26-27)? Likewise, the coming of Messiah has divided the world. Some, their hearts touched by the Gospel of God’s grace, have reacted to Yeshua’s cross to be cleansed of their sins and to live as His disciples. But many others despise the Lord and withhold both their praise and their faith. Like Sha’ul, Messiah held his peace during His lifetime. But when He returns in glory (see Isaiah Kg – The Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Bozrah), with His mighty angels in flaming fire (2 Thess 1:7-8), Yeshua will judge the nations (Matthew 25:31-33), and inflict eternal destruction on those who oppose His reign (2 Thess 1:8-9).

When Sha’ul was presented to Isra’el, the people cried out “Long live the king!” What shall we say to the Lord Yeshua when He returns? Seeing Him who exceeds all others, who died for our sins on the cross, and who reigns now forever . . . we can surely echo the Israelites’ words with much greater hope. In His anger, God gave Sha’ul to Isra’el; but in His mercy, he has given us His Son, Yeshua Messiah. If our hearts are opened by YHVH to see Yeshua in the glory of His grace, we can one day cast our crowns before the throne (see Revelation Cd – And There Before Me was a Throne in Heaven), each of us gladly yielding our hearts, and crying out to Yeshua, “Long live the King!” His reign will never fail and never end, and those who bow to His throne will reign forever and ever with Him in glory (Revelation 22:5).²⁴⁴

The Torah reaffirmed (10:25): The wisest thing Samuel did that day was to link his kingship to the Torah. After the people’s acclamation of Sha’ul as their king, Samuel reminded the people of the rulings governing the conduct of their kings, probably based on what Moses had already written (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Dh – The King).²⁴⁵ He wrote it on a scroll and set it down before ADONAI at the Tabernacle at Nov (see the Life of David Av – David at Nov). After that, he sent all the people away, everyone to his own home. Sha’ul too went home to Gibeah, because at this point, Isra’el had no capital for him to go to.

At this point in our Bible, at the break between First Samuel 10 and 11, there is a sudden transition from Sha’ul to a new character, Nahash the Ammonite, and to a new location, Jabesh-Gilead, to the east of Jordan. In the Qumran manuscript 4QSam^a, however, the extra paragraph does provide a helpful introduction to the Ammonite war (see Bz – The Ammonite War), and Josephus reveals that it was part of text he used (Josephus, Antiquates 6.5.1). It appears to have been omitted from the LXX and MT. It explains that Nahash had been oppressing the tribes of Reuben and Gad, putting out the right eyes of all the men they captured, but that seven thousand had taken refuge in the city of Jabesh-Gilead. The last words of First Samuel 10:27 are transformed by a slight change in the Hebrew to the meaning “About a month later,” as in the LXX and Josephus, thus giving the indication of the passing of time between the two incidents. However, the text does not add anything substantial to the meaning of the bible. The manuscript reads:

Now Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had been severely oppressing the tribes of Reuben and Gad by gouging out the right eye of each of them, and allowing no deliverer. No Israelites were across the Jordan whose right eye Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had not gouged out. But seven thousand men had escaped from the Ammonites and entered into Jabesh-Gilead.²⁴⁶

Dear heavenly Father, praise You that You always know the perfect timing for everything! Sometimes I get anxious when something happens, or I think that You need my help; but it is always wisest to trust You in all situations. Praise You, my great and wise heavenly Father. Words cannot express my admiration of how wise You are, and Your love and ability to see the future and plan for how to have all the right pieces in place to help me – exactly when I need your help. You are never late! I bow in awe of Your love and gracious help when I have a problem or trial. Thank You for choosing 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).

Praise You for making those who trust and who love You to be Your children. But whoever did receive Him, those trusting in His name, to these He gave the right to become children of God.  (John 1:12). Thank You for never leaving me, but for being right there and ready to help when I call out to You. For God Himself has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5c). I praise and worship You for being such a wonderful heavenly Father. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Samuel Anoints Sha’ul
First Samuel 9:26 to 10:16

Samuel anoints Sha’ul DIG: After Sha’ul’s anointing, what three signs assured him that ADONAI truly had chosen him? What three lessons about God’s care should Sha’ul have learned from the signs? What about Sha’ul’s coronation did he have in common with David and Solomon? Why the private coronation, when there would be a public coronation later? In what sense did God change Sha’ul into a different person?

REFLECT: Sha’ul was tall and handsome – he looked like a leader. Have you ever been tempted to follow or partner with someone because he or she looked good? If so, when? How did that turn out? If some seer were reading all that was in your heart and telling you where your lost items were, would you have responded as Sha’ul did? Why or why not? In what sense did God change you into a different person?

Then Samuel took a flask of oil he had prepared,
and poured it on Sha’ul’s head, setting him apart for service.

Samuel anoints Sha’ul (9:26 to 10:1): After the feast at the high place (9:22-24), having returned to the city and spent the night on Samuel’s cool of the rooftop (to see link click Bw – Samuel meets Sha’ul), both Sha’ul and Samuel got up early. About daybreak, Samuel called out to Sha’ul on the roof, “Get up, so I can send you on your way.” When Sha’ul got up, he and Samuel went outside Ramah together because Samuel needed to talk to Sha’ul in private. As they were going down, at the edge of the city, Samuel said to Sha’ul, “Tell your servant to go on ahead of us” – and the servant did so. In that way, the servant would not witness the private coronation of the king; it was only to be between Sha’ul and Samuel. But you stay here awhile, so that I can give you a message from ADONAI (9:26-27).

The time had not yet come for a public coronation of Isra’el’s first king, and from Sha’ul’s perspective it was probably merciful that he should be given some time to adjust to the sudden reality that he had been chosen by YHVH. Then Samuel took a flask of oil he had prepared, and poured it on Sha’ul’s head, setting him apart for service. He kissed him and said, “ADONAI has anointed you as the prince (Hebrew: nagid) over His people” (9:17 and 10:1). The word “king” is deliberately avoided because YHVH is Isra’el’s King.²²⁹ This was his private coronation; but his public coronation would come soon (see By – Long Live the King). Both David (Second Samuel 2:4 and Second Samuel 5:3) and Solomon also had double coronations (First Kings 1:28 and First Chronicles 29:21). But for Sha’ul, from that moment on, he was the leader of God’s people; however, only Samuel and Sha’ul knew about it. How would young Sha’ul be sure that ADONAI really chose him? Samuel gave Sha’ul three signs, or prophecies, that he would encounter as he made his way home.²³⁰

The first sign (10:2): After you leave me today, you will find two men by Rachel’s Tomb, in the territory of Benjamin at Tzeltzah. They will tell you that the donkeys you were searching for have been found (news that Sha’ul had already heard from Samuel), and that your father has stopped thinking about the donkeys and is worried about you, asking: What am I to do about my son? Apparently those men knew who Sha’ul was, and that he had been away from home seeking his father’s donkeys. This should have been a good experience for him, for it should have assured Sha’ul that ADONAI could solve his problems. But one of Sha’ul’s greatest failures as a leader was his inability to take his hands off situations and let God work. In modern language, Sha’ul was a “control freak.” Yet, while Sha’ul and his servant were dining with Samuel, God was at work saving the lost donkeys.²³¹

The second sign (10:3-4): Then you will go on from there, and you will come to the Oak of Tavor. Three men will meet you there on their way up to God at Bethel. This signified a return to the LORD. Abraham did it (Genesis 12:8 and 13:1-4), and so did Jacob (Genesis 28:18-19 and 35:1-15). In spite of the nation’s unbelief, there were still devoted people in the Land who honored ADONAI and sought His face. One of them will be carrying three baby goats (for a sacrifice), another three loaves of bread (for a grain offering) and the third a skin of wine (for a drink offering). They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, one for Sha’ul and one for his servant, which you are to accept from them. God was trying to show the young king that not only could He solve his problems, but that He could also supply his needs. As the first king of Isra’el, he would have to raise up an army and provide food and equipment the men needed; thus, he would have to depend on YHVH.²³²

The third sign (10:5-7): After that, you will come to Gibeah, meaning the hill of God, where the Philistines are garrisoned. On arrival at the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place, preceded by lutes, tambourines, flutes and lyres; and they will be prophesying. Then the Spirit of ADONAI will fall on you; you will prophesy with them and be turned into a different person (see Samuel and the prophets below)! This did not mean that Sha’ul had a personal relationship with YHVH, but refers to a different attitude and outlook. The young king would hopefully now think and act like a leader who served the LORD and obeyed His will. Therefore, God was trying to show Sha’ul that not only could He solve his problems and supply his needs, but that He would empower Sha’ul with the power he needed for service. When these signs come over you, just do whatever you feel like doing, because God is with you (10:5-7). Even after the three signs, Sha’ul was to simply go about his normal routine until his public coronation.²³³

Then Samuel told Sha’ul, after your public coronation, “You are to go down ahead of me to Gilgal, the place where Joshua had renewed Isra’el’s covenant with God (see the commentary on Joshua Ct – The Renewal of the Covenant), and wait there seven days, until I come and tell you what to do.” Since it was situated in a valley, a thousand feet below sea-level, the traveler would literally have to go down to get there. Once Sha’ul was there, Samuel would come down to offer Sha’ul burnt offerings and present sacrifices as peace offerings (see the commentary on Leviticus Ak – The Peace Offerings, at Peace with God), which were presumably intended to thank God for the victory Sha’ul would have won over the Philistines. But he was warned, “You must wait there seven days, until I come to you and tell you what to do” (after a year of thinking about it, see what happened in Cc – Samuel Rebukes Sha’ul). As it happened, as soon as Sha’ul had turned his back to leave Samuel, God changed Sha’ul’s heart; and all those signs took place that day (10:8-9). All three signs were fulfilled, but only Sha’ul among the prophets is recorded in the Bible.

Sha’ul among the prophets (10:10-12): Isra’el’s elders had demanded a worldly king, and God sent Sha’ul as His answer. Sha’ul was the anointed one and king for unbelieving Isra’el, and would bring relief from the heavy Philistine hand. To that end, Ha’Shem sent the Ruach Ha’Kodesh to equip Sha’ul for the task ahead.²³⁴ For the first time in his life, the Spirit enabled Sha’ul to have a personal experience with the LORD and to express it in praise and worship. Had Sha’ul continued to nurture this walk with ADONAI, his life would have been much different. There is no evidence that Sha’ul was a wicked person, but he was a secular person, not a spiritual person. When they arrived at Gibeah (10:5), right there in front of him was a group of prophets, the Spirit of God fell on him and he prophesied along with them. The people of Gibeah, who evidently knew Sha’ul, were not impressed.²³⁵ When people from his own home town saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What’s happened to Kish’s son? Is Sha’ul a prophet, too?” They saw an obvious change in him. Then, someone in the crowd answered, “Must prophets’ fathers be special?” So it became a proverbial expression – “Is Sha’ul also among the prophets?” Not that Sha’ul had become a prophet, but that the Spirit of God, coming on Sha’ul in power, authenticated him as Isra’el’s next king. ²³⁶ But did Sha’ul’s changed heart result in a new zeal to serve God and obey His Word? The answer was “No!”

Sha’ul’s return home (10:13-16): So, when Sha’ul had finished prophesying, he returned home and went back to work on the farm as though nothing remarkable had happened. He knew he was to say nothing about the anointing, so he didn’t mention anything about it to his family. Apparently the news about his prophetic experiences hadn’t reached as far as Gibeah. Sha’ul’s uncle, doubtless seeking information, said to him and his servant, “Where did you go?” Sha’ul answered: To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they hadn’t been found, we went to Samuel. It appears that the news of Sha’ul’s feasting with Samuel had already spread and needed to be explained.²³⁷ “Tell me, please,” said Sha’ul’s uncle, “what Samuel said to you.” He obviously felt that the meeting with Samuel had a lot more to do than just with lost donkeys. However, Sha’ul answered his uncle, saying, “He told us that the donkeys had been found,” which was true, but said nothing to him about the matter of his being made king. One more task awaited Sha’ul, and that was to meet Samuel at Gilgal and have his public coronation. This would be a test to see if Sha’ul was truly devoted to ADONAI and willing to obey Him. Unfortunately, he failed.²³⁸

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for being such a wonderful Father! You are always watching over me to bless me and never to harm me. You do test me sometimes, so that You can bless and reward me when I pass the test. For no one can lay any other foundation than what is already laid – which is Yeshua the Messiah.  Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear. For the Day will show it, because it is to be revealed by fire; and the fire itself will test each one’s work – what sort it is.  If anyone’s work built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward (First Corinthians 3:11-14)!

How reassuring to know that never do you temp anyone to fall. Temptations come thru someone’s own desires and also thru Satan who tempts, so that someone will fall and miss your blessing. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God” – for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He himself tempts no one.  But each one is tempted when he is dragged away and enticed by his own desire. Then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is full grown, it brings forth death (James 1:13-15).

