1st SAMUEL CHAPTERS 14-15 Saul and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering. Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him. “What have you done?” asked Samuel. Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Micmash, I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the LORD’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.” “You acted foolishly,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command.”
1 JAMES TISSOT "Saul Sacrifices the Oxen"
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5 "The Sacrifice of Saul"
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7 JULIUS SCHNORR VON CAROLSFELD "God Rejects Saul"
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One day Jonathan son of Saul said to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But he did not tell his father. Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah. With him were about six hundred men. No one was aware that Jonathan had left. Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. NOTHING CAN HINDER THE LORD FROM SAVING, WHETHER BY MANY OR BY FEW. “We will cross over toward the men and let them see us. If they say to us, ‘Wait there until we come to you,’ we will stay where we are and not go up to them. But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the LORD has given them into our hands.” So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine outpost. The men of the outpost shouted, “Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.” So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Climb up after me; THE LORD HAS GIVEN THEM INTO THE HAND OF ISRAEL.” Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him. In that first attack Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre.
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"Jonathan and His Armor Bearer Climb toward a Philistine Position"
13 "Jonathan Defying the Outposts of the Philistines"
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17 "Jonathan and the Philistines"
18 "Jonathan and His Armor Bearer"
19 "Jonathan and His Armour-Bearer"
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Then panic struck the whole army—those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding parties—and the ground shook. IT WAS A PANIC SENT BY GOD. Saul’s lookouts saw the army melting away in all directions. Then Saul and all his men assembled and went to the battle. They found the Philistines in total confusion, striking each other with their swords. So the LORD rescued Israel that day. Now the men of Israel were in distress that day, because Saul had bound the people under an oath, saying, “Cursed be any man who eats food before evening comes, before I have avenged myself on my enemies!” So none of the troops tasted food. The entire army entered the woods, and there was honey on the ground. When they went into the woods, they saw the honey oozing out, yet no one put his hand to his mouth, because they feared the oath. But Jonathan had not heard that his father had bound the people with the oath, so he reached out the end of his staff and dipped it into the honeycomb. He raised his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened.
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Saul asked God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into Israel’s hand?” But God did not answer him that day. Saul therefore said, “Let us find out what sin has been committed today. Even if it lies with my son Jonathan, he must die.” Then Saul prayed to the LORD, the God of Israel, “Give me the right answer.” And Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot, and the men were cleared. Saul said, “Cast the lot between me and Jonathan my son.” And Jonathan was taken. Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” So Jonathan told him, “I merely tasted a little honey with the end of my staff. And now must I die?” Saul said, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you do not die, Jonathan.” But the men said to Saul, “Should Jonathan die — he who has brought about this great deliverance in Israel? Never! As surely as the LORD lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he did this today with God’s help.” So the men rescued Jonathan, and he was not put to death. Then Saul stopped pursuing the Philistines, and they withdrew to their own land. Samuel said to Saul, “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them.’ ” Then Saul attacked the Amalekites. He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed. Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel: “I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul. Samuel said, “Why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD? Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? TO OBEY IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.” Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites.” Agag came to him confidently, thinking, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.” But Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so will your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel put Agag to death before the LORD.
24 JOHN SINGLETON COPLEY "Saul Reproved by Samuel"
25 GUSTAVE DORÉ "Death of Agag"
26 JAMES TISSOT "Samuel Slays Agag"
27 "Samuel Kills Agag"
28 "Samuel Kills Agag"
29 OTTO ELLIGER "Samuel Kills Agag"
30 ROMBOUT VAN TROYEN "Samuel Killing Agag, King of the Amalekites"
31 "Samuel Slays Agag"
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33 GERARD HOET "Samuel Chops Agag to Pieces"
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