BRAGADAYJAH 862

BRAGADAYJAH 862

An Evil spirit from the Lord

In the previous blog, (BRAGADAYJAH 861) we see the phrase, “An evil spirit from the Lord troubled Saul.” What does that mean?  Did the Lord God, Most Holy, have at his behest, or in his armory an evil spirit or anything else evil? Of course not; for it is written God cannot be tempted with evil.  As we have seen when Saul was anointed for his role as king of Israel, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, strengthening him, giving him understanding, bravery, calmness and a sound mind, among other attributes.  When, therefore, God’s Holy Spirit is taken away, his strength, his courage, his wisdom, his fortitude and all his other given attributes were stripped from him.  Once the Spirit of God is not in us, surrounding and protecting us, the spirit of Satan moves in and drives us to an ungodly, wicked and unstable state of being. So we will hear King David in his hour of prayer for forgiveness say, “Lord take not the Holy Spirit from me.” He had seen what happened to King Saul once God’s spirit left him. One dimension of every human being is the spirit dimension.  Man’s spirit is like a balloon filled with say, helium; if the helium leaks out, air immediately takes its place. The amount of air would of course depend in whose hands the balloon then is. But there would always be always some air to take the place of the discharged helium. In short, when God’s Holy Spirit is absent due to sin, Satan’s evil spirit immediately takes its place. So why does the text not say, “an evil spirit from Satan?  The answer is firstly, that even in Saul’s fallen state, Satan could not touch him unless God permitted it, (God’s permissive will); and so secondly the emphasis is not so much on Satan’s intervention, but on God’s abandonment of Saul by removing from him, His Holy Spirit.

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BRAGADAYJAH 861

BRAGADAYJAH 861

David Anointed king.

At Samuel’s behest, Jesse had his youngest son David brought in from the fields.  He was ruddy, and had a beautiful countenance and fair to look at; and the Lord told Samuel that David was the one to be anointed king. Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brethren; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him from that day forward; so having anointed him, Samuel departed for Ramah. In the meantime, the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him. And Saul’s servants told him that they could see that an evil spirit from the Lord is troubling him. And his servants told him that what he should do to get rid of the evil spirit was to find a man who is a skillful player on the harp; and it would come to pass, that when the evil spirit came upon him, the player of music would play, and the spirit would depart from him, and he would be well. And Saul said, “Find me now such a man and bring him to me.”

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BRAGADAYJAH 860

BRAGADAYJAH 860

Samuel tried to choose a successor to Saul.

So now Samuel knew what the Lord was going to do, but not the how or who was going to be chosen save that it was a son of Jesse.  So Samuel thought he could give God a helping hand. Accordingly, Samuel looked at Eliab and thought to himself, surely he is the one that the Lord would anoint. Eliab was tall and handsome, regal looking even; but the Lord said to Samuel, “Look not on his appearance, or his height; because he is not the one I have chosen.  For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man look at the outward appearance; but the Lord looks upon the heart.” Then Jesse called another son, Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel; but he said, the Lord has not chosen him either. After that Shammah was presented; but he was not the one either. And after that four more sons were presented making seven in all; but the Lord had not chosen any of them. Then Samuel asked Jesse if these were all is children and Jesse said there is but one more; he is my youngest son, and he is out looking after the sheep. And Samuel ordered that he be brought before him refusing to rest until he had seen him.

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BRAGADAYJAH 859

BRAGADAYJAH 859

The Lord Rebukes Samuel

As this next episode in the saga between Samuel and Saul shows, e as humans, can sometimes overdo the mourning, especially with regard to whom we are mourning for. “For the Lord said to Samuel, “How long are you going to continue mourning for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided me a king from among his sons.” And Samuel said, how can I go? If Saul hears of it he will surely kill me. And the Lord told Samuel to take a heifer with him and say, I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Call Jesse to the sacrifice and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint unto me he that I will show you.” And Samuel as the Lord had commanded him, went to Bethlehem; and the elders trembled at his coming, and asked whether he came in peace; and he assured them that he had come to sacrifice unto the Lord.  Therefore he bade them to sanctify themselves and join him in the sacrifice; and he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.  Samuel was mourning for Saul, not that Saul was dead; but that the kingship had been taken away from him.  The Lord in fact told Samuel that he should not be wasting time mourning over Saul.  It was the Lord who had taken the kingdom from him as punishment for his misfeasance. “So why,” asked the Lord,  “are you grieving for him?”