You are always so kind and loving to me. Even when You discipline me, You do it for my best, to bring me joy as I turn away from sin and seek to draw closer to You in obedience. My son, do not take lightly the discipline of Adonai or lose heart when you are corrected by Him, because Adonai disciplines the one He loves . . . Now all discipline seems painful at the moment – not joyful. But later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:5-6a, 11). Messiah’s goal is to train His children thru discipline that His children may produce the peaceful fruit of righteousness. You are the supreme joy of my life and I delight in loving, praising and serving You! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Samuel Meets Sha’ul
First Samuel 9: 15-25

Samuel meets Sha’ul DIG: Why did Sha’ul balk at Samuel’s desire to anoint him king? What does this say about the way he viewed himself? In what ways did Samuel honor Sha’ul at the feast? How might Sha’ul have become a great king? What are some of the indications we see in this story as to why he ended up going astray? Ultimately, did Sha’ul choose to choose the path to ruin?

REFLECT: Which habit is strongest in your life: the habit of obedience or the habit of indulgence? What area of obedience could you strengthen this week? What gifts has God given you? How are you using those gifts to obey Him more fully? How are you demonstrating faith that God will use those gifts to achieve His purposes? Like King Sha’ul, you have choices, how will you use them? 

The people would get their king, but it ended up being part of His judgment against the nation.

So it was that the people had demanded a king, and ADONAI had agreed to their demands (to see link click Bq – Give Us a King: ADONAI’s answer to Samuel). The young man YHVH would select for the job was named Sha’ul. He was young, strong and tall, standing head and shoulders above everyone else in Isra’el. From the world’s perspective, Sha’ul had the perfect background and ideal qualifications for a king. But the world’s perspective is not God’s perspective. Sha’ul may have appeared kingly on the outside, but as we will see, his heart was not turned toward the LORD, which was the primary qualification for Isra’el’s king. His life would ultimately demonstrate a failing common in politics even today: doing what is expedient while always looking out for one’s own self-interests.²¹⁷

God’s revelation to Samuel (9:15-17): God’s purpose in Sha’ul’s donkey chase (see Bu – Sha’ul and the Lost Donkeys) becomes clear as soon as we get Samuel’s perspective. Now the day before Sha’ul arrived, ADONAI had given Samuel a revelation, literally uncovered the ear of, as if whispering in Samuel’s ear: Tomorrow at about this time I will send you an obscure Benjaminite, emphasizing God’s sovereignty in the matter. You are to anoint him with olive oil as the prince (Hebrew: nagid) over My people Isra’el (9:15-16a). It symbolized the coming of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh. The word “king” is deliberately avoided because YHVH is Isra’el’s King.²¹⁸ It is interesting that the LORD didn’t identify Sha’ul as Isra’el’s king. In any case, we can be assured that God had not changed His approach based on the demand of the elders. Ha’Shem was still raising up a man of His own choosing to lead His people in troubled times. Even though Sha’ul would be made king by popular demand, he would still be raised up as God’s choice, as had been true of the judges.

He will deliver My people from the hand of the Philistines. This shows that the Philistines had regained their dominance over Isra’el after being defeated a few years earlier (see Be – The Ark in the Land of the Philistines). I have seen My people’s situation, and their cry of distress has reached me” (9:16b). In language strongly reminiscent of the Exodus, the LORD had looked upon the people of Isra’el (Exodus 2:23), whose cry had reached Him (Exodus 3:9). The new leader would have the potential of delivering Isra’el from the Philistines, although some troublemakers doubted that Sha’ul would be able to drive them out.²¹⁹

When Samuel saw Sha’ul, ADONAI said to him, “This is the man I told you about, the one who is going to govern (Hebrew: ya’tzor) My people’ (9:17). The word ya’tzor is almost always used in a negative way, meaning imprisonment or hindrance. In other words, God determined to use Sha’ul’s career as a means of punishing the nation. As he governed Isra’el, his policies and behavior would hinder the welfare of the nation and act as a sort of a barrier separating Isra’el from God’s best for them.²²⁰ Ha’Shem gave them their king all right, but it ended up being part of His judgment against the nation. As they were sitting in Babylon (see the commentary on Jeremiah Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule), Zedekiah would be the last human king of Isra’el (see Jeremiah Fy – A Warning to Zedekiah). God’s ultimate answer to their foolish decision is recorded in Hosea 13:9-11, “It is your destruction, Isra’el, although your help is in Me. So now, where is your king, to save you in all your cities? Where are your judges, of whom you said: Give me a king and leaders’? I gave you a king in My anger; and in My fury I took him away.”²²¹

Samuel meets Sha’ul (9:18-21): Sha’ul approached Samuel in the gateway and said: Please tell me where the seer’s house is. He didn’t know who Samuel was. So Samuel answered Sha’ul, “I’m the seer (9:18-19a). Samuel, the seer, “caught sight” of Sha’ul, and raised him up to govern because YHVH had seen the distress of His people. This is the man, God said to Samuel (9:17), in a scene that would be replayed with only modest variations a few years later, this time in 16:12 with David as the subject (anoint him, for he is the one). The string of parallels can be extended to Isaiah 42:1-4 (Here is My servant) and John 19:5 (Here is the man), John 19:14 (Here is your king), all of which refer to Yeshua as “the Messiah,” the “Anointed One,” who neither disappoints nor fails and whose Kingdom has no end.²²²

Sha’ul knew nothing of God’s message, nor did he know who Samuel was. But Samuel knew Sha’ul, and he responded to the young man’s greeting with an invitation to come to the high place to partake in the sacrificial meal and spend the night. Go up ahead of me to the high place, because you are going to eat with me today. In the morning, I will let you go and I will tell you everything that is in your heart (9:19b). Samuel the seer authenticated his prophetic role by revealing Sha’ul’s innermost thoughts and relieved Samuel’s mind by informing him that his father’s donkeys had been found.²²³ As for your donkeys that got lost three days ago, don’t worry about them; they’ve been found. Now, who is it that all Isra’el desires? The desirable thing that all Isra’el wanted was the kingship, and Sha’ul was destined to receive it. Therefore, the answer was: Isn’t it you, and all your father’s household” (9:20)?²²⁴

Puzzled, Sha’ul replied: I’m only a man from Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Isra’el (see the commentary on Judges Cd – War Against the Tribe of Benjamin); and my family is the least important of all the families in the tribe of Benjamin! Why are you saying such a thing to me (9:21)? Like Gideon before him (Judges 6:15), he felt unworthy of the honor, whatever it was, and not a little scared (10:22) by the sudden new development in his life. It may also have been considered good manners to play down one’s social standing, especially in the presence of God’s prophet or messenger, but in Sha’ul’s case there seems to have been a modesty that was combined with a shy temperament.²²⁵

Sha’ul at the feast (9:22-24): Sha’ul was surprised to be seated at the place of honor, with choice cuts of meat set aside in advance for his coming. Sha’ul and his servant were ushered into the feast where they would eat, and had them sit in the place reserved for the most important of the invited guests, who numbered about thirty persons. Samuel instructed the cook, “Serve the portion of meat I gave you and told you to set it aside.” The cook took the right thigh, normally reserved for the priest (Exodus 29:27; Leviticus 7:32-34), and served it to Sha’ul, who thought of himself as the least, was treated as the greatest. This was a visual picture that Sha’ul was the one destined to be the first king of Isra’el.

Sha’ul must have also been confused that not only was he expected, but he was also treated as though he were a priest. Samuel said: Here, this is what has been kept for you! Eat, because it was kept especially for you for this occasion. I have invited guests, but they would have to wait to eat until Sha’ul started eating (9:22-24a). Sha’ul did not yet know that he was ADONAI’s choice for Isra’el’s first king, and so, as the LORD’s anointed, he was entitled to special privileges, including the portion of meat normally eaten by a priest. It was a “special time,” indeed, a time for celebration – unlike a future “set time” (13: 8 and 11), when Sha’ul’s impatience and disobedience would start his downfall (see Ck – God rejects Sha’ul).²²⁶

That same day, after coming down from the high place to the city, he spoke with Sha’ul on the roof of his house (9:24b-25). There, they had a long talk in which Samuel rehearsed for Sha’ul all the events that led up to this historic meeting. Sha’ul didn’t understand everything that was happening to him, but all would be explained to him the next day (see Bx – Samuel anoints Sha’ul).²²⁷

If we make a habit of obeying ADONAI, it will be easier to obey Him when we face stressful situations. Sha’ul was concerned with outward appearances and took great care to say and do “the right things.” He worried about having a suitable gift for the seer when he couldn’t find his father’s donkeys. He was concerned about the protocol of dealing with God’s prophet, but not so concerned about the obedience that came with it. Samuel, in contrast, had made it an overriding habit to obey the LORD’s voice. He had learned that lesson as a boy in the Tabernacle, and he had continued to practice it the rest of his life. Later, when YHVH commanded him to anoint David as king (see the commentary on the Life of David Ah – Samuel Anoints David), he obeyed in spite of the fact that he was risking his life in the process. Samuel obeyed God in difficult circumstances because it was his habit – a habit that he developed on a daily basis. We make something a habit by doing it frequently over an extended period of time. For example, physical exercise can become a habit if we do it each day for several months. Obedience to God’s Word can also become a habit simply by the routine of obeying it on a daily basis.²²⁸

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for being omniscient, knowing all, omnipresent, being everywhere, and omnipotent, all-powerful. Your magnificent qualities mean that when You guide me, You are always guiding me to what is best. You see the future so you know how to lead me in Your godly ways. Sometimes a path may appear to look like it might be easier than what You have said in Your Word, or something that You have warned me not to do from Your Spirit, but the world can be deceiving. Lord, help me to always follow You and say no to the world. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; love and faithfulness go before You (Psalms 89:14). I know I can trust You with total confidence; the more I obey You, the more I am blessed. To the One Who sits at Your right hand. Amen

Sha’ul and the Lost Donkeys
First Samuel 9: 1-14

Sha’ul and the lost donkeys DIG: What are some of the traits we see in Sha’ul from this early picture of his life? What characteristics did Sha’ul possess that made him a good choice for king in the people’s eyes? How did these differ from God’s standards of what made a good king? In what ways does Sha’ul show us that he was not a spiritual leader? What distinguished the “man of God?”

REFLECT: If some seer were reading all that was in your heart and telling you where your lost items were, would you have reacted as Sha’ul did? Why or why not? What insight did Samuel give you into Yeshua’s prophetic ability to know what was in the heart of man. What difference was Sha’ul’s search for the lost donkeys, and Messiah’s compassion in seeking to save the lost sheep, coin, son?

While Sha’ul was physically impressive, he was not a spiritual leader.

The first thing we learn about Sha’ul is his genealogy: There was a Benjamite, whose name was Kish the son of Avi’el, the son of Tz’ror, the son of B’khorat, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite. He was a mighty man of power and brave as well (9:1). This was not a distinguished family tree – none of these names hold any distinction in the Bible – although Sha’ul’s father possessed a degree of prominence and wealth. Moreover, Benjamin was the smallest of Isra’el’s tribes, being the last of Jacob’s twelve sons. However, from a political standpoint, Benjamin was not a bad choice to provide a king, since a member of that tribe could mediate between the powerful tribes of Judah to the south and Ephraim to the north.

