The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 4 · Section 164
SECT. CLXIV.
SAƲL having reigned one year from the time that he was choſen, and publickly declared King at Mizpeh, [Ch. 10.24.] to his ſolemn Inauguration at Gilgal, and another year (a)vide Malvendam in loc.ſince his Coronation, and ſeeing the people lamentably oppreſſed by the Garriſons of the Philiſtines that were in the land, and kept in ſuch miſerable bondage by them that they would not ſuffer them to have any weapons of war (but what they got by ſtealth, or kept hid in ſome ſecret place) nor would ſuffer a Smith to remain among them leſt by that means they ſhould get them Swords or Spears, &c. [See Ch. 13. v. 19.] He reſolved now to raiſe an Army to drive the Philiſtines out of thoſe Forts, wherefore appointing the people to aſſemble themſelves and come unto him, he choſe out of them three thouſand men, whereof two thouſand he kept about his own perſon, and marched with them to Mickmaſh (a tract of ground in the border of Benjamin near the mountain of Bethel) and a thouſand he left with his Son Jonathan in Gibeah, the reſt of the people he ſent to their own homes. Jonathan having a thouſand of theſe new raiſed forces under his command, he preſently ſet himſelf to the work, and went and ſmote the Garriſon of the Philiſtines that was in Gibeah on the Hill near his own City, ſee Ch. 10.5. The Philiſtines were hereat greatly enraged, and preſently raiſed a great Army conſiſting of three thouſand (a)V. 5. Triginta millia curruum, At incredibile hoc videtur. Nam Pharaoh tantum 600 currus habuit, Exod. 14.7. & Jabin 900, Jud. 4.3. & Solomon 1400, 1 Reg. 10.26. Nimium hoc pro num…ro equitum qui ſequitur. Aliqui mendum ignoſcunt, & menda in numeris paſſim accidere remo negaverit qui non ſic harum literarum rudis atque imperitus. Ita que ſunt qui poſtremas duas literas abjiciendas cenſent & ſic foreign ſignificat tria millia. Et ſic habent Syr. & Ar. quomodo illos legiſſem probabile …ſt in Hebraeis quibus uſi ſunt exemplaribus, quod & ipſum val…le multum eſt. Sed in his tribus millibus for aſſe plerique currus fuerunt ſarcinarii. Et ſic ap a erit proportio currum & equitum. Vide Pol. in locChariots of War, and ſix thouſand Horſemen, and an innumerable company of Foot, intending to be revenged on the Iſraelites. Saul hearing of their vaſt preparations, preſently diſpatched his Agents into all parts of the Kingdom to proclaim by ſound of Trumpet the victory obtained by Jonathan (b)V. 4. The victory is aſcribed to Saul (though obtained by Jonathan becauſe he put his Son upon this ſervice. Victoria militum Principi aſcribitur., for their encouragement, and alſo to make known to them that the Philiſtines being hereupon extreamly enraged, were preparing to come againſt them with an huge Army. And becauſe Samuel had before appointed Saul [Ch. 10.8.] that if he came to be in danger, or intended to attempt any thing againſt the Philiſtines, he ſhould firſt go down to Gilgal, and there wait for him ſeven days, till he came and adviſed him what he ſhould do, and offered Sacrifice both for him and the people, therefore Saul now removed with his forces from Michmaſh to Gilgal, and the people were commanded to gather together and come to him thither. The people were much terrified at this news of the approach of the Philiſtines Army, and ſome of them hid themſelves in Caves and Thickets, ſome in clefts of Rocks, ſome in high places, and places of ſtrength, ſome in pits and dens, and ſome of them fled over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. And thoſe that followed Saul to …ilgal, followed him trembling. They formerly were confident that if they had a King, he would ſave them from all their enemies, and now they have one they are perplexed with fear, not finding themſelves any whit more ſecur'd by his preſence from the dangers that threatned them, and ſo are taught by their own experience that there is no ſafety but in Gods protection. Saul now at Gilgal expects Samuel ſix days, and having ſtayed till the ſeventh was almoſt expired, he began to conclude that he would not come, and ſeeing his Souldiers continually dropping away from him, and fearing leſt the Philiſtines might fall upon him on a ſudden before he had by Sacrifices ſought the Lords favour and h…lp, he reſolved not to ſtay any longer for Samuel, but commanded Sacrifices to be immediately offered, intending after that to pitch upon ſome courſe with the advice of thoſe about him, for the defence of themſelves and their Country againſt the Philiſtines. As ſoon as he had made an end of offering the Burnt-offering, behold Samuel came; and thus by not waiting a ſmall time longer, he tranſgreſſed Gods Commandment, and brought a great puniſhment upon himſelf. Saul