“All Israel heard that Shaul had assassinated the governor of the P’lishtim and thus made Israel a stench in the nostrils of the P’lishtim. So the people rallied behind Sha’ul in Gilgal; while the P’lishtim assembled themselves together to make war on Isra’el — 30,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen, and an army as large as the number of sand grains on the seashore. They came up and pitched camp at Mikhmas, east of Beit-Aven.”-1 Samuel 13:4-5
Jonathan’s ballsy assassination of the governor at Geva had its intended effect.
The Philistines viewed this as an open declaration of war and not some isolated act of terror committed by a local group of dissatisfied Hebrew rebels.
They were going to hold King Saul responsible.
Therefore, as the Philistines gathered up their soldiers to take vengeance, the citizens of Israel realized they had no choice but to go to war.
We’re told the people rallied behind Saul at Gilgal.
Why Gilgal?
Recall that before Jerusalem, Gilgal was the official holy location of God and His priesthood.
It was the norm for the Israelites to gather at their holiest spot and seek God’s blessing before going to war.
It wouldn’t be until the time of King David that Jerusalem became Israel’s official holy city.
Next, let’s turn our attention to verse 5.
It says the Philistines brought 30,000 chariots to the battlefield.
I’ll tell you right now this is a copyist error.
Why can I say this with such confidence?
Because there weren’t even 30,000 chariots on all of planet Earth at this time.
Heck, you could knock a zero off that figure bringing the number down to 3,000, and it would still be a stretch.
Remember, Philistia was not a big nation.
No one knows for sure how many chariots they possessed in total, but it certainly wasn’t 30,000.
Nevertheless, they still posed a formidable threat to Israel’s militia who were only a large group of farmers turned soldiers.
Plus, it wasn’t just chariots the Philistines brought to the battlefield.
They also had a large number of troops on horses, not to mention their army of foot soldiers as well.
Onward.
Take a look at the phrase “as many as the grains of sand on the seashore”.
Whether we’re speaking about Gentiles, Israelites, or worshippers of the Lord in general, whenever you see this Biblical phrase, understand it’s simply a Middle Eastern idiom that means “a whopping HUGE amount”.
It’s not referring to some infinitely huge number that’s impossible to calculate.
Alright, so what takeaway do I feel the Lord impressing upon my heart today?
The following verse is speaking to me:
“So the people rallied behind Sha’ul in Gilgal; while the P’lishtim assembled themselves together to make war on Israel”.
Notice how the Israelites responded to the Philistines who had assembled to make war against them.
They didn’t go into a panic and start scrambling around like a bunch of chickens whose heads had just been cut off.
No, they calmly gathered at their holiest place to seek God’s blessing and direction before engaging with the enemy.
There’s a lesson there, don’t you think?
When facing a challenge, instead of being reactive, take control of your emotions, go to a quiet place, and seek the Lord in prayer about the most suitable course of action to take.
Ya feel me?
I’ll leave you with that today.
Leave a Reply