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Hosea 6:6 For I desired mercy and not sacrifice;
and the knowledge of God more than your burnt offerings.
Bible Chapter Studies
1A0 I CHRONICLES CHAPTER 10
Our last Chapter, I Chronicles 9, summed up the Genealogy of our forefathers, i.e., the People of the House of Israel, which began at the beginning of this BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES.
We now change gears and pick things back up before the captivity, beginning with the death of Israel’s first man king: king Saul. As a reminder brethren, this Chapter runs parallel to I Samuel 31. THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL and THE BOOKS OF THE KINGS being from man’s Point of View, and THE BOOKS OF THE CHRONICLES, being from Father’s.
Let’s “set the stage” so to speak. The year is 960B.C., Saul has been king over the House of Israel for 40 years, and now his reign is about to come to an abrupt end, why? First and foremost, because, he sinned against our Father Who put him upon the throne to rule over His People. What was\were Saul’s sins? Ultimately, he honored, served, and worshiped other, false gods. He also disobeyed Father on multiple occasions: (1) In I Samuel 14, right after Saul had been made king, Samuel had told Saul to go to Gilgal and await his arrival; but, when Samuel didn’t arrive when Saul thought he should have, Saul made unlawful sacrifices to Father. No sooner had he made these sacrifices when Samuel arrives and sees what he had done. Samuel questions Saul about his offering unlawful sacrifices, and Saul replies that, Samuel had tarried too long, and he was afraid that the Philistines would attack him; therefore, he offered sacrifices himself. Samuel then told Saul that, he had done foolishly: thou hast not kept Father’s Commandment, which He had Commanded Saul: that, had Saul been obedient, then, Father would have established the kingdom of Israel into Saul’ hand for ever. But, since he had not been obedient, Father was going to give the kingdom to another man; (2) We read in I Samuel 15 that, Father, through His Prophet Samuel, told Saul to utterly destroy all the Amalekites—this meant that he was to kill every man, woman, and child, plus, every animal they had. There were also kenites living among these Amalekites whom Saul told to get away from the Amalekites because, they had treated Israel nicely when they came up, out of Egypt, which was an outright lie and which went completely against Father and His command. I challenge anybody to show me in Father’s Word where the kenites aided the Israelites when Father led them up out of Egypt—but, Saul chose not do so, he allowed his army to keep the Amalekite king: Agag, alive; and, they also kept for themselves, many of the best livestock. When Samuel questioned him about this disobedience to Father’s Commands, Saul lied by saying that, the People disobeyed him, and by claiming that they were going to make sacrifices to Father with the king and the livestock which they had kept alive. For this disobedience, Father told Saul through His Prophet that, He rejected Saul and He rejected Saul as the king of Israel. After telling Saul these things, Samuel turned to walk away from Saul; but, Saul reached out to grab ahold of Samuel, and upon doing so, he ripped Samuel’s robe, Samuel immediately turned around and told Saul in a stern voice that, as he had ripped his garment, Father has ripped the kingdom out of his hand and was now going to give it to another man, and not his son. Samuel then tolod Saul to bring Agag to him and upon Agag being brought, Samuel fulfilled Father’s Command and slew Agag. (3) King Saul, after hearing the women singing and saying “Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands” Saul became very angry, and from that day until his death, he chased after, in order to kill, David, whom Father had already anointed to be the Second king of the House of Israel; (4) After Samuel had died and Father had abandoned Saul, Saul was about to war against the Philistines; but, Saul was afraid because, he didn’t have Samuel to guide him and seek Father—not that it would have mattered because, Saul probably would have disobeyed what Father would have told him anyway—so, Saul sought out a woman who had a familiar spirit as, he wanted to communicate with Samuel, even though Samuel was dead. This was a big NO NO as, Father Commanded in Leviticus 19:31; 20:36; and Deuteronomy 18:11 that His Children were not to seek or regard those who have or deal with familiar spirits.
With that introduction being said, let’s go to Father and ask Him for His Blessings on our Study of His Word: “Father, we come to you right now to thank you for inviting us to Your table in order that we might be able to partake of and receive Your Spiritual Meat, and Father, as we prepare to dine on the sustenance which sustains our inner man, we ask that You Oh LORD open our ears and eyes, that we might be able to hear and see your Truths, open our hearts and minds and prepare us in order that we may receive Your Truth. We Pray for Your Understanding of Your Word, we seek Your Knowledge in Your Word, and most importantly Father, we Pray for and desire Your Wisdom from Your Word, in Jesus’ Precious name we Pray, thank You Father, Amen.”
I Chronicles 10:1-
II Chronicles 36:21
HISTORY. (UP TO THE
CAPTIVITY.) (Division.)
10:1-14 The house of Saul
overthrown.
10:1-14 THE HOUSE OF
SAUL OVERTHROWN.
(Extended Alternation.)
10:1 Flight of Israel.
I Chronicles 10:1 Now the Philistines (rolling; that is, migratory; or, immigrants) (pel-eh’-sheth) fought against Israel (he will rule as YAH; or, the prince that prevails with YAH) (Yis-raw-ale’) (secondary map); and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa (fountain of ebullition; or; bubbling spring) (gil-bo’-ah). —> This battle is taking place in the Plain Esdra-E’lon which is merely the Greek form of the Hebrew word Jezreel. The great plain of Esdra-elon extended across central Palestine from the Mediterranean to the Jordan, separating the mountain ranges of Carmel and Samaria from those of Galilee. The western section of it is properly the plain of Accho or ’Akka . The main body of the plain was a triangle. Its base on the east extended from Jenin, to the foot of the hills below Nazareth, and was about 15 miles long; the north side, formed by the hills of Galilee, was about 12 miles long; and the south side, formed by the Samaria range, was about 18 miles. The apex on the west is a narrow pass opening into the plain of ’Akka. From the base of this triangular plain three branches stretch out eastward, like fingers from a hand, divided by two bleak, gray ridges—one bearing the familiar name of Mount Gilboa, the other was known as, Little Hermon, but by natives Jebel ed-Duhy. The central branch is the richest as well as the most celebrated. This is the “valley of Jezreel” proper.
If you’ll recall from I Kings 28 through 30, Achish and the other four Philistine lords had gathered their armies together for this coming war. They had even sent David and his men home—again recalling from I Kings David, still on the run from Saul, who was trying to kill him, had covertly joined onto the Philistines—for fear, that, should they start to get the better of the Israelite Army; then, David and his men might turn on the Philistines, and start to slaughter them, instead of the Israelites. Of course, they—because of David’s deception of them—presumed David and his men would be fighting for the Philistines against the Israelites. The Philistines—now without David and his men—had gathered first at Aphek, and then moved on to Jezreel, while Saul and the Israelites arrayed themselves in Gilboa.
And the men of Israel fled before the Philistines=When Father brought our forefathers out of their bondage to the Egyptians, as they were preparing to enter into the Promised Land—before their unbelief caused them to wander the wilderness for those 38 years—Father told them that, if they will follow Him and His commandments; then, He will always be with them. He even told them that the other nations and their armies would fear them. We can even read of this in Leviticus 26, which gives us The Blessings for Obedience to Him: I’ll bring in just a few verses of it here: Leviticus 26:6 And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land. —> The expression; “ye shall lie down” should put you in mind of Psalms 23 for; it is in reference to sheep in the field lying down and resting in peace with plenty of pasture and the shepherd stand guard over them. Evil beast would be animals of prey that could attack the feeding sheep. Keeping the sword from going through the land, was a promise of peace, and the phrase “neither shall a sword go through your land” is Father’s promise that so long as they are obedient to Him, then none who shall attempt to challenge them shall ever be successful. [26:7] And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. —> Because of Saul’s rejection of Father, we are about to see the opposite of this come to pass. [26:8] And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. —> Sadly for the nation, as the old saying goes “as the king does, so shall the nation do,” and that is exactly what is happening in Israel now—just like us here in the United States several years ago under president obama, because of his rejection of Father—Saul rejected Father, His Commandments, Statutes and Ordinances; and, therefore, Father rejected he and they and they are paying the price for it.
