Chapter 9 1 Samuel (1)

1 Samuel (1) Samuel was born In the small town of Ramasophi on Mount Ephraim, there lived an Ephraimite named Elkanah.He had two wives, one named Hannah and the other Peninnah.Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.Therefore Hannah was often mistreated by Peninnah; but Elkanah loved Hannah more.Their whole family went from Ramasophi to Shiloh to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD every year.When the sacrifice was over, Elkanah gave Peninnah and her children one portion each, but Hannah two portions.This aroused Peninnah's hatred even more, and she cursed Hannah in public, so that she burst into tears and couldn't even eat.

Weeping, Hannah came to the doorframe of the Lord’s Great Hall, sat down, and silently made a vow to God, saying, “O Lord of hosts, if you will take care of your handmaid’s plight and remember your handmaid, and give me a son, I will make him It will be yours for life without shaving his head." When Hannah was praying, Eli, the high priest and judge of Israel, observed carefully and saw that the woman by the door just kept moving her mouth while praying, but did not make a sound.Eli thought she was drunk, so he went over and said sharply, "You shouldn't drink until you come to the temple!"

Hannah replied, "It's not like that, Lord: I haven't had a drink, but I'm suffering." Eli looked at her carefully again, and saw that her face was pale and her eyes were filled with sorrow, so he comforted her and said, "Go home with confidence, the Lord will bless you, and you will answer your requests." Hannah bowed gratefully to Eli and said, "May your handmaid find favor in your sight." Hannah returned home satisfied and shared the bed with her husband, unexpectedly she was pregnant.She was conceived in the tenth month, and before offering the annual sacrifice to the LORD in the second year, Hannah gave birth to a son, whom she named Samuel.When the family was about to leave for Shiloh to offer the annual sacrifice, Hannah did not go.

She said, "When the child is weaned, I will take him to the Lord and make him live there forever." After Samuel was weaned, Hannah took him to Shiloh, along with three bulls, an ephah of fine flour, and a wineskin.She brought little Samuel to Eli and said to him, "Lord, I am the woman who swore here. I said that if God gave me a child, I would give him to the Lord and serve him all my life. This is the child God gave me, and today I am here to fulfill my vow." After offering the sacrifice, Hannah handed Samuel over to Eli, and returned to Ramah Sophie with joy in her heart.Afterwards, she made a small robe for Samuel every year and gave it to him when the whole family went to Shiloh for the annual sacrifice.Eli blessed Elkanah and Hannah, who later gave birth to three sons and two daughters.

Eli took Samuel and acted as both a teacher and a parent.Samuel listened to him very well and grew up very fast.However, Eli's two sons, one named Hophni and the other Phinehas, were both incompetent.They used their father's power to run amok.When someone came to offer sacrifices, while the meat was being cooked, they would use a three-pronged fork to insert it into a jar, cauldron, cauldron or pot, and take all the meat that came up and take it for themselves.They took these food and asked Shiluo's rascals to eat and drink.They even fooled around with the women who guarded the temple.Almost as soon as Eli met them, he tried to educate them, scolded them, and asked them to correct their ways, but this rebellious son would not listen to a word, and just went his own way.The common people hated the two evil men so much that they blamed the high priest for committing crimes.

Although there are men and women who are thieves and prostitutes around, Samuel is spotless and worships Jehovah devoutly and diligently.He became a priest when he was young.He has good character and good reputation.God called his name three times in the night, and the fourth time he inspired Samuel, saying that he would punish Eli's house forever, so that the sins of Eli's house could not be redeemed.The reputation of Eli's two sons is too bad. According to God's will, they cannot inherit their father's position; Samuel wore an ephod (cloth) made of fine linen, and guarded the temple day and night.One night, before the lights on the Ark of the Covenant were extinguished, Samuel, who had worked hard all day, fell asleep.Suddenly, someone shouted, "Samuel!"

Samuel woke up, thinking it was the old Eli calling him, and replied, "Here I am." He ran to Eli and said, "You called me, and here I am." Eli replied, "I didn't call you, go to sleep." Samuel went back to bed and didn't fall asleep when he heard someone shouting, "Samuel!" Samuel got up, ran to Eli, and said, "You called me, and here I am." Eli replied, "My son, I did not call you. Go to sleep." Samuel was a little puzzled.Not long after he lay down, he heard someone call him for the third time, and for the third time he ran to Eli and said, "You called me, and here I am."

Only then did the experienced Eli realize that it was God calling the boy, and he said to Samuel, "Go back to sleep. If you hear someone calling you again, say: Lord, please speak. Your servant is listening." Samuel went back to sleep, and after a while, the same call came again: "Samuel, Samuel!" Samuel did not run to Eli this time. He immediately replied, "Speak, my lord. Your servant is listening." The LORD said to Samuel, "I will do something among the children of Israel, so that the ears of everyone who hears it will ring. The words that I have spoken about Eli's house will be fulfilled to Eli in due time. Eli knows that his son has done iniquity But if you can't bear to give up your love, it's tantamount to conniving and protecting.