Kish had a son named Sha’ul. The name Sha’ul means asked for. This corresponds to the elders’ request for a king. Sha’ul was, in fact, exactly what Isra’el had asked for, the kind of man admired according to worldly standards. The world admires someone who looks and acts like a leader, and Sha’ul was young and handsome. Indeed, among the people of Isra’el there was no one better-looking than he. The word translated handsome is simply the word good (Hebrew: tov). The point is that Sha’ul made a very good impression. The people would have voted him “Mr. Isra’el” if there had been a contest. Moreover, in a world that values physical stature, Sha’ul was something of a giant: he stood head and shoulders above anyone else in Isra’el (9:2). The fact that Sha’ul is the only Israelite identified in the Bible for his great height – physical stature always being a mark of Isra’el’s enemies (Numbers 13:33; Deuteronomy 1:28, 2:10, 9:2, First Samuel 17:4) – strengthens the impression that Sha’ul is precisely the kind of king who would be chosen by all the nations.²⁰⁶. However, another Sha’ul, also a Benjamite, though physically unimpressive (Second Corinthians 10:10), possessed the internal, spiritual qualities that would make him one of the greatest men who ever lived.²⁰⁷

The story begins with a common event in that agricultural world. Now some of the donkeys belonging to Sha’ul’s father Kish got lost. Kish said to his son Sha’ul, “Please take one of the servants with you, go out, and look for the donkeys.” He went through the hills of Ephraim and the territory of Shalishah, but they didn’t find them. Then they went through the territory of Sha‘alim, but they weren’t there. They went through the territory of Benjamin but didn’t find them there either (9:3-4). Sha’ul and his servant took a circular tour, returning close to Ramah, though neither Samuel or the city are named here. Sha’ul’s home was in Gibeah, which was only five miles from Ramah, and yet he didn’t even know what all of Isra’el knew (3:20), that a man of God named Samuel lived in Ramah. Sha’ul’s complete ignorance of Isra’el’s chief prophet and judge is confirmed later when he meets Samuel and asks: Please tell me where the seer’s house is (9:18), only to learn that the person he was looking for was standing right in front of him. Sha’ul’s spiritual blindness would play a significant role in events to come, especially as he misjudges the motives of his godly son Jonathan and sees faithful David as a threat.²⁰⁸

How could Sha’ul live so close to Isra’el’s spiritual leader and not know about him is a bit of a mystery, but suggests that Sha’ul simply lived and farmed with his family at Gibeah and minded his own business. Apparently, he didn’t attend the annual feasts (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Eh – Three Times a Year Celebrate a Festival to Me) and wasn’t greatly concerned about spiritual matters. Like many people today, he wasn’t against “religion,” but he didn’t make knowing ADONAI a vital part of his life.²⁰⁹

Finally, we observe that while Sha’ul was supposedly in charge, it was actually his servant who led while Sha’ul was following. It was the servant, not Sha’ul, who insisted that they inquire of God’s prophet. Sha’ul said to his servant, “Come, let’s go back; otherwise my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us.” But his servant, who saw Ramah in the distance, replied, “Here now, there’s a man of God in this city, a man who is highly respected as a judge and a prophet. Everything he says comes true. Let’s go to him; maybe he can tell us something about where we should go to find the donkeys” (9:5-6). It’s a good thing the servant knew about Samuel and that Sha’ul listened to his advice! Later, when he became king, Sha’ul would frequently be influenced by the counsel of others rather than making up his own mind.

We recognize Sha’ul, do we not? Sha’ul is among us today as the executive who runs the company into the ground while demanding a lavish bonus, or the politician who masters the art of public speaking but never really tells the truth. The Sha’ul’s of the world have little competence for the actual job at hand, but only the carefully cultivated impression of superiority. The Sha’ul’s have few convictions but many ambitions. They are led by the winds of changing fashion. This was the kind of king the Israelites demanded, and in a corrupt world like ours, Sha’ul is the kind of man who often comes to fame and power.

While Sha’ul was physically impressive, he was not a spiritual leader. This is the major point made throughout Chapters 9 and 10. His spiritual aptitude was tainted by his inability to find his father’s lost donkeys. Most of Isra’el’s famous leaders had been shepherds – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses – so Sha’ul’s incompetence at tracking down even such large animals (who eventually found their own way home) is not flattering, to say the least. One of the most important qualifications of a spiritual leader is faithfulness in watching over God’s flock (First Peter 5:2-3), but Sha’ul gave up and wanted to go home.²¹⁰

Sha’ul said to his servant, “If we go to the man, what can we bring him? We’ve used up all the bread in our packs, and there’s nothing for us to give the man of God – what do we have left?” In those days, it was common to offer a gift to a prophet if one were asking for guidance. The gift expressed gratitude and thankfulness for the service of the man of God. In this we see that Sha’ul was concerned with outward appearances and doing the socially correct thing, but not so concerned with doing what was right in God’s eyes. He was careful to obey social etiquette in offering a gift, but later, would not be so careful to obey what the prophet commanded him.²¹¹ But, the servant just “happened” to have a silver quarter-shekel [one-tenth of an ounce] in his hand. He said: I will give it to the man of God to tell us which way to go.” (In Isra’el, before Samuel was written, when someone went to consult God, he would say, “Come, let’s go to the seer,” or one who has eyes to see what is hidden from ordinary people, both in the present – like the lost donkeys – and in the future, because a person now called a prophet used to be called a seer.) Sha’ul said to his servant, “Good, come on, let’s go” (9:7-10a). It is noticeable that Sha’ul didn’t even provide his own gift for Samuel though he was a wealthy man, but instead, relied on his servant’s generosity. Even from his earliest appearances, we find Sha’ul was not a strong leader; he followed the leadership of his servant.

It was evening when the two men arrived at the gates of Ramah. So they went to the city where the man of God was. As they were going up a hill to the town, they met some girls coming down to draw water, and asked them, “Is the seer here” (9:10b-11)? The girls gave them a long, detailed answer. Possibly prompted by the Spirit of God, they said: He’s here, he’s right ahead of you. Hurry now, he just came into the city today, because the people are sacrificing today at the high place. Find him as soon as you enter the city, before he goes up to the high place to eat; because the people won’t eat the sacrificial meal until he comes and blesses the sacrifice. Afterwards, the ones invited will eat. So go on up, you should find him about this time (9:12-13). Sha’ul’s haste here led to success; but later would lead to disaster when he didn’t wait for the prophet (see Ck – God Rejects Sha’ul).

High places were open-air-sanctuaries, sometimes with shrines or other buildings (9:22), where worship was conducted. The LORD was occasionally worshipped there (First Kings 3:2 and 4-5), but their habitual use for idolatry and other pagan practices (First Kings 12:31-32) brought them under divine judgement (First Kings 13:1-2). The kings of the divided monarchy were often judged by whether they had destroyed the high places (Second Kings 12:1-3, 14:1-4, 18:1-4, 23:4-15). The association of high places with idolatry had contributed to the divine rejection of Shiloh and the capture of the Ark (Psalm 78:58-61).²¹²

The time of Sha’ul’s arrival at Ramah was providential, for Samuel appeared just as Sha’ul and his servant entered the city. They went up to Ramah; and as they entered it, there was Samuel coming toward them on his way up to the high place where he would offer a sacrifice to YHVH (9:14). Since the Ark of the covenant was at the house of Abinadab (see Bl – The Ark at Abinadab’s House), and the Tabernacle was moved to Nov (see the commentary on the Life of David Av – David at Nov), the people brought their sacrifices to a shrine at Ramah that was dedicated to ADONAI and located on a hill near the city.

As Richard Phillips relates in his commentary on 1 Samuel, the final point made in the opening section of Chapter 9 is God’s providential control over the small affairs of our lives, according to His sovereign will. Yes, Sha’ul was chasing donkeys, yet, it was the LORD’s sovereignty that directed the paths of both Sha’ul and Samuel that was completely unexpected by both men. It is obvious from the text that YHVH had ordained every detail of this journey, even having Sha’ul and his servant arrive at the town gates at precisely the moment Samuel walked through them (9:14). Here, we are reminded of ADONAI’s utter sovereignty over even the smallest details of life that do not conflict with our free will. It is an antimony, two things that seem to be mutually exclusive, but both are true. We can ask God to explain all of this when we get to heaven.

The LORD had promised to provide Isra’el a king like the other nations, and by His appointed time and means that promise would be fulfilled. Furthermore, this event would work toward God’s own sovereign plan for His people, foreknown and ordained from all eternity past.²¹³ ADONAI used some wandering donkeys to lead Sha’ul to Samuel in order to anoint him as king. Each step along the way could be viewed as a simple coincidence, but there are no coincidences in God’s eyes.²¹⁴ Therefore, we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (see the commentary on Romans Cl – Our Bodies and Redemption). In this respect, Sha’ul’s selection as Isra’el’s king reminds us of ADONAI’s provision for His Son, Yeshua, to reign as the Savior of His people. Whereas the religious leaders in Jerusalem thought they were merely betraying some rebellious rabbi in handing Yeshua over to the Romans, Peter declared to the Jews (see the commentary on Acts Al – The Ruach Ha’Kodesh Comes at Shavu’ot) that Yeshua, whom they had him arrested in accordance with God’s predetermined plan and foreknowledge had Him nailed up on a stake and killed by men not bound by the Torah (Acts 2:23).²¹⁵

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for being such a terrific Father! There is nothing in You that anyone could ever want to be changed for You are perfect in love (First John 4:8c), and perfect in holiness. The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes all around and within. They do not rest day or night, chanting, “Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh of Hosts, who was and who is and who is to come!” (Revelation 4:8). My heart is filled with overwhelming joy and peace for how wonderful You are! You ransomed people of every tribe, language and nation, from sin’s clutches of death by the blood of the Lamb of God, Messiah Yeshua. And they are singing a new song, saying, “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals. For You were slain, and by Your blood You redeemed for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation (Revelation 5:9).

Ransomed is great, but it gets even better because 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). It is so fantastic that Messiah Yeshua promises to prepare a future eternal home 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). Words cannot express the praise that wells up in my heart for Your mercy and grace, a Father who ransoms me, prepares an eternal home in heaven for me to live in. I delight in following and praising You! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His Resurrection. Amen

The Anointing of King Sha’ul
First Samuel 9:1 to 10:27

The focus now shifts from Samuel to Sha’ul; God’s choice for Isra’el’s king. He was from the tribe of Benjamin, which had almost been exterminated because of their rebellion against the Torah (see the commentary on Judges, to see link click Cd – War Against the Tribe of Benjamin). Jacob compared Benjamin to a ravening wolf (see Genesis Lo – Benjamin is a Ravenous Wolf, He Devours the Prey and Divides the Plunder), who didn’t think twice about killing others (see Genesis Ie – The Slaughter at Shechem by Simeon and Levi). Benjamin’s territory lay between Ephraim to the north and Judah to the south; so, Sha’ul’s tribe was next to the royal tribe of Judah. Even though Sha’ul described himself as belonging to the smallest tribe of Isra’el, and his clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin (9:21), he belonged to a powerful and wealthy family that owned much land, animals, and servants.

Physically, Sha’ul was tall, good-looking, and strong, the kind of king the people would admire. Even Samuel, with all his spiritual discernment, got carried away when he saw him. The people ran and brought Sha’ul from Mitzpah, and when he stood among them he was head and shoulders taller than anyone around. Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man ADONAI has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?” Then all the people shouted, “Long live the king” (10:23-25)! Samuel’s weakness for admiring physical qualities even showed up when he went to anoint David (16:1-7). Sha’ul was obedient to his father and concerned about his father’s feelings, and he was tireless in wanting to obey his father’s will. To invest all the time and energy looking for the lost donkeys suggests that he wasn’t a quitter (9:1-14). In addition, there was a certain amount of modesty in him (9:21 and 10:14-16), but there was no indication of spiritual life.²⁰⁵

The People’s Refusal to Listen
First Samuel 8: 19-22

The people’s refusal to listen DIG: Why did the Israelites want a king? Why were they unsatisfied with judges? What part did Samuel’s sons play in Isra’el’s desire for a king? What part was played by their envy of the surrounding nations? How would the monarchy change the lives of the Israelites? What were they gaining? What were they losing?

REFLECT: Why did the LORD allow Isra’el to have a king, even though He knew it would bring suffering to them? How does ADONAI take our own sins and sovereignly use them as part of His perfect will? Are you content to live as God directs, or do you tend to want things your own way? What areas of your life might the Lord want you to submit to Him?

ADONAI is sovereign, but people are still responsible for their actions.

In spite of ADONAI’s warnings (to see link click Br – Samuel’s Warnings), the people insisted that God give them a king. They were the victim of their own unbelieving folly, and their cries for relief went unanswered. Pleasing the LORD wasn’t the thing uppermost in their minds; what they wanted was guaranteed protection against their enemies. They wanted someone to judge them and fight their battles, someone they could see and follow. They found it too demanding to trust an invisible God and obey His wonderful mitzvot. In spite of all YHVH had done for Isra’el from the call of Abraham to the conquest of the Promised Land, they turned their back on Almighty God and chose to have a frail man to rule over them.²⁰⁰

The people refused to listen to what Samuel told them, and they said: No! We want a king over us, so that we can be like all the nations, with our king to judge us, lead us and fight our battles (8:19-20). As we have seen repeatedly, there were aspects of the LORD’s role in the nation of Isra’el. However, the people were indeed rejecting ADONAI by demanding to have a mortal lead and defend them. The more people depend on human government, the less they depend on YHVH.²⁰¹ Samuel heard everything the people said and repeated them for ADONAI to hear. ADONAI said to Samuel, “Do what they ask, and set up a king for them.” So Samuel told the men of Isra’el, “Each of you, return to his city” with the understanding that the request would be granted in due time (8:21-22).