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BRAGADAYJAH 858

BRAGADAYJAH 858

Saul appeals to Samuel a second time.

Samuel tells Saul that, not only is the kingdom taken away from him, but that it is already given to another.  So at this stage, Saul confessed he had sinned, and asked Samuel to honor him in the presence of the elders and of the people of Israel, and turn aside with him that he may worship the Lord God. And so Samuel turned aside with Saul and he worshipped the Lord. Then Samuel ordered Saul to bring forth Agag the king of the Amalekites and when Agag was brought to Samuel, he asked Samuel whether by that time the bitterness of was and death would have already passed.  But Samuel told him that as his sword had made many women childless, so shall his mother be childless among women; and Samuel cut Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal. And thereafter, Samuel departed to Ramah and Saul went to his house at Gibeah. And Samuel came no more to see Saul up to the date of his death. Nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul many days.  

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BRAGADAYJAH 857

BRAGADAYJAH 857

Too Late, Saul admits his sin.

The chips are down.  Saul has no more wriggling room; so he asks Samuel to forgive him and accompany him in the presence of the Lord, so he could seek forgiveness. But Samuel refused and explained to him that he could not accompany him because he had rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord had rejected him from being king over Israel. And as Samuel turned away from Saul, he laid hold on the skirt of the mantle of Samuel’s garment and it tore. And Samuel said to Saul, “See? The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel away from you this day, and has given it to your neighbor that is better than you. And also the Strength of Israel will not lie or repent; for He is not a man that He should repent.”   

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BRAGADAYJAH 856

BRAGADAYJAH 856

Rebellion is as bad as witchcraft

Not only does God not delight in the offerings of His disobedient children, as Samuel now tells Saul, “Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, (which God abhors), and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” So then, “because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king.” Now Saul said, “I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. Therefore, said Saul, I beseech you to pardon my sin and turn again with me that I may worship the Lord.” One cannot help wondering what the outcome would have been had Saul immediately confessed his faults, rather than blaming the people. Did he forget, was he not mindful of the fact, that God is the searcher of hearts?  And that God knew his words were not true? Characterizing rebellion as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness as idolatry and iniquity, God already knew Saul’s heart and He also heard all the lies he uttered in order to cover up his wrongdoing.  Even at the last Saul still made the lame excuse that he feared the people and obeyed their voice. But vox populi non est vox dei, (the voice of the people is not the voice of God) at least not in the theological realm.  

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BRAGADAYJAH 855

BRAGADAYJAH 855

To Obey is better than Sacrifice.

And Samuel said to Saul, “When you were little even in your own eyes, were you not made head of the tribes of Israel? And so now, the Lord sent you on a mission, and told you specifically, to go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed. Wherefore then did you not obey the voice of the Lord but did fly upon the spoil and do evil in the sight of the Lord?”  But Saul, not willing even then to accept his shortcomings said, “No, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have done what the Lord sent me to do. And have brought Agag, the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people but the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the main things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God at Gilgal.” And Samuel said to Saul, “Does the Lord have as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifice as in obeying the voice of the Lord?  Behold to obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams.”

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BRAGADAYJAH 854

BRAGADAYJAH 854

Hearing the Lord’s words of grief towards Saul, and having spent a sleepless night, Samuel rose early in the morning, and went looking for Saul Samuel, and was told that Saul went to Carmel, and having sojourned there briefly had moved on to Gilgal.  And so Samuel went there and confronted Saul. But before Samuel could say a word, Saul seized the opportunity to defend himself.  “Bless be thou of the Lord, Saul said to Samuel. “I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” And so Samuel asked him why then he was hearing the bleating of sheep and the lowing of the oxen in his ears?  Saul’s all too quick reply was that the people had brought them from the Amalekites.  “They spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen for a sacrifice unto the Lord; but the rest we have utterly destroyed. Then Samuel told Saul to give him a moment and allow him to hear what the Lord’s response to him will be.  We note that Saul’s response when it related to the wrongdoing was, ‘the people;’ ”The people took the spoils;” but as to that which complied with God’s command, it was ‘we.’  “The rest we have utterly destroyed.”