hearing that Samuel was come to Gilgal, he went out to meet him, to ſalute and welcome him. Samuel underſtanding how things had gone, angryly ſaid to him, What haſt thou done? Saul tells him that having waited for him till a great part of the ſeventh day was ſpent, he conceived he would not come within the time appointed, and ſo being conſtrained by neceſſity, even againſt his will (c)The true cauſe why he haſtened to Sacrifice ſeems to be becauſe his Soldiers run away ſo faſt from h…m, in whom he put more confidence than in God., he had offered Sacrifice(d)V. 12. Roboravi ita que me, i. e. Obfirmavi animum, q. d. etiam reclamante animo obtuli holocaustum prae timore. Quare cum inter ſe confligerent voluntas & neceſſitas, tandem vicit neceſſitas, ſed nulla erat neceſſitas offerendi Sacrificia contra voluntatem divinam. Tali enim Sacrificio non placatur Deus ſed irritatur. V. 13. foreign ſignificat durationem longam non tamen aeternam, q. d. longo tempore dignitas illa Regia manſiſſet in tua ſtirpe. In ſempiternum, i. e. quam diu Saulis poſteritas viveret. Gr.; for how could he ſtay any longer except he would have had the enemy to come upon him and his weak and unarmed company before he had made ſupplication to the Lord for them, and ſued for his help, which would have been the way to expoſe them to ruin and deſtruction. Samuel ſaid, Thou haſt done fooliſhly in not waiting full ſeven days as I appointed thee from the Lord, Ch. 10.18. Hadſt thou obeyed the Commandment of the Lord herein, he would have eſtabliſhed thy Kingdom over Iſrael for ever, that is, for a long time, even as long as any of thy poſterity lived. But now thy Kingdom ſhall not continue, that is, ſhall not be eſtabliſhed upon thee and thy poſterity, but ſhall be rent from thee and given to another. It may perhaps ſeem ſtrange that Saul ſhould loſe his Kingdom for this, which to the eye of reaſon appears not ſo great a tranſgreſſion, if we conſider what Saul pleaded for himſelf; but we muſt alſo conſider that there may be much wickedneſs of heart in doing that which outwardly ſeems but a ſmall offence; and Saul being the firſt King of Iſrael God was pleaſed by this ſeverity againſt him for his violation of his command to make him an example to all that ſhould afterwards ſucceed in that Throne, that they might fear to tranſgreſs the Commandment of the Lord as he had done. Thus the Lord did with great ſeverity puniſh the firſt ſin of Nadab and Abihu, Levit. 10.1. that all the ſucceeding poſterity of Aaron might take warning thereby, and beware how they carried themſelves in their Prieſtly Office. But to go on, Samuel tells Saul that becauſe he had not obeyed the Lord, he knew by revelation that the Lord intended to reject him, and that he had found out a man after his own heart, (though he knew not at preſent who it was) whom he had appointed and deſigned to be King and Captain over his people in his ſtead. Samuel having delivered to him this ſad meſſage, went up from thence to Gibeah. Saul now numbring the Souldiers he had left, found them to be but about ſix hundred, the reſt of his two thouſand being run away; with this ſmall party he goes up to Gibeah, where Jonathan joins with him; the Philiſtines great Army was now encamped at Michmaſh, from whence they ſent out parties to ſpoil the Country, and to fetch in booty to their Camp, and therefore they went out three ſeveral ways, one to Ophrah, a City of Benjamin, that lay North-…aſt from Michmaſh; the other to Bethoron, a City of Ephraim, that lay North-weſt; and the third towards the Valley of Zeboim, which was South-Eaſt: Saul had but a very ſmall Army (as we have ſeen before), and thoſe only armed with Clubs, Bows, or Slings, not a Sword or Spear found among any of them but only Saul and Jonathan; and the reaſon of it was this, The Philiſtines when they gave the Iſraelites that great defeat [Ch. 4.10.] and took the Ark of God, they diſarmed them, taking away their iron armes and weapons, and to keep them from getting any more for the future, they took away all their Smiths, and would not let one of that Trade live among them, leſt they ſhould make them Swords and Spears (a)The chief victory that the Iſraelites got over the Philiſtines after this was miraculous, not gotten with Sword or Spear, but with thunder from heaven, 1 Sam. 7.10. Nebuchadnezzar alſo carried away the Craftſmen and Smiths out of the land of Iſrael, poſſibly for the ſame reaſon, 2 King. 24.14.. Na… the Iſraelites were in ſuch miſerable bondage that they were feign to go to the Smiths that were in the Philiſtines Garriſons to ſharpen their Shares and Coulters, their Axes and Mattocks, only they allowed them Files at their own houſes to ſharpen their Tools when they were blunted.
1 Sam. Ch. 13. from v. 1, to 23.