SERIES I --- THE NATION UNITES

BIBLE STUDY LESSON 13

SAUL’S FAILURE

SOUND THE ALARM THROUGH ALL THE LAND
From 1 Samuel 13
“In the second year of his reign, Saul chose three thousand of his men to fight the Philistines. Two thousand went with Saul to Michmash and the hill country near Bethel, while a thousand stayed with Jonathan, Saul’s son, at Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. The others who had been with Saul and Jonathan were sent home. On one occasion, Jonathan attacked the Philistine garrison at Geba and completely destroyed it. The Philistines were furious, so Saul had trumpets blown to sound the alarm through all the land of Israel. ‘Let all our people know about Geba!’ Saul proclaimed. The news spread throughout Israel that Saul’s forces had destroyed the Philistine garrison at Geba and had brought the wrath of the Philistines upon them. The men of Israel were summoned to leave home and join Saul at Gilgal. As the Israelites expected, the Philistines called their men to arms, assembling thirty thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen and troops too numerous to count. This vast Philistine army gathered at Michmash, east of Beth-aven.

When the Israelites saw this great army gathering, they were filled with fear and ran away, hiding in caves, thickets, cisterns and among the rocks. Some waded across the Jordan River, hiding in the territory of Gad and Gilead. But Saul stayed at Gilgal, along with his faithful followers, who trembled when they thought about the Philistine hordes. For seven days Saul waited there for Samuel to come, as he had said that he would. As time passed, more and more of Saul’s men ran away in fear. At last, Saul made plans that he, not Samuel would offer the burnt offering. ‘Bring the burnt offering and the peace offerings here to me,’ Saul ordered. Saul had just finished making these offerings when Samuel came. Saul hurried to meet Samuel, hoping that Samuel would approve of his offerings. ‘What have you done?’ Samuel demanded. ‘The people were running away!’ Saul argued. ‘The Philistines were gathering at Michmash and you didn’t come, so I had to make the offering myself.’ ‘You have been very foolish!’ Samuel said. ‘You have not done what God commanded you to do. If you had, God would have appointed you and your heirs as kings over Israel forever. But now He will take away your right to rule and give it to a man He has already chosen, a man who will obey Him.

He will do this because you have not followed His commands.’ After Samuel told Saul this, he went to Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. When Samuel was gone, Saul counted the men who had remained with him. There were only six hundred! But Saul set up camp with these men and his son Jonathan, at Geba in the land of Benjamin, while the Philistines kept their camp at Michmash. From the Philistine camp three bands of raiders left; one toward Beth-horon, another toward Ophrah in the land of Shual and the third toward the border overlooking the Zeboim Valley toward the desert. In those days there was no blacksmith in all Israel, for the Philistines would not permit any, lest an Israelite blacksmith make swords and spears for his people. The Israelites had to take their ploughshares, mattocks, axes or sickles to the Philistines to have them sharpened. The charge for sharpening a ploughshare or mattock was a pim, worth about twenty to sixty cents, while the charge for sharpening an ox goad, axe or sickle was a third of a shekel, worth about ten to thirty cents. Thus it happened that the Israelites were caught without a sword or spear when the Philistines gathered for battle. Saul and Jonathan were the only Israelites who had iron weapons. In addition the mountain pass near Michmash was held by the army of the Philistines.”

COMMENTARY

WEAPONS OF IRON AND BRONZE
Smiths of the ancient world had experimented with iron hundreds of years before Saul’s time. Working with iron was difficult and different from any other metal. Both copper and tin could be melted and cast into moulds and bronze was a mixture of the two. But metalworkers of that time could not build fires hot enough to melt iron. It merely softened to a red-hot mass and had to be hammered into shape. By Saul’s time, smiths had discovered that heating iron many times and cooling it in warm water each time made the metal much stronger. The Philistines were the first to bring this new process to Canaan, but were careful to keep it a secret. The bronze swords and spears of the Israelites were a poor match against iron daggers, arrowheads and chariots. This imbalance helped keep them under Philistine control. Not until David defeated the Philistines did the Israelites begin to make iron weapons for themselves.

TEST YOURSELF

1.) What outpost did Jonathan destroy?
            A) Gilgal
            B) Gath
            C) Geba
            D) Glashur

2.) Where did Saul wait for Samuel?
            A) Geba
            B) Gath
            C) Gilgal
            D) Glashur

3.) When did Samuel arrive?
            A) Just after Saul made an offering
            B) Just before Saul made an offering
            C) Both of the above
            D) None of the above

4.) How many bands of raiders issued from the Philistine camp?
            A) Four
            B) Two
            C) Six
            D) None of the above

5.) Who were the only Israelites with iron weapons?
            A) Gilead and Gemblar
            B) Gershom and Rashpenaz
            C) Samuel and Eli
            D) Saul and Jonathan

6.) Who held the pass to Michmash?
            A) The Israelites
            B) The Ammonites
            C) The Philistines
            D) None of these

7.) What metal could ancient craftsmen not melt, but only soften?
            A) Copper
            B) Zinc
            C) Iron
            D) Bronze

8.) What were most Israelite’s weapons made of in time of Saul?
            A) Zinc
            B) Iron
            C) Bronze
            D) Copper