SAUL EXTORTS THE PRIESTLY WORK Saul foolishly used human wisdom (1 Samuel 13: 13), by extorting the priestly work, and offering a burnt offering to the Lord; for the people scattered from around him, and the prophet Samuel was late in coming; while the Philistines came down on him in Gilgal. Because of that, the divine decree was issued on the tongue of the prophet Samuel:“Now, your kingdom shall not continue”(1 Samuel 13: 14) 1- The people of Israel overcome by terror 1 – 7. 2- Saul offers a burnt offering 8 – 9. 3- God rejects Saul 10 – 15. 4- Weakening of Israel 16 – 23. 1- The people of Israel overcome by terror This chapter, in its Hebrew version, opened by the phrase: “Saul was one year old when he became king; and reigned two years over Israel” (1 Samuel 13: 1). It is obvious that there is some misunderstanding here; Some scholars assume that the word ‘forty’ was wrongly omitted before the word ‘year,’ and the word ‘thirty’ was wrongly omitted before the word ‘two’; namely, the text should be: “Saul was forty years old when he became king; and reigned thirty-two years over Israel”. Now if we add to this thirty-two (and plus) years, some seven years (and plus) - the interval between Saul’s death and the anointment of David as a king over all Israel (2 Samuel 4: 5; 5: 5) - we can say that the kingdom of Saul extended over forty years (Acts 13: 21). In Samuel 9: 2, we see that Saul was a young man when he reigned; and here, we see his son Jonathan a man of war (1 Samuel 13: 2, 3). There has to be a time lapse of more than 20 years in between what was mentioned here and what was mentioned in the previous chapter. During that time Saul organized a small army of 3000 men, of which 2000 were with him in ‘Mishmash,’ (that means hidden) - the village of ‘Mishmash1’ nowadays is 5 miles north of Jerusalem -; and 1000 with his firstborn son Jonathan in ‘Gibeah of Benjamin’ [‘Tel-El-Foul’ nowadays, 4 miles north of Jerusalem, east of the road from Jerusalem to Nables, the old hometown of Saul]. Jonathan attacked the garrison of the Philistines that was in ‘Grebea’ [It is still called by the same name, separated from ‘Mishmash’ by a valley 800 feet deep, with sloping sides]; and Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, to call the people together to him in Gilgal. The Philistine counted Jonathan’s attack against their garrison an insult; so they gathered together to fight against Israel, with 30,000 chariots, and 6,000 horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in ‘Mismash,’ to the east of ‘Beth Aven’ (the house of the idol or the evil). They probably did that to cut the way to Gilgal, so that Saul would not be able to come to help Jonathan. As neither Saul, nor Jonathan, nor the people, thought of resorting to God to save them, they were overcome by fear and terror; they hid in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in holes, and in pits; and some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead that only 600 men remained with Saul (1 Samuel 13: 15). 1 Strong's Exh. Concordance, art. 4363. 2 The people lost their hope, and were overcome by fear, not because of their few number, but for their loss of faith. When the mind is darkened, faith disappears; fear overcomes us, and we lose hope. The carnal man fears death, as a beast fears getting slaughtered. St. Isaac the Syrian1 2- SAUL OFFERS A BURNT OFFERING When Saul saw that people scattered from him, the Philistine gathered together in Mishmash, and Samuel did not come within the days appointed, he said: “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me”; and he offered the burnt offering (1 Samuel 13: 9). He assumed that the burnt offering is a sort of magic that brings victory; not knowing that it is a symbol of the true sacrifice; and that it should never be offered, except according to the statutes of the law, to realize the reconciliation with God. Foolishly, he dared to break the divine commandment, taking the circumstances as an excuse. As a great altar like that of Gilgal could not have been without a priest, some believe that Saul made use of Samuel’s delay to extort the priestly rights beside the civil ones. His action implied violation, that, for a long time he planned to do, and just waited for the chance to do it. [Saul became a bad example of overstepping the limits of man’s rank; In the apostolic laws, it is stated that, whoever acts without the Bishop’s consent, is acting in vain. Samuel said to Saul: “You have done foolishly! “ (1 Samuel 13: 13), offering the burnt offering without him. Uzziah, king of Judah, when he intended to practice priestly work, while not a priest, he became leprous, because of his transgression against the Lord; So would be the punishment of any layman who despises the Lord, who foolishly insults His priests, and extorts that glory for himself. We should follow the example of Christ, who did not give Himself the glory of becoming a High Priest, but waited for His Father to proclaim: “The Lord has sworn and will not relent, You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110: 4) 2 ]. [Now we exhort everyone of you, to commit himself to the rank to which he is assigned, and should not overstep his fitting limits; as ranks are not from us, but from God, who says: “He who hears you hears Me; He who rejects you reject Me; and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me” (Luke 10: 16; Matthew 10: 40; John 13: 20)3 ]. He also became a bad example in his misunderstanding of worship; as God seeks obedience, rather than sacrifices and burnt offerings; It is said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire..; In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure” (Hebrews 10: 5, 6) Let us offer ourselves as sacrifices and burnt offerings to the Lord, who does not seek sacrifices of dumb animals. Abbot Dorotheos of Gaza4 If Saul could have waited for a little time more, Samuel would have arrived and offered a proper sacrifice that is accepted by God, instead of Saul’s burnt offering 1 Ascetical hom. 51, 62. 