Sadly, because the people willfully followed Saul—think obama—when he went astray; and, even chose this path, they are going to pay a heavy price for what they have chosen.
Philistines=The Philistines were adamic peoples as, we read in Genesis 10:14: Genesis 10:14 And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim. It was Noah who begat Ham, who begat Cush, on down to either Casluhim or Caphtorim who then begat Philistim, of whom became the Philistines. † The Philistines were the chief rival and primary enemy of our forefathers. They warred against them, more than any other nation or peoples. Most of those battles our forefathers won; but, there were some battles they also lost. On one such occasion that they lost, the Philistines were able to capture Father’s Ark. Why did He allow this to happen? Because our forefathers had not sought Him before taking His Ark into battle with them. The Philistines, thinking they finally had the upper-hand for capturing Father’s Ark, brought it back to Ashdod and set It in the “house of dagon.” The next morning when the Philistines went to check on their prized possession, they found that their god dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before Father’s Ark. So, they set the image of their idol back upon it’s feet, and the next day when they again came to check on things, this time they found that dagon was again fallen upon his face to the ground before Father’s Ark; and the head of dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of dagon was left to him. This time, the Philistines left things as they were in the “house of dagon” for, they were now afraid. Father wasn’t done with them yet for having His Ark in their possession, He now smote every Philistine in the city where His Ark was, with deep, painful hemorrhoids, and a plague of mice. These hemorrhoids were so bad that, that, everyone asked each other if they too were now afflicted with this ailment? When they discovered that, yes, everybody in the city was afflicted, they quickly removed Father’s Ark from among them, by taking it to another one of the Philistine cities. This city too suffered the affliction of the hemorrhoids and plague of mice, and they too quickly took Father’s Ark to another of the Philistine cities. This happened 3 more times, and finally the Philistines had had enough. So, they called for a meeting of all the Philistine lords to discuss what to do with Father’s Ark. They decided that it would be best to return It back to It’s rightful owner, our forefathers. But, before doing so, they decided that they would return it with a trespass offering. That trespass offering were images of 5 golden hemorrhoids and 5 golden mice, one hemorrhoid and mouse for each of the 5 Philistine cities which were afflicted. † The etymology of name\word Philistine seems to be related to the verb פלש (palash), denoting the expression of intense grief: It’s ultimately unclear whether the Philistines were named for the grief they caused or perhaps for their ability to express their own grief (like a kind of ancient blues). The Philistines were, after all, products of the great people’s movements, and they were driven off Caphtor (Jeremiah 47:4) and subsequently out of Egypt. In fact, their history is not all that different from Israel’s, and they may very well have been known as The Mourners, or Causing To Mourning. But then, the name of the Philistines might also reflect the more fundamental or broader Semitic meaning of the verb פלש, that of digging or breaking through. As a nation, the Philistines may have been known as the Steamrollers. For a meaning of the name Palestine, Jones’ Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names goes with the verb mentioned above, focuses on its meaning of to roll around, and forgivingly translates Palestine with The Land Of Wanderers. New Open Bible Study Edition (NOBSE) Study Bible Name List does not translate either name Palestine or Philistine. † Now from the Strong’s Concordance, where we find that it is Hebrew word number: H6430, - פּלשׁתּי, - pelishtı̂y, pronounced - pelishtı̂y, and means: Patrial from H6429; rolling; that is, migratory; a Pelishtite or inhabitant of Pelesheth: - Philistine. Total KJV occurrences: 288.. † Now from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary, where we read:—before I get into Dr. Smith’s description of the Philistines, know this brethren: I emphatically disagree with Dr. Smith’s statement, which states: “The origin of the Philistines is nowhere expressly stated in the Bible.”. For, as I mentioned at the beginning of this description of the Philistines, we can read in Genesis 10:14, Father’s Word does indeed expressly state the origin of the Philistines, they are descended from Casluhim, who was descended from Mizraim[Genesis 10:13-14], who was descended from Ham[Genesis 10:6], who was descended from Noah)—“(immigrants), The origin of the Philistines is nowhere expressly stated in the Bible; but, as the prophets describe them as “the Philistines-from Caphtor” Amos 9:7, and “the remnant of the maritime district of Caphtor” Jeremiah 47:4 it is prima facie probable that they were the Caphtorim which came out of Caphtor” who expelled the Avim from their territory and occupied it; in their place, (Deuteronomy 2:23) and that these again were the Caphtorim mentioned in the Mosaic genealogical table among the descendants of Mizraim Genesis 10:14. It has been generally assumed that Caphtor represents Crete, and that the Philistines migrated from that island, either directly or through Egypt, into Palestine. But the name Caphtor is more probably identified with the Egyptian Coptos. [CAPHTOR] History. — The Philistines must have settled in the land of Canaan before the time of Abraham; for they are noticed in his day as a pastoral tribe in the neighborhood of Gerur Genesis 21:32,34; 26:1,8. Between the times of Abraham and Joshua the Philistines had changed their quarters, and had advanced northward into the plain of Philistia. The Philistines had at an early period attained proficiency in the arts of peace. Their wealth was abundant Judges 16:5,19, and they appear in all respects to have been a prosperous people. Possessed of such elements of power, they had attained in the time of the judges an important position among eastern nations. About B.C. 1200 we find them engaged in successful war with the Sidonians. Justin xviii. 3. The territory of the Philistines having been once occupied by the Canaanites, formed a portion of the promised land, and was assigned the tribe of Judah Joshua 15:2,12,45-47. No portion of it, however, was conquered in the lifetime of Joshua Joshua 13:2, and even after his death no permanent conquest was effected Judges 3:3, though we are informed that the three cities of Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron were taken Judges 1:18. The Philistines soon recovered these, and commenced an aggressive policy against the Israelites, by which they gained a complete ascendancy over them. Individual heroes were raised up from time to time, such as Shamgar the son of Anath Judges 3:31, and still more Samson, Judges 13-16, but neither of these men succeeded in permanently throwing off the yoke. The Israelites attributed their past weakness to their want, of unity, and they desired a king, with the special object of leading them against the foe I Samuel 8:20. Saul threw off the yoke; and the Philistines were defeated with great slaughter at Geba I Samuel 13:3. They made no attempt to regain their supremacy for about twenty-five years, and the scene of the next contest shows the altered strength of the two parties. It was no longer in the central country, but in a ravine leading down to the Philistine plain, the valley of Elah, the position of which is about 14 miles southwest of Jerusalem. On this occasion the prowess of young David secured success to Israel, and the foe was pursued to the gates of Gath and Ekron I Samuel 17:1. ... The power of the Philistines was, however, still intact on their own territory. The border warfare was continued. The scene of the next conflict was far to the north, in the valley of Esdraelon. The battle on this occasion proved disastrous to the Israelites; Saul himself perished, and the Philistines penetrated across the Jordan and occupied the, forsaken cities I Samuel 31:1-7. On the appointment of David to be king, he twice attacked them, and on each occasion with signal success, in the first case capturing their images, in the second pursuing them “from Geba until thou come to Gazer” II Samuel 5:17-25; I Chronicles 14:8-16. Henceforth the Israelites appear as the aggressors. About seven years after the defeat at Rephaim, David, who had now consolidated his power, attacked them on their own soil end took Gath with its dependencies. The whole of Philistine was included in Solomon's empire. Later when the Philistines, joined by the Syrians and Assyrians, made war on the kingdom of Israel, Hezekiah formed an alliance with the Egyptians, as a counterpoise to the Assyrians, and the possession of Philistia became henceforth the turning-point of the struggle between the two great empires of the East. The Assyrians under Tartan, the general of Sargon, made an expedition against Egypt, and took Ashdod, as the key of that country Isaiah 20:1,4,5. Under Senacherib, Philistia was again the scene of important operations. The Assyrian supremacy was restored by Esarhaddon, and it seems probable that the Assyrians retained their hold on Ashdod until its capture, after a long siege, by Psammetichus. It was about this time that Philistia was traversed by vast Scythian horde on their way to Egypt. The Egyptian ascendancy was not as yet re-established, for we find the next king, Necho, compelled to besiege Gaza on his return from the battle of Megiddo. After the death of Necho the contest was renewed between the Egyptians and the Chaldeans under Nebuchadnezzar, and the result was specially disastrous to the Philistines. The “old hatred” that the Philistines bore to the Jews was exhibited in acts of hostility at the time of the Babylonish captivity Ezekiel 25:15-17, but on the return this was somewhat abated, for some of the Jews married Philistine women, to the great scandal of their rulers Nehemiah 13:23,24. From this time the history of Philistia is absorbed in the struggles of the neighboring kingdoms. The latest notices of the Philistines as a nation occur in 1 Maccabees 3-5. Institutions, religion, etc. — With regard to the institutions of the Philistines our information is very scanty, The five chief cities had, as early as the days of Joshua, constituted themselves into a confederacy, restricted however, in all probability, to matters of offence and defense. Each was under the government of a prince Joshua 13:3; Judges 3:3, etc.; I Samuel 18:30; 29:6 and each possessed its own territory. The Philistines appear to have been deeply imbued with superstition: they carried their idols with them on their campaigns II Samuel 5:21, and proclaimed their victories in their presence I Samuel 31:9. The gods whom they chiefly worshipped were Dagon Judges 16:23; I samuel 5:3-5; I Chronicles 10:10, 1 Maccabees 10:83, Ashtaroth I Samuel 31:10, Herod. 1:105, and Baalzebub II Kings 1:2-6.”.
