Articles
Sha'ul's Stubbornness Chiasmus - 1 Shemuel 10-19
Janell I. Schroeder. B.B.A., Elder
March 2012
Observed & Charted by Janell I. Schroeder, B.B.A, Elder, March 2012
Some additional thoughts by Barbara L. Klika, MSW Undershepherd, April 2012
It seems our Abba continues to speak to us through these circumstances with Sha’ul. This observation again confirms the significance of his failure to be fully obedient to YHWH’s command, which led to his loss of the kingdom, after leaving the people uncovered, much as Aharon did before him. We are including it here with the previous studies about what shepherds need to know. Perhaps there is a related message to those today who are also called to be a kingdom of priests as we walk in obedience to Him.—Barb Klika
What I have been mulling over the last couple of days as I’ve been asking “so what does this have to do with us today?” is particularly focused on the
prophesying. Yes, YHVH’s Ruach came upon Shaul and he prophesied, but then we see sandwiched in between that all the ungodly stuff. So, is this a type of lying signs and wonders – again, a picture of the anti-messiah/end times scenario? YHVH allowed it, and it was in fact directed by Him; yet if one did not observe carefully what Shaul was really about – idolatry, rebellion, stubbornness, etc – then one would be taken in by the false. And then in this week’s reading, sitting under a tamarisk tree with his iron spear in hand. Again, the false if you do not know what the real one is.—Janell Schroeder
A. 1 Shemuel 10: 10-12 Sha’ul meets a group of prophets; the Spirit of YHVH comes upon him and he prophesies; proverb – “Is Sha’ul also among the prophets?”
B. 1 Shemuel 11: 11 Sha’ul and his men smite the Ammonites to save the people of Yabesh Gil’ad
C. 1 Shemuel 13: 8-14 Sha’ul does not wait for Shemuel - he offers the burnt offering; Shemuel tells Sha’ul, “You have been foolish. You have not guarded the command of YHVH your Elohim.”
D. 1 Shemuel 14: 6-23 Yonathan and his armor bearer, through faith in YHVH, smite 20 Philistines; YHVH throws the Philistines into confusion – they turn on each other and then flee - and gives Yisrael the victory
E. 1 Shemuel 14: 24-34 Sha’ul troubles the land with his rash vow of cursing anyone who eats food until he has taken revenge on his enemies; the people are so hungry they eat blood with the meat, thus they sin against YHVH
F. 1 Shemuel 14: 36-45 Sha’ul asks Elohim if he should go down after the Philistines but YVHV doesn’t answer (this would have been by lot with the Urim and Thumim); Yonathan is chosen by lot as the one who ate when Sha’ul had vowed no one should eat; the people deliver Yonathan
G. 1 Shemuel 15: 1-9 Sha’ul is commanded to put Agag and the Amaleqites under the ban; Sha’ul and the people spared Agag and the best of the animals and goods were not put under the ban
H. 1 Shemuel 15: 10-11 YHVH is grieved He set up Sha’ul as sovereign because Sha’ul turned back from following Him and did not perform His words
I. 1 Shemuel 15: 12-21 Sha’ul protests that he did perform the word of YHVH;
Shemuel confronts Sha’ul
J. 1 Shemuel 15: 22-23 Then Shemuel said
“Does YHVH delight in burnt offerings and slaughterings, as in obeying the voice of YHVH? Look, to obey is better than an offering, to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion s as the sin of divination, and stubbornness is as wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the ord of YHVH, He also does reject you as sovereign.”
i. 1 Shemuel 15: 24 Sha’ul confesses he sinned and transgressed the word of YHVH because he feared the people and listened to their voice
h. 1 Shemuel 15: 26-28 Shemuel does not return with Sha’ul; Sha’ul has rejected the word of YHVH; YHVH has rejected Sha’ul from being sovereign over Yisrael and has torn the reign from Sha’ul
g. 1 Shemuel 15: 32-33 Shemuel puts Agag the Amaleqite under the ban
f. 1 Shemuel 16: 1-13 Shemuel, guided by YHVH, chooses David from amongst his brothers to be the anointed sovereign
e. 1 Shemuel 16: 14-15 the Spirit of YHVH turns aside from Sha’ul and an evil spirit troubles him
d. 1 Shemuel 17: 20-54 David, through faith in YHVH, slays Golyath, the Philistine champion; the Philistines flee; Yisrael pursues the Philistines and are victorious
c. 1 Shemuel 18: 5-16 And David was acting wisely in all his ways, and YHVH was with him (v.14)
b. 1 Shemuel 18: 26-27 David, with his men, smites 200 Philistines to win the king’s daughter as a bride
a. 1 Shemuel 19: 22-24 Sha’ul goes to Navith (habitation of prophets) in Ramah; the Spirit of Elohim comes upon him and he prophesies; proverb – “Is Sha’ul also among the prophets?”
There are both positive and negative correlations here; pointing to the difference between thhe whole heart of David to honor YHWH and the lack of heart to do so by Sha’ul. The protestations by Sha’ul that he was obedient is matched with his single acknowledgement that he sinned, two sides of
the same coin if you will.
If Sha’ul is indeed to be considered “among the prophets”, it appears that his lack of obedience/rebellion puts him in the category of those who
practice divination and his stubborn refusal to acknowledge sin puts him among those considered wicked and idolatrous. Thus, he is one of the
prophets who cannot be reliably understood to speak for our Elohim.
As we have been studying Joshua, Judges, and into 1 Samuel, we are seeing a larger picture that we believe relates to the end times.
As commented on earlier in the “little gem” we saw that Saul was presented as courting rebellion while sitting under one tree, and see this is a
confirmation of an earlier picture.
Moshe was a suffering servant picture of our Messiah’s first coming, with Joshua as the conquering King picture of his second coming. The
Amalekites ambushed the elderly and weak under Moshe’s watch, but Joshua went out to defeat them as Israel began to possess their inheritance.
They did not finish the process, much as Saul did not finish the process as instructed. The time period of the Judges represented the fall into a cycle
of rebellion, judgement and repentance while ended in the wicked demand for a king; Saul. Now here in this observation, we see the connection
being made with prophecy and the rebellion of the people in the end times which results in a false Messiah/King, before the True King makes His
appearance.
So our need to be good Bereans, to know the Truth of the Word, to be sanctified in His Truth in order to be able to practice good discernment is again
noted to be a message that is recurrent throughout Scripture. It is not enough for anyone to be “spiritual” or to “prophesy” for them to be deserving of honor. The need to determine WHICH spirit they honor and speak for remains.
Shauls_stubbornness__Chiastic_Structures_1_Samuel_10-19.pdf