I will condemn his family forever, and no amount of sacrifices can atone for the sins of his family. " The next day Eli asked Samuel, "My son Samuel, what did the LORD say to you last night?" Samuel faltered: "This..." Eli asked, "You can't hide it from me. If you hide a word from God, He will punish you severely." Samuel had to tell the truth.When Eli heard this, he was terrified out of his wits, but he still respected him and said, "This is from the LORD. May he do it according to his own will." Later time showed that the Lord was with Samuel, and not a single word he spoke to his servants failed, which is the way that the Lord appeared to choose the prophet himself.In the whole of Israel, from Dan to Beer-sheba, all the people are spreading the word that the Lord appointed Samuel as a prophet. (Remove 1-3)

The End of the Age of Eli In that year the Israelites were at war with the Philistines, and they camped at Eenezer, and the Philistines camped at Apheth.The two armies fought, and the Israeli army was defeated. The Philistines killed 4,000 Israeli soldiers on the battlefield.The Israelites withdrew to the camp, and the elders gathered for a meeting. They said, "Moses and Joshua never fought without the ark of the Lord. Obviously, the reason for this defeat is that we did not take the ark. We should immediately Send for the ark to be brought." So the front sent men back to Shiloh, the capital, and from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, sitting on two cherubas, was brought up.The high priest attached great importance to this matter, and he sent his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, to escort him.

After the ark of the Lord was brought into the camp, the Israelites shouted for joy, so loud that the earth was shaken.In this way, the Philistines knew that the Israelites had brought the ark of the covenant, and they must come to fight to the death. They hurriedly mobilized their soldiers and said, "Philistines, be strong and be men, so that you will not become slaves to the Hebrews." , as they are now your slaves." The Israelites and the Philistines fought again, and the defeat was even worse.The camp of the Israeli army was broken, and the soldiers fled in all directions. 30,000 people died in battle, including Hophni and Phinehas who were too late to escape, and were also killed by the Philistines.What distressed the Israelites most was that the Ark of the Lord was taken away by the Philistines. That same day a Benjaminite escaped from the camp, his clothes torn and his face covered in dust, and he came to Shiloh.As he ran, he reported the news of defeat to the people on the street, and the whole city burst into shouts when they heard the bad news. The 98-year-old Eli was senile, his eyes were straight, and he was sitting on the sidewalk outside the main hall, anxiously waiting for the end of the battle. When he heard the shouts of the whole city, he asked, "Why are the people making such a fuss?" The people around him didn't know what the reason was, so they said, "I don't know, maybe it's the battle report." As he was speaking, the Benjaminite came to Eli and said to him, "I have come down from the battle, and I have fled back." Eli couldn't wait to ask, "How's the situation?" The people of Benjamin said, "The situation is not good. The Israelites fled before the Philistines, and there were many dead and wounded. Your sons Hophni and Phinehas were also killed. The ark of God was taken away." As soon as the man mentioned that the ark of the covenant of God had been looted, old Eli fell off his chair in fright, hit his head on the lintel, broke his neck and died.Thus Eli ended his 40 years as a judge. On that day, Eli's daughter-in-law and Phinehas' wife were in labor. They heard the news of the defeat, and heard that her husband and father-in-law had died one after another. She died of shock and dystocia. Thus ended the days of Eli as judge of Israel. (Remove 4) The Miracle of the Ark After Eli's death, Samuel took over the positions of high priest and judge in times of crisis.Although Samuel was young and wise, it was difficult to reverse the trend of war that had become a foregone conclusion; Israel was still retreating steadily.The Philistines drove straight in and occupied all the territory of the Ephraim tribe; their iron hooves reached Shiloh, the religious and political center of Israel, and trampled it into ruins; the temple of Shiloh was also reduced to ashes in the fire.They carried the ark of the covenant of Israel captured in the war to Ashdod, and put it in the temple of Dagon, together with the statue of Daxin.Early the next morning, the people of Ashdod found that the statue of Dagon had fallen in front of the ark of the Lord with its face on the ground, so they lifted it up and stood it where it was. On the ground, he prostrated himself before the ark, and his head and both hands