Archpriest Nikolai Popov

The reign of Saul: his victories over the Philistines, Amalekites and other nations and disobedience to God

Saul became famous for his victories over the enemies of his people, but was not always obedient to God; for this he rejected him. In the second year of his reign, Saul began a war with the Philistines, gathered an army in Gilgal and waited for Samuel, who, before his arrival and before he made a sacrifice, forbade God to start a battle. The seventh day had already arrived, and Samuel had not come. Saul's army, fearing their enemies, scattered as a herd. Then Saul, without waiting for Samuel, himself made a sacrifice to God. He had barely finished the sacrifice when Samuel came and said to him: “You have acted badly in not fulfilling the commandment of the Lord. Now your reign cannot stand; The Lord will find a man after His own heart and will command him to be the leader of His people.” However, this time the Lord granted Saul victory over the Philistines.

After this, Saul won new victories over the Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites and the kings of Soba Syria ().

David's anointing as king. The Spirit of God departs from Saul

Having announced to Saul that the Lord would take away his kingdom, Samuel grieved for him for a long time at home. The Lord said to him: “How long will you grieve over Saul? Fill your horn with oil and go to Bethlehem, to Jesse; I will make a king for myself among his sons.”

Samuel came to Bethlehem and invited the elders of the city, along with Jesse and his sons, to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. Jesse came with seven sons and brought each of them to Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen any of these,” and asked Jesse, “Are all your children here?” Jesse answered: “There is also a younger son, David; he tends the sheep." Samuel ordered him to be brought. They brought David. He was blond, with beautiful eyes and a pleasant face. The Lord said to Samuel: “Arise and anoint him: this is he.” Samuel took the horn of holy oil and anointed David among his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord rested on him from that day on.

When the Spirit of the Lord rested on David, he retreated from Saul, and the evil spirit began to disturb him. The servants suggested that Saul look for a person skilled in playing the harp, who would calm him down when the evil spirit disturbed him. One of them pointed to David as a skilled player and a brave, warlike and reasonable man. David was introduced to Saul, he liked him and became his armor bearer. And it happened when the evil spirit disturbed Saul, David played the harp, and Saul felt happier and better, and the evil spirit retreated from him ().

Victory of David over Goliath

The Philistines gathered their troops, entered Judea and stood on one mountain, in the tribe of Judah; the Israelites came out against them and stood on another mountain; there was a valley between them.

From the Philistine camp for forty days, morning and evening, a giant came out, Goliath, in a copper helmet, in scaly copper armor, in copper kneecaps on his legs, with a copper shield and an iron spear, and shouted to the Israelites: “Choose a man from you, and let him fight with me. If he kills me, then we will be your slaves, and if I kill him, then you will be our slaves.” The appearance of Goliath and his words terrified the bravest Israelites.

The three eldest sons of Jesse were in the army of Israel, and David was tending his father's sheep at that time. One day Jesse sent David to take food to his brothers. When David came to his brothers, Goliath came out with him and began to speak. All the Israelites, seeing him, ran away from him in fear. And the Israelites said: “If someone had killed him, the king would have given him great wealth, and would have given him his daughter in marriage, and would have made his father’s house free. David volunteered to fight Goliath. He was introduced to Saul. Saul, seeing David, said to him: “You cannot fight with this Philistine: you are still a youth.” David answered: “When I tended my father’s sheep, I killed the lion and the bear that attacked the flock, and the same will happen to this Philistine.” Then Saul dressed David in his own clothes, put a copper helmet on his head, and put armor on him. But David, walking around in such armor, said that he was not used to it, and took it off; Then he took his staff, five smooth stones from the stream, and a sling, and came out against the Philistine. The Philistine also came forward with his armor bearer. Seeing David, he looked at him contemptuously and said: “Why are you coming against me with a stick and stones: am I a dog? Come to me and I will give your body to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field.” And David answered him: “You come against me with a sword, and a spear, and a shield, but I come in the name of the Lord God of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you revile.” And so, when Goliath began to approach David, David hastily ran to meet him, took a stone from his bag and threw it with a sling at Goliath’s very forehead. The stone pierced Goliath's forehead and he fell face down on the ground. Then David ran up to Goliath, stepped on him, grabbed his sword and cut off his head with it. The Philistines, seeing that their strongman was dead, fled. The Israelites drove them out and took possession of their camp. After this victory, Jonathan, the son of Saul, loved David as his own soul, and gave him his clothes and weapons; and Saul made him a military leader, and all the people liked it ().

