Commentary - 1 Samuel 13:1-4

Bird's-eye view

This short passage marks the beginning of the end for Saul's reign, even though it has just begun. The narrative pivots here from the initial establishment of the monarchy to the first significant military and spiritual tests of Israel's new king. We see Saul taking administrative steps to consolidate his power, but the real initiative is seized by his son, Jonathan. Jonathan's bold strike against a Philistine garrison is an act of faith that stands in stark contrast to the fear and eventual disobedience that will characterize Saul. This action sets in motion a chain of events that will expose the deep-seated spiritual rot in Saul's leadership. The key theme here is the difference between carnal presumption and genuine faith. Jonathan acts, trusting God for the outcome. Saul, as we will see, will soon act out of fear, trying to manipulate God for an outcome. This passage also introduces a crucial reality for the people of God: faithful action against the enemies of God will often make you a stench in their nostrils. The world does not applaud when the church takes a stand.

In essence, these four verses are the setup for Saul's first great failure at Gilgal. Jonathan pokes the hornet's nest, and Saul takes the credit, summoning the nation for war. But the subsequent events will reveal that Saul does not have the character or the faith to lead the people he has summoned. The contrast between the son's faithful courage and the father's fearful presumption is the central theological point that the sacred historian is driving home.

Outline

Context In 1 Samuel

Coming out of chapter 12, Samuel has delivered his farewell address, solemnly warning the people and their new king, Saul, that their national well-being depends entirely on their obedience to Yahweh. The covenant has been reaffirmed with the monarchy now factored in. Chapter 13 immediately puts this to the test. Israel is under the thumb of the Philistines, who have garrisons in Israelite territory and a monopoly on ironworking. The people wanted a king to lead them in battle, to save them from their enemies (1 Sam 8:20). Now is the time for the king to do what a king is supposed to do. This passage, therefore, is the first real test of Saul's military and, more importantly, his covenantal leadership. His actions here, and in the verses that immediately follow, will determine the trajectory of his entire reign and will result in God's rejection of his dynasty.

Key Issues

The King on Probation

Israel had demanded a king so they could be like the other nations. God gave them their request, but He did not simply hand over His people to a pagan-style despot. The king of Israel was to be a covenantal king, a vicegerent under Yahweh. He was not the ultimate authority; the law of God was. As Samuel made clear in the previous chapter, the covenant blessings and curses now applied to the king just as much as to the people. If the king obeyed, the nation would be blessed. If he disobeyed, the nation would suffer, and the king would be rejected.

So Saul is not a king in the modern sense, a man with a mandate from the people. He is a king on probation, under the authority of God and His prophet, Samuel. This chapter is his first major performance review, and he is about to fail spectacularly. The issue is not one of military strategy but of simple obedience. He was given a clear command by Samuel (1 Sam 10:8) to wait for him at Gilgal. His failure to do so is not a minor slip-up; it is a fundamental rejection of his role as a subordinate to the word of God. It is high treason against the King of kings.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1 Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty-two years over Israel.

We begin with a notorious textual difficulty. The Hebrew text literally reads, "Saul was a son of a year when he began to reign, and he reigned two years over Israel." This is obviously problematic. A one-year-old cannot be king, and we know from the book of Acts (Acts 13:21) that he reigned for forty years. Various solutions have been proposed, and many modern translations, like the one before us, supply plausible numbers like "thirty" and "forty-two" to smooth it out. But we should not get bogged down here. The Holy Spirit did not see fit to preserve the exact numbers for us in the original manuscripts, which ought to tell us that the precise numbers are not the main point. The main point is that Saul had a reign, of a certain duration, and the story that follows is the account of that reign. The inspired author is not interested in giving us a tidy chronological report; he is interested in showing us the character of the man and the nature of his fall.

2 And Saul chose for himself 3,000 men of Israel, of which 2,000 were with Saul in Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, while 1,000 were with Jonathan at Gibeah of Benjamin. But he sent away the rest of the people, each to his tent.

Here we see Saul acting like a king. He establishes a standing army, a professional core of soldiers. This was one of the things a king was expected to do. He is organizing the nation for war. He divides his forces, keeping the main body with himself at Michmash and placing a smaller contingent under the command of his son, Jonathan, at Gibeah. This is all standard military procedure. On the surface, Saul is doing his job. He is consolidating his power and preparing to deal with the Philistine threat. But the narrative will quickly show us that military organization is no substitute for covenant faithfulness.

3 And Jonathan struck the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.”

The first blow against the oppressor is struck not by the king, but by the king's son. Jonathan, whose faith and courage shine brightly throughout this story in contrast to his father's gloom, takes the initiative. He attacks a Philistine outpost. This was a bold, provocative act. It was a statement that Israel would no longer tolerate the Philistine presence. And notice the response. The Philistines heard about it, and then Saul acts. He blows the trumpet. Jonathan does the deed, and Saul does the public relations. He sounds the alarm, summons the troops, and, as the next verse shows, takes the credit. This is the first hint of the character flaw that will undo him. Jonathan is a man of action and faith; Saul is becoming a man of image and politics.

4 Then all Israel heard the news that Saul had struck the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become odious to the Philistines. The people were then summoned to Saul at Gilgal.

The news spreads, but it is distorted news. "Saul had struck the garrison." The credit is assigned to the man at the top. But more importantly, a second piece of news spreads: Israel had become odious to the Philistines. The Hebrew word here means to stink, to be a stench. Jonathan's faithful act of defiance made Israel stink in the nostrils of their pagan overlords. This is a crucial principle. When the people of God begin to act like the people of God, when they push back against the darkness, the world does not applaud their courage. It hates them. The world wants a tame, quiet, and subservient church. A church that attacks the enemy's outposts becomes a stench. This is not a sign of failure, but of success. If the world loves you, you should be worried (John 15:19). Becoming odious to the Philistines was the necessary first step toward liberation. And so, with the battle lines drawn and the enemy enraged, the people are summoned to Gilgal, the place where Saul's kingship will be put to the ultimate test.

Application

This passage sets up a sharp contrast between two kinds of leadership and two kinds of faith. Jonathan's faith is proactive. He sees the enemy of God entrenched on God's land, and he does something about it, trusting God for the result. He is not rash; as we see in the next chapter, he looks for God's confirmation. But he is not passive. He understands that faith without works is dead.

Saul, on the other hand, represents a different kind of religion. He is concerned with the externals, with the size of his army and the blowing of trumpets. He is happy to take the credit for the victories of others. And as we will see, when the pressure is on, his faith will crumble into a superstitious desire to manipulate God through religious ritual. He wants the benefits of God's favor without the burden of God's commands.

We are constantly faced with this choice. Will we be like Jonathan, who sees the uncircumcised Philistines of our day and steps out in faith to engage them, whether in our personal lives, our families, or our culture? Or will we be like Saul, mustering our resources, polishing our image, but inwardly terrified and unwilling to take a costly stand that requires simple, humble obedience? Furthermore, we must be prepared for the world's reaction. When we, by God's grace, strike a blow against the darkness, do not be surprised when the world finds the smell of our faithfulness to be a foul stench. To be odious to the Philistines is a badge of honor. It means you have picked a fight with the right people. Our goal is not to be popular with the world, but to be faithful to the King who was hated by the world before we were, Jesus Christ our Lord.