Israel=The kingdom of Israel consists and comprises of both a People, and a territory. The People were and are our Father, our Creator ELOHIM’s Chosen People. Chosen only in the sense that they were the lineage through which He Himself will\would be born in the flesh as His Only Begotten Son: Jesus Christ. That lineage began with Adam, then his son Seth, down to Noah, then his son Shem, down to Abram, then his son Isaac, and the his son Jacob whom Father renamed Israel, on to his two sons Levi—actually, Levi’s son Amram amd his son Aaron and his descendants—and Judah—and his son Pharez, then his son Hezron, then his son Aram, then his Amminadab, then his son Nashon, then his son Salmon, then his son Boaz, then his son Obed, then his son Jesse, then his son David. Both lineages culminated and terminated at Mary—cousin to Elisabeth, wife of Zacharias, whom the Holy Spirit overshadowed while she was yet a virgin, and after Michael the arch angel had told would come to pass. When Father had changed Jacob’s name to Israel and then he had his twelve sons—Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Napthali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin—who went into captivity to Egypt for those 200 plus years, when Father led them out by the hand of Moses, they became known collectively as, the House of Israel. As for the territory, see the links of the 2 maps in the verse to understand the land mass which comprised the territory of Israel. † As to the etymology of the name Israel, the meaning of the name Israel is not clear; but, yet, it’s huge. The meaning of Israel is not singular and distinct; but, consists of many nuances and facets and bulges with theological significance. Judging from Genesis 32:28, the form ישראל (Israel) appears to be a compilation of two elements. The first one is the noun אל, El, the abbreviated form of אלהים, Elohim, denoting the genus God: The second part of our name appears to be related to the verb שרה I (sara I): However, even though Genesis 32:28 uses the enigmatic verb שרה — which is assumed to mean to struggle but which might something else entirely — it’s by no means certain that this verb is etymologically linked to our name Israel. When we say, “we named him Bob because that seemed like a good idea,” we certainly don’t mean to say that the name Bob means “good idea.” The first part of the name Israel looks a lot like the verb שרה that explains this name; but, this apparent link is possibly a mere case of word-play. In fact, the name Israel may have more to do with the verb ישר (yashar), meaning to be upright. Note that the difference between the letter שׂ (sin) as found in the name ישׂראל (Israel) and the letter שׁ (shin) as found in the verb ישׁר (yashar) didn’t exist in Biblical times and as it was invented more than a thousand years after the Bible was written: For a meaning of the name Israel, New Open Bible Study Edition (NOBSE) Study Bible Name List, Brown Driver Briggs (BDB) Theological Dictionary and Alfred Jones (Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names) unanimously go with the verb שרה of which the meaning is unsure. Undeterred, NOBSE reads God Strives, and BDB proposes El Persisteth or El Persevereth. Alfred Jones figures that the mysterious verb שרה might very well mean “to be princely,” and assumes that the name Israel consists of a future form of this verb, which hence would mean to become princely. And so Jones interprets the name Israel with He Will Be Prince With God. † Now from the Strong’s Concordance, where we find that it is Hebrew word number: H3478, - ישׂראל, - Yiśrâ'êl, pronounced - Yis-raw-ale’, and means: From H8280 and H410; he will rule as God; Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity: - Israel. Total KJV occurrences: 2,576.. † Now from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary: The description of Israel in the Smith’s Bible Dictionary is extensive and too long to post here; so, I’ll instead just post the link to it: Israel.
Gilboa=Gilboa is really only mentioned during 1 occasion in Father’s Word and that is during the battle between our forefathers and the Philistines, the battle which claimed the life of Saul and 4 of 5 sons, described in I Kings 31 and I Chronicles 10. Saul’s sons were most likely pretty much side-by-side while engaging the enemy, and when they fell, their father most likely witnessed their death, Saul then fell upon his sword in order that the Philistines could not capture him and humiliate him. † From the Strong’s Concordance, where we find that it is Hebrew word number: H1533, - גִּלְבֹּעַ, - gilbôaי, pronounced - gil-bo’-ah, and means: From H1530 and H1158; fountain of ebullition; Gilboa, a mountain of Palestine: - Gilboa. Total KJV occurrences: 8.. † Now from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary, where we read: “(a bubbling spring) a mountain range on the eastern side of the plain of Esdraelon, rising over the city of Jezreel, compare I Samuel 28:4 with I Samuel 29:1. It is mentioned in Scripture only in connection with one event in Israelitish history, the defeat and death of Saul and Jonathan by the Philistines I Samuel 31:11 II Samuel 1:6, 21:12, I Chronicles 10:1,8. Of the identity of Gilboa with the ridge which stretches eastward from the ruins of Jezreel no doubt can be entertained. The village is now called Jelbou.”.
10:2 Philistines’ pursuit
of Saul.
I Chronicles 10:2 And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul (asked; or, desired) (shaw-ool’) and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan (YHVH favored; or, gift or grace of YAH) (yo-khaw-nawn’), and Abinadab (father of generosity [that is, liberal]; or, noble) (ab-ee-naw-dawb’), and Malchi-shua (king of wealth; or, king of help) (mal-kee-shoo’-ah), Saul’s sons. —> Achish and the four other lords of the Philistines having arrayed themselves for war, have now begun this war with Israel. They immediately deal a demoralizing blow to the Israelite Army as they slay not only the sons of the king; but, the king also. Saul in all likelihood before his death witnessed his sons being killed; because, they probably were fighting side-by-side with their father.
Jonathan was the brother-in-law of David—whom David loved dearly and a brother and was truly grateful for his companionship, support and trust—and had made those three covenants with his younger brother-in-law, and even had assisted and prevented David from being killed by his father: Saul. Jonathan was a righteous man who loved Father; and, he sought to be righteous in all his deeds. When David hears of the death of Jonathan, as well as Saul—the anointed of Father YHVH—he is going to be very saddened by this news.
Abinadab=In I Samuel 14:49, Abinadab is identified as Ishui; so, Abinadab is just another name for the same son of Saul’s.