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BRAGADAYJAH 853

BRAGADAYJAH 853

It Repents Me, Said God

We have seen that God’s response to Saul’s act of disobedience was to say, “It repents me that I made Saul king.”  Now many would become confused and even delighted to see this phrase, “I repent,” spoken by God. Some will say, “Aha, this proves that God is not infallible, not all knowing, and not omnipotent.”  But any such conclusions would be a narrow construct on the meaning of the word “repent,” in its proper context.  For as it is written, “God is not a man that He should lie, neither the son of man that He should repent. Has He said and shall He not do it? Has He spoken and shall He not make it good?” In human terms we think of repentance as coming to a place where one is sorry for a sin, or a mistake he has made; but in God’s case repent means that the offense has grieved Him so much that He is about to let His feelings show as He sets about punishing a child of His for doing wrong.  In the case of Saul’s actions, his disobedience did not at all take God by surprise, since from the first when the children of Israel asked for a King, God warned them via Samuel that Saul as king was going to cause them reason for regret.  But said God, “Go ahead and give them what they ask; even though I know that it will not end well.”  After all if every time we deny our children because we know that it will end badly for them, our children would never know how right we were when we said no.  So when we say, “Yes,” and we are later proved to be right, our children would know that they have erred, and perhaps trust our judgment over theirs in future. When our children fall into trouble having acted against our advice, we feel sorrow for them and in a sense can say we repent that we allowed to do what they did in the first place. 

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BRAGADAYJAH 852

BRAGADAYJAH 852

Now Saul said unto the Kenites, “Go depart from among the Amalekites lest I destroy you with them; for you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt.”  So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.  And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah to Shur on the border of Egypt. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and the fatlings and the lambs, and all that was good; and did not utterly destroy them. Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel saying, “It repents me that I have set up Saul to be king; for he has turned away from following me; and has not performed my commandments.”  And hearing the words of the Lord concerning Saul’s disobedience, grieved Samuel so greatly, that he did not sleep that whole night.

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BRAGADAYJAH 851

BRAGADAYJAH 851

After this, Saul fought continuously against all the enemies of Israel.  He fought against and subdued the children of Ammon, the Ammonites, the children of Edom, the Edomites, the king of Zobah, and the Philistines; and whosoever vexed Israel he vexed them.   And Samuel reminded Saul that it was the Lord who sent him to anoint him, Saul, king over God’s people Israel.  So now he cautioned Saul to listen to the voice of the Lord.  So here is what the Lord says to you.  “I remember what that which Amalek did to Israel, how they laid wait for them on the way when they were on their way up from Egypt.  Now go and smite Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant, and suckling ox, and sheep and camel and ass.” And Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. And Saul came to the city of Amalek and laid wait in the valley.

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BRAGADAYJAH 850

BRAGADAYJAH 850

Saul Seeks God’s Counsel

Having built an altar to God Saul, urged the people to peruse after the Philistines during the night and slay them until the morning light. But the priests advised him to seek the Lord’s guidance before so doing. And Saul asked counsel of God, whether he shall go down after the Philistines, and whether He will deliver them into his hands; but the Lord answered him not that day. So Saul summoned all the chiefs together and reminded them that the sin of the people that day was before the Lord and was the reason why He had not answered his prayer. Therefore, Saul pronounced death on all the people saying even his son Jonathon should die.  But the people did not respond to him.  Then Saul petitioned the Lord God of Israel to by lot show who should be punished; and the lot fell upon himself and his son Jonathon. Then Saul asked for a lot between Jonathon and himself and the lot fell upon Jonathon. And Jonathon admitted to having taken a little honey at the end of his rod and having eaten it, and admitting he was worthy of death.  So Saul pronounced death on Jonathon; but the people intervened and protested Saul’s decision, pointing out that it was Jonathon’s intervention with God which had brought about what they termed, “The Great Salvation in Israel,” referring of course to Jonathon’s role in victory the Philistines.  So the people rescued Jonathon and Saul decided not to follow after the Philistines further, and went his way, while the philistines went their way.

