13:1 掃羅登基年四十歲；作以色列王二年的時候，
13:2 就從以色列中揀選了三千人：二千跟隨掃羅在密抹和伯特利山，一千跟隨約拿單在便雅憫的基比亞；其餘的人掃羅都打發各回各家去了。
13:3 約拿單攻擊在迦巴的非利士人的防營，非利士人聽見了。掃羅就在遍地吹角，意思說，要使希伯來人聽見。
13:4 以色列眾人聽見掃羅攻擊非利士人的防營，又聽見以色列人為非利士人所憎惡，就跟隨掃羅聚集在吉甲。
13:5 非利士人聚集，要與以色列人爭戰，有車三萬輛，馬兵六千，步兵像海邊的沙那樣多，就上來在伯‧亞文東邊的密抹安營。
13:6 以色列百姓見自己危急窘迫，就藏在山洞、叢林、石穴、隱密處，和坑中。
13:7 有些希伯來人過了約旦河，逃到迦得和基列地。掃羅還是在吉甲，百姓都戰戰兢兢地跟隨他。
13:8 掃羅照著撒母耳所定的日期等了七日。撒母耳還沒有來到吉甲，百姓也離開掃羅散去了。
13:9 掃羅說：「把燔祭和平安祭帶到我這裡來。」掃羅就獻上燔祭。
13:10 剛獻完燔祭，撒母耳就到了。掃羅出去迎接他，要問他好。
13:11 撒母耳說：「你做的是甚麼事呢？」掃羅說：「因為我見百姓離開我散去，你也不照所定的日期來到，而且非利士人聚集在密抹。
13:12 所以我心裡說：恐怕我沒有禱告耶和華。非利士人下到吉甲攻擊我，我就勉強獻上燔祭。」
13:13 撒母耳對掃羅說：「你做了糊塗事了，沒有遵守耶和華─你上帝所吩咐你的命令。若遵守，耶和華必在以色列中堅立你的王位，直到永遠。
13:14 現在你的王位必不長久。耶和華已經尋著一個合他心意的人，立他作百姓的君，因為你沒有遵守耶和華所吩咐你的。」
13:15 撒母耳就起來，從吉甲上到便雅憫的基比亞。掃羅數點跟隨他的，約有六百人。
13:16 掃羅和他兒子約拿單，並跟隨他們的人，都住在便雅憫的迦巴；但非利士人安營在密抹。
13:17 有掠兵從非利士營中出來，分為三隊：一隊往俄弗拉向書亞地去，
13:18 一隊往伯‧和崙去，一隊往洗波音谷對面的地境向曠野去。
13:19 那時，以色列全地沒有一個鐵匠；因為非利士人說，恐怕希伯來人製造刀槍。
13:20 以色列人要磨鋤、犁、斧、鏟，就下到非利士人那裡去磨。
13:21 但有銼可以銼鏟、犁、三齒叉、斧子，並趕牛錐。
13:22 所以到了爭戰的日子，跟隨掃羅和約拿單的人沒有一個手裡有刀有槍的，惟獨掃羅和他兒子約拿單有。
13:23 非利士人的一隊防兵到了密抹的隘口。
Saul was thirty years old when he
became king, and he reigned over Israel forty- two years.
2 Saul
chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand were with him at Mikmash and
in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in
Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes.
3 Jonathan
attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it.
Then Saul had the trumpet blown throughout the land and said, “Let the Hebrews
hear!” 4 So all Israel heard the news: “Saul has attacked the
Philistine outpost, and now Israel has become obnoxious to the Philistines.”
And the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.
5 The
Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand[c] chariots,
six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore.
They went up and camped at Mikmash, east of Beth Aven. 6 When
the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and that their army was
hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and
cisterns. 7 Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of
Gad and Gilead.
Saul
remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. 8 He
waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal,
and Saul’s men began to scatter. 9 So he said, “Bring me the
burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt
offering. 10 Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel
arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.
11 “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 Mikmash, 12 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.”