Saul=Son of Kish, of the Tribe of Benjamin. Saul was the first man king of the nation of the House of Israel; which, if you are familiar with Father’s Word, then you’ll know and realize is almost a miracle in and of itself as, back in Judges 20, the Tribe of Benjamin was almost completely wiped out by the other tribes because, they were sottish and allowed perversion to reign in their territories, and they sided with those who raped, abused, and then killed a Levites’s concubine. After the other tribes were through warring against them, there were only roughly 600 people—all men—left in the Tribe. The other tribes had to forfeit some of their daughters in order for the Tribe to continue on. † When we are first introduced to Saul in I Samuel 9:2, he is described as being, “a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.;” but, he was also a man who could not even find his own donkeys. In fact, he was out searching for them when Father sent His Prophet Samuel to go and anoint him as the first man king. Saul had, and Father gave him, every opportunity to be a great man and king over His People; however, Saul was a man of the flesh, and as such, he allowed his flesh to come between he and Father, he chose flesh over Father, and he sinned against Father by honoring, serving, and worshiping other, false gods. Saul also disobeyed Father on multiple occasions: (1) In I Samuel 14, right after Saul had been made king, Samuel had told Saul to go to Gilgal and await his arrival; but, when Samuel didn’t arrive when Saul thought he should have, Saul made unlawful sacrifices to Father. No sooner had he made these sacrifices when Samuel arrives and sees what he had done. Samuel questions Saul about his offering unlawful sacrifices, and Saul replies that, Samuel had tarried too long, and he was afraid that the Philistines would attack him; therefore, he offered sacrifices himself. Samuel then told Saul that, he had done foolishly: thou hast not kept Father’s Commandment, which He had Commanded Saul: that, had Saul been obedient, then, Father would have established the kingdom of Israel into Saul’ hand for ever. But, since he had not been obedient, Father was going to give the kingdom to another man; (2) We read in I Samuel 15 that, Father, through His Prophet Samuel, told Saul to utterly destroy all the Amalekites—this meant that he was to kill every man, woman, and child, plus, every animal they had. There were also kenites living among these Amalekites whom Saul told to get away from the Amalekites because, they had treated Israel nicely when they came up, out of Egypt, which was an outright lie and which went completely against Father and His command. I challenge anybody to show me in Father’s Word where the kenites aided the Israelites when Father led them up out of Egypt—but, Saul chose not do so, he allowed his army to keep the Amalekite king: Agag, alive; and, they also kept for themselves, many of the best livestock. When Samuel questioned him about this disobedience to Father’s Commands, Saul lied by saying that, the People disobeyed him, and by claiming that they were going to make sacrifices to Father with the king and the livestock which they had kept alive. For this disobedience, Father told Saul through His Prophet that, He rejected Saul and He rejected Saul as the king of Israel. After telling Saul these things, Samuel turned to walk away from Saul; but, Saul reached out to grab ahold of Samuel, and upon doing so, he ripped Samuel’s robe, Samuel immediately turned around and told Saul in a stern voice that, as he had ripped his garment, Father has ripped the kingdom out of his hand and was now going to give it to another man, and not his son. Samuel then tolod Saul to bring Agag to him and upon Agag being brought, Samuel fulfilled Father’s Command and slew Agag. (3) King Saul, after hearing the women singing and saying “Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands” Saul became very angry, and from that day until his death, he chased after, in order to kill, David, whom Father had already anointed to be the Second king of the House of Israel; (4) After Samuel had died and Father had abandoned Saul, Saul was about to war against the Philistines; but, Saul was afraid because, he didn’t have Samuel to guide him and seek Father—not that it would have mattered because, Saul probably would have disobeyed what Father would have told him anyway—so, Saul sought out a woman who had a familiar spirit as, he wanted to communicate with Samuel, even though Samuel was dead. This was a big NO NO as, Father Commanded in Leviticus 19:31; 20:36; and Deuteronomy 18:11 that His Children were not to seek or regard those who have or deal with familiar spirits. † The etymology of the name Saul or Shaul comes from the verb שאל .(shaיal) meaning to ask, inquire, borrow, beg: For a meaning of the name Shaul or Saul, New Open Bible Study Edition (NOBSE) Study Bible Name List reads Asked (of God), although God is not referred to in this name. Brown Driver Briggs (BDB) Theological Dictionary interprets our name Saul with Asked (of YHVH). Jones’ Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names reads a more correct Asked For. † Now from the Strong’s Concordance, where we find that it is Hebrew word number: H7586, - שָׁאוּל, - shâ'ûl, pronounced - shaw-ool’, and means: Passive particle of H7592; asked; Shaul, the name of an Edomite and two Israelites: - Saul, Shaul. Total KJV occurrences: 406. † Now from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary, where we read: “(desired), more accurately Shaul. The first king of Israel, the son of Kish, and of the tribe of Benjamin. His character is in part illustrated by the fierce, wayward, fitful nature of the tribe and in part accounted for by the struggle between the old and new systems in which he found himself involved. To this we must add a taint of madness. which broke out in violent frenzy at times leaving him with long lucid intervals. He was remarkable for his strength and activity II Samuel 1:25 and, like the Homeric heroes, of gigantic stature, taller by head and shoulders than the rest of the people, and of that kind of beauty denoted by the Hebrew word “good,” I Samuel 9:2, and which caused him to be compared to the gazelle, “the gazelle of Israel.” His birthplace is not expressly mentioned; but, as Zelah in Benjamin was the place of Kish’s sepulchre II Samuel 21:14, it was probable; his native village. His father, Kish, was a powerful and wealthy chief though the family to which he belonged was of little importance I Samuel 9:1,21. A portion of his property consisted of a drove of asses. In search of these asses, gone astray on the mountains, he sent his son Saul It was while prosecuting this adventure that Saul met with Samuel for the first time at his home in Ramah, five miles north of Jerusalem. A divine intimation had made known to him the approach of Saul, whom he treated with special favor, and the next morning descending with him to the skirts of the town, Samuel poured over Saul’s head the consecrated oil, and with a kiss of salutation announced to him that he was to be the ruler of the nation I Samuel 9:25; I Samuel 10:1. Returning homeward his call was confirmed by the incidents which according to Samuel’s prediction, awaited him I Samuel 10:9,10. What may be named the public call occurred at Mizpeh, when lots were cast to find the tribe and family which was to produce the king, and Saul, by a divine intimation was found hid in the circle of baggage which surrounded the encampment I Samuel 10:17-24. Returning to Gibeah, apparently to private life, he heard the threat issued by Nahash king of Ammon against Jabesh-gilead. He speedily collected an army, and Jabesh was rescued. The effect was instantaneous on the people, and the monarchy was inaugurated anew at Gilgal I Samuel 11:1-15. It should be, however, observed that according to I Samuel 12:12, the affair of Nahash preceded and occasioned the election of Saul. Although king of Israel, his rule was at first limited; but, in the second year of his reign he began to organize an attempt to shake off the Philistine yoke, and an army was formed. In this crisis, Saul, now on the very confines of his kingdom at Gilgal, impatient at Samuel’s delay, whom he had directed to be present, offered sacrifice himself. Samuel, arriving later, pronounced the first curse, on his impetuous zeal I Samuel 13:5-14. After the Philistines were driven back to their own country occurred the first appearance of Saul’s madness in the rash vow which all but cost the life of his soil I Samuel 14:24,44. The expulsion of the Philistines, although not entirely completed, I Samuel 14:52, at once placed Saul in a position higher than that of any previous ruler of Israel, and he made war upon the neighboring tribes. In the war with Amalek, I Samuel 14:48; 15:1-9, he disobeyed the prophetical command of Samuel, which called down the second curse, and the first distinct intimation of the transference of the kingdom to a rival. The rest of Saul’s life is one long tragedy. The frenzy which had given indications of itself before now at times took almost entire possession of him. In this crisis David was recommended to him. From this time forward their lives are blended together [DAVID]. In Saul’s better moments he never lost the strong affection which he had contracted for David. Occasionally, too his prophetical gift returned, blended with his madness II Samuel 19:24. But his acts of fierce, wild zeal increased. At last the monarchy itself broke down under the weakness of his head. The Philistines re-entered the country, and just before giving them battle Saul’s courage failed and he consulted one of the necromancers, the “Witch of Endor,” who had escaped his persecution. At this distance of time it is impossible to determine the relative amount of fraud or of reality in the scene which follows, though the obvious meaning of the narrative itself tends to the hypothesis of some kind of apparition II Samuel 19:28. On hearing the denunciation which the apparition conveyed, Saul fell the whole length of his gigantic stature on the ground, and remained motionless till the woman and his servants forced him to eat. The next day the battle came on. The Israelites were driven up the side of Gilboa. The three sons of Saul were slain. Saul was wounded. According to one account, he fell upon his own sword, I Samuel 31:4, and died. The body on being found by the Philistines was stripped slid decapitated, and the headless trunk hung over the city walls, with those of his three sons I Samuel 31:9,10. The head was deposited (probably at Ashdod) in the temple of Dagon (I Chronicles 10:10). The corpse was buried at Jabesh-gilead I Samuel 31:13.”.