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BRAGADAYJAH 849

BRAGADAYJAH 849

Now then, Jonathon having told the people to eat of the honey, the people did get strength to fight; but having vanquished the Philistines, they went on to seize further booty, the spoils of war, of sheep, and oxen and calves, and slew them and ate them with the blood, which of course God had forbidden them to do. And so it was told to Saul that the people had sinned against the Lord in that they ate flesh with the blood, whereupon Saul said, “You have transgressed, roll a great stone unto me this day. And disperse yourselves among the people and say unto them, bring me hither every man his ox, and every man his sheep, and slay them here and eat, that you sin not against the Lord, and eat with the blood.” And the people brought their sheep and oxen and slew them in the presence of Saul. And Saul built an altar there being the first altar he built unto the Lord.

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BRAGADAYJAH 848

BRAGADAYJAH 848

Jonathon overruled Saul’s Rash Order.

 Notwithstanding that the architect of Israel’s victory over the Philistines was God working through Jonathon, Saul sought to redirect attention to himself and gain glory for the victory by ordering the men of Israel that they should not eat any food until evening, and pronouncing a curse on any man who did. And of course that made the hearts or the men distressed.  The reason he gave for his order was so that he may take revenge on his enemies. However the people obeyed the king’s command and had no food that whole day. And it came to pass that as the people were walking through a certain wood, they came upon honey in the woods which fell to the ground before their eyes; but because of the oath they were forced to take, no man touched the honey. However, Jonathon had not heard of the order, and so he seeing the honey on the ground, put forth his rod and stuck it into a honeycomb and put the honey in his mouth whereupon he beheld that something was wrong.  So he asked the people what was going on and they told him that his father had made an order that no one was to eat that day until evening. So Jonathon told the people that the honey had given him much strength, and told them further that had they eaten that day, they would have had more strength to fight.  So the people ate of the honey and continued to slaughter the Philistines that day and to take all the spoils of war.

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BRAGADAYJAH 847

BRAGADAYJAH 847

Jonathon’s Bravery resulted in Victory

And at that time, Saul’s watchmen reported to him that the Philistines were put to flight and beating down one another.  And Saul gave command that the men that were gathered to him be countered and it was discovered that only two men, his son Jonathon and his armor-bearer were missing. And Saul ordered Ahiah the priest to bring forth the ark of God; and it happened that while he was yet speaking to the priest, that the noise from the camp of the Philistines went on and increased in clamor; and so Saul ordered the priest to withdraw his hand at which time Saul and the men around him entered the battle and found that the Philistines were in utter confusion, and fighting among themselves. And even a group of Hebrews from the surrounding country that had joined themselves unto the Philistines, had also turned against them and were fighting with Saul and Jonathon against the Philistines, while Israelites who had fled and had hidden themselves in mountains and caves, now joined the company of Israelites when they heard that the Philistines were in flight. And so the Lord saved Israel that day.

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BRAGADAYJAH 846

BRAGADAYJAH 846

Jonathon’s Bold Move (Continued)

Then Jonathon told his armor-bearer that they would go boldly into the enemy’s camp and reveal their identity to them; and if they are told to stand still in their place until they come down to them, then they would not go up to them; but if they say to them to come on up unto them, then they would go up; for then they would know that the Lord has delivered them into their hands, and take it as a sign. Then Jonathon and his armor-bearer went and identified themselves to the garrison of the Philistines and the Philistines said, “Behold the Hebrews have come forth out of the holes in which they have hid themselves.” And the men of the garrison answered Jonathon and his armor bearer and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you a thing.” So Jonathon told his armor-bearer that he would go up first, and then he should follow. “For surely, the Lord has delivered them into the hand of Israel.” And Jonathon climbed up into the garrison and the Philistines fell before his feet and he slew them and his armor-bearer also slew them; and the number of men Jonathon and his armor-bearer slew were numbered about twenty men.  And there was trembling in the host, in the field, and among all the garrison; and as they trembled with fear, the earth also quaked beneath their feet.

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BRAGADAYJAH 845

BRAGADAYJAH 845
Jonathon’s Bold Move
Now it came to pass that on a certain say, Jonathon, unknown to his father, took his armor-bearer and left quietly intending to sneak into the Philistine’s garrison.  In the meantime, Saul and his six hundred men waited under a pomegranate tree in the far corner of Migron; and while they waited, no one knew that Jonathon was gone. Now in approaching the garrison of the Philistines, Jonathan had to pass within a gorge surrounded by two sharp rocks on either side, the name of one rock was Bozez and the name of the other Sench.  One of the rocks was facing northwards overlooking Michmash and the other southwards overlooking Gibeah. And Jonathon told the young man with him that they should go into the garrison of the uncircumcised Philistines; for maybe the Lord would help them as it was no hard thing for the Lord to save the many as well as the few.  And the armor-bearer replied and told Jonathon to do whatever his heart told him to do; for he was with him.