were broken off on the threshold.At the same time, the plague in Ashdod was prevalent, and both adults and children suffered from hemorrhoids. So the people of Ashdod went to the leaders of the Philistines and said to them, "The ark of the covenant of the Israelites must not remain with us, because the LORD their god has brought great disaster upon our god Dagon." The Philistines transported the ark of the covenant to Gath, and soon Gath was plagued by the plague, and everyone had hemorrhoids.The people of Gath strongly demanded that the ark be taken away, and the ark was carried to Ekron.Before the ark entered the city of Ekron, the Ekronites stopped the team carrying the ark and said, "Don't come to harm us. This is the ark of the God of the Israelites. Return it to the Israelites." The leaders of the Philistines gathered for a meeting to discuss how to deal with the ark. They were terrified of the power of the ark, so they decided to send the ark back to the Israelites.They put the ark on a new wagon that had just been built, harnessed it to two cows that had just calved, and put beside it the box containing the gifts of apology from the five cities of the Philistines.There are 5 golden hemorrhoid statues and 5 golden mouse statues in that box.They whipped the cow's rump hard, and the two cows spread out and walked straight towards the border of Israel, although they were both lactating and their calves were still locked in the farmer's stable behind them.This time the Philistines were convinced that the disaster was the one that fell on them, and that it was the hand of God that struck them.Two cows were walking along the road leading to Beth Shemesh (a small town on the border between Israel and Philistia), meowing as they went.The men of Beth-shemesh, who were harvesting wheat in the plain, lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, and they shouted for joy.Immediately they carried the ark and the box onto a great rock, chopped up the ox carts for firewood, and killed the ox as a sowing offering to the Lord. Before long, 50,000 people gathered around the ark.There were 70 bold people who could not bear the curiosity in their hearts, opened the ark without permission to look at the contents, blasphemed the gods, and were killed by Jehovah on the spot in front of everyone. In this way, the Ark of the Covenant returned to its original owner seven months after it left the Israelites. Later, the Ark of the Covenant was transported to Kiriath-Jearim and placed in the house of Abinadab on the mountain. It was guarded by his son Eleazar. It remained there for many years until King David moved the Ark to the until Jerusalem. (sprinkle 6) The Rise of Samuel When Samuel heard the news that the Ark had been lost and found, he didn't immediately go to take it and put it beside him.After Shiloh fell, he built his capital at Mizpah.Every year, he toured the cities of Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah to hear cases; he usually lived in his hometown of Rama, where he built an altar for Nawa.The first rectification measure he implemented was the unification of faith.He said to the Israelites, "If you will submit to the LORD with all your heart, put away the foreign gods and Ashtareth from among you, and return to the LORD with all your hearts, and serve him only. He will deliver you from the Philistines hands." In the face of this great enemy and the moment of national survival, the Israelis finally realized the importance of unified thinking and unified action.They got rid of the gods of Baal and Ashtoreth, and served Yahweh single-mindedly.In that year, Samuel summoned the elders of Israel to hold a high sacrifice at Mizpah, and the Philistines took the opportunity to attack Mizpah, trying to wipe out all the elites of Israel.Samuel sacrificed a suckling lamb to the LORD as a whole burnt offering, and cried out to the LORD for the children of Israel.Inspired by their faith, the Israelites fought heroically against the Philistines.Yahweh sent thunder and lightning from the sky, disturbing the Philistines and causing them to flee.The Israelites took advantage of the victory and pursued them until they reached the vicinity of the city of Bethka. From then on, the Israelites took control of the battle situation and made every step of the way. The Philistines never dared to invade again, and they also recovered a large area of ​​territory.From Ekron to Gath, it is again under the control of Israel.Samuel also had a great diplomatic victory: in order to deal with the Philistines with all their strength, they also established a friendly relationship with the Moabites. Time flies, 20 years have passed.Samuel led Israel on the road to unity and restoration.He established a lofty image in the hearts of the Israeli people.After many years, Samuel became old, and appointed his son to be judge of Israel.But he followed in the