Jonathan=The eldest son of king Saul, brother to Abinadab—who is also identified as Ishui in I Samuel 14:49—Melchi-shua, and Ish-bosheth. Jonathan was also father to 1 son, whose name was Mephibosheth. † Jonathan was a great warrior who was next in line to inherit the kingdom of the House of Israel had his father not been so foolish and disobedient to Father, who rent the kingdom from his hand for being such. Jonathan was also very fond of David, the man whom Father gave the kingdom to after Saul. Jonathan knew David was to be king and he held no grudge against David, Jonathan understood that David was Father’s anointed, just as his father had been Father’s anointed. As a warrior, Jonathan fought in several battles against the Philistines. In one such battle, he, with only his armor bearer by his side, put an garrison of the Philistines to flight and slew 20 men. Though the great warrior that he was; and, with his father being king, when the Philistines came against Israel with their great champion Goliath, surprisingly, Jonathan is not mentioned or heard of. Why this is, this author is unsure; but, almost immediately after David defeats Goliath, Jonathan befriends David and stays his friend to the day of his death. Jonathan goes against his father in protecting and hiding David, he even supplies David with information as to when and\or where his father is going to search for David, in order for David to flee and save himself alive. Jonathan finally meets his demise while fighting against the Philistines, he has 2 of his 3 brothers by his side, and they too fall at the hands of the Philistines. His father Saul also dies in this battle, falling on his own sword after being mortally wounded by the Philistines, and most likely after witnessing the death of his sons. † The etymology of the name Jonathan (= Yo-Nathan) consists of two elements. The first part is יה (Yah) = יהו (Yahu) = יו (Yu), which in turn are abbreviated forms of the Tetragrammaton יהוה, YHVH, or Yahveh, the personal and sacred name of our Father. The second part of the name Jonathan comes from the verb נתן (natan), meaning to give: For the meaning of the name Jonathan, New Open Bible Study Edition (NOBSE) Study Bible Name List reads Yahveh Has Given. Jones’ Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names reads The Lord Gave or Lord Of Giving. † Now from the Strong’s Concordance, where we find that it is Hebrew word number: H3083, - יְהוֹנָתָן, - yehônâthân, pronounced - yeh-ho-naw-thawn’, and means: From H3068 and H5414; YHVH-given; Jehonathan, the name of four Israelites: - Jonathan. Compare H3129 Total KJV occurrences: 111.. † Now from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary where we read: “that is, “the gift of Jehovah,” the eldest son of King Saul. He was a man of great strength and activity II Samuel 1:23. He was also famous as a warrior I Chronicles 12:2, as is shown by the courage he showing in attacking the garrison of the Philistines, in company with is armor-bearer only, slaying twenty men and putting an army to flight I Samuel 14:6-16. During the pursuit, Jonathan, who had not heard of the rash curse, I Samuel 14:24, which Saul invoked on any one who ate before the evening, tasted the honey which lay on the ground. Saul would have sacrificed him; but the people interposed in behalf of the hero of that great day, and Jonathan was saved I Samuel 14:24-45. The chief interest of Jonathan’s career is derived from the friendship with David, which began on the day of David’s return from the victory over the champion of Gath, and continued till his death. Their last meeting was in and forest of Ziph, during Saul’s pursuit of David I Samuel 23:16-18. From this time forth we hear no more till the battle of Gilboa. In that battle he fell I Samuel 31:2,8, his ashes were buried first at Jabesh-gilead, I Samuel 31:13, but were afterward removed with those of his father to Zelah in Benjamin II Samuel 21:12. The news of his death occasioned the celebrated elegy of David. He left a son, Mephibosheth. [MEPHIBOSHETH].”.
Abinadab= Also identified as Ishui in I Samuel 14:49. Son of Saul, brother to Jonathan, Ish-bosheth, and Malchi-shua. † Of the man Abinadab, we know absolutely nothing—as there is nothing recorded in Father’s Word of anything he did—except, he died on the battlefield, fighting side-by-side with his brothers against Israel’s arch enemy: the Philistines. † The etymology of the name Abinadab consists of two elements. The first element is the familiar word אב (ab), meaning father: The second part of the name Abinadab comes from the Hebrew verb נדב (nadab), meaning to make willing, incite: For a meaning of the name Abinadab, New Open Bible Study Edition (NOBSE) Study Bible Name List reads The Father Is Generous and Brown Driver Briggs (BDB) Theological Dictionary proposes My Father Is Noble. Jones’ Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names offers Father Of Nobility or Father Of Liberality. † Now from the Strong’s Concordance, where we find that it is Hebrew word number: H41, - אֲבִינָדָב, - 'ăbı̂ynâdâb, pronounced - ab-ee-naw-dawb’, and means: From H1 and H5068; father of generosity (that is, liberal); Abinadab, the name of 4 Israelites: - Abinadab. Total KJV occurrences: 13.. Now from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary, where we read: “A Levite of Kirjath-jearim, in whose house the ark of the covenant was deposited after having been brought back from the land of the Philistines in I Samuel 7:1. It remained there twenty years, till it was at length removed by David I Samuel 7:1-2; and I Chronicles 13:7.”.
Malchi-shua=Son of Saul, brother to Jonathan, Ish-bosheth, and Abinadab—who is also identified as Ishui in I Samuel 14:49. † Of the man Malchi-shua, we know absolutely nothing—as there is nothing recorded in Father’s Word of anything he did—except, he died on the battlefield, fighting side-by-side with his brothers against Israel’s arch enemy: the Philistines. † The etymology of the name Malchi-shua obviously consists of two elements. The first part comes from the noun מלך (melek), meaning king: The noun מלך comes with an attached letter י (yod), which creates a possessive form, meaning either “king of” or “my king.” The second part of our name comes from the following root group and may carry a variety of meanings: For a meaning of the name Malchi-shua, new Open Bible Study Edition (NOBSE) Study Bible Name List reads The King Is Salvation. Jones’ Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names proposes King Of Help. And Brown Driver Briggs (BDB) Theological Dictionary settles on My King (= YHVH) Is Opulence. BDB suggests that the king-part refers to י (yod) upon which our name ends, may either create an adjective (touchy), a possessive form (my departure), or may be a remnant of the Tetragrammaton יהוה, YHVH, or Yahveh, the personal and sacred name of Father—this author emphatically disagrees with this next statement in the BDB Theological Dictionary—it may very well refer to Molech, the idol of the Ammonites. † Now from the strong’s Concordance, where we find that it is Hebrew word number: H4444, - מַלְכִּישׁוּעַ, - malkı̂yshûaי, pronounced - mal-kee-shoo’-ah, and means: From H4428 and H7769; king of wealth; Malkishua, an Israelite: - Malchishua. TotalKJV occurrences: 5.. † Now from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary, where we read: “(king of help), one of the sons of King Saul I Samuel 14:49; 31:2; I Chronicles 8:33; 9:39.”.
10:3 Philistines’ pursuit
of Saul.
I Chronicles 10:3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was wounded of the archers. —> Saul lay bleeding and dying on the battlefield, though he doesn’t die by the sword of the Philistines, rather, he is hit by the arrows of the Philistine archers. The wound is serious; if not a mortal, it’s a fatal wound.
10:4-6 “So Saul died, and”.
(Event.)