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BRAGADAYJAH 844

BRAGADAYJAH 844

And Samuel rose up from Gilgal and went to Gibeah of Benjamin. And at that time Saul numbered the men about him, and the number of them was six hundred men. And Saul and his son Jonathon and the people that were with them remained in Gibeah of Benjamin; but the Philistines encamped at Michmash. And the Philistines sent out three companies from the main camp.  One company turned towards Ophrah, another turned and went towards Bethhoron, and the third company went the way of the border of the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness. It happened at that time that there was no smith throughout all the land of Israel; and the Philistines would not allow any of their smiths to go and dwell in the land of Israel, lest the Israelites would learn how to make swords and spears of steel. But Israelis were allowed to go down into Philistines to sharpen their axes and the mattocks and other tools. So that when the day of battle arrived, there was present with Saul, only six hundred men and his son Jonathon; and none of them had spear nor sword. In the meantime the vast Philistines army amassed against them at Michmash. 

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BRAGADAYJAH 843

BRAGADAYJAH 843

Saul’s Rejection

And Saul waited seven days according to the set time that Samuel had appointed; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattered from Saul. And Saul demanded that a burnt offering be brought to him, and he offered it. And it came to pass that as soon as he had finished making the offering Samuel came, and Saul went out to greet him. And Samuel asked Saul what he had done; and Saul explained that when he saw that the people were scattered from him, and when he saw that Samuel did not come to Gilgal within the appointed time, and that the Philistines were gathered together at Michmash, he decided that they would overwhelm him; and seeing that he had not made supplication unto the Lord, he persuade himself that the right thing to do would be to offer a burnt offering unto the Lord. And Samuel told Saul that he had done foolishly, in that he had not kept the commandment of the Lord; for if he had, the Lord would have established the kingdom of Israel forever. But now the kingdom shall not continue Samuel told him, for the Lord has sought Him a man after His own heart; and the Lord has commanded him to be captain over the people, because, Samuel told Saul.  “You have not kept that which the Lord commanded.”

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BRAGADAYJAH 842

BRAGADAYJAH 842

The Philistines encamped against Israel.

After the second year of Saul’s reign, he chose three thousand men of Israel, two thousands of which followed him to Michmash and to mount Bethel, while the other thousand followed Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin; and the rest of the people Saul sent home to their tents. And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines at Geba and the Philistines heard of it; and Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land and said, “Let the Hebrews hear.” And all Israel heard that Saul had smitten a garrison of the Philistines and the people heard that the Philistines held all Israel in abomination. And Saul summoned all the people together at Gilgal. And the Philistines, consisting of thirty thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and people as numberless as the sand of the seashore came up and pitched their camp in Michmash to the east of Bethaven. And when the men of Israel saw the multitude of the Philistines they were dismayed and hid themselves in caves, and rocks, and thickets, and in high places. And some of the people fled over Jordon to the land of Gad and Gilead; and the people followed Saul though in fear and trembling.  

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BRAGADAYJAH 841

BRAGADAYJAH 841

And Samuel called upon the Lord; and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day; and all the people feared the Lord and Samuel. And the people asked Samuel to pray for them unto the Lord God, that they may not die, admitting they had done evil in asking for a king. And Samuel told the people that they need not fear because they had done so wickedly, but that they should turn unto the Lord and serve Him with all their heart. That they should not turn aside from serving the Lord to follow after vain things which could not profit them. He assured them, however, that the Lord would not abandon His people for His name’s sake; since it had pleased Him to make them His people. Samuel told them also that it would be evil of him to cease to pray for them as it was his duty to do; but would continue to teach them good from evil, and lead them in the right way. But he warned them that if they continued to do wickedly, the Lord would consume them.

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BRAGADAYJAH 840

BRAGADAYJAH 840

Samuel chastises Israel over their request for a King.