It is important to distinguish three aspects of the will of ADONAI. God’s sovereign will is what He decrees to come to pass. It includes all things and is irresistible and absolute. In Him, we were chosen, having been predestined according to His plan that works everything in conformity with the purpose of His will (Ephesians 1:11). We do not regard this as fatalism, for God is involved and concerned, and we are responsible for our actions. ADONAI’s perfect will is what He advocates and prefers. This aspect of God’s will includes His moral desires as revealed in His Word (see the commentary on Exodus Dh – ADONAI and the Torah). Finally, His permissive will refers to what YHVH permits even when it is not in conformity with His perfect will. Ha’Shem may permit sin, though it is not in keeping with what He prefers. At this time God has granted certain powers to Satan as the god of this World (2 Corinthians 4:4) until the Lord returns (Isaiah 63:1-6) with the title deed to the earth (see the commentary on Revelation Cf – You Are Worthy to Take the Scroll) at the beginning of His Messianic Kingdom (see Isaiah Jt – Isra’el in the Messianic Kingdom).²⁰²

Was it ADONAI’s will for Isra’el to have a king? The answer is “yes!” Prophecies dating back to Moses indicate that this was God’s plan (Genesis 49:10; Number 24:17; Deuteronomy 17:14-20). The fact that the monarchy was actually instituted indicates that it was part of God’s sovereign will – His decree. But was it God’s will that they acquire a king in the manner in which they were doing it? No. The people were rejecting the kingship of YHVH (First Samuel 8:7) and were motivated by a desire to be like all the nations (8:20). Nevertheless, ADONAI allowed this to take place, because it was within His permissive will of the nation.

Ironically, Ha’Shem gave them their king, but it ended up being part of His judgment against the nation. As they were sitting in the Babylonian captivity (see the commentary on Jeremiah Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule), Zedekiah would be the last human king of Isra’el (see Jeremiah Fy – A Warning to Zedekiah). God’s ultimate answer to their foolish decision is recorded in Hosea 13:9-11, “It is your destruction, Isra’el, although your help is in Me. So now, where is your king, to save you in all your cities? Where are your judges, of whom you said: Give me a king and leaders’? I gave you a king in my anger; and in my fury I took him away.”²⁰³ There is application for us today. When believers are in God’s permissive will, but disobedient, then they alone are responsible for their actions. YHVH is sovereign, yes, but people are still responsible for our actions. With respect to sin and evil, the LORD wills to permit it (Genesis 50:20; Acts 2:23), but not to effect it, for He is not the author of evil (James 1:13).²⁰⁴

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for being such a wonderful Father! People often choose to listen to the world, rather than to go to You for advice; but You are wise and always give the best to those who love You. Your advice is far better than what anyone else says. When Isra’el begged You for a king, You gave them what they wanted, but Sha’ul turned out to be an evil king. It would have been so much better if the people had trusted You as their King, then the problem would seem small. When problems seem big, it is such a comfort to realize that You are always bigger, wiser and stronger! David was an excellent example of a man with problems, which many could have been thought of as “Big problems.” Sha’ul was out to kill him, but David trusted strongly in You, so he saw “small problems” and a “Big God! David cried out: Answer me when I call to You, my righteous God! You set me free when I am in distress. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer (Psalms 4:1).

You have the victory all worked out, if only Your people would put their trust in You rather in the world. ADONAI, how many are my foes! Many are rising up against me! Many are saying to my soul: “There is no deliverance for him in God.” Selah But You, ADONAI, are a shield around me, my glory and the lifter of my head. I cry out to ADONAI with my voice, and He answers me from His holy mountain. Selah I lie down and sleep. I awake – for ADONAI sustains me (Psalms 3:1-5). Dear Father, I love You and seek to follow David’s example and run to You with my problems for You are almighty, loving and wise! In Messiah’s holy Name and power of His Resurrection. Amen

Samuel’s Warnings
First Samuel 8: 10-18

Samuel’s warnings DIG: If you had heard these warnings, what would you have done? Why? What was wrong with their willful intent to have a king? What were the kings of other nations like, Pharaoh in Egypt, or Jethro in Midian, for example? How could they forget so soon how God had led them into battle? Why did God relent and give them a king?

REFLECT: When are you inclined to want or do something just to be “like everyone else?” How do you prevent sin from blinding you to your choices? If someone rejects your believing witness, is that person necessarily rejecting YHVH? Have you ever gone through a period of rebellion? What persuades you to submit to God’s will in your life?

When all this happened, it was too late to complain,
for the people had reaped the consequences of their own fleshly desires.

Samuel reported everything ADONAI had said to the people asking Him for a king (8:10). What follows is an extraordinarily accurate picture of the ordinary results of human lordship. Even though the LORD sanctioned the monarchy, He gave advance warning of the price Isra’el would pay for asking Him for a king. If the rulings below were to be realized, the average Israelite would soon be little more than the private property at the disposal of the monarch king. Samuel describes human kingship, not just at its worst, but in its very nature, featuring two verbs take (six times) and serve or servant (five times).¹⁹⁷

He said: Here is the kind of rulings your king will make:

He will draft your sons and assign them to take care of his chariots, be his horsemen and be bodyguards running ahead of his chariots (8:11).

He will appoint them to serve him as officers in charge of a thousand or of fifty, plowing his fields, gathering his harvest, and making his weapons and the equipment for his chariots (8:12).

He will take your daughters and have them be perfume-makers, cooks and bakers (8:13).

He will take your fields, vineyards and olive groves – the very best of them! – and hand them over to his servants (8:14).

He will take the ten-percent tax of your crops and vineyards and give it to his officers and servants, in addition to the approximately 23 percent they were already paying (8:15).

He will take your male and female servants, your best young men and your donkeys, and make them work for him (8:16).

He will take the ten-percent tax of your flocks, and you will become his servants (8:17).
All of these warnings came true, word for word.

This was Samuel’s message then, and it is still true today. If the Israelites did not want divine rule, but the kind of leaders who rule all the nations, then they would experience the usual life of mankind: slavery to oppressive masters. Like today, those who want national government to provide all their needs must be ready to sign away their rights as free people. If the government is to solve all our problems, then the government must be obeyed in all things and most of what we have must be given to it. But, as much as a king may accomplish for the nation, it is certain that he will take more than he gives. He will take and you will serve: such is the despotism whenever sinful men are set in the place of God in our lives. This principle is even more true when it comes to our yielding to sin, the great slave master of our world. Yeshua said: Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin (John 8:34). We think we will dabble in sin while retaining control over our passions, but it’s not true. Sin takes and we serve, until finally sin destroys us in God’s holy judgment.¹⁹⁸

As Richard Phillips relates in his commentary on 1 Samuel, undoubtedly, the people of Isra’el wanted to have their cake and eat it, too. They were willing to observe God’s “religion” only if they had a secular government; they wanted a private faith, not public reliance. Likewise, the trappings of “religion” are permitted by secular governments today, enlisting God’s endorsement of the sovereign rule of mankind, so long as God agrees not to have any say in our affairs. But God doesn’t agree with such an arrangement. He told the Israelite elders that if they wanted a human king, they would have to rely on him without His help. Samuel warned them that as much as they wanted a king now, in the future they would live to regret it. In the day, you will cry out because of your king whom you have chosen, but ADONAI will not answer you” (8:18). In other words, there would be no return to the cycle of judges.

Tragically, this scenario played itself out within two generations, as Isra’el experienced the very oppression that Samuel had predicted under David’s son and successor, King Solomon. Solomon spent seven years building the LORD’s Temple (see the commentary on the Life of Solomon, to see link click Bb – Inside Solomon’s Temple), but he took thirteen years building an even more spectacular palace for himself (First Kings 7:1). To accomplish that feat, Solomon pressed much of Isra’el into forced labor (see the Life of Solomon Az – Materials and Labor for the Temple). Solomon took and the people served, and when Solomon died the elders appealed to his son Rehoboam for leniency. They pleaded: Your father made our yoke heavy. Now, therefore, lighten our hard service . . . and we will serve you (First Kings 12:4). Rehoboam responded as any king would, refusing to begin his reign with a sign of weakness. Therefore, he boasted: My little finger is thicker than my father’s thighs. Yes, my father laid heavy burdens on you, but I’m going to make them even heavier! My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions (First Kings 12:10-11 NLT)!¹⁹⁹ When all this happened, it was too late to complain, for the people had reaped the consequences of their own fleshly desires.

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for Your steadfast and wise love! You are such a perfect Father! You delight in blessing Your children. When You give warnings it is always for our own good. You want to bless us by following paths that lead to joy and peace, and You know all things, You direct us in paths to bring us the greatest joy. I have come that they might have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10c)! Your love is so great that You willingly gave Your own Son to bear our sin. He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things (Romans 8:32)? You can see the future. So when You warn me through Your Word, and Your Spirit, it is out of love to protect me from what is going to hurt me in the future. Your steadfast love is both a love in the past when Messiah Yeshua paid sin’s ransom, and it is also a love looking forward to the future when Your children are in heaven and You will reward us with our obedience. For no one can lay any other foundation than what is already laid – which is Yeshua the Messiah.  Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear. For the Day will show it, because it is to be revealed by fire; and the fire itself will test each one’s work – what sort it is.  If anyone’s work built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward (1 Cor 3:11-14). Thank You for guiding and warning me so that I can find the best paths to life’s peace and eternal joy. In Messiah’s holy Name and power of His Resurrection. Amen

Give Us a King!
First Samuel 8: 1-9

Give us a king DIG: How should we understand the elders’ demand? Why were they not satisfied with Judges? What part did Samuel’s sons play in Isra’el’s desire for a king? What part was played by their envy of the surrounding nations? Why was Samuel disappointed by the elders’ request for a king? How would a monarchy change the lives of the Israelites? What were they gaining? What were they losing?

REFLECT: In your opinion, why did Samuel repeat the same mistake ‘Eli had made by appointing his disobedient sons to leadership? What can we learn from their mistakes? How did Samuel respond to the elders’ request for a king? How do you respond in similar situations? Are you content to live as God directs, or do you tend to want things your own way? What areas of your life might God want you to submit to Him?

Now give us a king to judge us like all the nations.

Samuel’s sons (8:1-3): When Samuel grew old, probably somewhere between 65 and 70 years old, he appointed his sons as judges over Isra’el. His firstborn was named Joel, meaning ADONAI is God, while his second son was named Abijah, meaning ADONAI is my father. They were judges at Beersheba, in the southern part of the country, so that Samuel would judge from Ramah in the northern part of the country (8:1-2). This delegation was an unusual thing to do. For approximately 350 years, ADONAI Himself had selected people to serve as His judges, and they did not choose their successors. We will discover, however, that Samuel’s weak spot was indulging his own sons – a failing he shared with ‘Eli (to see link click At – ‘Eli’s Ineffective Rebuke of His Sons), with similar results.

So Samuel’s sons had godly names, given by a godly father, but they did not follow his godly ways. His sons did not follow his way of life, nor imitate the righteousness of their father (8:3a). This is an interesting statement. One would expect that Samuel’s sons did not walk in the LORD’s ways, rather than Samuel’ ways. It might possibly suggest that Samuel, like ‘Eli, had failed to fully instruct his sons in the ways of the LORD. It is important to live a life that demonstrates godliness to one’s children, but that lifestyle must also be accompanied with clear instruction in God’s Word. An example without instruction will lead the children to imitate the parent, but we are called to imitate Messiah (Romans 8:29).

They became morally corrupt and were greedy for money (8:3b). While judges were to be incorruptible (Exodus 23:8 and Deuteronomy 16:19), and Samuel himself could claim that he was blameless in that regard (12:3-5), his two sons were more interested in lining their own pockets than in maintaining justice. Because of their geographical distance from Samuel (Beersheba is about fifty-seven miles south-southwest of Ramah), it absolved him from any direct complicity in their evil deeds. Ironically, this was the third set of brothers from the tribe of Levi that failed to live up to their calling as priests. The first set was Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron (see the commentary on Leviticus Bh – The Death of Nadab and Abihu), the second set was Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of ‘Eli (see Ar – ‘Eli’s Wicked Sons), and the third set was Joel and Abijah, the sons of Samuel. This points to the fact that the priesthood of Isra’el cannot save the nation. It is only through the priesthood of Yeshua Messiah that Isra’el can be saved (see the commentary on Hebrews Au – The Superiority of the Messiah to the Levitical Priesthood).¹⁸⁴

Although, unlike ‘Eli, while Samuel was faithful to ADONAI, his two sons perverted justice by taking bribes (8:3c). Their actions repudiated their names. ‘Eli’s sons were members of the priesthood, while Samuel’s sons were judges, or political leaders. While it is true that Samuel’s sons were in the southern part of the nation, while Samuel ministered in the north, and perhaps he was away from home too much on his circuit ministry to other cities (7:16). However, since the elders knew about the bribes his sons took, surely their father must have also known.¹⁸⁶

The elders’ request for a king (8:4-6a): All the elders of Isra’el were unanimous, as a result of the attack by Nahash, king of the Ammonites (12:12), they gathered themselves together, approached Samuel in Ramah and said to him, “Look, you have grown old, and your sons are not following your ways” (8:4-5a). They were afraid, and instead of relying on God to defend them as Hezekiah had done (see the commentary on Isaiah Gu – Hezekiah Spread the Letter Before the LORD), they decided that a king would be better to lead the Israelites into battle. Samuel experienced what Moses, the prophets, and even Yeshua experienced. “We do not want this man to reign over us” (Luke 19:14).¹⁸⁷