I Chronicles 10:4 Then said Saul to his armourbearer, “Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me. ” But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. So Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. —> Saul knew that if he had been caputred alive by the Philistines, they would have taken him back to one—if not all —of the Philistines’ cities and been paraded publicly in front of all the people being disrespected, disgraced, and insulted, and he didn’t want that public humiliation. So, when his Armorbearer would not kill Saul, he took matters into his own hands, and fell upon his sword, in other words, Saul committed suicide. It was one of the few instances in Father’s Word where, a suicide had taken place. Whether or not suicide is forgivable, that is completely up to Father, and we are not to judge. Sometimes an illness can cause one to do something like this—obviously, that was not the case in Saul’s case; but, as we see, he didn’t want to be abused by these Philistines while being drug through their streets.
When captured by an enemy, just about every king of any enemy, were greatly degraded, and dishonored when they fell into the hands of their foes. Saul knew that this would happen to him in this case too.
For he was sore afraid=Saul’s Armourbearer was afraid that the new king, David, or any of the other Israelites for that matter, might condemn him for following Saul’s order to slay him, without their actually having heard Saul utter order. He knew that he was answerable for his king’s life; and, for anyone to have witnessed his taking of it, would seriously put him in peril of being blamed of assisting, or secretly conspiring, and working for the enemy. Also, for those of you who don’t know, an armorbearer was much as our Presidental Secret Service members are today. It’s their job to take the bullet meant for the President, in the armorbearer’s case, he either took the sword blade, or the arrow that was meant for the king. In other words, he laid down his life trying to save his king’s.
I Chronicles 10:5 And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise on the sword, and died. —> The weight and shame of not being able to protect his master was too great for him; so, Saul’s Armourbearer followed suit of his master; and, he too, fell upon his own sword and taking his own life. Either that; or, his being totally loyal to his master compelled him to take his own life, in either case, this man too returned Home to Father.
I Chronicles 10:6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and all his house died together. —> Judgment day for Saul. Let me ask you brethren; Was it the thought of the Philistines abusing and humiliating him that caused him to take his own life? Before I answer further, let me say this first: Saul was willing to take his own life for fear of the Philistines abusing him; however, he had no shame in disregarding, disrespecting, and\or being disobedient to Father, that’s sad! When we get to verse v10:13 below, we’ll read Who really killed Saul, and why.
Dr. Bullinger notes in his Companion Notes to verse vI Samuel 31:6 in his Companion Bible the Following: “If Saul was thirty years of age when anointed, he would now be seventy; and Jonathan fifty-three or fifty-four. He also refers the reader back to his note at I Samuel 18:1 where he writes that Jonathan was about 24 years older than David.
His sons...all his house died together=This reads a little clearer in I Samuel 31:6, so, let’s read it from there: I Samuel 31:6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together. —> What the writer is saying is, that, Saul and every male in his family, in his administration, and in his army that was on the battlefield that day died with him. A Serious whooping and hurting on any army; sadly, it was our forefathers! I hope you were paying attention a moment ago when I said “all his house who were on the battlefield that day died;” as, Saul actually has two male descendants who survived after his death, they were not on the battlefield that fateful day. One was his own son, his name was Ish-bosheth, and one was his grandson, whose name was Mephibosheth, whom David will care for when he is king. Ish-bosheth, with the backing of David’s nephew, Joab, will try to usurp the throne from David by setting up a puppet kingdom with Ish-bosheth as king.
10:7 Flight of Israel.
I Chronicles 10:7 And when all the men of Israel that were in the valley saw that they fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, then they forsook their cities, and fled: and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. —> Again, this reads clearer in I Samuel 31:7, so, let’s read it from there: I Samuel 31:7 And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. —>
Were on the other side of the valley... other side of the Jordan=Don’t let this fool you brethren as, it does not mean on the East side of the Jordan River, it means those Israelites who were in Gilboa to the Jordan river.
Anyway, when they saw that their king — Saul, his three sons, and all the men who were with him were now dead, they abandoned everything: — possessions, land, you name it; and, they ran as hard and as fast as their legs could carry them, where they stopped, I cannot say; heck, I cannot even say what happened to their wives and children. Once fear sets in and takes hold, it’s extremely hard to quell; and, that’s exactly what happened here. Father put the fear into the Israelites hearts, and, they ran, just as hard and as fast as they could, forsaking everything—including their homes, vineyards, olive-yards, wells and such—as they went. It’s sort of ironic, because when Father brought them into the Promised Land, He gave them, all these homes and possessions, and now they are fleeing and leaving them, and, the Philistines and heathen are taking them back.
10:8-12 Philistines’
indignities to Saul.
I Chronicles 10:8 And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen in mount Gilboa. —> The next day, when the Philistines came to desecrate and loot the dead bodies of the Israelites, they were as shocked as anybody to find that, they killed the king of Israel and his sons.
Desecration of the bodies as they lie on the battlefield after the fight was a common practice during this time period. It consisted of the removal of personal items such as jewelry, monies and the like; but, also, as we’ll read in a momant, if they happened to kill the king; and, that king had been oppressing them, then they defiled his body as well as taking his crown, sword, armour and such, as was the case with Saul. However, we discover by reading II Samuel 1, somebody else had already gotten to Saul’s dead body.
I Chronicles 10:9 And when they had stripped him, they took his head, and his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry tidings unto their idols, and to the people. —>
Saul’s fear actually came to pass with his dead body as, the Philistines took take great pleasure in abusing and violently molesting it by, cutting off his head and sending it throughout all the Philistine cities, and as we’ll see in a minute, once done passing it around, they then hung it in the house of dagon, their false god.
Yeah, the Philistines were proud of their prised possession, and they proudly showed all their peoples that, they had finally had the victory over their arch enemy — the Israelites—our forefathers. Notice also brethren, that, they took Saul’s head—or more correctly stated, his skull—and, fastened it to the wall in the house of dagon. It won’t last long though as, David and his army we have the victory over the Philistines and recover Saul’s head, his armor and every other artifact that these heathen looted.
Want some humorous irony? When the Philistines had captured Father’s Ark in I Samuel 5; and, had taken it and put it in the house of dagon — their false god. When they came to view their prized possession the next day, dagon the fish god was laying on it’s side — fallen over; so, they stood it back on its feet. The next day, when they again came to view their prized possession of Father’ Ark, again, dagon was fallen over—it reminds me of the old commercial: help I’ve fallen and I can’t get up, lol—only this time, dagon’s head was broken off — now, it’s Saul’s head which is no longer attached to it’s body — that’s humorous irony.
I Chronicles 10:10 And they put his armour in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon. —> Again, let’s turn to I Samuel 31 to read what was stated there: I Samuel 31:10 And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. —> As we see, it’s somewhat different. This shows us that, the 2 books—Samuel are Chronicles—and accounts are independent, supplementary, and complimentary.
