Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from 1 Samuel chapters
13 and 14. Chapter 13 Saul reigned one year,
and when he had reigned two years over Israel,
Saul chose for himself three thousand men of
Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash
and in the mountains of Bethel, and a thousand
were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The
rest of the people he sent away every man to
his tent. And Jonathan attacked the garrison
of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the
Philistines heard of it. Then Saul blew the trumpet
throughout all the land, saying that the Hebrews
hear. Now all Israel heard it said that Saul
had attacked a garrison of the Philistines, and
that Israel had also become an abomination to
the Philistines. And the people were called together
to Saul at Gilgal. Then the Philistines gathered
together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand
chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people
as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude.
And they came up and encamped in Michmash, to
the east of Beit Avin. When the men of Israel
saw that they were in danger, for the people
were distressed, then the people 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. As for Saul, he
was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed
him trembling. Then 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. So Saul said, Bring a burnt offering
and peace offerings here to me. And he offered
the burnt offering. Now 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 greet him. And 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,
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. And Samuel said to Saul, 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 forever, 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, because
you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.
Then Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to
Gibeah of Benjamin, and Saul numbered the people
present with him about six hundred men. Saul,
Jonathan his son, and the people present with
them remained in Gibeah of Benjamin, but the
Philistines encamped in Michmash. Then raiders
came out of the camp of the Philistines in three
companies. One company turned onto the road to
Ophrah, to the land of Sheol. Another company
turned to the road to Beit Horon. And another
company turned to the road of the border that
overlooks the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.
Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout
all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said,
Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears. But all
the Israelites would go down to the Philistines
to sharpen each man's plowshare, his mattock,
his axe, and his sickle. And the charge for sharpening
was a pimp for the plowshares, the mattocks,
the forks, and the axes, and to set the points
of the goads. So it came about on the day of
battle. that there 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. And a garrison of
the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.
Now it happened one day that Jonathan the son
of Saul said to the young man who bore his armor,
Come, let us go over to the Philistines' garrison
that is on the other side. But he did not tell
his father. and Saul was sitting in outskirts
of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree, which is
in Migron. The people who were with him were
about 600 men. Ahijah, the son of Ahitob, Ichabod's
brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli,
the Lord's priest in Shiloh, was wearing an ephod.
But the people did not know that Jonathan had
gone. Between the passes by which Jonathan sought
to go over to 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 Bozes,
and the name of the other Sene. The front of
one faced northward opposite Michmash, and the
other southward opposite Gibeah. Then Jonathan
said to the young man who bore his armor, Come,
let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised.
It may be that the Lord will work for us. For
nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many
or by few. So his armor -bearer said to him,
Do all that is in your heart. Go then, here I
am with you according to your heart. Then Jonathan
said, Very well, let us cross over to these men,
and we will show ourselves to them. If they say
thus to us, Wait until we come to you, then we
will stand still in our place and not go up to
them. But if they say thus, Come up to us, then
we will go up. For the Lord has delivered them
into our hand, and this will be a sign to us.
So both of them showed themselves to the garrison
of the Philistines. And the Philistines said,
Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes
where they have hidden. Then the men of the garrison
called to Jonathan and his armor -bearer and
said, Come up to us, and we will show you something.
Jonathan said to his armor -bearer, Come up after
me, for the Lord has delivered them into the
hand of Israel. And Jonathan climbed up on his
hands and knees with his armor -bearer after
him, and they fell before Jonathan. And as he
came after him, his armor -bearer killed them.
That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armor
-bearer made was about twenty men within about
half an acre of land. And there was trembling
in the camp, in the field, and among all the
people. The garrison and the raiders also trembled,
and the earth quaked, so that it was a very great
trembling. Now the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah
of Benjamin looked, and there was the multitude
melting away, and they went here and there. Then
Saul said to the people who were with him, Now
call the roll and see who has gone from us. And
when they had called the roll, surprisingly,
Jonathan and his armor -bearer were not there.
And Saul said to Ahijah, Bring the ark of God
here, for at that time the ark of God was with
the children of Israel. Now it happened, while
Saul talked to the priest, that the noise which
was in the camp of the Philistines continued
to increase. So Saul said to the priest, Withdraw
your hand. Then Saul and all the people who were
with him assembled, and they went to the battle.
And indeed every man's sword was against his
neighbor, and there was very great confusion.