How should we understand the elders’ demand? In his commentary on 1 Samuel, Bill Arnold describes it as sinful in its motives, since their request represented a rebellion against the rule of ADONAI; selfish in its timing, since they demanded God’s provision at the time of their own choosing; and cowardly in its spirit, since they sought a system that would remove the need for faith in YHVH.¹⁸⁸ The alternative to their demand was a true seeking after God, including their willingness to walk in his ways. But as before, it seemed easier to seek a new gimmick, a new device, rather than the repentance needed to be restored to the Lord.¹⁸⁹

The elders’ request for a king (8:4-6a): All the elders of Isra’el were unanimous, they gathered themselves together, approached Samuel in Ramah and said to him, “Look, you have grown old, and your sons are not following your ways” (8:4-5a). Because of Samuel’s age, and because they wanted nothing to do with his rebellious sons, the elders in their collective human wisdom decided that a king would best suit their needs. Samuel experienced what Moses, the prophets, and even Yeshua experienced. “We do not want this man to reign over us” (Luke 19:14).¹⁹⁰

Now give us a king to judge us like all the other nations. Samuel was not pleased to hear them say: Give us a king to judge us (8:5b-6a). When the elders said that, they were forgetting that Isra’el’s strength was to be unlike all the other nations. The Israelites were God’s covenant people (see Deuteronomy Ah – Treaty of the Great King), and He was their King. The Sh’khinah glory dwelt in their midst and the Torah was their wisdom. But the elders were concerned about national security and protection from the enemies around them. The Philistines were still a powerful nation, and the Ammonites were also a threat (12:12). Isra’el had no standing army and no king to lead it. The elders forgot that it was the LORD who was Isra’el’s King and who gave her army the victories.¹⁹¹

How should we understand the elders’ demand? In his commentary on 1 Samuel, Bill Arnold describes it as sinful in its motives, since their request represented a rebellion against the rule of ADONAI; selfish in its timing, since they demanded God’s provision at the time of their own choosing; and cowardly in its spirit, since they sought a system that would remove the need for faith in YHVH.¹⁹² The alternative to their demand was a true seeking after God, including their willingness to walk in his ways. But as before, it seemed easier to seek a new gimmick, a new device, rather than the repentance needed to be restored to the Lord.¹⁹³

ADONAI’s answer to Samuel (8:6b-9): Samuel was disappointed, at least in part, because he felt the people were rejecting him. He had spent his whole life serving God’s people, first as a boy in the Tabernacle, and then later as the nation’s judge and God’s prophet. He may also have sensed the greater danger behind the request for a king; the people wanted a human leader they could see rather than YHVH whom they could not see.

Nevertheless, Samuel prayed to ADONAI (8:6b). Once again, we get a glimpse into the godly character of this man. When the people and circumstances went against him, he did not lash out or retaliate, but turned to God for help. Samuel demonstrated the attitude God desires in all His children: trust in Him to fight our battles and to guide us.¹⁹⁴

And ADONAI told him, “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected as their King, but Me. As they have done from the day I brought them out of Egypt until today, by abandoning Me and serving other gods” (8:7-8). It wasn’t Isra’el’s request for a king that was their greatest sin because God had already promised them one (see Deuteronomy Dh – The King), it was their insisting that Ha’Shem give them a king immediately. The LORD had a king in mind for them, David son of Jesse, but the time wasn’t right for him to appear. So, YHVH gave them their request by appointing Sha’ul to be their king, and He used Sha’ul to discipline the nation and prepare them for David, the man of His choice. The fact that Sha’ul was from the tribe of Benjamin and not from Judah is evidence enough that he was never expected to establish a dynasty in Isra’el. So in My anger I gave you a king, and in My wrath I took him away (Hosea 13:11).¹⁹⁵

So do what they say, but give them a sober warning so that they cannot claim ignorance, telling them of the judgment of the king who will reign over them (8:9). This is a sobering principle: be careful what you ask for because you may get it! ADONAI will eventually give us the things we continually clamor for, even if those things prove harmful to us. He doesn’t do this out of a vindictive spirit, for He will warn us and attempt to steer us in a course that will bring blessing and godly character. However, if we persist in demanding our own way, we run the terrible risk that the Lord will grant us we what we stubbornly demanded.¹⁹⁶

Dear Heavenly Father, praise You for being such a wonderful Father to care so wisely and tenderly for me. You give me all that I need! Time seems to fly by while eternity will last forever! It is so much wiser to ask You to guide me and to give me what You know is best for me, than to beg You to give me what might not be good for me. Others may have things that may look nice for a short time, but You can always be trusted to give what is wisest for all eternity. The things of this world will only break, perish and fade away; but a relationship of love with You will last forever! It is absolutely fantastic that You have chosen to indwell me with Your love. And in return, I love You and want to please You so much. You give such a wonderful gift to those who have a loving relationship with You. You will bring me to Your heavenly home for all eternity! Praise you that in Your heavenly home, there will be no crying, dying, sadness nor pain. 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 21:4). Thank you for being such a wonderful heavenly Father who always cares for me and gives me what is best for me! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and Power of His Resurrection. Amen

The Rise of Sha’ul
First Samuel 8:1 to 12:25

Many of the nations surrounding Isra’el considered their kings to be gods, whether by divine adoption or through self-deification (Isaiah 14:4 and 13-14; Ezeki’el 28:2, 6, and 9). In Isra’el such a claim was unthinkable since the king possessed neither deity nor absolute authority (Second Kings 5:7), but the temptation and danger was always present. To be sure, Isra’el’s king was to exercise “political and military power, but he stood under the authority and judgment of Ha’Shem. Finally, discussion of monarchy among God’s people must take into account the will of ADONAI.

It was not God’s will for Isra’el to have a king in the way they were asking for it. Still, God’s resulting principle, what His “permissive will” came to be, was to direct Samuel to anoint Sha’ul as king out of the tribe of Benjamin. Three important distinctions need to be observed. First, God relented and agreed to give the people a king only because they had changed. This can also be seen in the book of Jonah. Ha’Shem had threatened destruction on the Ninevites, but when God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He relented with compassion and did not bring on them the destruction He had threatened because they had changed (Jonah 3:10). Secondly, God performed the very act that the people wanted; but, while their motive was wrong and in that act they became guilty, God’s motive was right and in the very same act He did not assume any of the guilt. Thirdly, ADONAI was grieved over their apostasy (8:7), but their act of defiance resulted in His divine love. In spite of their wanting a king despite already having a King, YHVH delivered them several times (First Samuel 9:16, 10:9 and 24, 11:13). Thus, the people’s desire for a king did not surprise God, for Sha’ul had been a part of God’s plan from the very beginning, and He used the rebellion of the people to praise Him (Psalm 76:10).

Clearly Chapters 8 to 12 constitute a literary unit, for they are immediately preceded by the story of the last judge (to see link click Bn – Repentance and recommitment at Mitzpah: All the Days of Samuel), and immediately followed by the beginning of the rise of the monarchy (see Bq – Give Us a King). The divisions of the whole unit alternates between negative and positive attitudes toward the monarchy: 8:1-22 (negative), 9:1 to 10:16 (positive), 10:17-27 (negative), 11:1-11 (positive), and 11:12 to 12:25 (negative).¹⁸¹

The Request for a King
First Samuel 8: 1-22

Probably twenty or twenty-five years elapsed between the events recorded in Chapter 7 and those in Chapter 8. Samuel was now an old man, about to walk off the pages of the Bible, and a new generation had emerged in Isra’el with new leaders and new ideas. Life goes on, and circumstances change, but God’s people must have the wisdom to adapt to new challenges without abandoning old convictions. Like other great leaders, Samuel in his old age faced some painful situations and had to make some difficult decisions. Unfortunately, he left the scene convinced that he had been rejected by the very people he had served so faithfully. Samuel had obeyed ADONAI, but he was a man with a broken heart.

God had chosen Moshe to lead the nation of Isra’el and Joshua to succeed him (see the commentary on Deuteronomy, to see link click Fu – The Tent of Meeting), but Joshua wasn’t commanded to lay hands on any successor.¹⁸² Ha’Shem then raised up judges to lead, and the people tried to make at least one of them king. Gideon, however, rejected this offer, reminding them of the privilege of having the LORD as their only king when he said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. ADONAI will rule over you” (Judges 8:23). As a result, unfortunately, during the period of the judges, the people followed the idols of the land (see the commentary on Judges As – Cycles of Disobedience and Deliverance). In those days there was no king in Isra’el; everyone did what was right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25, see 17:6,18:1, and 19:1). It seems that the Kingship of the invisible God strained the people’s faith, so through Samuel, YHVH provided a human king, by which He ultimately established His sovereign rule over His people.

Today, the congregations of God often suffer from a crisis of leadership, especially during times of transition. Like the Israelites of old, believers must learn that ADONAI has appointed the means of governing His people and He provides the leaders to do His will. In addition, relying on the Lord’s provision may inspire us to take biblical qualifications more seriously and devote more effort and energy to prayer.¹⁸³

The eight speeches in Chapter Eight constitute a remarkable chiasm in which the second element in each pair reverses the roles of the speaker and recipient:

A The people to Samuel (8:5)

B Samuel to ADONAI (8:6)

C ADONAI to Samuel (8:7-9)

D Samuel to the people (8:10-18)

D The people to Samuel (8:19-20)

C Samuel to ADONAI (8:21)

B ADONAI to Samuel (8:22a)

A Samuel to the people (8:22b)

Repentance and Recommitment at Mitzpah
First Samuel 7: 2-17

Repentance and recommitment at Mitzpah DIG: In what ways had the people of Isra’el become unfaithful to the LORD? What things needed to be purified in their lives? How did YHVH bring Isra’el to repentance? What was involved in their repentance? How did God demonstrate His faithfulness to Isra’el in this story? What did He require the Israelites to do? How did Samuel exercise his roles as both a judge and prophet of Isra’el? What were some of the ways in which he remained faithful to his dual calling?

REFLECT: How is today’s Church in danger of mixing false doctrine with worldly entertainment and fixated with secular concepts of success rather than sticking closely to the Word of God? Are there areas in your life in which you need to confess and repent? Spend time asking the Lord to show you anything that is not pleasing to Him. What “Ebenezers” do you have to remind you of God’s faithfulness? What kind of memorials can you set up as future reminders? Who can you help this week?

So the people of Isra’el got rid of their images of Ba’al and Ashtoreth, and served ADONAI alone.

From the day that the Ark arrived at the house of Abinadab in Kiriath-Jearim (to see link click Bl – The Ark at Abinadab’s House) twenty years elapsed. All that time the Philistines maintained their domination over God’s people. Isra’el was reduced to virtual serfdom, forbidden by the Philistines to employ blacksmiths, lest the Israelite plowshares be beaten into swords, while their enemy maintained forts deep in Israelite territory (13:19 to 14:5).¹⁶⁶

During the period of the judges, the people of Isra’el had fallen into a cycle of sin and repentance (see Judges At – Twelve Cycles). They would turn away from obedience to YHVH, and He would permit an enemy to oppress them. After a period of suffering, the people would cry out to God for help, and He would raise up a leader to serve as judge and deliverer. Under the spiritual misconduct of ‘Eli, the nation had again turned to the pagan practices of the world around them, and YHVH had removed His hand of blessing.¹⁶⁷

Isra’el mourned (7:2-4): Many wonder where Samuel was when all these events took place. He probably would have been present at Shiloh when the news of Isra’el’s defeat came and ‘Eli the high priest had died (see Bc – The death of ‘Eli), and perhaps returned to his home in Ramah when Shiloh was destroyed (see Ae – The Tabernacle at Shiloh). During those long years of oppression, Samuel must have prayed and urged Isra’el to repent and return to the LORD. So when all the people of Isra’el mourned and sought after ADONAI (7:2), it seems that he waited for just the right time before calling a national convention. The apostle Paul says that godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation (Second Corinthians 7:10).¹⁶⁸

Rather than remaining satisfied with a fleeting remorse, Samuel sought to lead Isra’el in true repentance so as to restore the people to the LORD. Therefore, Samuel addressed all the people of Isra’el; he said: If you are returning to ADONAI with all your heart, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and Ashtoreths that you have with you, and dedicate your hearts to ADONAI (7:3a). The people of Isra’el had added many elements of pagan religion into their worship practices, and YHVH used numerous judges to purify His people. Isra’el had not utterly abandoned the Torah or stopped worshipping the LORD, but they had adulterated their worship with other Canaanite practices.¹⁶⁹ The Canaanite way of life was totally opposed to everything Isra’el should have stood for as the people of God, and therefore repentance, if it was to be credible, had to totally reject that foreign worship.

Putting away their false gods was only the beginning of their return to ADONAI; the Israelites had to prepare their hearts for the LORD. Samuel declared: If you will serve only Him, He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines (7:3b). This was in keeping with the first commandment: You shall have no other gods in addition to Me (Exodus 20:3).