footsteps of his predecessor Eli.The name of his eldest son was Joel, and the name of his second son was Abiabia. Both sons were unrighteous, greedy for money, taking bribes, and perverting justice.The common people were disappointed with their family and completely lost their trust.People strongly hope that there will be a wise and open-minded leader to help Samuel govern the country, so that after Samuel's death, he will lead them to continue fighting for freedom.All the elders of the tribes of Israel assembled and came to Ramah to Samuel.Said to him: "You are old, and your son is not righteous. Now please appoint a king for us to rule us, just like our neighbors." The people's petition deeply hurt Samuel's heart, but he was a wise and upright leader after all.He believed that such a big matter should be judged by Na Hehua.The LORD said to him, "Do not hesitate to obey the petitions of the people, for they have not rejected you, but me, and do not want me to be their king. Since I brought them out of Egypt until now, they have often abandoned me and served others. God. But you have to warn them, tell them how the king will rule them in the future." According to God's will, Samuel agreed to choose a king for Israel, but very reluctantly, because the king would become a political opponent and share his power.He said to the elders who came to petition on behalf of the people: "This is what the king who rules over you will do: he will send your sons to drive chariots for him, and to run before the chariots with the horses; and he will make them commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties Plow the fields for him, and reap the crops, and make arms and implements for his chariots; I will take your daughters for him to make ointment, cook bread for him, and give him your best fields, vineyards, and olive groves servants of his servants; they shall give to his eunuchs and servants a tenth of the grain and vegetables and fruits that you produce; He will take a tenth of his flock, and you will be his servants. Then you will cry out to the LORD because of the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you." Although what Samuel said is true, the other side of the truth is that the king can share most of the secular functions of the high priest after all, which is conducive to the improvement of administrative efficiency.Therefore, Samuel did not convince the elders who represented the people.They said, "No, we must have a king to rule over us, to lead us, to fight for us." Samuel couldn't persuade the people, so he said to them, "I will appoint a king for you, and you go to your cities." (1 Samuel 7-8) Saul becomes king There lived a Benjaminite named Kish who lived in Gibeah, and he was a mighty warrior.He had a son named Saul, who was strong and handsome, tall and tall, a head taller than ordinary people.His intelligence and martial arts were outstanding, and none of the Israelites could compare with him. Once, Kish, Saul's father, lost some donkeys.Kish then told Saul, "Take a servant and go find the donkeys." Saul took his servants through the mountains of Ephraim and the land of Shalisha, but they did not find them.They searched all over Shalin, Benjamin Soufer and other places, but they still didn't see any sign of the donkey.Saul said to his servants, "Let's go back, lest my father is not worried about the donkey, but worried about us." The servant told him, "There is a man of God in this city who is respected by all, and everything he says can be fulfilled. We might as well go to him, maybe he can show us the way we should go." Saul made things difficult for him and said, "If we go to ask for advice, what can we give to the man of God? We have eaten up all the food in our bag, do we have anything else?" The servant replied, "I have a quarter of a shekel of silver in my hand to give to the man of God." Saul nodded and said, "That's easy. Let's go and find him." When they came outside the city gate and went up a gentle slope, they met some local women who came out to draw water, and asked them, "Dear girls, do you know where the famous seer lives?" At that time , the Israelites called a prophet a seer. A girl said to them, "Go straight ahead and you will find it, because today the people will offer sacrifices at the high altar, and after the offering, the one who eats the sacrifice first is the one you are looking for." It is a Hebrew word referring to a pagan temple or altar set on a high place. The master and the servant walked forward according to the girl's guidance. When they were about to enter the city, Samuel was coming to meet them and was about to go up to the high place. That day Samuel went to Soph to choose the king of Israel according to the oracle of the Lord. When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said to him, "Behold, this is the man I told you about; he will rule over my people." Saul