13 “You
have done a foolish thing,” 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. 14 But
now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord
has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people,
because you have not kept the Lord’s
command.”
15 Then
Samuel left Gilgal and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin, and Saul counted the men
who were with him. They numbered about six hundred.
16 Saul
and his son Jonathan and the men with them were staying in Gibeah in Benjamin,
while the Philistines camped at Mikmash. 17 Raiding parties
went out from the Philistine camp in three detachments. One turned toward
Ophrah in the vicinity of Shual, 18 another toward Beth Horon,
and the third toward the borderland overlooking the Valley of Zeboyim facing
the wilderness.
19 Not
a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the
Philistines had said, “Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!” 20 So
all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plow points, mattocks,
axes and sickles sharpened. 21 The price was two-thirds of a
shekel[g] for
sharpening plow points and mattocks, and a third of a shekel[h] for
sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads.
22 So
on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or
spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.
23 Now
a detachment of Philistines had gone out to the pass at Mikmash.
***************
掃羅在這裡開始顯現他的狂妄，和自以為是，因為他是國王並不是祭司，更不是像撒母耳是拿細耳人，或是從小受到祭司職務的訓練，竟然自己獻起燔祭和平安祭來，正如經文的描述：掃羅照著撒母耳所定的日期等了七日。撒母耳還沒有來到吉甲，百姓也離開掃羅散去了。掃羅說：「把燔祭和平安祭帶到我這裡來。」掃羅就獻上燔祭。
這完全不尊重專業，套現在的話說！他以為他是君王，自己想做什麼就可以做甚麼！他甚是不知獻祭的程序，更是不知道要怎樣獻祭，怎麼可以做這事呢？真是膽大妄為！他可能不知道這樣做，已經得罪上帝了！所以，撒母耳對他說：「「你做了糊塗事了，沒有遵守耶和華─你上帝所吩咐你的命令。若遵守，耶和華必在以色列中堅立你的王位，直到永遠。現在你的王位必不長久。耶和華已經尋著一個合他心意的人，立他作百姓的君，因為你沒有遵守耶和華所吩咐你的。」
這是一件很可惜的事情！上帝是輕慢不得的，就像亞倫的兒子拿答、亞比戶各拿自己的香爐，盛上火，加上香，在耶和華面前獻上凡火，是耶和華沒有吩咐他們的，就有火從耶和華面前出來，把他們燒滅，他們就死在耶和華面前。(利未記10:1-2)希伯來書的作者也警告說：「因為我們的上帝乃是烈火。」(希伯來書12:29)
掃羅後來的情況真的越來越糟，這也是今日教會的警戒，我們一定要按照上帝的話而行，不可以任意妄為！因為上帝的啟示已經完全了，就是在聖經，不需要再有任何的先知受感來說話了！而長老教會有很好的屬靈資產，就是《韋斯敏斯特信條》，第一章是論聖經，第1節說到：「本性之光與創造護理之工，雖彰顯上帝的善良、智慧和權能，叫人無可推諉；但都不足以將得救所必須的，有關上帝及其旨意的知識賜予人。所以上帝願意多次多方將自己啟示給他的教會，並向教會宣佈他的旨意；以後，為了更加保守並傳揚真理的緣故，而且為了更堅立教會，安慰教會，抵擋肉體的敗壞，並撒但與世界的惡意起見，遂將全部啟示筆之於書。於是，上帝先前向他百姓啟示自己旨意的方法已經停止，故聖經成為我們最必要的。」
第二節更指明：「在聖經，或筆之於書的上帝之言的名義下，包括舊新約全書，即舊約卅九卷，新約廿七卷（書名於此從略）。這些書都是出於上帝的默示，為信仰與生活的準則。」
親愛的弟兄姊妹，求主幫助，讓我們不要再走掃羅任意妄為的路，好好研讀聖經，照聖經的教導而行，尊基督為大，一生一世為榮耀上帝而活！將來，我們必靠基督的恩典，進入上帝榮耀的國中，與基督一同做王到永遠！