2 Const. of the Holy Apostles 2: 4: 27. 3 Ibid 8: 5. 4 Commentary on an Easter Hymn of St. Greg. Nazian. 3 that carried the smell of rebellion against God’s commandments. Our need is to endure to the end, in order to be saved (Matthew 10: 22); and to wait till the fourth watch of the night, to behold Jesus walking on the sea to restore our peace (Matthew 14: 25). It is becoming of us dear brethren to be patient and persistent, so that as we enjoy hope in truth and freedom, we gain both of them. St. Cyprian1 3- GOD REJECTS SAUL As Saul overstepped his limits, rebelling against the divine commandment, through offering a burnt offering, that should only be done by a priest and not by a king, the Prophet Samuel came to rebuke him, saying: “What have you done? “ (1 Samuel 13: 11).But instead of admitting his transgression, he put the blame on Samuel, saying: “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Mismash, the I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplications to the Lord; Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering” (1 Samuel 13: 11, 12) If he would have judged himself, admitting his fault, the situation might have changed; but instead, he introduced himself as one of zeal for the people of God, and it was Samuel who should be blamed, for not coming within the days appointed. If we look carefully, we shall realize that all troubles come from not judging ourselves; something that would lead to confusion, rather than to comfort. Abbot Dorotheos2 The consequence of Saul’s rebellion, beside justifying himself, and putting the blame upon others, was that he, and his descendants lost the kingdom; Samuel said: “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which he commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel orever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people”(1 Samuel 13: 13, 14) St. Augustine comments on the phrase: “The Lord would have established your kingdom forever over Israel”; saying, [It may be understood from this that God has set Saul to reign forever; and when he rebelled, He broke His promise. God knew beforehand that Saul was going to rebel; Yet He set his kingdom to be a symbol of the eternal kingdom; So He added, “But now, (your) kingdom shall not continue), which means that although the kingdom itself would be established, that would not be by that particular man.... “The Lord has sought for Himself a man”; meaning by that either David or (a symbol), “the Mediator of the new covenant” (Hebrew 9: 15) who was symbolized through the anointment done to David and his descendants3]. St. Augustine goes on to say, that although the words of the prophet Samuel came at the beginning of Saul’s reign, Saul remained a king for 40 years - the same duration of David’s reign over Israel. However the kingdom lasted, not within the descent of Saul, but within that of David, of whom the Lord Christ came to reign 1 Treat. 9: 13. 2 On self-accusation. 3 City of God 17: 6. 4 forever. That man (Saul) symbolically represented the people of Israel who were to lose the kingdom, whereas our Lord Jesus Christ reigns spiritually and not physically1]. Here is the first reference to David and his reign over Israel with a comparison between him and Saul. David had his own transgressions, yet he transgressed through human weakness. As a man of faith, obedience, and love for God; when he transgressed, he hastened, by his tears, to confess without justifying himself. And when the people of Israel were to be punished as a result of David’s fault, he humbly entreated God to let the punishment be on him, and on his household, and not on the people. What an amazing love! As for Saul, on the other hand, his transgression had been a kind of mutiny and rebellion; and when confronted with it, he tried to justify himself and his behavior. 4- THEWEAKENING OF ISRAEL “Saul, Jonathan his son, and the people who were present with them remained in Gibeah of Benjamin. But the Philistines encamped in Mishmash” (1 Samuel 13: 16) The Philistines came to the passes of Eglon and Beth Horon, took over a part of the rim in the middle, and extended eastward to Mishmash; and by that they were separated from Saul by a narrow and deep valley, having isolated Benjamin from the north and the middle. Their regiments had thus extended to the north, the east and the west, leaving Saul isolated in the south, with no authority over Israel. Although He allowed the Philistines to devastate, God was compassionate toward His people; If the enemy would have come at the beginning to Gilgal, they would have struck Saul and the 6000 men with him, then Jonathan and his little company; and would have taken over all of Israel. The Philistine humiliated Israel, by not allowing any blacksmith to be found throughout the land, lest the Hebrews make swords or spears; All the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each man’s Plowshare, his mattock, his ax, and his sickle. It is a painful portrait of the work of sin in the life of man; destroying all his energies and capabilities, and taking him down to humiliation. 1 Ibid 17: 7.
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