1 Samuel 13:1-4

THE REIGN OF SAUL. 1 Samuel 13:1 to 1 Samuel 31:13

The early days of Saul's reign, 1 Samuel 13:1 to 1 Samuel 14:52.

Saul's Campaign Against the Philistines, 1 Samuel 13:1-4

Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel,

2 Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel; whereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in mount Beth-el, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent.

3 And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear.

4 And all Israel heard say that Saul had smitten a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel also was had in abomination with the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to Gilgal.

1.

How old was Saul when he began to reign? 1 Samuel 13:1

Saul already had a son Jonathan who commanded a division of the army. Saul himself was hardly less than forty years of age, and Jonathan hardly less than twenty. Israelites did not go to war until they were twenty (Numbers 1:3). No number is in the Hebrew text in the first part of this verse, and the translation in the authorized version is a bit awkward. It is hard to understand the impact of such a statement as is made here. All we learn from it is that he reigned one year and then he reigned another year. The normal way of introducing a king was to give his age and then to tell how long he reigned (2 Kings 15:1-5). We are left to wonder if this is the intention of the author here.

2.

What was the purpose of the 3,000 men chosen by Saul? 1 Samuel 13:2

Saul was attempting to check the advance of the Philistines. He took the advance position himself in Michmash, a prominent overlook in the mountains of Ephraim near Beth-el. Beth-el was the famous spot where Jacob had seen a vision of the angels of God ascending and descending on a ladder set up on the earth (Genesis 28:10-22). A thousand men were with Jonathan back in Gibeah, the home of Saul. Saul evidently felt that it was not necessary to keep the 330,000 men away from their homes and normal occupations. He sent the rest of the army home and manned the outposts with only a few soldiers.

3.

Where was Michmash? 1 Samuel 13:2 b

Michmash is the present village of Mukhmas. The village is in ruins and lies on the northern ridge of the Wady Suweinit. Although it is only some ten miles north of Jerusalem, it is difficult to reach and takes a person some three hours and a half to make the journey on foot. Beth-el is northwest of this point, and it is some two hours-' journey away by the road if one were to walk. The mountain of Beth-el cannot be identified exactly. Beth-el itself was located on a very high ground, but the location is surrounded by heights.

4.

Why did Jonathan make his attack? 1 Samuel 13:3

Jonathan was closer to the garrison which the Philistines kept in Gibeah. Jonathan was a very brave man and won the respect and admiration of all the Israelites by his daring exploits. By winning this initial skirmish, Jonathan gave courage to the rest of the people. Saul took advantage of the situation and publicized the victory widely.