came up to Samuel at the city gate and said, "My lord, tell me, where is the seer's dwelling?" Samuel replied, "I am the seer. Go up to the high altar before me, for you will eat with me today; and tomorrow morning I will send you back and tell you what is in your heart." The donkey lost by your family three days ago has been found.Who is the person whom the Israelites look up to?Isn't it you and your whole family? " Saul looked a little surprised and said, "O seer of all things, am I not from Benjamin, the smallest of the tribes of Israel? Isn't my family one of the smallest families in the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say this to me?" what about?" Samuel shook his head, expressing his disapproval, and invited Saul's master and servant into the living room without any explanation, and let Saul be the chief among the 30 distinguished guests.Samuel said to the cook, "The portion of the sacrificial meat that I gave you for storage can be brought now." The cook brought the mutton leg and placed it in front of Saul. Samuel said, "This is what is left over. Put it in front of you and eat it! Because when I invited the people, I reserved this meat for you until now." After the feast, Samuel and Saul climbed up to the roof together, where they huddled and talked until late at night. Early the next morning, Samuel woke Saul up and took Saul to the corner of the city.Samuel said to Saul, "Tell your servant to go first. Stay here, and I will tell you the word of God." The servant walked away.So Samuel took a bottle of ointment and anointed Saul's head, kissed him, and said, "After you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel's tomb at Caesar in the territory of Benjamin. Let me tell you that the lost donkey has been found, and now your father is expecting you to go back. Going further, at the oak tree in Tabor, you will meet 3 people who are going to Bethel to worship God: one with 3 donkeys Lamb, one with 3 loaves and one with 1 wineskin. They will greet you and give you 2 loaves, and you will take them from their hands. After that, when you go to the mountain of God, you will meet a group of prophets Come down from the high place, there are harp players, drummers, flute players, and lyre players ahead of them. They are all inspired by God to speak. The Lord will give you inspiration, and you will laugh and dance with them. Then, you first Go down to Gilgal and offer burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Wait there seven days and listen to my further instructions." The ceremony of the high priest consecrating Saul as king was completed simply and secretly. That day Samuel's words were fulfilled.When Saul was moved by God to rap and sing with the prophets on the mountain of God, people who usually knew Saul asked strangely: "What happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also listed among the prophets?" Later, " Was Saul also listed among the prophets?" It has become a common saying in Israel to express surprise at someone's sudden change of appearance. When Saul returned home, he did not tell his relatives about the high priest anointing him as king.Actually, in that case, even if Saul told them, they wouldn't believe it.Although the candidate for the king had been predetermined in advance, it had to be made public in the form of an election, so that it would be possible to convince all the tribes of Israel and gain their support and approval. Seven days later, Samuel summoned the people to Mizpah and said to them, "You asked for a king to rule over Israel, and the LORD has granted your request, and now begins the election of the first king. Each tribe and clan will appoint your representative stand before the LORD." Representatives of the tribes stood up, and Samuel drew lots before them.The first lot was drawn for the tribe of Benjamin; the second lot was drawn for the tribe of the Matri tribe of the tribe of Benjamin... After many lots were drawn, the tribe of Benjamin, the tribe of Matri, and the tribe of Kish were finally drawn. His son Saul--Saul was chosen by Yahweh as the first king in the history of Israel. After Samuel announced the result, Saul could not be found in the crowd.It turned out that Saul was extremely modest and shy, and hid under the ox cart before announcing the final result.The Israelites pulled him out of his hiding place under the guidance of Jehovah.He stood before the people, his body was a head taller than the others.Samuel praised him to all the Israelites, saying, "Behold the man whom the LORD has chosen, is there any like him among all the people?" The people of Israel responded, "Long live the king!" "Long live, long live!" Cheers came and went.Samuel motioned the people to be quiet. He explained the laws of the kingdom to them and recorded them in a book, and then sent them home.Saul also went back to Gibeah's house, and a group of people