Persecution of David by Saul

When the Israelites returned home after David's victory over Goliath, women came out of all the cities to meet Saul with music and singing and exclaimed: “Saul defeated thousands, and David - tens of thousands.” Saul was very upset at this and said: “David was given tens of thousands, and I was given thousands; all he lacks is a kingdom.” And from that time on Saul began to look at David suspiciously, began to look for an opportunity to kill him and attempted to do so many times. But David with meekness and patience endured long-term persecution from him, honoring him as God’s anointed.

The next day after the solemn meeting, an evil spirit attacked Saul, and he raged in his house, and David played the harp in front of him. Saul began to throw his spear to pin David to the wall, but David dodged it twice.

Wanting David to die in battle with his enemies, Saul once told him: “I will give my eldest daughter, Merov, for you, only fight your enemies more bravely.” But when the time came to give her to David, Saul gave her to another. Then Saul, having learned that his other daughter, Michal, loved David, promised to marry her to him if he killed a hundred Philistines. David killed two hundred of them, and Saul had to marry Michal to him.

Having given his daughter Michal to David, Saul began to fear him even more and be at enmity against him. One day he gave an open order to kill him. But Jonathan managed to convince Saul of David’s innocence, and Saul swore not to kill him. David's new victory over the Philistines alarmed Saul, and he again, in a fit of rage, wanted to pin David to the wall with a spear, but David jumped back and ran away to his house. Saul sent his servants to the house of David to guard him and kill him. Michal secretly let him down from the window, placed the statue on his bed, closed it, and told the servants sent from Saul that David was sick. When Saul ordered David to be brought on the bed, Michal's cunning was revealed; but David had already managed to escape to Samuel in Ramah and began to live in Nawaf. Saul sent three times to take David, but those sent, seeing a host of prophets prophesying under the leadership of Samuel, began to prophesy themselves. Finally, Saul himself went to Ramah. As he walked, the Spirit of God came upon him, and he walked and prophesied, and, coming to Samuel, he prophesied before him and prostrated himself in involuntary reverence. After Saul returned home, Jonathan wanted to reconcile him with David through his intercession, but Saul almost killed him with a spear. After this, having said goodbye to Jonathan, David fled to Nob to the high priest Ahimelech, begged him for the sacred showbread and the sword of Goliath for the road, and fled from his fatherland.

From the land of Israel, David fled to the land of the Philistines to Achish, king of Gath. When the Philistines recognized David here and brought him to their king, David presented himself as devoid of intelligence, was released and retired to the cave of Adollam. His relatives and all the oppressed and unhappy people came here to him, about 400 people. David took his parents to the king of Moab, and he himself returned to the land of Judah and stopped in the forest. Saul, having learned that David was with the high priest Ahimelech, ordered to kill Ahimelech and 85 priests and destroy Nob. Only Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, escaped and fled to David. Upon learning that the Philistines had attacked the city of Keilah, David freed it from its enemies. Saul wanted to capture David at Keilah, but he withdrew to the desert of Ziph. Saul chased him into the desert of Ziph, and then into the desert of Maon, but, on the occasion of the Philistine attack on the land of Israel, he had to stop the pursuit.

Moving from one place to another, David came to the En-Gaddi desert and began to hide in caves here. Saul, having learned about this, went with an army to look for him. One day he alone went into the very cave in which David and his people were hiding. His men said to David: “Behold, the Lord has delivered you into the hands of your enemy.” But David only quietly cut off the hem of his robe and then, when Saul left the cave, he showed it to Saul from afar, as proof that he had no malicious intent against him. Saul was moved to tears by this, asked David to spare his descendants when he became king, and retired to his home.

About this time Samuel died. The Israelites gathered, mourned him and buried him in Rama.

David, fearing new persecution, withdrew into the Paran desert. Next door, in Mahon, lived a man rich in cattle, Nabal. David, having learned that he was shearing sheep, sent several people to congratulate him and ask him for the preservation of his cattle, what he would find it possible to give. Nabal rudely refused the messengers. David gathered his men and went to destroy the entire house of Nabal. Abigail, Nabal's wife, having learned about this, secretly took gifts from her husband, went out to meet David and appeased him. Nabal soon died and David married Abigail.

