Study Desk

"But they forgot the LORD their God, so He sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.

"They cried out to the LORD and said, 'We have sinned, because we have abandoned the LORD and have served the Baals and the Ashtaroth; but now save us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve You.'

"But when you saw that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon was coming against you, you said to me, 'No, but a king shall reign over us!' Yet the LORD your God was your king.

"But if you do not listen to the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the command of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you, even as it was against your fathers.

Samuel said to the people, "Do not fear. You have committed all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.

"Furthermore, as for me, far be it from me that I would sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way.

"But if you still do evil, both you and your king will be swept away."

Now Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel, of whom two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, while a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah of Benjamin. But he sent the rest of the people away, each to his tent.

And some of the Hebrews crossed the Jordan into the land of Gad and Gilead. But as for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him, trembling.

Now he waited for seven days, until the appointed time that Samuel had set, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattering from him.

But as soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and to greet him.

But Samuel said, "What have you done?" And Saul said, "Since I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come at the appointed time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash,

But Samuel said to Saul, "You have acted foolishly! You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, for the LORD would now have established your kingdom over Israel forever.

"But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you."

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

Now the day came that Jonathan, the son of Saul, said to the young man who was carrying his armor, "Come, and let's cross over to the Philistines' garrison that is on the other side." But he did not tell his father.

"But if they say, 'Come up to us,' then we will go up, for the LORD has handed them over to us; and this shall be the sign to us."

When the people entered the forest, behold, there was honey dripping; but no man put his hand to his mouth, because the people feared the oath.

They attacked the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. But the people were very tired.

So Saul inquired of God: "Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You hand them over to Israel?" But He did not answer him on that day.