The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV

by John MacArthur

  21And Saul answered and said, u“Am I not a Benjamite, of the vsmallest of the tribes of Israel, and wmy family the least of all the families of the 6tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak like this to me?”

  22Now Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall, and had them sit in the place of honor among those who were invited; there were about thirty persons.

  23And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, ‘Set it apart.’ ”

  24So the cook took up xthe thigh with its upper part and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, “Here it is, what was kept back. It was set apart for you. Eat; for until this time it has been kept for you, since I said I invited the people.” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

  25When they had come down from the high place into the city, 7Samuel spoke with Saul on ythe top of the house.

  26They arose early; and it was about the dawning of the day that Samuel called to Saul on the top of the house, saying, “Get up, that I may send you on your way.” And Saul arose, and both of them went outside, he and Samuel.

  Saul Anointed King

  27As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us.” And he went on. “But you stand here 8awhile, that I may announce to you the word of God.”

  1 Samuel 10

  Samuel Anoints Saul

  1Then aSamuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, band kissed him and said: “Is it not because cthe LORD has anointed you commander over dHis 1inheritance?

  2“When you have departed from me today, you will find two men by eRachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin fat Zelzah; and they will say to you, ‘The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. And now your father has ceased caring about the donkeys and is worrying about gyou, saying, “What shall I do about my son?” ’

  3“Then you shall go on forward from there and come to the terebinth tree of Tabor. There three men going up hto God at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine.

  4“And they will 2greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall receive from their hands.

  5“After that you shall come to the hill of God iwhere the Philistine garrison is. And it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down jfrom the high place with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them; kand they will be prophesying.

  6“Then lthe Spirit of the LORD will come upon you, and myou will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.

  7“And let it be, when these nsigns come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for oGod is with you.

  8“You shall go down before me pto Gilgal; and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings. qSeven days you shall wait, till I come to you and show you what you should do.”

  9So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God 3gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day.

  10rWhen they came there to the hill, there was sa group of prophets to meet him; then the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.

  11And it happened, when all who knew him formerly saw that he indeed prophesied among the prophets, that the people said to one another, “What is this that has come upon the son of Kish? tIs Saul also among the prophets?”

  12Then a man from there answered and said, “But uwho is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

  13And when he had finished prophesying, he went to the high place. Locations of Saul’s Military Campaigns

  14Then Saul’s vuncle said to him and his servant, “Where did you go?” So he said, “To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they were nowhere to be found, we went to Samuel.”

  15And Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me, please, what Samuel said to you.”

  16So Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been wfound.” But about the matter of the kingdom, he did not tell him what Samuel had said.

  Saul Proclaimed King

  17Then Samuel called the people together xto the LORD yat Mizpah,

  18and said to the children of Israel, z“Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all kingdoms and from those who oppressed you.’

  19a“But you have today rejected your God, who Himself saved you from all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us!’ Now therefore, present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your 4clans.”

  20And when Samuel had bcaused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen.

  21When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was chosen. And Saul the son of Kish was chosen. But when they sought him, he could not be found.

  22Therefore they cinquired of the LORD further, “Has the man come here yet?” And the LORD answered, “There he is, hidden among the equipment.”

  23So they ran and brought him from there; and when he stood among the people, dhe was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.

  24And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him ewhom the LORD has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?” So all the people shouted and said, f“Long5 live the king!”

  25Then Samuel explained to the people gthe behavior of royalty, and wrote it in a book and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.

  26And Saul also went home hto Gibeah; and valiant men went with him, whose hearts God had touched.

  27iBut some jrebels said, “How can this man save us?” So they despised him, kand brought him no presents. But he 6held his peace.

  1 Samuel 11

  Saul Saves Jabesh Gilead

  1Then aNahash the Ammonite came up and 1encamped against bJabesh Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, c“Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you.”

  2And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, “On this condition I will make a covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes, and bring dreproach on all Israel.”

  3Then the elders of Jabesh said to him, “Hold off for seven days, that we may send messengers to all the territory of Israel. And then, if there is no one to 2save us, we will come out to you.”

  4So the messengers came eto Gibeah of Saul and told the news in the hearing of the people. And fall the people lifted up their voices and wept.

  5Now there was Saul, coming behind the herd from the field; and Saul said, “What troubles the people, that they weep?” And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh.

  6gThen the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard this news, and his anger was greatly aroused.

  7So he took a yoke of oxen and hcut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, i“Whoever does not go out with Saul and Samuel to battle, so it shall be done to his oxen.” And the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out 3with one consent.

  8When he numbered them in jBezek, the children kof Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.

  9And they said to the messengers who came, “Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh Gilead: ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have help.’ ” Then the messengers came and reported it to the men of Jabesh, and they were glad.

  10Therefore the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do with us whatever seems good to you.”

  11So it was, on the next day, that lSaul put the people min three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and killed Ammonites until the heat of the day. And it happened that those
who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

  12Then the people said to Samuel, n“Who is he who said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ oBring the men, that we may put them to death.”

  13But Saul said, p“Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today qthe LORD has accomplished salvation in Israel.”

  14Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go rto Gilgal and renew the kingdom there.”