“Yet in spite of all the Lord did for you,” Samuel continued, “when you saw that Nahash, king of the children of Ammon came against you, you told me that you wanted a king to reign over you, notwithstanding that the Lord God was your king. Now, therefore, behold the king whom you have chosen and whom you have desired; and behold, the Lord has set as king over you. If you will fear the Lord and serve Him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandments of the Lord, then shall you and the king that reign over you continue following the Lord your God; but if you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandments of the Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord be against you, as it was against your fathers. Now, therefore, stand and see the great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes.”  “For is it not wheat harvest today? I will call unto the Lord and He shall send thunder and rain that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great which you have done in the sight of the Lord in asking for a king.”

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BRAGADAYJAH 839

BRAGADAYJAH 839

Samuel Recounts the Lord’s past Dealings with Israel.

And Samuel told the people “It is the Lord that advanced Moses and Aaron, and brought your fathers up out of Egypt.  Now, therefore, stand still that I may reason with you before the Lord of all the righteous acts of the Lord, which He did to you and to your fathers. When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto the Lord, then the Lord sent forth Moses and Aaron which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place. And when they forgot the Lord their God, He sold them into the hand of Sisera captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.”  And they cried unto the Lord and said, “We have sinned because we have forsaken the Lord, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth, but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies and we will serve thee.” And the Lord sent Jerubbaal and Bedan and Jephthah and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side and you dwelt safely.”

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BRAGADAYJAH 838

BRAGADAYJAH 838

The Integrity of Samuels Judgeship.

Now Samuel said unto Israel, “Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that you said to me, and have made a king over you. And now, behold, the king walks before you; and I am old and gray headed: My sons are with you, and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day.  And now here I am: witness against me and before the Lord; and before His anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Or whose ass have I taken? Whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or of whose hand have I received any bribe to bind my eyes therewith? And I will restore it to you.”  And the people responded and said, “Thou has not defrauded us, nor oppressed us; and thou hast not taken ought from us, or of any man’s hand.”   “And Samuel answered and said unto them, “The Lord is witness against you; and His anointed is witness this day, that you have not found ought against me.”  And the people answered and said, “It is so.”

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BRAGADAYJAH 837

BRAGADSYJAH 837

After the Great Battle- Saul confirmed in Kingship

After the great slaughter of the Ammorites the people demanded of Samuel to know those who objected to Saul reigning over Israel and demanding that they be put to death. But Saul was against it and said, that no man should be put to death that day; for the Lord has worked salvation in Israel. Then Samuel invited the people to go with him to Gilgal that they may there renew the kingdom.  And all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal.  And there they sacrificed peace offerings before the Lord. And there Saul and all the men rejoiced greatly.   www.chaberbooks.com

BRAGADAYJAH 836

BRAGADAYJAH 836

Saul slaughters the Ammorites in Battle

When the Spirit of God came upon Saul, he took a yoke of oxen, and cut them in pieces, and sent the pieces throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hand of messengers with the message that, “Whosoever does not join with Saul and with Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen.” And the fear of the Lord came upon all the people; and they came out everyone to join with Saul. And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel amounted to three hundred thousand and the men of Judah thirty thousand. And they said to the messengers that came, “Thus shall you say to the men of Jabesh-Gilead, tomorrow by the time the sun is hot, you shall have help.”  And the messengers went and carried the message to the men of Jabesh and they were glad. So the men of Jabesh promised to join forces with Saul in the battle of the next day. And King Saul gathered all his army and divided them into three companies and they slaughtered the Ammorites so that at the end of the battle, there could not be found two of them together of those who escaped.  

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Americans Say- Money More Important Than Human Life

Americans Say - Money More Important Than Human Life.