moved by God followed him. There were many Israelites who did not approve of Saul.They said, "How can this man save us?" They despised him, did not bow down to him, and gave him no gifts.But Saul pretended not to see anything, and ignored these people without revenge. (I sprinkle 9 to 10) Victory in the first battle Saul was just 40 years old when he became king.Because the opinions on the royal system and the choice of the king were not unified within Israel, he had to return to his hometown in Gibeah to live a two-year idle life: he only held the name of the king, did not take over the power, and governed openly.Saul continued to live his life farming and supporting his family.During this period, his 3 sons and 2 daughters also grew up.One of the three sons was named Jonathan, who was capable of uprooting mountains and had extraordinary courage. In the mountains of Gilead on the east bank of the Jordan River there was a city of the Israelites called Jabesh Gilead.King Nahash of the Ammonites surrounded the city with his troops, threatening to break through the city and kill it.The Jabeshites were powerless to resist, so they elected elders to go out of the city to make peace with the Ammonites. The elders said to Nahash, "Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you." Nahash thought that Jabesh was already in his hands, and wanted to make things difficult for them. He said, "If you let us gouge out your right eye and insult you, the Israelites, I will make a covenant with you." The elders of Jabesh had no choice but to say: "Please allow us seven days. After we send people to the whole of Israel for help, if no one comes to rescue us, we can agree to your terms." Jabesh sent messengers to Gibeah and told the people what Nahash had said, and the people wept bitterly.Saul came back from the field with his oxen, and when he heard the crying, he asked, "Why are the people weeping?" Someone relayed to him the words of Jabesh.When Saul heard this, his hair stood on end with anger, and he killed the pair of oxen he was leading with a knife, and cut it into pieces, and ordered the messengers to send them to the tribes of Israel, saying, "Whoever does not come out to accompany Saul and Samuel Yes, the crime is the same as that of an ox." The people of Israel were all afraid, and rushed to Biser to enlist in the army.Saul counted the number of people from each tribe there. A total of more than 300,000 people joined the army, and 30,000 from the tribe of Judah alone came. When the Jabeshites went back, they said to the Ammonites, "No one in all Israel is willing to save us. Tomorrow we will come out and submit to you. Do to us what you want to do to us." The next day, Saul divided the people into three teams, and in the early morning, he divided the camp of the Ammonites and killed them until the sun was high.Some of the Ammonites were killed, and the rest fled in all directions. Overnight, Saul's image was built.The establishment of this kind of prestige almost caused internal massacres. Those who supported Saul came to Samuel and said, "Who are those people who opposed Saul in the past? They should be killed." When Saul heard this, he said indifferently, "Today is the day of great victory. We must not kill our own people and do such spoiling things." After the great victory of Jabesh, Samuel held another general meeting in Gilgal and made Saul king. The people were all happy, held a big sacrifice to worship the gods, and held a feast to celebrate. (sprinkle 11) Saul offends Samuel After the Battle of Jabesh, Saul sent most of the people back home, leaving only 3,000 elite troops, of which 2,000 were under his command and stationed in Michmash and Bethel, and 1,000 were left by his son Jonah Single commander, stationed in his hometown of Kibia. Jonathan is young and vigorous, with the energy of a newborn calf who is not afraid of tigers.One night, he led his troops to attack the Geba people near Gibeah, beat the Philistines who occupied there to the ground, defeated them, and recovered Geba.The news of victory spread throughout Israel like lightning. Under Saul's call, the storm of the Israeli uprising spread rapidly behind the occupied enemy's rear like a prairie fire.The Philistines were attacked, and facing widespread resistance from the people of the occupied territories, it was decided to severely suppress them.They mobilized a large regular army: 30,000 chariots and 6,000 cavalry, and as for the infantry, there were as many grains of sand on the seashore.The great army of the Philistines marched toward the borders of Israel and encamped at Michmash, east of Beth-aven. Saul's soldiers were not only small in number, but also very poorly equipped.At that time, the conquerors, the Philistines, were afraid of the Israelis making weapons and forbade them to learn blacksmithing. Therefore, there was no blacksmith among the Israelites, and