Moreover, the Hebrews who were with the Philistines
before that time, who went up with them into
the camp from the surrounding country, they also
joined the Israelites who were with Saul and
Jonathan. Likewise, all the men of Israel who
had hidden in the mountains of Ephraim, when
they heard that the Philistines fled, they also
followed hard after them in the battle. So the
Lord saved Israel that day, and the battle shifted
to Bait Oven. And the men of Israel were distressed
that day, for Saul had placed the people under
oath, saying, Cursed is the man who eats any
food until evening, before I have taken vengeance
on my enemies. So none of the people tasted food.
Now all the people of the land came to a forest,
and there was honey on the ground. And when the
people had come into the woods, there was the
honey dripping. But no one put his hand to his
mouth, for the people feared the oath. But Jonathan
had not heard his father charge the people with
the oath. Therefore he stretched out the end
of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it
in the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth,
and his countenance brightened. Then one of the
people said, Your father strictly charged the
people with an oath, saying, Cursed is the man
who eats food this day. And the people were faint.
But Jonathan said, My father has troubled the
land. Look now how my countenance has brightened,
because I tasted a little of this honey. How
much better if the people had eaten freely today
of the spoil of their enemies which they found.
For now would there not have been a much greater
slaughter among the Philistines? Now they had
driven back the Philistines that day from Michmash
to Aijalon. So the people were very faint, and
the people rushed on the spoil and took sheep,
oxen, and calves, and slaughtered them on the
ground, and the people ate them with the blood.
Then they told Saul, saying, Look, the people
are sinning against the Lord by eating with the
blood. So he said, You have dealt treacherously.
Roll a large stone to me this day. Then Saul
said, Disperse yourselves among the people and
say to them, Bring me here every man's ox and
every man's sheep. Slaughter them here and eat.
And do not sin against the Lord by eating with
the blood. So every one of the people brought
his ox with him that night and slaughtered it
there. Then Saul built an altar to the Lord.
This was the first altar that he built to the
Lord. Now Saul said, Let us go down after the
Philistines by night and plunder them until the
morning light, and let us not leave a man of
them. And they said, Do whatever seems good to
you. Then the priest said, Let us draw near to
God here. So Saul asked counsel of God, Shall
I go down after the Philistines? Will you deliver
them into the hand of Israel? But he did not
answer him that day. And Saul said, Come over
here, all you chiefs of the people, and know
and see what this sin was today. For as the Lord
lives who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan
my son, he shall surely die. But not a man among
all the people answered him. Then he said to
all Israel, You be on one side, and my son Jonathan,
and I will be on the other side. And the people
said to Saul, Do what seems good to you. Therefore
Saul said to the Lord God of Israel, Give a perfect
lot. So Saul and Jonathan were taken, but the
people escaped. And Saul said, Cast lots between
my son Jonathan and me. So Jonathan was taken.
Then Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me what you
have done. And Jonathan told him and said, I
only tasted a little honey with the end of the
rod that was in my hand, so now I must die. Saul
answered, God do so and more also, for you shall
surely die, Jonathan. But the people said to
Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who has accomplished
this great deliverance in Israel? Certainly not.
As the Lord lives, not one hair of his head shall
fall to the ground, for he has worked with God
this day. So the people rescued Jonathan, and
he did not die. Then Saul returned from pursuing
the Philistines, and the Philistines went to
their own place. So Saul established his sovereignty
over Israel, and fought against all his enemies
on every side, against Moab, against the people
of Ammon, against Edom, against the kings of
Zobah, and the kings of the Philistines. Wherever
he turned, he harassed them. And he gathered
an army and attacked the Amalekites, and delivered
Israel from the hands of those who plundered
them. The sons of Saul were Jonathan, Yeshvi,
and Melchishua. And the names of his two daughters
were these. the name of the firstborn Merab,
and the name of the younger Michal. The name
of Saul's wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimez,
and the name of the commander of his army was
Abner, the son of Ner, Saul's uncle. Kish was
the father of Saul, and Ner, the father of Abner,
was the son of Abiel. Now there was fierce war
with the Philistines all the days of Saul, and
when Saul saw any strong man or any valiant man,
he took him for himself. I hope you enjoyed today's
reading as much as I did and I look forward to
seeing you again tomorrow to continue on our
journey. God bless you and have a great day.