After some time, Saul again pursued David in the desert of Ziph. One night Saul was sleeping in his tent, and his soldiers were around him. David and Abishai, his nephew, entered Saul's camp. Abishai said to David, “Let me pin him to the ground with one blow.” But David said to him: “Do not kill the Lord’s anointed; just take the spear that is at his head and the vessel of water.” And taking the spear and the vessel, they withdrew to the opposite mountain. From here David loudly began to reproach Abner, Saul’s military commander, for the fact that he was poorly guarding the king. Saul, hearing David's voice, began to repent of his persecution of him, called him to himself, and called him his son. But David could not believe him, returned the royal spear and retired to the king of Gath, Achishus.

Achish gave David the city of Ziklag. From here David made campaigns against the Amalekites and other enemies of his people, and told Achish that he was attacking the Jews. Getting ready to fight the Israelites, Achish took David with him. But the Philistine princes, fearing David, convinced Achish to let David go home. Returning to Ziklag, David found it plundered by the Amalekites, overtook them, defeated them, and sent gifts from the spoils to the elders of Judah, his friends ().

The defeat of the Israelites by the Philistines and the death of Saul. Execution of the regicide

When David, escaping the persecution of Saul, lived in the land of the Philistines, the Philistines invaded the land of Israel and camped near the mountains of Gilboa. Saul also gathered the people of Israel and camped on Mount Gilboa. Seeing the Philistine army, Saul was afraid and asked the Lord what he should do, but the Lord did not answer him. Then he, having changed his clothes, went at night to a sorceress in Endor and asked her to bring Samuel to him. And the sorceress saw Samuel and cried out loudly. Samuel asked Saul, “Why did you bother me to come out?” Saul answered: “It is very difficult for me: the Philistines are fighting with me, but he retreated from me and did not answer me anything, either through the prophets or in a dream, so I called you so that you could teach me what to do.” Samuel said: “The Lord will do what he spoke through me: he will take the kingdom from you and give it to David because you did not obey the Lord and did not destroy Amalek. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me, and the Lord will deliver the camp of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.” Having heard this, Saul fell to the ground in fear, then, refreshing himself with food, he returned to his camp.

The next day a battle took place. The Philistines put the Israelites to flight and killed three of Saul's sons, including Jonathan. Saul, being very wounded and not wanting to fall to his enemies alive, fell on his sword and died. The inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead burned his body and his sons and buried their bones (Chronicles 10).

The news of the defeat of the Israelites and the death of Saul was brought to David by an Amalekite. The Amalekite said: “Saul fell on his spear, and the chariots and horsemen of the enemy overtook him. Then he said to me: kill me; mortal melancholy has seized me, my soul is still within me. And I killed him." At the same time, the Amalekite presented David with the crown from Saul's head and the wrist from his hand. David ordered the execution of the Amalekite as the murderer of God's anointed, and mourned Saul and Jonathan in a lamentable song ().

David becomes king and executes the regicides (4449 from the creation of the world, 1060 BC)

After the death of Saul, the inhabitants of the tribe of Judah anointed David (30 years old) king over them in Hebron. Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, reigned over the other tribes of Israel.

Seven and a half years after David's accession to Hebron, the commanders of Ishbosheth killed the latter and brought his head to David. David executed them for this. After this, the elders of all the tribes of Israel came to David in Hebron and anointed him king over all the people of Israel (Paral. 11, 12: 1-3).

Conquest of Jerusalem (4456 from the creation of the world, 1053 BC) and transfer of the Ark of the Covenant there. David's intention to build a temple for the Lord. David's care for the internal improvement of the kingdom

Having reigned over all the people of Israel, David went with his army to Jerusalem. Jerusalem, with its fortress Zion, standing on a rocky mountain, was then considered impregnable and was in the power of the Jebusites. David conquered Jerusalem, settled in the fortress of Zion, called it the city of David and built a cedar palace in it (Chronicles 11:4–9; 14:1).

After this, the Philistines attacked David twice, but he defeated them both times (Chronicles 11:13–19, 14:8–17).

Having established himself in the new capital, David decided to move the ark of God there from Kiriathiarim, from the house of Amminadab. For this purpose, he gathered his army and people to Kiriatiarim. They placed the ark of God on a chariot drawn by oxen and drove it away. David and all the Israelites played various musical instruments before him. In one place the oxen tilted it. The son of Amminadab, Uzzah, stretched out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it to hold it, just like an ordinary thing, but the Lord immediately struck him down. David was afraid to take the ark to his city and placed it in the house of Abeddar. Soon, hearing that the Lord blessed the house of Abeddar for the sake of the ark of God, David triumphantly carried it to his city. This time the priests and Levites carried the ark on their shoulders. During the procession, the Levites sang and played musical instruments, and David jumped in delight in front of the ark. Having brought the ark to his city, David placed it in the tabernacle he had newly built, offered sacrifices to God and treated the people.