So, let’s discuss the differences: First off, here in I Chronicles 10, the verse states that Saul’s armor was taken and placed in the house of their gods, which we see from I Samuel 31 was ashtaroth, and secondly, here the verse states that his head was fastened in the temple of dagon; whereas, in I Samuel 31, it states that, they “fastened his body to the wall of beth-shan.” So, what did the Philistines really do? They placed his armor in the house of ashtaroth. Let’s take a deeper look to find out what\who ashtaroth was; for, when we do and look more closely at this word, we find that, in the Strong’s Concordance, it is Hebrew word number: H6252, - עשׁתּרת, or עשׁתּרות, - ‛ashtârôth, or ‛ashtârôth, pronounced - ash-taw-roth’, or ash-taw-roth’, and means: Plural of H6251; Ashtaroth, the name of a Sidonian deity, and of a place East of the Jordan: - Ashtaroth, Astaroth. See also H1045; H6253; or H6255. Now, let,s see what the Smith’s Bible Dictionary has to say: “Ashtaroth, and once, in Deuteronomy 1:4, As'taroth (a star), is a city on the east of Jordan in Bashan, in the kingdom of Og, doubtless so called from being a seat of the worship of the goddess of the same name Deuteronomy 1:4; Joshua 9:10; 12:4; and 13:12.”. Now, let’s look at H1045, then H6253, and then, H6255: H1045, - בּית עשׁתּרות, - beyth ‛ashtârôth, pronounced - bayth ash-taw-roth,, and means: From H1004 and H6252, - house of Ashtoreths; Beth-Ashtaroth, a place in Palestine: - house of Ashtaroth. Compare H1203, H6252.. Now, H6253, - עשׁתּרת, - ‛ashtôreth, pronounced - ash-to,-reth’, and means: Probably for H6251; Ashtoreth, the Phoenician goddess of love (and increase): - Ashtoreth., and finally: H6255, - עשׁתּרת קרנים, - ‛ashterôth qarnayim, pronounced - ash-ter-oth, kar-nah,-yim’, and means: From H6252 and the dual of H7161; ashtaroth of (the) double horns; (a symbol of the deity), Ashteroth Karnaim, a place East of the Jordan: - Ashtoreth Karnaim.. It is from this word ashtaroth, that the basis of the word “easter”—the pagan spring celebration—is derived from. See the “feast of Ishtar,” which is a heathen religious sexual form; and, sadly, Christians—in ignorance, because that is what they have been taught since childhood—have taken the word “Passover” and substituted “easter” in it’s place, and mixed-in all the traditions of the feast of Ishtar—the rolling of eggs, and bunnies, and bright spring clothing, and candy and such—right along with Passover. Here is the problem though; Passover and the feast of Ishtar DO NOT mix. Sadly, Christian’s today just don’t know what part is of Christ and what part is from the sex religious orgies of easter. Most Churches follow their traditions and believe that it just doesn’t matter to God what they do, so long as, they remember Christ’s crucifixion at the same time. Sorry, Father does care; so, throw your traditions out and come back to Father’s Word and celebrate His Passover. So, this is where the Philistines put Saul’s armour — in the house of ashtaroth, where they hold their orgies in worship to their false god ashtoreth.
Let’s now look at what they did with his body and head. As we read above, one verse states that they fastened his head in the temple of dagon, and one verse states that they fastened his body to the wall in Beth-shan. So, what did they really do? They took his head and passed it throughout all their cities, and into all the towns of each of the Philistine lords, where at each location, they put it in the house of their gods—lower case “g”— sort of like a trophy display; thus giving credit to their gods and idols for the victory over their arch enemy the Israelites, and then, once had been passed all around, they took his head and his body and fastened them in the temple of dagon which was in Beth-shan. I don’t know about you brethren; but, I’ve smelled dead rotting corpses and they stink; so, I don’t think I would have wanted to view\smell his head, nor would I have wanted it and his body in the house of my god, where I go to worship.
I Chronicles 10:11 And when all Jabesh-gilead (dry; and; dry) (yaw-bashe’) heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, —> The inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead were part of our forefathers, they were of the Tribe of Benjamin. Remember, Saul was from the Tribe of Benjamin; so, that makes these people of Jabesh-gilead Saul’s relatives; and they didn’t like hearing what the philistines had done to their king and relative whom they had much respect and love for and it made them extremely angry. So, what are they going to do about it? Before Father’s Word and I answer that, there are two things we must consider: (1) When Saul had first been made king over the House of Israel, it was the people from Jabesh-gilead who Saul first gave assistance to. Why did they need assistance? Because, as we read in I Samuel 11, Nahash the Ammonite had come and encamped against Jabesh and the Benjamites. Let’s turn there and read of it: I Samuel 11:3 And the elders of Jabesh said unto him (Nahash the Ammonite), “Give us seven days’ respite, that we may send messengers unto all the coasts of Israel: and then, if there be no man to save us, we will come out to thee.” —> These Benjamites tell Nahash that before they’ll agree to those terms, they first want to consult with the rest of the Tribes, to see whether they too will agree to this. Nahash is hoping they will agree to have their right eye plucked out; However, either way, he is about to test the strength and resolve of the israelite’s new, man king. Remember, in the last Chapter, I Samuel 10:9, Father had given Saul a new mind, or heart, so, now he has the courage to go with his height. I Samuel 11:4 Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and told the tidings in the ears of the people: and all the people lifted up their voices, and wept. —> Lifted up their voice and wept=I have a hard time with these cowards weeping, for this is not the time for weeping, as the enemy is at the gate of the city; therefore, it’s time for action. Remember, Father had already given them victory after victory when He brought them into the Promised Land, and now they’re weeping the very first time they have a man king—this is supposedly what they wanted —a man king to lead lead them into battle. Gibeah was that small community that was wiped out some two hundred years prior for their in-actions against sodomy brethren, we too are close to being wiped out for our inaction against sodomy—it was only 4 years ago, in June of 2103 that our Supreme Court ruled that sodomy is good and should be rewarded with federal funds—and this was the community that was reformed after the first community was destroyed. This is also Saul’s birthplace, and the place where his family lives. I Samuel 11:5 And, behold, Saul came after the herd out of the field; and Saul said, “What aileth the people that they weep?” And they told him the tidings of the men of Jabesh. —> Saul was out in his fields with his herds when the messengers from Jabesh arrived; so, he had no idea that Nahash was about to come against the House of Israel, or his trying to test their new king’s resolve. As soon as he returns, he notices, but doesn’t understand the “why,” for all the people crying because of the proposed covenant, so he asks. He is then told of Nahash and his proposal. What will he do? Will he muster up the courage; or, will he cow to Nahash, and then, from this day forward, rely on the Ammonites to be their defenses? I Samuel 11:6 And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly. —> And the Spirit of God came upon Saul=Father wasn’t going to take any chances with His People, He immediately placed His Spirit—ruach—upon Saul in order for him to have the intestinal and testicular fortitude to stand against this aggression of Nahash and the Ammonites. I Samuel 11:7 And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, “Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen.” And the fear of the LORD fell on the People, and they came out with one consent. —> Saul did the correct thing by cutting and dividing—hewing—this oxen for two reasons: (1) he knew by his statement of his “cutting theirs if they didn’t show-up,” that he'd be getting into their wallets, and no man wants that; and (2) it also would assist in their no longer being able to provide for themselves. I Samuel 11:8 And when he numbered them in Bezek (lightening), the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. —> Children of Israel...men of Judah=Here, we have the start of the dividing of the two Houses of Israel: House of Israel—ten tribes to include Reuben, Simeon, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Ephraim and half of Manasseh, with a sprinkling of Levi—the priesthood—and House of Judah — two tribes to include Judah and, Benjamin, with half of Manasseh and a sprinkling of the Levites. I Samuel 11:9 And they said unto the messengers that came, “Thus shall ye say unto the men of Jabesh-gilead, ‘To morrow, by that time the sun be hot, ye shall have help.’” And the messengers came and shewed it to the men of Jabesh; and they were glad. —> Help=
Deliverance, or salvation. And they were glad=Yeah, I bet they were happy that their man king was mustering the troops and going to come to their rescue. They wouldn’t have to wait long either for as the messengers had told them—by that time the sun be hot—the army will be there ready to fight.; and, (2)—from before I Samuel 11:3—Remember also brethren, that, as we read in Judges 19, the Benjamites inhabited Gibeah, and when the Levite, his servant and his concubine were returning from retrieving his concubine from her father’s house in Bethlehem-Judah, they stopped overnight in Gibeah, an old man returned home from work and told the Levite and his company that they were not safe on the street and he took them into his home for the night. Sure enough, the men of belial came and “wanted to know” the Levite. The older man and the Levite instead, sent out the Levite’s concubine, and the men of belial abused her all night until she died. When the Levite returned home, bring her dead body with him, he then cut her in pieces and sent a piece to each of the twelve tribes declaring war on the inhabitants of Gibeah. Sadly, the Benjamites sided with the sodomites of Gibeah, and, against Father and morality, and, therefore, were enjoined to war against the House of Israel. Ultimately, the Benjamites were on the losing side in this little war; and, were left with only 600 men — no women or children. The Israelites had to re-build the Tribe of Benjamin with their own daughters, though, not by out-right giving them to the 600 men. It was from these 600 that Saul came from.