they had to go to the Philistines to make agricultural and pastoral tools.In this way, only Saul and Jonathan had real weapons in their hands in the whole army of Israel, and the others had hoes, axes, earth shovels, plowshares, three-pronged forks, and cattle-driving cones as weapons.Seeing that the Philistines were so powerful, the Israelites were afraid and fled in haste. Some of them hid in caves, jungles, under rocks, and in pits of earth; some even crossed the Jordan River and fled to Gaga. Det and Gilead etc. Saul was stationed at Gilgal with his soldiers, waiting for Samuel to come and offer sacrifices to the Lord.According to the agreement with Samuel, it has been 7 days and no Samuel has arrived. This has shaken the morale of the Israeli army. More and more soldiers deserted, and finally only 600 loyal and brave soldiers remained.The military situation is extremely urgent. If there is no pre-war sacrifice to stabilize the morale of the army, it goes without saying that the Israelites will lose without fighting.Under such circumstances, Saul had no choice but to risk offending the high priest by offering a Pan offering to the Lord himself. Immediately after the sowing sacrifice was finished, Samuel arrived.Saul went out to meet him and greet him.The news had already reached Samuel's ears, and he made a long face and asked Saul, "What have you done?" Saul said: "Because I saw that the people left me and scattered, and you did not come at the appointed time, and the Philistines gathered in Michmash, and they were about to march on Gilgal, and there was no time to wait, so I decided to asserted, and offered a burnt offering with reluctance." Samuel thought this was a great challenge to his authority, and he said to Saul, "You have done something foolish, and you have not obeyed the command that the LORD your God has given you. Your throne will not last long, and that Jehovah has found a man after his own heart, and made him king over the people." After saying this, Samuel turned around and went to Gibeah, without even entering the camp of Gilgal. (sprinkle 13) Jonathan surprises The conflict with Samuel deprived Saul of the support of a higher social class of priests than himself.This disturbed him deeply, but it did not dampen his spirit.Saul chose guerrilla warfare when the enemy was outnumbered and the enemy was strong and we were weak.At that time the Philistines entered the land of Israel in three groups: one group went to Ophrah toward the land of Shuh; Saul decided to concentrate his forces first on the enemy army that was going to the valley of Ziboing.Saul led 600 warriors to a mountainous area not far from Gibeah, and set up camp under the pomegranate tree in Miphalon. One day, Jonathan, Saul's son, said to his best friend, the guard who carried the armor for him: "Tonight, let's go to that Philistine camp and attack him and stab the hornet's nest." The bottom is upside down. With the blessing of Hehua, we are not afraid of fewer people, and we will surely win." The companion said, "Listen to you. I will go up with you and be with you." At night, the two of them sneaked into the enemy camp while it was dark and killed 20 Philistines in a row. The enemy camp suddenly became chaotic, and they ran around the camp, shouting loudly, looking for the attackers hiding in the dark. The Israeli watchmen who were in charge of monitoring on the mountain outside the enemy camp saw figures moving in the Philistine camp and heard the cries and cries, and immediately ran back to report to Saul.Saul didn't know in advance that his son had ventured into the tiger's den. He said to the messenger: "You count the number and see who is going out from us?" After a while, the messenger came back and reported: "Only Jonathan and his guards are not in the camp." Only then did Saul know that it was Jonathan and the others who were attacking the enemy, and he immediately took the rest of the soldiers to the battlefield for reinforcements. fought.The Philistines fought each other with swords because they could not see their faces clearly in the dark.The "pseudo-army" Israelites in the Philistine army heard that their own army had entered, and they also turned against each other one after another, helping Saul and Jonathan to kill the Philistines.The Israelites who had been hiding in the jungles and caves also came out to help.The Philistines finally couldn't hold on anymore and fled in defeat.The Israelites hunted down the Philistines as far as Beth-aven. The Israelites were hungry and thirsty during the pursuit, and they were extremely exhausted, but Saul decided to move on before it was too late.Saul confessed to the soldiers and swore: Cursed be he who eats without waiting until evening to avenge the enemy. "Therefore when the Israelites passed through the woods, even if they saw honey coming from the beehives on the trees, no one dared to dip a