To glorify God, during the service in the tabernacle, David organized a choir of 4,000 singers and musicians and composed many psalms, i.e. chants.

King David, in general, in all circumstances of his life, loved to pour out his soul before God in psalms. The collection of psalms is called the Psalter. There are quite a lot of prophecies about Jesus Christ in the Psalter. For example, that He will be God (), the Son of God (), that He will descend into humanity from the line of David (), die in shameful torment (), descend into hell (), rise again (), ascend to heaven (), sit at the right hand God the Father ().

After the ark was transferred to Jerusalem, worship began to be performed at two tabernacles - Moses in Gibeon and David in Jerusalem. David numbered the Levites from 30 years old and upward, and their number was 30,000. Of these, he appointed 24,000 to serve at the tabernacle, 6,000 as scribes and judges of the people, 4,000 as gatekeepers and treasure keepers, 4,000 as singers and musicians, and divided them, both priests and Levites. , serving at the tabernacle, for 24 turns, which changed every Saturday (Chronicles 13, 15, 16, 23: 3–32; 24–27).

Not content with building a new tabernacle for the ark of God, David one day said to the prophet Nathan: “Behold, I live in a house of cedar, and the ark of God stands under a tent.” Nathan said to the king, “Do whatever is in your heart.” But that same night the Lord said to Nathan: “Go and tell My servant David: “It is not you who will build Me a house to dwell in, because you have shed much blood. When you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your Seed after you. He will build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever; I will be His Father, and He will be My Son." Nathan related the words of the Lord to David. David thanked the Lord in prayer for His mercy towards him and his descendants and began to prepare everything necessary for the construction of the temple of the Lord (Chronicles 17; 1 Chronicles 22:8, 28:3).

After works of piety, David was most concerned with the internal improvement of his kingdom. In governing the kingdom, he was always guided by the law of God given through Moses. This law was his favorite reading: he studied it day and night. The trial was carried out under his strict supervision and was just and merciful.

David's victories over neighboring nations and the spread of his kingdom. David's war with the Ammonites, his fall and repentance. Conquest of the Ammonites

In the midst of peace and prosperity, the idea came to David to find out how many subjects he had. He ordered Joab to go through all the tribes of Israel and number the people. Joab numbered the people in all the tribes except Levi and Benjamin. After this, David himself realized that he had decided to count the people out of vanity, and began to ask God for forgiveness. But the next day the prophet Gad comes to him and, in the name of God, offers him a choice of one of three punishments: either three years of famine in his country, or three months of war and flight from enemies, or three days of pestilence. David answered the prophet: “Let me fall into the hands of the Lord, so long as I do not fall into the hands of men.” And David chose pestilence for himself. The Lord sent a plague, and 70,000 people died. On the third day of the plague, David saw between heaven and earth, above the threshing floor of Orna the Jebusite, an Angel with a sword in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem. David fell on his face and began to pray to the Lord for his people. Then the prophet Gad came to him and ordered him to build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Orna. David bought from Orna the threshing floor and the whole Mount Moriah on which the threshing floor stood; He built an altar on the threshing floor, placed sacrifices on it, and called on the Lord. The Lord heard him and sent fire from heaven onto his victims, and the plague stopped. After this, David made sacrifices to God several times at this place and appointed it to build the temple (Paral. 21, 22).

Anointing for the kingdom of Solomon. Testament and death of David

When David grew old, his son Adonijah decided to proclaim himself king and attracted the high priest Abiathar, Joab and other military leaders to his side. David, having learned about this from Bathsheba and Nathan, ordered the high priest Zadok and Nathan to anoint his son Solomon as king, whom he chose to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. Zadok solemnly, in front of the people, anointed Solomon as king. Having learned about Solomon's anointing, Adonijah's accomplices fled, and Adonijah himself fled to the tabernacle and grabbed the horns of the altar. Solomon promised not to harm him if he was an honest man.

