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<p>Here, 1. Samuel departs in displeasure. Saul has set up for himself, and now he is left to himself: <i>Samuel gat him from Gilgal</i> (<a class="bibleref" title="1Sam.13.15" href="/passage/?search=1Sam.13.15">1 Sam. 13:15</a>), and it does not appear that he either prayed with Saul or directed him. Yet in going up to Gibeah of Benjamin, which was Saul’s city, he intimated that he had not quite abandoned him, but waited to do him a kindness another time. Or he went to the college of the prophets there, to pray for Saul when he did not think fit to pray with him. 2. Saul goes after him to Gibeah, and there musters his army, and finds his whole number to be but 600 men, <a class="bibleref" title="1Sam.13.15,1Sam.13.16" href="/passage/?search=1Sam.13.15,1Sam.13.16"><span class="bibleref" title="1Sam.13.15">1 Sam. 13:15</span>, <span class="bibleref" title="1Sam.13.16">16</span></a>. Thus were they for their sin <i>diminished and brought low</i>. 3. The Philistines ravage the country, and put all the adjacent parts under contribution. The body of their army, or standing camp (as it is called in the margin, <a class="bibleref" title="1Sam.13.23" href="/passage/?search=1Sam.13.23">1 Sam. 13:23</a>), lay in an advantageous pass at Michmash, but thence they sent out three separate parties or detachments that took several ways, to plunder the country, and bring in provisions for the army, <a class="bibleref" title="1Sam.13.17,1Sam.13.18" href="/passage/?search=1Sam.13.17,1Sam.13.18"><span class="bibleref" title="1Sam.13.17">1 Sam. 13:17</span>, <span class="bibleref" title="1Sam.13.18">18</span></a>. By these the land of Israel was both terrified and impoverished, and the Philistines were animated and enriched. This the sin of Israel brought upon them, <a class="bibleref" title="Isa.42.24" href="/passage/?search=Isa.42.24">Isa. 42:24</a>. 4. The Israelites that take the field with Saul are unarmed, having only slings and clubs, not a sword or spear among them all, except what Saul and Jonathan themselves have, <a class="bibleref" title="1Sam.13.19,1Sam.13.22" href="/passage/?search=1Sam.13.19,1Sam.13.22"><span class="bibleref" title="1Sam.13.19">1 Sam. 13:19</span>, <span class="bibleref" title="1Sam.13.22">22</span></a>. See here, (1.) How politic the Philistines were, when they had power in their hands, and did what they pleased in Israel. They put down all the smiths’ shops, transplanted the smiths into their own country, and forbade any Israelite, under severe penalties, to exercise the trade or mystery of working in brass or iron, though they had rich mines of both (<a class="bibleref" title="Deut.8.9" href="/passage/?search=Deut.8.9">Deut. 8:9</a>) in such plenty that it was said of Asher, <i>his shoes shall be iron and brass</i>, <a class="bibleref" title="Deut.33.25" href="/passage/?search=Deut.33.25">Deut. 33:25</a>. This was subtilely done of the Philistines, for hereby they not only prevented the people of Israel from making themselves weapons of war (by which they would be both disused to military exercises and unfurnished when there was occasion), but obliged them to a dependence upon them even for the instruments of husbandry; they must go to them, that is, to some or other of their garrisons, which were dispersed in the country, to have all their iron-work done, and no more might an Israelite do than use a file (<a class="bibleref" title="1Sam.13.20,1Sam.13.21" href="/passage/?search=1Sam.13.20,1Sam.13.21"><span class="bibleref" title="1Sam.13.20">1 Sam. 13:20</span>, <span class="bibleref" title="1Sam.13.21">21</span></a>), and no doubt the Philistines’ smiths brought the Israelites long bills for work done. (2.) How impolitic Saul was, that did not, in the beginning of his reign, set himself to redress this grievance. Samuel’s not doing it was very excusable; he fought with other artillery; thunder and lightning, in answer to his prayer, were to him instead of sword and spear; but for Saul, that pretended to be a king like the kings of the nations, to leave his soldiers without swords and spears, and t
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