An idol is a substitute for God – anything that we trust and serve in place of the Lord. The Israelites gave themselves to idols of wood, stone, and metal, but believers today have more subtle and attractive gods: houses and lands, wealth, automobiles, boats, position, recognition, ambition, and even other people. Anything in our lives that takes the place of God and commands the sacrifice and devotion that belong only to Him is an idol and must be cast out. Idols in the heart are far more dangerous than idols in the Temple (Ezeki’el 8-9).¹⁷⁰

So the people of Isra’el got rid of their images of Ba’al and Ashtoreth, and served ADONAI alone (7:4). Ba’al was the male pagan god of fertility, and was believed to be the son of Dagon (see Bf – The Ark at Ashdod); Ashtoreth was the female goddess of fertility. The association of Ba’al and Ashtoreth expressed the depraved sexual ritual at the Canaanite shrines, making them especially abominable in the eyes of Ha’Shem. They were represented in pagan temples by statues. The Israelites had probably incorporated both the idols and the wicked practices into their worship of YHVH. God does not permit His people to create their own syncretistic religion, selecting at a whim this idea or practice from the world’s abundance of false gods, even if some worldly practices seem “culturally relevant.”¹⁷¹

Samuel gathered the people (7:5-6): Then Samuel said: Gather all Isra’el to Mitzpah, which was in Benjamite territory some seven miles north of Jerusalem. The phrase “all Isra’el” did not necessarily include every single Israelite living in the Land, but probably consisted of the representatives from all the tribal territories. This was a common place of assembly for Isra’el. In the time of the Judges the elders of the tribes gathered there to decide Benjamin’s fate following the murder of a Levite’s concubine (Judges 19:1-20:1 and 3; 21:1, 5 and 8). Later, Sha’ul was presented to Isra’el as king at Mitzpah (First Samuel 10:17). It was even the capital of Judah after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians (Second Kings 25:23 and 25).¹⁷² Samuel then added: And I will intercede and pray for you to ADONAI (7:5). Serving in his priestly capacity, Samuel was appointed to represent the people to God, and God to the people. Note the contrast here with the prior situation at Shiloh: it was the absence of godly priests, ‘Eli’s son’s being rejected for their wickedness (see Ar – ‘Eli’s Wicked Sons), that Isra’el had been disciplined by ADONAI. Now there was a true and godly priest, and the people were restored to God’s favor.

Once the people had gathered at Mitzpah, they responded in two specific actions designed to express their repentance and recommitment before the LORD. First, they drew water and poured it out before ADONAI. It seems as though they were denying themselves water as a symbolic confession that God’s favor was more important to them than life-sustaining water. This was a symbol of their pouring out before YHVH the depths of their surrender to Him. As Yeshua said: I tell you the truth, unless one is born of water and the Ruach, one cannot enter the kingdom of God (John 7:37). Secondly, there was public fasting, the purpose of which was to express special humiliation and grief for sin (Second Samuel 12:21; First Kings 21:27; Dani’el 10:2-3). For several days, the Israelites came before Ha’Shem declaring their eager readiness to repent and receive His renewing grace. There can be little doubt of the sincerity, fervor, and grief poured out in their words of confession. On that day they fasted and confessed, “We have sinned against ADONAI.”¹⁷³

And Samuel began serving as judge over the people of Isra’el at Mitzpah, the successor to ‘Eli (7:6). The name Mitzpah means watchtower and it was a vantage point for military purposes. For the first time, Samuel’s activity as judge is mentioned, though he was primarily the prophet of the LORD (3:20), and His word had authority all over Isra’el (4:1). Notice of Samuel’s judgeship is immediately followed by a report of Philistine attack. We are thus reminded that the function of a “judge” during this dark period was more executive than judicial. The word judge often paralleled “ruler” or “prince” (Exodus 2:14), and one of the most common roles of the judge was to repel invaders (Judges 2:16 and 18).¹⁷⁴

The Philistines make war (7:7-8): When the Philistines heard that the people of Isra’el had gathered together at Mitzpah, the lords of the Philistines’ feared Samuel was leading Isra’el to rebel against their rule, so they moved up to take the initiative and attack them. It was a testing moment for the Israelites, who had been defeated so decisively in the previous battle (see Bb – The Philistines Captured the Ark). The circumstances, however, could not have been more different. Instead of the brash, misplaced confidence in the Ark of the covenant (4:3) or any other material object, there was genuine (if timid) faith in the power of their God to save them from their enemies.¹⁷⁵ From a human perspective, the Israelites had good reason to fear. The Philistines were a powerful and wealthy nation, possessing five major fortified cities, each with a well-trained standing army. The people of Isra’el said to Samuel, “Don’t stop crying out to ADONAI our God for us, that He may save us from the power of the Philistines.” The LORD would indeed defend Isra’el, but He wanted His people to approach Him in prayer and obedience.¹⁷⁶

ADONAI fights the battle (7:9-14): Samuel took a baby lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to ADONAI (see the commentary on Leviticus Ai – The Burnt Offering: Accepted by God). He cried out to ADONAI for Isra’el, and ADONAI answered him (7:9). God is faithful. God is attentive. It is the character of God to respond to the genuine need of faithful people. For everyone who asks will receive (Matthew 7:8a). It is the Lord’s character to respond faithfully to the genuine need of His faithful people. Isra’el’s great prayers (Psalm 107) are structured as a relation of the people crying out to Him, and He answering. This relation is disrupted whenever Isra’el believes that she is self-sufficient; or when Isra’el believes that prayer is futile; or when Isra’el concludes that YHVH is not attentive, does not care, or will not act. For us, prayer is a scandal in our modern world and surely violates our “enlightened reason.” We may be sure, however, that such a daring prayer was also an affront to the “realists” who took the Philistine threat seriously. Prayer must have seemed silly to them when the mighty Philistines were approaching. Nevertheless, Samuel’s prayer was not mere piety, but an act of real courage in the midst of real danger.¹⁷⁷

As Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines advanced to attack Isra’el. So, the offering was made just in time, and would bring about God’s special intervention. Although the approaching Philistines threatened to interrupt the worship, and the temptation to stop the sacrifice and defend the city, faith held out and ADONAI thundered violently over the Philistines, throwing them into such confusion that they were struck down before Isra’el. Intimated by the thunder-storm that broke their battle lines, the Philistines fled downhill towards their own territory. The men of Isra’el rushed out from Mitzpah, pursuing the Philistines and attacking them all the way to Beth Kar (7:10-11). The enemy was decisively defeated.

Then Samuel took a stone, placed it between Mitzpah and Shen, and gave it the name Ebenezer [the stone of the Helper], for Psalm 115;9-11 declares that God is Isra’el’s help and shield (7:12a). This Ebenezer was certainly not the Ebenezer of 4:1 and 5:1, since the latter is too far to the northwest for Mitzpah to be used as a benchmark for this location. Previously, Joshua had instructed the people to build a pile of stones beside the Jordan River to remind them of the LORD’s miracle in parting the river for them to cross over on dry ground (see the commentary on Joshua Au – The First Stones at the Jordan). Samuel was now continuing the practice by setting up a monument to commemorate their great victory that Ha’Shem had won for His people. It is important to be reminded frequently of all God has done for us, lest we forget and begin to distrust His faithfulness. This is the reason Yeshua Messiah instituted the Lord’s Supper (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Kj – Breaking the Middle Matzah).

Samuel set up the stone, explaining, “Thus far has ADONAI helped us” (7:12b). This does not mean, “Well, God has helped us thus far – let’s hope that He’ll continue to do so.” On the contrary, it means that YHVH had been faithful to Isra’el throughout the past, and the people could depend on His continued help in the future. Samuel was teaching the Israelites they could fully trust in the faithfulness of the LORD. The stone memorial would serve as a constant reminder of that fact.¹⁷⁸

Thus, the Philistines were humiliated, so that after forty years of supremacy they no longer invaded Isra’el’s territory; and the hand of ADONAI was against the Philistines as long as Samuel lived. The LORD gave Isra’el the victory over the Philistines, suspending their threat for the immediate future during Samuel’s lifetime; however, they did resume their subjugation during the kingship of Sha’ul. The cities between ‘Ekron and Gath which the Philistines had captured from Isra’el were restored to her, and Isra’el rescued the neighboring territory from the power of the Philistines. And there was peace between Isra’el and the Amorites (7:13-14). The name Amorites is used loosely to cover the whole Canaanite population, who regarded the Israelites as less of a threat to them than the Philistines, and so they stopped their aggression against Isra’el, resulting in peace between the two nations.¹⁷⁹

All the days of Samuel (7:15-17): Samuel continued in office as judge of Isra’el as long as he lived. The whole section ends with a summary of Samuel’s ministry. He did not expect people to come to him at Ramah, but he would travel annually in a circuit that included Bethel, Gilgal and Mitzpah, all on the border between Benjamin and Ephraim, to the south of Shiloh, about 50 miles in circumference; judging Isra’el in all those places. These were the cities where the schools of the prophets (First Samuel 19:19-24; Second Kings 2:3, 4:38 and 6:1) were located. So this indicated that Samuel was the founder of the schools of the prophets. But he would always return to Ramah, because that’s where his home was, and he would judge Isra’el there too. He also built an altar there to ADONAI, Ramah was a place of sacrifice between the time of Shiloh and Jerusalem. Thus, the Ruach summarizes Samuel’s era: Isra’el was secure and stable both externally and internally under Samuel’s judgeship. Traveling on the circuit gave the people confidence and trust in God and in Samuel’s leadership. Despite all of this, the people of Isra’el would soon senselessly request a king, rather than a new judge, despite Samuel’s opposition (see Bq – Give Us a King!).¹⁸⁰

Dear heavenly Father, Praise You for being perfect in Your character. How amazing that when there is repentance from sin, you listen and forgive! The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some consider slowness. Rather, He is being patient toward you – not wanting anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance (Second Peter 3:9). Repentance is not merely the acknowledgement of sin, but real heartfelt sorrow and grief. True repentance is when someone is grieved over how their sin hurt God. Repentance sees the sin from God’s point of view and desires to turn from that sin and go in a different direction (Second Corinthians 7:9-11). David is an excellent example of true repentance that leads to God’s forgiveness and restoration. Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your mercy. According to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. . .Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalms 51:1-2, 11) Praise You heavenly Father for being such a loving God to accept true repentance and forgive! In Your Holy Name and the power of Yeshua’s resurrection. Amen

The Last Judge
First Samuel 7:2 to 12:25

The last chapters of the book of Judges, with their refrain: there was no king in Isra’el (Judges 18:1, 19:1, and 21:25), prepare the way for new developments in Isra’el’s leadership. The judges had been military as well as judicial leaders, effective in an emergency (though Samson did not fulfill his early promise), but limited by their geographical boundaries and by the nature of their office, for they did not appoint their successor. At a time of uncertainty due to external pressure from aggressors, Isra’el felt the need of a leader who would unite the tribes, have an effective standing army, and be a match for those who led their enemies to victory. It is hardly surprising that there were differences of opinion in Isra’el if it was proper to ask for a king when ADONAI was their King, and Samuel would bear the brunt of the conflict in his future capacity as judge, priest, and prophet, after the style of Moses.¹⁶⁵

The Ark at Abinadab’s House
First Samuel 7:1

The Ark at Abinadab’s house DIG: Why wasn’t the Ark taken to Shiloh? Who were the Gibeonites? How was the Ark the smell of death to Beth-Shemesh, and the fragrance of life and joy to the faithful household of Abinadab? How did he and his son observe the mitzvot of the Ark? What didn’t they do with the Ark?

REFLECT: How do you treat the things of God in your life? What have you done with the things that God has entrusted to you? Have you grown weary of it, has it become a burden to you, or have you been faithful? How does Yeshua answer the question: How can we stand in the presence of such a holy God?

The Ark remained in the custody of Abinadab and his family for about 100 years.

The people of Kiriath-Jerarim provide a third example (to see link click Bk – The Ark at Beth-Shemesh for the other two) of how can we stand in the presence of such a holy God, namely, by faith. So the men of Kiriath-Jearim came and brought back the Ark of God. No doubt the Ark was taken there rather than to Shiloh, because the latter was destroyed by the Philistines (see Ae – The Tabernacle at Shiloh). They took it to the home of Abinadab on the hill and appointed his son Eleazar to guard the ark of God (7:1). It was noteworthy that Kiriath-Jearim was a Gibeonite city (Josh 9:17). The Gibeonites were Gentiles who tricked Joshua into permitting them to live who were assigned as woodcutters and water-bearers for the Tabernacle (Joshua 9:21-22). Thus, God shows that His true people are those who respond to Him in faith. Though they had not been born into the covenant, those Gibeonites trusted God’s Word; acting according to Scripture, they were anxious to have the Ark in their midst.¹⁶²

Trusting in the grace of the LORD, and humbly adhering to His Word, Abinadab and his descendants had the privilege of housing God’s Ark for about 100 years until David carried it back as one of the acts of his kingship (see the commentary on the Life of David Cr – The Ark Brought to Yerushalayim).¹⁶³ Apparently they did everything they could to observe God’s mitzvot for the Ark. But they also refused to do more than God’s Word permitted. Therefore, Kiriath-Jearim was not advertised as the new national shrine, replacing Shiloh, which the Philistines had destroyed. The traditional feasts were not celebrated there and the sacrifices were not offered, there being no proper Levitical priesthood. Therefore, just as the Gospel is, according to Paul, the smell of death to those who do not believe, but the fragrance of life for those of faith (Second Corinthians 2:15-16); in like manner, the Ark was the aroma of death to those irreverent at Beth-Shemesh, and the perfume of life and joy to the faithful household of Abinadab.