  15So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king sbefore the LORD in Gilgal. tThere they made sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

  1 Samuel 12

  Samuel’s Address at Saul’s Coronation

  1Now Samuel said to all Israel: “Indeed I have 1heeded ayour voice in all that you said to me, and bhave made a king over you.

  2“And now here is the king, cwalking before you; dand I am old and grayheaded, and look, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my childhood to this day.

  3“Here I am. Witness against me before the LORD and before eHis anointed: fWhose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received any gbribe with which to hblind my eyes? I will restore it to you.”

  4And they said, i“You have not cheated us or oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from any man’s hand.”

  5Then he said to them, “The LORD is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day, jthat you have not found anything kin my hand.” And they answered, “He is witness.”

  6Then Samuel said to the people, l“It is the LORD who raised up Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt.

  7“Now therefore, stand still, that I may mreason with you before the LORD concerning all the nrighteous acts of the LORD which He did to you and your fathers:

  8o“When Jacob had gone into 2Egypt, and your fathers pcried out to the LORD, then the LORD qsent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place.

  9“And when they rforgot the LORD their God, He sold them into the hand of sSisera, commander of the army of Hazor, into the hand of the tPhilistines, and into the hand of the king of uMoab; and they fought against them.

  10“Then they cried out to the LORD, and said, v‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD wand served the Baals and 3Ashtoreths; but now deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve You.’

  11“And the LORD sent 4Jerubbaal, 5Bedan, xJephthah, and ySamuel,6 and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you dwelt in safety.

  12“And when you saw that zNahash king of the Ammonites came against you, ayou said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when bthe LORD your God was your king.

  13“Now therefore, chere is the king dwhom you have chosen and whom you have desired. And take note, ethe LORD has set a king over you.

  14“If you ffear the LORD and serve Him and obey His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the LORD your God.

  15“However, if you do gnot obey the voice of the LORD, but hrebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you, as it was against your fathers.

  16“Now therefore, istand and see this great thing which the LORD will do before your eyes:

  17“Is today not the jwheat harvest? kI will call to the LORD, and He will send thunder and lrain, that you may perceive and see that myour wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking a king for yourselves.”

  18So Samuel called to the LORD, and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day; and nall the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.

  19And all the people said to Samuel, o“Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking a king for ourselves.”

  20Then Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; pyet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.

  21“And qdo not turn aside; rfor then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing.

  22“For sthe LORD will not forsake tHis people, ufor His great name’s sake, because vit has pleased the LORD to make you His people.

  23“Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD win ceasing to pray for you; but xI will teach you the ygood and the right way.

  24z“Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for aconsider what bgreat things He has done for you.

  25“But if you still do wickedly, cyou shall be swept away, dboth you and your king.”

  1 Samuel 13

  Saul’s Unlawful Sacrifice

  1Saul 1reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel,

  2Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in aMichmash and in the mountains of Bethel, and a thousand were with bJonathan in cGibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent away, every man to his tent.

  3And Jonathan attacked dthe garrison of the Philistines that was in eGeba, and the Philistines heard of it. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!”

  4Now all Israel heard it said that Saul had attacked a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel had also become 2an abomination to the Philistines. And the people were called together to Saul at Gilgal.

  5Then the Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel, 3thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people fas the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. And they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of gBeth Aven.

  6When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger (for the people were distressed), then the people hhid in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in holes, and in pits.

  7And some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the iland of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

  8jThen he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.

  9So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering.

  10Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might 4greet him.

  11And Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul said, “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 Michmash,

  12“then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the LORD.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.”

  13And Samuel said to Saul, k“You have done foolishly. lYou 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 forever.

  14m“But now your kingdom shall not continue. nThe LORD has sought for Himself a man oafter His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have pnot kept what the LORD commanded you.”

  15Then Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of 5Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people present with him, qabout six hundred men.

  No Weapons for the Army

  16Saul, Jonathan his son, and the people present with them remained in 6Gibeah of Benjamin. But the Philistines encamped in Michmash.

  17Then raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned onto the road to rOphrah, to the land of Shual,

  18another company turned to the road to sBeth Horon, and another company turned to the road of the border that overlooks the Valley of tZeboim toward the wilder
ness.

  19Now uthere was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears.”

  20But all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each man’s plowshare, his mattock, his ax, and his sickle;

  21and the charge for a sharpening was a 7pim for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, and to set the points of the goads.

  22So it came about, on the day of battle, that vthere was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan. But they were found with Saul and Jonathan his son.

  23wAnd the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.

  1 Samuel 14

  Jonathan Defeats the Philistines

  1Now it happened one day that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who 1bore his armor, “Come, let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison that is on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.

  2And Saul was sitting in the outskirts of aGibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron. The people who were with him were about six hundred men.

  3bAhijah the son of Ahitub, cIchabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD’s priest in Shiloh, was dwearing an ephod. But the people did not know that Jonathan had gone.

  4Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over eto the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp rock on one side and a sharp rock on the other side. And the name of one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.

  5The front of one faced northward opposite Michmash, and the other southward opposite Gibeah.

  6Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these funcircumcised; it may be that the LORD will work for us. For nothing restrains the LORD gfrom saving by many or by few.”

  7So his armorbearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart.”