1 Samuel 13:1-6-Saul Fights the Philistines

1 Samuel 13
English Standard Version

Saul Fights the Philistines
13 Saul lived for one year and then became king, and when he had reigned for two years over Israel, 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. 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.” 4 And all Israel heard it said that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become a stench to the Philistines. And the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal.

​5 And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven. 6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns, 7 and some Hebrews crossed the fords of the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

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If I'm understanding the opening of this chapter correctly, Samuel is telling us that between the time that Saul was anointed and the time that he actually started to reign as king, there was a period of one year.  We saw some of that time period where not everyone followed Saul until after he had a decisive victory over the Philistines.  Two years seem to have passed since then and the Philistines are still an issue, and Saul raises up an army of 3,000 men to go and fight them.  He puts 1,000 of the fighting men under the charge of his son Jonathan, and keeps 2,000 of the fighting men under his own charge.  Jonathan and his men make camp at Gibeah in Benjamin.

Saul is at Michmash with his 2,000 while Jonathan attacks and destroys the garrison at Gibeah with his 1,000 men.  The Philistines respond by mustering 30,000 chariots, 6,000 horseman, and regular infantry in such large quantities that they could not be counted other than to be compared to the number of the grains of sand on the seashore.  This is likely every man they have available to fight.

The Philistines made their encampment at Michmash opposite where Saul and his 2,000 troops were encamped (see verse 2), and the Israelites who saw the Philistine army that had been mustered were overcome by fear so that they hid anywhere they could or fled across the Jordan River into the land of Gad in Gilead.  Of the 2,000 men that Saul started off with, he will only have 600 when he takes count again before he and his troops with him start to fight.  They did not fall in battle, but they fled because of fear and cowardice, for they did not have a proper view of what the LORD could do if He was fighting for them...there is no number of enemy soldiers too great for the LORD to overcome.  The whole world will be gathered against Israel in the end times and the LORD will defeat them all.  "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" (Genesis 18:14, Jeremiah 32:27).

Saul was not with these men though as he had left to go to Gilgal to call the people to himself and in so doing to signal to Samuel that all the signs that the LORD had promised had been accomplished and he was now ready for Samuel to come and once again offer burnt offering and peace offerings for the people at Gilgal, but Saul really wanted the LORD's blessing on this campaign and for the LORD to use it once again to make him look good in the eyes of all the people.  He already was taking credit for his son's victory and we'll see next time that it has not escaped Saul's attention that the men he's leading are trembling in fear.  Saul will desire to offer them some encouragement and comfort but he will make a foolish choice in how to do so.