Who is able to stand in the presence of such a holy God? As Richard Phillips relates in his commentary on 1 Samuel, we have considered three great questions answered in the chapter: How can we escape God’s holy wrath? How can we understand God’s holy ways? And how can we live in the presence of this holy God? All three of these questions can be wrapped up in the last of them, asked by the Israelites to whom the Ark was returned, and answered by the example of the faithful Abinadab, “Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God” (First Samuel 6:20)? To stand in God’s holy presence is to be cleansed from sin and freed from God’s holy wrath. To believe this message of salvation is to understand the very heart of God’s will for us. Interestingly enough, the answer to this question is provided by the very construction of the Ark of the Covenant, so that if the Philistines had reflected on its unique design, they might have understood God’s will and salvation far better than they did.

The Ark was a chest of acacia wood overlaid with pure gold. It measured three feet, nine inches long, two feet, three inches wide, and three feet high, with an ornamental gold border around it (Exodus 25:10-11, 37:1-2). Inside the Ark was the Ten Commandments (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Bk – The Ten Words) given to Moses by YHVH. Atop the Ark were golden statues of two holy cherubim, angels who served as God’s attendants and signified His holy Presence. Looking down, the cherubim saw the Ten Words, His holy commandments for mankind, which we have all broken (Isaiah 64:5; Romans 3:23). This is our problem, and the source of Ha’Shem’s wrath against us. But there was one more feature of the Ark, a golden cover, known as the Mercy Seat (see the commentary on Exodus Fs – The Mercy Seat in the Most Holy Place: Christ at the Throne of Grace), upon which the blood of the sacrificial bulls and goats was sprinkled (see the commentary on Leviticus Cu – The Blood of the Bull and Goat), so that the holy God no longer saw His broken commandments but the atoning blood of the sacrifice that He Himself ordained.

In Romans 3:25a, which says of Yeshua Messiah, the true Lamb, that God publicly displayed as a propitiation (Greek: hilasterion, meaning the turning aside of God’s wrath) in His blood through faith. This happens to be the same word used in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the TaNaKh), for the Mercy Seat, the cover on which the sacrificial blood was sprinkled on the Day of Atonement turn God’s wrath from our sin (see the commentary on Leviticus Ef – Yom Kippur). With the Ten Commandments and the Mercy Seat, the Ark was designed to express ADONAI’s absolute holiness that burns against all sin and His marvelous grace that provides a way for sinners to draw near to YHVH through the blood of His Son, Yeshua Messiah.

Granted, the Philistines could not have understood this by merely examining the Ark. But it could have gotten them thinking in the right direction. They would have immediately realized that Isra’el’s relationship with their God was completely different from the pagan idolatry that they were used to. By seeking further, they might have put away their pagan schemes and sought to learn more about Isra’el God and His mercy seat that covers the sins of those who come in faith. The fact that the Ark found its home among Gibeonites proves that anyone – even a Philistine – who trusts in the atoning blood may stand in God’s holy presence. We have the benefit of God’s completed revelation from Genesis to Revelation. This means not only that we can understand the LORD’s will simply by reading God’s Word, but also that the story of redemption is now complete in the life and death of Yeshua Messiah. The Ark played its role for a time, declaring ADONAI’s holiness and mercy, but now, John writes: grace and truth came through Yeshua Messiah (John 1:17).

How does Yeshua answer the question that looms over every human: How can we stand in the presence of such a holy God? He answers: The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). The book of Hebrews tells us that Yeshua came as a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that He might make propitiation (Greek: hilaskomai) for the sins of the people (Hebrews 2:17). Yeshua came to cleanse us from our sins and robe us in the garments of His own righteousness, that we might stand unafraid in the presence of YHVH and with great joy. Once and for all . . . He offered up Himself (Hebrews 7:27), and consequently, He is able to completely save those who draw near to God through Him (7:25a).¹⁶⁴

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for Your great love that allows entrance into Your holy heaven to all who have a living faith that trusts and follows you. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:3). How awesome it is that Abraham received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised, making Abraham the Father of all who have faith in ADONAI. Is this blessing then only on the circumcised, or also on the uncircumcised? For we say, “trust was credited to Abraham as righteousness.”  In what state then was it credited? While circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised!  And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness of the trust he had while he was uncircumcised, so he might be the father of all who are trusting while uncircumcised – that righteousness might be credited to them as well.  Also he is the father of the circumcised, to those not only circumcised but also walking in the footsteps of the trust of our father Abraham before his circumcision (Romans 4:9-12).

Praise You for accepting into Your family all who have faith in You, Gentile and Jew (Ephesians 2:14). What great trust Ruth had to leave her homeland and to trust You as her God. Caleb also showed amazing faith in You as he encouraged the Israelites to follow Your Word and conquer the land. Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said: We should definitely go up and capture the land, for we can certainly do it (Numbers 13:30)! What a great joy to have faith in such a wonderful heavenly Father! Your children delight in pleasing You! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The Ark at Beth-Shemesh
First Samuel 6: 10-21

The Ark at Beit-Shemesh DIG: Why did Ha’Shem bring judgment against the people of Beth Shemesh? What does this reveal to us about whom He requires to be obedient to His Word? How can the loss of the Ark and the judgment against the people of Beth-Shemesh be traced back to ‘Eli’s failure as high priest? What does this teach us about the wide-ranging effects of sin?

REFLECT: When have you treated God with too much familiarity? How do you maintain proper respect for His holiness? Do you use “signs” to determine if ADONAI is for or against a plan of yours? What signs? How do you know if they are from God? What effect is your life having on people around you? Are you leading others toward godliness or toward sinfulness? Who can you help?

The presence of the holy Ark was very dangerous, for the Philistines and for Isra’el as well.

The Philistines had made all the preparations for sending the Ark back to the Israelites (to see link click Bj – The Ark Leaving Philistia). They took two milk-cows, harnessed them to the cart and confined their calves to the shed. Then they put the Ark on the cart, along with the box containing the gold rats and the models of their tumors. And sure enough, without veering to the right or to the left, the cows went straight down the road to Beth-Shemesh, their nursing calves left behind, mooing as they went. YHVH was on the way home! It was an Exodus! The LORD returned in glory, having yet again defeated an oppressive enemy of Isra’el. This was the coming glory that Dagon could not defeat. During the whole ordeal God said nothing, decreed nothing, asserted nothing, and required nothing. He operated in total silence. There is no doubt, however, either for Isra’el or for the Philistines, that the sovereign will of ADONAI dominates the story.¹⁵⁷ The leaders of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth-Shemesh (6:10-12). We can scarcely imagine the relief of the Philistines as Ha’Shem’s holy Ark finally departed from their hands.

The LORD’s accommodation to the way that the Philistines’ handled the situation (5:8-9) should not encourage us to rely on superstitious approaches to discerning God’s will. Subjective signs that we think up are no way to understand God’s will (see the commentary on Judges Ba – The Sign of the Fleece). Instead, they invite us to act upon our own hunches and sometimes provide an opportunity for Satan to deceive us. Rather, we should remember the testimony of Peter, who witnessed several clear divine revelations, including the audible speaking of God’s voice. Yet, Peter tells us that we have something more sure, the prophetic Word, that is the Bible, to which you will do well to pay attention as a lamp shining in a dark place (Second Peter 1:19a). If we want ADONAI’s revelation, the place to find it is in the holy Scriptures, which YHVH has given to us as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105).

Apparently, God’s purposes with the Philistines were finished, at least for the time being. We should not suppose that the five models of golden tumors and the five golden mice atoned for their sins; nevertheless, the LORD had sufficiently humbled them and made His point. The Philistines returned home, only too glad to get rid of the dangerous Object of their destruction. How easy it is for us to do likewise when God disciplines us (see the commentary on Hebrews Cz – God Disciplines His Children) and we are glad to avoid the pain, thinking little of what He wanted to teach us. The Philistines were like the wicked men that Job observed, who complained: God, depart from us! We don’t desire the knowledge of your ways (Job 21:14). How much better to treasure God’s Word and to humble ourselves in trusting obedience to all that He has revealed!¹⁵⁸

So, God’s holy Ark returned to Isra’el after seven months in Philistine hands. The Philistines had wanted only to escape Ha’Shem’s wrath and discern enough of God’s will to think that they could escape His judgment. Now, as the Ark returns to Isra’el, we ask ourselves: How can we stand in the presence of such a holy God? As Richard Phillips relates in his commentary on 1 Samuel, the first answer is that God’s people are to receive God’s presence with joy. We see such joy modeled by the people of Beth-Shemesh who were harvesting their wheat in the valley. When they looked up and saw the Ark, they rejoiced to see it (6:13)! The Philistines only may have wanted to get rid of so holy a God, but the LORD’s people knew of His mighty grace. Nehemiah said that the joy of ADONAI is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). Believers are strongest when we are rejoicing in the Lord, and God is never more fully praised by us than when we most rejoice in Him.

Secondly, God’s people are to dwell in reverence. It turned out that Beth-Shemesh was a Levitical city (see the commentary on Numbers Gj – Levitical Cities), in which the clan of Kohath lived (see Numbers At – The Clan of Kohath), the clan assigned to care for the Ark of the covenant when the children of Isra’el were on the move in the wilderness (Numbers 4:4-12). The cart entered the field of Joshua and stood there by a large stone. It was not surprising, then, for them to immediately arrange a sacrifice. Then the Levites removed the Ark of ADONAI and the box that was beside it, which contained the gold objects, and put them on the large stone. They cut up the wood of the cart and offered up the cows as a Burnt Offering to the LORD (see the commentary on Leviticus Ai – The Burnt Offering: Accepted by God). What was surprising, however, was their failure to observe the mitzvah that only bulls were to be offered (Leviticus 1:3 and 5). Upon seeing this, the five leaders of the Philistines returned that day to Ekron (6:14-16).

After the return of the Ark, the narrative moves quickly to its conclusion. A summary statement is made to indicate that all the Philistines had submitted to YHVH. The gold tumors which the Philistines sent back as a guilt offering for ADONAI were one each for Ashdod, Gath, Ashkelon, Gat and Ekron; and the gold mice also corresponded to the number of all the cities of the Philistines that belonged to the five leaders – fortified cities and country villages. [The large stone] is a witness to this day of the great mourning [which resulted from] putting the ark of ADONAI on it in the field of Joshua the Beit-Shemesh (6:17-18).

But that was followed by an even more fatal offense. Trouble, instead of blessing, came to them because the Ark of God was not given due reverence. Remarkably, the Levites had allowed ADONAI’s holy Ark to become a tourist attraction. What a sight it must have been to the eyes of country-folk: a large shining golden box, adorned with such finely crafted cherubim that YHVH had employed craftsmen specifically anointed by the Ruach (Exodus 30-35). How natural it would have been for crowds to gather to see the Ark of the covenant, now in Beth-Shemesh for the first time! But what seems natural to us is sometimes irreverence to God.¹⁵⁹

Indeed, when the Ark was ready to be transported, Aaron went in with his sons, took down the inner veil of the Tabernacle (see the commentary on Exodus Fq – The Inner Veil of the Sanctuary: That is Christ, His Body), and covered the Ark of the covenant with it. Then they placed a yellow-orange covering of fine leather (Exodus 26:14), and on top of that spread an all-blue cloth. Then they inserted the carrying-poles. This would guard the holy Ark from the gaze of human eyes. No one was to look on the holy things even for a moment, lest they die (Numbers 4:20). Therefore, ADONAI killed 70 people of Beth-Shemesh for looking at the Ark. Then the people mourned because ADONAI had struck them with such a terrible slaughter (6:19). Those people somehow lacked the proper attitude toward YHVH, not honoring and reverencing the Holy One. As it was one of the darkest times of the history of ancient Isra’el, it was no surprise to find the spiritual condition of the Israelites at such a low ebb. Now the time was ripe for Samuel’s new ministry (see Bm – The Last Judge). ADONAI had not forgotten His people even in the darkest time.¹⁶⁰

The example of Beth-Shemesh reminds us that we do now show reverence for YHVH by treating Him according to our own wisdom or sentiments, but only by obeying the mitzvot of His Word. How much blatantly carnal worship is offered up to God today, designed to appeal to the flesh with no reference to biblical principles (and often in direct violation of Scripture), and how greatly such irreverence must account for the lack of true spiritual blessing experienced by the flock! Just as the Kohathite priests’ incredible ignorance in handling the Ark revealed the spiritual decline of that generation, so does the lack of reverence for ADONAI in worship signal a spiritual decline among us today.