Without a doubt the most important thing to Americans is money. God and Country, Health and Happiness, Long Life and Safety, all pale into insignificance alongside the love of money. That is why every time the President opens his mouth about Gun Laws Safety Regulations, he is attacked from every corner by those who have a vested interest in the manufacture and sale of guns, ignoring that over 30,000 lives were lost last year alone, by random and often not so random death by firearm. One learned female judge said a few days ago, “Obama should start killing terrorists and leave the gun laws alone.”  The truth is, however, more people by far are killed in cinemas, in schools, in churches, in their homes, at petrol stations and on the streets by senseless gun violence, than are killed by terrorists. But never-the-less they say, leave the guns alone.  Human life matters little. Money is the thing.www.chaberbooks.com

BRAGADAYJAH 835

The Ammorites Move against Saul

Soon after Saul was anointed king, Nahash the Ammonite came and encamp against Jabesh-Gilead.  And the men of Jabesh invited Nahash to make a covenant with them and promised to serve him. And Nahash responded and told them that the only covenant he would make with them would be to pluck out their eyes and dangle them as a reproach to all Israel. And the elders of Jabesh asked Nahash to give them seven days to consider the matter; and if at the end of seven days during which time they would send messengers to all the coasts of Israel; and if there be no one to save them they would join forces with him. So the messengers went out and delivered the message in the ears of the people of Israel; and when the people heard it they wept.  Now King Saul was not present at the time; but when he returned from the herd in the field he heard the weeping, and asked what it was all about; and they told him the tidings brought to them by the men of Jabesh. And the Spirit of God came upon Saul and his anger was kindled greatly.

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BRAGADAYJAH 835

The Ammorites Move against Saul

Soon after Saul was anointed king, Nahash the Ammonite came and encamp against Jabesh-Gilead.  And the men of Jabesh invited Nahash to make a covenant with them and promised to serve him. And Nahash responded and told them that the only covenant he would make with them would be to pluck out their eyes and dangle them as a reproach to all Israel. And the elders of Jabesh asked Nahash to give them seven days to consider the matter; and if at the end of seven days during which time they would send messengers to all the coasts of Israel; and if there be no one to save them they would join forces with him. So the messengers went out and delivered the message in the ears of the people of Israel; and when the people heard it they wept.  Now King Saul was not present at the time; but when he returned from the herd in the field he heard the weeping, and asked what it was all about; and they told him the tidings brought to them by the men of Jabesh. And the Spirit of God came upon Saul and his anger was kindled greatly.

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BRAGADAYJAH 834

BRAGADAYJAH 834

When Saul was not found, enquiry was made of the Lord, asking Him what they should do, whether they should choose another man; but the Lord answered and told them that Saul was hiding among the stuff, the baggage; so they ran and found him and fetched him, and put him to stand among the people; and he was head and shoulders above everyone else. And Samuel said to all the people, “Behold the one that the Lord has chosen, that there is none like him among all the people!”  And all the people responded and said, “God save the king.” Then Samuel recited to the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote in a book and laid it before the Lord.  Then Samuel sent all the people away, each man to his own house. And Saul also went home to his house at Gibeah accompanied by a group of men whose hearts were touched by the Lord.  But the children of Belial murmured and asked, “How can this man save us?”  So they despised him and brought him no present.  But Saul said nothing to them.

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BRAGADAYJAH 833

BRAGADAYJAH 833

Samuel took steps to install Saul publicly as king of Israel

And Samuel called the people together unto the Lord at Mizpeh, and said to them. ”Hear the words of the Lord God of Israel; I brought you up out of Egypt and delivered you out of the hands of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all the kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you. And you have this day rejected me your God who Himself saved you out of all your adversities, and your tribulations, and you have said unto me, nay but set a king over us.”  Now, therefore present yourself before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands.”  And when Samuel caused all the tribes of Israel to be gathered round about him, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. And when the tribe of Benjamin was sorted by their families the family of Matri was chosen; and Saul the son of Kish was chosen; but then when he was sought he could not be found.

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BRAGADAYJAH 832

BRAGADAYJAH 832
Now, when Saul had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place; and there he met his uncle who asked him where he had been. And Saul told him to seek after his father's asses which were missing; and that when he could not find them, he went to ask advice from Samuel.  And Saul's uncle asked Saul to tell him what Samuel said to him.  And Saul told his uncle that Samuel spoke to him plainly and told him where the assess were to be found, omitting to tell his uncle any reference regarding the matter of the kingdom. From what has gone before, we know that Samuel had anointed Saul and told him what the Lord's purpose for him was.  Also the Lord was with Saul from that time; but Saul was not yet publicly acclaimed.  The significance of this, therefore, is plainly that before one can begin to assume public office as a servant of God, that person has to be under the anointing of God's Holy Spirit, symbolized in olden days by the anointing oil such as that poured on Saul by Samuel.
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