Jabesh-gilead=Jabesh-gilead was a dry, rocky region, which lie on the east side of the Jordan River. It sat a top of one of the green hills of Gilead, within the limits of the half tribe of Manasseh, as well as the tribes of Gad and Reuben who chose to stay on the east side of the Jordan River because it had excellent pasture lands which could sustain all their livestock; and, it was in full view of city of Beth-shan. † It was famous for several incidents in our forefathers history: (1) As we read in Judges 19, our forefathers of the Tribe of Benjamin had sided with the sodomites who had raped, abused, and murdered a Levite’s concubine after the Levite refused to come out in order for the sodomites “to know him.” The Levite took his dead concubine’s dead body back to his house, cut it into 12 pieces which he sent to all the Tribes of the House of Israel, as a declaration of war against the sodomites. As I said, the men of the Tribe of Benjamin refused to side with the other tribes; therefore, our forefathers—without first seeking Father, or His counsel—waged war against the sodomites and the people of the Tribe of Benjamin. After several engagements and battles in which the larger army suffered some serious tail-kicking, they finally got the better of the sodomites and Benjamites, slaughtering every man, woman and child, save for 600 men. After the battle was over—as read in Judges 21—the larger army took stock to see if there were any of the People of the House of Israel who did not participate in this engagement, and they found that there were none from Jabesh-gilead. The Most likely the reason for some of these to have not shown up was, because, they were up in the hills of this region and probably didn’t get the word concerning the war. But, again, without first seeking Father or His counsel, they gathered a 12,000 strong army to go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead, and they again slaughtered every man, woman and child, save for 400 virgin women. So, to re-establish the 600 men of the Tribe of Benjamin as a Tribe, they gave them the 400 virgins who they spared, plus they had to devise a plan to give up 200 of their own daughters.; (2) Jabesh-gilead was also the city—as read in the accounting in I Samuel 11—which Nahash the Ammonite came against, right after Israel’s first man king had been anointed and crowned king. Saul had happened to be out in the field when Nahash had come against his relatives, the Benjamites, and fear had set in; so, the Benjamites decided to try and make a covenant with Nahash, who replied that, he would only do so, if, they allowed the right eye of every man to be plucked out. The Benjamites, responded that, they first had to seek the agreement of every man. When they had gathered every man to discuss the terms of the covenant, Saul returned from the field; so, they told Saul, who, upon hearing of this, Father’s Spirit filled him and he went and took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel, saying, “Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen.” And the fear of Father came on all the People, and they came out with one accord at sunrise the next morning and slew all the Ammonites. † The etymology of the name Jabesh-gilead and all its variants come from the verb יבש (yabesh), meaning to be or become dry: For a meaning of the name Jabesh, New Open Bible Study Edition (NOBSE) Study Bible Name List reads Dry. Jones’ Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names offers Dry or Arid. † Now from the Strong’s Concordance, where we find that it is Hebrew word number: H3003, - יָבֵשׁ or יָבֵישׁ, - yâbêsh or yâbêysh, pronounced - yaw-bashe’ or yaw-bashe’, and means: From the same as H3002; dry; (Also, often with the addition of H1568, i.e. Jabesh of Gilad); Jabesh, the name of an Israelite and of a place in Palestine: - Jabesh ([-Gilead]). Total KJV occurrences: 24.. † Now from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary, where we read: “(Dry). Jabesh-gilead, or Jabesh in the territory of Gilead. In its widest sense Gilead included the half tribe of Manasseh I Chronicles 27:21, as well as the tribes of Gad and Reuben Numbers 32:1-42, east of the Jordan; and of the cities of Gilead, Jabesh was the chief. It is first mentioned in Judges 21:8-14. Being attacked subsequently by Nahash the Ammonite, it gave Saul an opportunity of displaying his prowess in its defence I Samuel 11:1-15. Eusebius places it beyond the Jordan, six miles from Pella on the mountain road to Gerasa; where its name is probably preserved in the Wady Yabes.”.
I Chronicles 10:12 They arose, all the valiant men, and took away the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted seven days. —> Let’s again turn to I Samuel 31 to read what was said there: I Samuel 31:12 All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there. [31:13] And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days. —> All the valiant men=I guess it took seeing the body of the king, a fellow Benjamite, being abused, before these Benjamites of Jabesh-gilead finally found some courage; however, now that they are riled, they are some fierce warriors. Also, this statement shows us that at least some of the Benjamites have gained some courage since the time of Nahash, as, there weren’t any who stood against him when he encamped against them several years ago.
Took the body of Saul and his sons...burned them there=Don’t let anybody tell you that it is against Father to be cremated; as, we have here in this verse, record of the first recorded cremation in Father’s Word. There is nothing wrong with cremation, in most cases, it saves the relatives of the deceased one a lot of money, as, the cost\price of a funeral, casket, and burial gets to be quite expensive. Remember also, the soul of the dead one is already back Home with Father; so, it’s not like you’d be burning that soul when you cremate your loved one. There is only One Who has the power to incinerate the soul and that is Father, and even then, that will not happen until the Great White Throne Judgment after Jesus’ 1,000 year Millennial Reign. But, that is exactly what will happen to those who do not accept during Jesus’ Millennium; their soul will be consumed by Father — Who is that consuming fire as can be read in Hebrews 12:29.
Took their bones=After burning their desecrated, dead bodies, the men of Jabesh-gilead took Saul and his son’s remains and buried them under an Oak tree in Jabesh; so, that, they would know forever where their “deliverer” rested. I say deliverer because, to the men of Jabesh, that is exactly what Saul was; because, he had delivered them from the hand of Nahash—whose name by the way, means, serpent—who wanted to put them and all Israel in bondage as we read in verse I samuel 11:2; see, just like “the serpent — satan” — he didn’t want to just put the people of Jabesh into bondage, he wanted to put everybody—all the House of Israel—into bondage to serve him, just like satan wants. Father is going to—and has already, for that matter—anointed another man to be king; he will also be a type of deliverer, and it will be through and from him that, the “True Deliverer” will come.
Seven days=This is the law of consecration and purification — seven being in Biblical Numerics, the number representing Spiritual Completeness and Perfection. We read in Ezekiel 44 that during the Millennium, when one of Father’s Elect—goes to one of their loved ones instructing them to “get their act together”—leaves the Temple, and has been near a dead body—spiritually dead that is—and are therefore unclean, they must go through a seven day purification period before being able to come near unto Christ.
10:13 “So Saul died, for.”
(Reason.)
I Chronicles 10:13 So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; —>
For=Here in this Book of the Chronicles we read the reason for Saul’s death; whereas, in I Samuel 31 we only read of the event, thus again, showing us, and reminding us, that, the two Books are completely independent, supplementary, and complimentary of each other.
His transgression=The word “Transgression” used here, means, disobedience. What was Saul’s disobedience? He disobeyed Father by seeking counsel of the familiar spirit, thus showing his faithless defection from Father.
LORD=Here, Father ensured the scribe used Himself—upper case “H;” indicating, Father, not the scribe—in His role\title Tetragrammaton יהוה, YHVH, or Yahveh, in other words, the personal and sacred name of our Father. Not אלהים, Elohim, denoting the genus God, in other words, Father in His Role of Creator, of all things.
10:14 “So Saul died, for.”
(Reason.)
I Chronicles 10:14 And enquired not of the LORD: therefore He slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse. —> What a yuge change and difference this will be as, Saul had only sought after the ways of satan; whereas, David—as we’ll quickly discover—will seek after the ways of our Father, YHVH. David will set the shining example for each of our lives—yes, David will make his mistakes, he’ll sin, we all do, but—we too need to be like David and learn to lean on Father, and trust in our Lord Jesus Christ to lift the burden of life from off our shoulders. The choices we make every day in our lives, determine the direction and course that our life will go. One is Father’s way, and eternal life; the other is, the ways of satan; which only leads to the destruction of our soul. The choice is your’s; and, you’s alone. Choose wisely my friend!
Nov 2017
This Bible Study was written by Scott Reis and is provided in order to be used as a private Bible Study Tool. Therefore, it may be copied in whole or in part and shared for private Bible Study; however, it may not be reproduced and published as an original work.
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