drop of their fingers into their mouths. But because Jonathan had not heard about his father making the people swear, he stretched out the honey in his hand. The barrel of the gun pierced the honeycomb with the tip of the gun, and the honey flowed down in a line. He caught it with his hands and stuck out his tongue to lick it. His eyes were brighter and more energetic because of the relief of hunger and thirst. One of his soldiers saw him licking honey and said to him, "Your father made the people solemnly swear not to eat before dark, otherwise they will be cursed." Jonathan disagreed and said, "It is my father who has troubled you. You see, my eyes were opened after I tasted this little honey. Wouldn't there be more?" Just like this all day, the Israelites did not stop chasing the Philistines.As night fell, the people were hungry and thirsty, and the people eagerly slaughtered the cattle, sheep and calves they had seized on the ground, eating raw meat and drinking blood voraciously.Doing so violated the canon, and someone told Saul: "The people have sinned against the LORD by eating flesh with blood on it." Saul immediately forbade him and said, "Don't do this, it's a crime." He then said to those who came to report, "Go among the people and tell them that you must kill the live animals on the stones, and let the blood of the cattle The blood has flowed into the ground. You shall not sin against the LORD by eating flesh with the blood on it." Saul also ordered his men to build an altar and put the oxen and sheep on it as burnt offerings to Yahweh.这是扫罗首次为耶和华筑坛。扫罗对部下说："我们要连夜去追赶非利士人，直到把他们杀光，不留一人。" 部下对他说："你觉得怎么好，我们就怎么做。" 有一个随军祭司比较谨慎，他说："我们应当向神请教。" 扫罗来到祭坛边，问上帝："我们可不可以连夜追赶非利士人？" 耶和华默不做声。扫罗叫来百姓中的长老，交待他们："耶和华发怒了，一定是有人今天犯了罪。要把他查出来处死。" 通过抽签，查出是国王的儿子约拿单犯了罪，约拿单只得交待了实情。扫罗痛心地对他说："约拿单哪，你定要死；若不然，愿上帝重重地降罪于我。" 百姓听说要杀死立了首功的约拿单，一齐过来为他求情道："陛下，约拿单在以色列人中这样大行拯救，难道也要判他的死罪吗？不，绝对不能！连一根头发也不能割他的。因为上帝今天在与他一同做事。"于是扫罗才免了约拿单的死罪。 扫罗只好放弃继续追击非利士人；非利士人回到了自己的故土，仍然威胁着以色列。（撒上13：16一14：46）撒母耳与扫罗决裂 扫乡虽然把压迫以色列入的非利士人赶出了国门，但他没有就此罢休。他明白与非利士人的最后决战的关头还未到来，即使非利士人被以色列人彻底打败了，在迦南，以色列入仍处于异教民族汪洋大海中。为了进一步的斗争，扫罗招兵买马，网罗有识之士，他任命了具有统兵才能的堂弟押尼珥为元帅。这为最后荡平迦南打下了基础。他经常出击，攻击以色列国境周围的仇敌。他先后打败了摩押人、亚们人、以东人和琐巴诸王。 但是当时除非利士人外，以色列面临的最大威胁是住在西奈山和迦南之间广阔土地上的亚玛力人。要说起来，亚玛力人还是以色列的远亲，他们是雅各的哥哥以扫的后代。但是现在经常成群结队地到迦南南部地区烧杀抢掠，强烈地冲击着以色列民族。几年来，扫罗因为忙于对付其他邻近的民族，没有顾得上攻击亚玛力人。这使大祭司撒母耳很不满。撒母耳教训扫罗说："耶和华差遣我膏你为王，治理他的百姓。你应该听从他的话：以色列人出埃及的路上，亚玛力人怎样待他们，怎样抵挡他们，我都没忘。现在你要去击打亚玛力人，灭尽他们所有的，不可怜惜他们。不分男女老少幼，不分牛、羊、骆驼或驴，都要尽行杀死。"扫罗遵旨，招集百姓会师在提拉因，数兵点将，步兵多达20万，还不算犹大人的：万士兵在内。扫罗带着这个庞大的兵团，在亚玛力人京城外的河谷地带设下埋伏，大败亚玛力人。他们接着追杀亚玛力人，从哈胖拉直到埃及前的书珥，生擒了亚玛力王亚甲。但是扫罗犯了不可饶恕的罪过，因为他不肯照撒母耳的命令灭绝一切牛羊牲畜，私自保留了其中肥美的部分，只把丑陋瘦弱的杀死；更有甚者，扫罗因为佩服亚甲王的坚强不屈，竟然大发恻隐之心，赐以活命；有人还对撒母耳吹耳边风：扫罗在迦密为自己立了歌功颂德的纪念碑，现在下到吉甲去了。 撒母耳闻风而动，来到吉甲。扫罗毕恭毕敬地迎他到营地之外，对他说："愿耶和华赐福与你，他的命令我已经执行了。" 撒母耳撩着雪白的胡须，看着身旁这位低头弯腰的大个子国王，问："我听见有羊叫、牛鸣的声音，是从哪里来的呢？" 扫罗有些不好意思地一笑，说："这些是从亚玛力人那里带来的，因为百姓看到上好的牛羊白白地杀了觉得可惜，就留了下来，要献与您的神耶和华。其余的我们都灭尽了。" 撒母耳有些生气了，他提高嗓门说："你住口吧！等我把耶和华昨夜向我所说的话告诉你。" 扫罗说："请讲。" "耶和华说，他后悔膏你为以色列的王，因为你现在不遵守他的命令。"撒母耳简要而明白他说。 扫罗一听这话急了，他不想就这样失去王位，竭力辩解说："我实在听从了耶和华的命令，完成了耶和华派给我的任务。我灭了亚玛力人，擒了他们的王来，把最好的牲畜拉回来献给耶和华您的神。" 可是辩解已经失去意义了，撒母耳代表上帝说话，他的心已经离扫罗而去。他反驳扫罗说："耶和华喜欢燔祭和平安祭，难道不是更加喜欢人听他的话吗？听命胜于献祭，顺从胜于公羊的脂油。悻逆的罪，与行邪术的罪相等；顽梗的罪，与拜虚神和偶像的罪相同。你既厌弃那和华的命令，耶和华也厌弃你作王。" 扫罗见硬顶没用，态度马上软了，他说："我知道我有罪。现在求您同我一同回营去，我好敬拜耶和华。" "今天那和华使以色列国与你断绝关系，将这国赐与比你更好的人。"撒母耳并不愿意给扫罗这个面子：跟他进营地，就等于承认他作王的地位。撒母耳说完，转身要走，扫罗就扯住他外袍的衣襟，不肯撤手，直到把衣襟扯坏。 大祭司过大营而不入将使扫罗的国王地位失去神圣的光环。 扫罗不顾尊严。再一次苦苦哀求："我承认，我有罪。尽管如此，在还没有新国王代替我发挥作用之前，求你看在那和华的面子上，跟我进去一趟，在全会众面前抬举我。" 撒母耳想，现在还不是给扫罗的颜色看的最后时刻，于是他改变了主意，转身跟随扫罗回去，扫罗就作大祭司的助手，敬拜上帝。 行完敬拜礼，撒母耳说："把亚玛力王亚甲带来。" 亚甲一听以色列的大祭司召见，以为会有什么赦令发布，就欢欢喜喜地出来。 撒母耳委婉地宣布了对亚甲的死刑判决："你既用刀使妇人丧子，同样，你母亲在妇人中，也必丧子。"撒母耳说着在吉甲耶和华的神坛面前，将亚甲杀死。 当时在吉甲的将士并不知道国王与大祭司之间的冲突。 不久，撒母耳回到拉玛琐非，至死未同扫罗见面。但他放出风声说，他不该立扫罗为王；耶和华后悔立扫罗为王。 撒母耳开始隐秘地物色新的国王人选。（撒上14：47一15：35） 大卫受膏 撒母耳要立新王，舆论先行，但也慑于扫罗的军权，不敢冒然行事。他四处查访，十分小心谨慎地，不敢让扫罗知道。一天，上帝对撒母耳说："你将膏油盛满了，我将差你到伯利恒人那西那里去，因为我在他的众子之内预定了一个作王的。" "可是，我怎能去呢？扫罗如果听见风声，必来击杀我。"撒母耳心有顾虑。 耶和华给他出了个主意："你可以带一只牛犊去，就说：我来是要向那和华献祭。你要请那西来吃祭肉，我就指示你所当行的事。我所指示给你的人，你要膏他。" 撒母耳遵照耶和华的指示，来到伯利恒。伯利恒的长老对撒母耳同扫罗决裂一事有所风闻，但因害怕扫罗动怒，所以对撒母耳的接待并不热情，他们战战兢兢地询问其来意，"你是为平安来的吗？" 撒母耳说："是为平安来的，我是来给耶和华献祭的。你们当自洁，来与我同吃祭肉。" 来吃祭肉的有那西和他的儿子们。那西家属犹大支派，有8个儿子。撒母耳首先看到的是高大英俊的以利押，撤母耳一下子就喜欢上这个孩子，但是耶和华不同意："不要看他的外貌和他身材高大，我不拣选他；因为那和华不象人看人。人是看外表，耶和华是看内心。" 那西又让他看了6个孩子，一共看了7个孩子都不满意。撒母耳就问那西："你所有的孩子都在这里吗？" 那西回答说："还有个小的，现在在放羊。" 撒母耳急切他说："你赶快打发人把他叫回来，他若不来，我们必不坐席。" 耶西就打发人叫来了老八。撒母耳用锐利的目光打量他，但见他生得眉清目秀，面色白里透红，身材不高但很匀称。耶和华在撒母耳的耳边说："就是他，就是他。" 撒母耳从牛角里倒出膏油来，抹在最小的孩子的前额上。这样那西家中的老小就成为以色列第二位国王的候选人，他叫大卫。 在前线的老国王扫罗和全体将士，谁也不曾想到，在伯利恒的祭肉宴上，继承王位的涂油仪式已经秘密地完成了。这时扫罗正在基比亚加紧构筑城堡，但是在军营里，在大街上，扫罗随便一留神就可以听见人们在议论耶和华另立新王。扫罗王陷入非议和敌意之中。扫罗成了是非的中心，受到各种有意无意的中伤，他内心极其苦闷，整天郁郁寡欢，日不思食，夜不成眠，脸无血色，就连心腹臣仆也以为他真魂出窍，恶魔附体。医治这种疾病的最好药方莫过于优美动听的音乐。一名近臣替他在士兵中打听音乐人才的事，有一位少年告诉他："伯利恒城中有一个少年，是我的好朋友，他很会弹琴。" 扫罗就差遣使者到伯利恒，找到那位少年，就是即将登基的新王大卫。使者对大卫的父亲那西说："打发你那放羊的儿子大卫，到国王那里去为国家服务。"耶西把几个饼和1皮袋酒并1只山羊羔驮在驴背上，交给他儿子大卫，送与扫罗。大卫到了扫罗跟前，扫罗非常喜欢多才多艺且相貌英俊的大卫。扫罗要大卫作为他拿兵器的人（侍卫），他还成了王家琴师，每当扫罗心情不好的时候，大卫就弹一支畅快的曲子，给他解闷。（撒上16）