Saul’s Faith Fails

A search of I Samuel 13:8-23 {KJV, NKJV (New King James Version)}:

Saul waited for seven days on Samuel to arrive in Gilgal at an appointed set time.  Saul’s people were leaving him.  Saul’s faith failed through his impatience as he turned from following the Lord’s commandment and offered a burnt-offering.  “And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt-offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him.  And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash; Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the Lord: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt-offering.  And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.  But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee” (vs. 10-14, KJV).

Samuel left Gilgal for Gibeah of Benjamin.  Saul counted six hundred people that remained with him.  These remaining people, Saul and his son, Jonathan, lived in Gibeah of Benjamin.  The Philistines camped in Michmash.

“And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned unto the way that leadeth to Ophrah, unto the land of Shual: And another company turned the way to Beth-horon: and another company turned to the way of the border that looketh to the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness” (vs. 17,18,KJV).

“Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears.”  But all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each man’s plowshare, his mattock, his ax, and his sickle; and the charge for a sharpening was a pim for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, and to set the points of the goads.  So it came about, on the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan.  But they were found with Saul and Jonathan his son.  And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash” (vs.19-23, NKJV).