Saul's Unlawful Sacrifice

1 Samuel 13

8 s He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. 9 So Saul said, "Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings." And he offered the burnt offering. 10 As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. 11 Samuel said, "What have you done?" And Saul said, "When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, 12 I said, 'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.' So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering." 13 And Samuel said to Saul, t "You have done foolishly. u You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now v your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man w after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you."

15 And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal. The rest of the people went up after Saul to meet the army; they went up from Gilgal 1 to x Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, y about six hundred men. 16 And Saul and Jonathan his son and the people who were present with them stayed in z Geba of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17 And a raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual; 18 another company turned toward b Beth-horon; and another company turned toward the border that looks down on the Valley of c Zeboim toward the wilderness.

19 d Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, "Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears." 20 But every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle, 2 21 and the charge was two-thirds of a shekel 3 for the plowshares and for the mattocks, and a third of a shekel 4 for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads. 5 22 So on the day of the battle e there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and Jonathan his son had them. 23 And f the garrison of the Philistines went out to the g pass of h Michmash.

  1. Cross References
    1 Samuel 10:8
    Then go down before me to Gilgal. And behold, I am coming to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do.
  2. Cross References
    2 Samuel 24:10
    But David's heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the Lord, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.
    1 Chronicles 21:8
    And David said to God, "I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing. But now, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.
    2 Chronicles 16:9
    For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.
  3. Cross References
    1 Samuel 15:11
    I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments." And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night.
  4. Cross References
    1 Samuel 15:28
    And Samuel said to him, "The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.
  5. Cross References
    Acts 13:22
    And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, 'I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.
  6. Cross References
    1 Samuel 13:2
    Saul chose three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent home, every man to his tent.
  7. Cross References
    1 Samuel 14:2
    Saul was staying in the outskirts of Gibeah in the pomegranate cave at Migron. The people who were with him were about six hundred men.
  8. Cross References
    1 Samuel 13:3
    Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines that was at Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear.
    1 Samuel 14:5
    The one crag rose on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba.
  9. Cross References
    1 Samuel 14:15
    And there was a panic in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and even the raiders trembled, the earth quaked, and it became a very great panic.
  10. Cross References
    Joshua 10:10
    And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah.
  11. Cross References
    Nehemiah 11:34
    Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat.
  12. Cross References
    2 Kings 24:14
    He carried away all Jerusalem and all the officials and all the mighty men of valor, 10,000 captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. None remained, except the poorest people of the land.
  13. Cross References
    Judges 5:8
    When new gods were chosen, then war was in the gates. Was shield or spear to be seen among forty thousand in Israel?
  14. Cross References
    1 Samuel 14:1
    One day Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who carried his armor, "Come, let us go over to the Philistine garrison on the other side." But he did not tell his father.
    1 Samuel 14:4
    Within the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistine garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side and a rocky crag on the other side. The name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.
    1 Samuel 14:6
    Jonathan said to the young man who carried 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 can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.
    1 Samuel 14:11
    So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, "Look, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.
    2 Samuel 23:14
    David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem.
  15. Cross References
    1 Samuel 14:4 - 5
    Within the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistine garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side and a rocky crag on the other side. The name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.
    Isaiah 10:28 - 29
    He has come to Aiath; he has passed through Migron; at Michmash he stores his baggage.
  16. Cross References
    Isaiah 10:28
    He has come to Aiath; he has passed through Migron; at Michmash he stores his baggage.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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