The people of Beth-Shemesh further showed their spiritual poverty by responding to God’s wrath not unlike the Philistines when they cried out: Who can stand before ADONAI, this holy God? To whom can we send it, to get it away from us?” Then, just as the Philistines of Ashdod had palmed off the Ark first to Gath (see Bg – The Ark at Gath), and then to Ekron (see Bh – The Ark at Ekron), the people of Beth-Shemesh sent messengers to the people living in Kiriath-Jearim with this message, “The Philistines have returned the Ark of ADONAI. Come down and bring it back up with you” (6:20-221). This shows the ultimate result when God’s people drift from God’s Word. When this happens, the Church then takes on the attitude of the world and ultimately rejects YHVH in unbelief.¹⁶¹

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for being such a fair and righteous God. You so graciously call out to all to come to You. Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-29). You so kindly reveal the truth about how great You are when people look at the magnificence of Your creation and realize how incredibly designed it is every tiny detail of each animal, plant, human and planet. Thank You for Your wonderful gift of salvation (Romans 5:17, Ephesians 2:8-9)! Praise You that all who hear and believe (John 5:24) are sealed with 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)! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and Power of His Resurrection. Amen

The Ark Leaving Philistia
First Samuel 6: 1-9

The Ark leaving Philistia DIG: Why did the priests and soothsayers suggest a Guilt Offering? Why did that offering consist of imitation mice and tumors made of gold? Why five of each? What lesson was drawn from the plagues that God sent upon Egypt? Why do you think they built a new cart and unyoked cows to transport the Ark? How were the Philistines to be assured that the God of the Israelites had intentionally brought the plague on them and not by chance?

REFLECT: When was the last time you felt God was angry with you? At such times, do you feel like nothing – not even good behavior or Guilt Offerings – will please Him? What finally turns the tide of His anger? When do you test God? When have you treated God with too much familiarity? How do you maintain proper respect for His holiness? Do you use “signs” to determine if ADONAI is for or against a plan of yours? What signs? How do you know if they are from God?

The Philistines’ instinct in offering costly materials was right,
but their estimation of the cost of forgiveness was simply too low!

The Ark of ADONAI was in the country of the Philistines for seven months (6:1). During that time the people of at least three Philistine cities were thrown into chaos (to see link click Be – The Ark in the Land of the Philistines). Capturing their enemies’ most sacred object was something to be proud of, so at first there was opposition to simply giving up the Ark. But now it clearly had to be sent away. The five Philistine lords, representing five cities, summoned their own priests and soothsayers (who knew so much about the history of Isra’el) and asked them, “What are we to do with the Ark of ADONAI? Tell us how to send it back where it belongs” (6:2). There were so many unnecessary deaths. How I wish that those who live in Gaza today would also see the history of Isra’el and avoid so many deaths. However, they decided to send the Ark back to Isra’el, and the way they did it was extremely revealing.

After what had happened to their god Dagon, to themselves, and to their land, it had created a fear of making things worse by not observing what they believed to be the right protocol. The priests answered: If you do send off the Ark of the God of Isra’el, don’t send it back empty, but return it to Him with some sort of Guilt Offering. This is the offering for one who stole something from its rightful owner (see Leviticus Am – The Guilt Offering: Evidence of Repentance). So, the Philistines were viewed as being thieves who stole the Ark of the covenant from its rightful owner, Isra’el. The expected result was, “Then you will be cured from the plague (5:6), and you will learn why He has not stopped oppressing you” (6:3). The Philistines’ approach revealed both insight and ignorance with respect to Ha’Shem’s holy wrath. What insight they had come from the schooling they had received. They realized they had offended a holy God. Yet, even with that insight, their desperate attempts to rid themselves of the wrath of the LORD ultimately exposed their great ignorance of YHVH and His ways.

Therefore, the Philistine lords asked the priests and soothsayers, “What kind of guilt offering should we send him?” They replied: Five models of golden tumors. The bubonic plague (5:6) produces painful swelling and affects the lymph nodes, which are enlarged and produce visible swelling that can become the size of eggs. So, the golden models of tumors were the size of five golden eggs. This was based on the pagan custom of appeasing the gods. Secondly, the Philistine priests recommended that five golden mice be sent because that’s how many lords the Philistines had, and you and your leaders all had the same illness (6:4). Just like the Egyptians (Exodus 12:35-36), the Philistines recognized the power of the God of Isra’el and gave gold to the Israelites when they left.¹⁴⁹

So make models of your tumors (the actual plague) and models of your mice (how it was spread) that are infesting your land, and show respect to the God of Isra’el. Maybe He will stop oppressing you, your gods and your land (6:5). They had some superficial knowledge about YHVH, but they did not actually know YHVH. That was true of both the Philistines and ‘Eli and his sons! Both did not believe, only paying lip service to Him, but their heart really wasn’t in it. This is why it is so important to know the One true God.¹⁵⁰

How are we to understand this offering? The priests realized that any payment to God for sin must be costly. The Philistines were paying a high price for what they had done to offend the LORD, and it was obvious that they could only satisfy God’s wrath by making a costly sacrifice. Moreover, the punishment needed to correspond in some way to the punishment they were receiving. Since God’s judgment involved diseased mice and produced tumors on their flesh, they thought to offer ADONAI what 6:18 assures us was a great many golden mice – each not only for the five major cities, but also for each of their fortified towns and country villages – that would memorialize and pay for the dreadful judgment that God had inflicted on them.

What the Philistines should have done was to consult an Israelite priest! A true priest would have told them the proper Guilt Offering, “Bring to the LORD as His compensation, a ram from the flock, one without defect” (Leviticus 5:15b). The prophet Isaiah would have gone further and informed them that the ram looked forward to the coming of the Savior whom YHVH would send. He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:5-6). Finally, in the B’rit Chadashah we learn that this Savior is the Son of God, Yeshua Messiah, of whom John declared: Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)!¹⁵¹

The priests asked their lords, “Why then do you harden your hearts like the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their heart? Evidently, there was some initial support for opposing the proposed Guilt Offering. The opposition of Pharaoh to the release of the Israelite slaves was evidently well known beyond the borders of Isra’el, as was the fact that he gained nothing by it but extra plagues on his people. The priests continued: When the Israelite God had severely dealt with them, didn’t the Egyptians let the people go (6:6)? In the end Pharaoh had to give in, so the Philistines would be wise to delay no longer.¹⁵² The five Philistine lords, having suffered the plague of God, needed to immediately release the Ark of the covenant to go back to its place. They prepared themselves by taking seven steps.

First, take a new cart. Second, and two milk-cows that have never been under a yoke. Third, harness the cows to the cart. Fourth, put their calves back in the shed. Fifth, then take the Ark of ADONAI and lay it on the cart. Sixth, put the gold objects in a box next to the Ark you are sending back as a Guilt Offering. And seventh, then send it away to go off by itself, but watch to see if it goes up the road to Beth-Shemesh, a Levitical city about fifteen miles west of Jerusalem in the Sorek Valley (Joshua 21:16). If it does, the God of the Israelites is responsible for this great tragedy; if not, we will know that it is not His oppression which has been over us, but that what has been happening to us has been only by chance (6:7-9).

Thus, an experiment was set up to test whether or not ADONAI had been responsible for the plagues, for they might have happened quite by chance. Every effort was to be made to do the reverent thing: the cart was to be new and the cows unyoked. Since the cows had never pulled a cart, and had nursing calves dependent on them, all their instructions would be to turn back. If that happened, it would be “proof” that the God of the Israelites wasn’t in control and the Philistines had nothing to fear. But if, contrary to natural instincts, the cows pressed ahead with the precious load, that would show that He had been responsible.¹⁵³

The Philistines were practicing an approach to discerning God’s will that is sometimes used by God’s people. A famous example is Gideon, who responded to the command of ADONAI by seeking a supernatural confirmation (see the commentary on Judges Ba – The Sign of the Fleece). Just like the Philistines, Gideon was asking ADONAI to confirm His involvement by making things happen contrary to nature. Gideon laid his fleece on the ground and asked the LORD to make it wet with dew while the ground was dry. When that happened, Gideon then asked for the ground to be wet and the fleece dry. However, his “laying out a fleece” is not an example we should follow, but a sign of Gideon’s weak faith.¹⁵⁴

The planning of the Philistines was indeed careful and cunning. They set very long odds to prove that the God of the Israelites was not superior to their god Dagan. The same odds that the LORD (and Elijah) faced at Mount Carmel (see the commentary on Elijah and Elisha Aq – Elijah and the Prophets of Ba’al). Yes, the Philistines were frightened, but they were determined to show that ADONAI was a powerless god. Their strategy was to prevent Ha’Shem from demonstrating His sovereignty. Everything was ready. There is dramatic suspense. Waiting to see in their scheme would work; waiting to see if God, represented by the Ark, would leave; waiting to see if He could make a move to freedom.¹⁵⁵

The Philistines’ instinct in offering costly materials was right, but their estimation of the cost of forgiveness was simply too low! Our sin causes infinite offense to God’s holy justice, and thus we can only be forgiven and cleansed by an infinitely valuable sacrifice. Peter says that we gain forgiveness not with perishable things such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Messiah (First Peter 1:18-19). God Himself has sent the Sacrifice that fully satisfies His every claim of His holiness, and by which we can escape His wrath against our sins. Only by relying on the blood of Messiah can we receive forgiveness, not by something we have earned, but by grace alone, through faith alone, in Messiah alone.¹⁵⁶

Dear heavenly Father, all praise, glory and honor go to you! You could have wiped out the Philistines with one word when they captured Your Ark, but instead You wisely made Your Name great by afflicting them with tumors. You gave definite proof that You are greater than the Philistine gods. You are so wise in all You do. You show that You are God by Your creation. When people take time to look at how special and perfect all creation is, it clearly points to you, a mighty and wise God. What can be known about God is plain to them – for God has shown it to them.  His invisible attributes – His eternal power and His divine nature – have been clearly seen ever since the creation of the world, being understood through the things that have been made. So people are without excuse (Romans 1:19b-20).

You are a God of love, and You are also to be feared, for you are Holy, Holy, Holy! You are so far above mankind in Your purity and holiness. No one should try to claim Your mercy and grace and then think that they can’t ignore You by living for themselves. They need to realize that God gives His kindness to draw people to Himself. God asks: Do you belittle the riches of [My] kindness and tolerance and patience- not realizing that [My] kindness leads you to repentance (Rom 2:5)? It is utter foolishness to trust in one’s own deeds. You so graciously sent Messiah to die as the Sacrifice Lamb (Jn 1:29) for all who would love (Jn 14:23) and follow Messiah as their Lord and Savior (Rom 10:9-11). It cost You so much pain and shame (Heb 12:2) to take man’s penalty of death for their sin. Thank You for Your love as our sacrifice. Having You as our heavenly Father is such a wonderful privilege! Your children love to obey and worship You, and rejoice to give You praise! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen!

The Ark on the Move
First Samuel 6:1 to 7:1

ADONAI could have withdrawn Himself from His people, but instead, He graciously allowed the Ark to be taken about ten miles to Kiriath-Jearim where it remained in the home of Abinadab. The men of the city dedicated Abinadab’s son Eleazar to guard the Ark. This was undoubtedly a Levitical family, for after what had happened to the men of Beth-Shemesh (to see link click Bk – The Ark at Beit-Shemesh), the men of Kiriath-Jearim weren’t likely to take any more chances. The Ark had been in the home of Abinadab twenty years when Samuel called an assembly of the people to turn from their sins and seek the LORD (see Bm – The Last Judge). The Ark of the covenant represented the Presence of ADONAI with His people and the rule of YHVH over His people. Ha’Shem had every right to abandon His sinful people, but He graciously remained with them, though not in the Tabernacle that He had commanded them to build. It was a difficult time for the Jews for they were not a united people, nor were they even a godly people. In those days Isra’el had no king and everyone did as they saw fit (Judges 21:25). Isra’el thought that their problems would be solved if they had a king like the other nations, but they would discover that having a king their own way would lead them into greater problems. God still gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him. What the Ark was to Isra’el, Yeshua Messiah is to God’s people today; and when He is first place in our lives, He will bless us and work on our behalf. You must worship Messiah as Lord of your life, is the way Peter explained it (1 Pet 3:15a). When Messiah is the Lord of your life, you can walk through each day, confident of His Presence and His help.¹⁴⁹