At the end of his life, David called Solomon and his other sons and the leaders of the people, convinced them to keep the commandments of the Lord and bequeathed Solomon to serve God with all their hearts and to build a temple for Him. After this instruction, he handed over to Solomon the drawings of the temple, compiled by him at the inspiration of God, and the materials prepared for him; invited everyone to donate to the temple and prayed to God for his people and for Solomon. The next day after this, Solomon was anointed king for the second time.

When the time approached for David to die, he made his last testament to Solomon to fulfill the law of God and protect himself from suspicious people, and he died at the age of 70 (Chronicles 22, 28, 29).

Beginning of Solomon's reign. His wisdom. (4489 year from the creation of the world, 1020 BC)

Solomon began his reign by ridding himself of his domestic enemies: he executed Adonijah, who sought to take away the kingdom from him; removed Abiathar and executed Joab and Shimei; then he secured his kingdom from the outside by marrying the daughter of the Egyptian pharaoh and renewing his alliance with the king of Tyre, Hiram.

When the kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon, he went to Gibeon, where the tabernacle of Moses was, and brought a thousand burnt offerings to God here. appeared to him in a dream at night and said: “Ask what to give you.” Solomon answered: “You, Lord, made me king. Give me wisdom to govern the people." This request pleased the Lord, and he said: “Because you do not ask for a long life or wealth, but ask for wisdom, I will give you wisdom, so that there was no one like you in wisdom and there never will be; Moreover, I will give you both riches and glory, so that there will be no one like you among kings all your days. And if you keep My commandments, then I will continue your life.”

First of all, Solomon showed wisdom in court. Upon Solomon's return to Jerusalem, two women came to him. And one woman said: “Sir! This woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth to a son; on the third day she gave birth to a son. And the woman’s son died because while he was sleeping she slept on him (lay on him). She got up at night, took my son from me and put him with her, and put her dead son with me. In the morning I saw that my son was not mine.” Then the other woman said: “No, my son is alive. and your son is dead.” And they argued before the king. Solomon said, “Give me the sword.” They brought a sword. The king said: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.” Then the mother of the living baby said: “Oh, sir, give her the living child and do not kill him!” And the other said: “Let it be neither me nor you, cut it!” Then the king said: “Give the living child to the one who does not want him to be killed: she is his mother.” The Israelites heard how the king judged this case, and they began to fear him, because they saw that the wisdom of God was in him (Chronicles 1:1-13).

Construction of the temple and its consecration (4492 from the creation of the world, 1017 BC)

In the fourth year of his reign, Solomon began to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, on Mount Moriah, and built it for seven and a half years. The temple was built on the model of the tabernacle of Moses, only larger and more magnificent than the tabernacle.

To create the temple, David prepared 108,000 talents of gold, 1,017,000 talents of silver and many precious stones, copper, iron, marble and trees (1 Chron. 22:14; 29:4, 7). At the request of Solomon, the king of Tire, Hiram, sent him the artist Hiram, cedar, cypress and other expensive trees from the mountains of Lebanon to build the temple. The temple was built by 30,000 Jews and 150,000 foreigners.

The length of the temple was 60 cubits, width 20 cubits, height 30 cubits. The walls of the temple were made of huge hewn stones, lined on the outside with white marble, and on the inside with cedar boards, which were decorated with carved images of cherubs, palm trees and blooming flowers and covered with gold. It was built of cypress wood and covered with gold. The interior of the temple was divided into two parts: the Holy of Holies and the Sanctuary, which were separated by a cypress wall, decorated with carved images and overlaid with gold. The doors to the Holy of Holies were made of olive wood and covered with a curtain of precious material with images of cherubim, and the doors to the temple were made of cypress wood, decorated with carvings and overlaid with gold. In the Holy of Holies were placed two images of cherubim made of olive wood, overlaid with gold. The wings of the cherubs were spread out, and the wing of one touched one wall, and the wing of the other touched another wall; their other wings among the Holy of Holies met wing to wing. An altar overlaid with gold was placed before the Holy of Holies. On the right side of the Sanctuary there were five tables overlaid with gold and five golden lamps, and on the left side the same number of tables and lamps. On the eastern side of the temple there was a porch (porch), lined with gold inside. The porch was four times higher than the Sanctuary. Two copper pillars were placed in front of the porch. The porch was intended for priests, and the steps leading to it were for singers. On the other three sides, three-story buildings were attached to the temple, in which rooms were arranged. Near the temple building there was a courtyard of priests, surrounded by a low stone wall. In this courtyard were placed: a copper altar of burnt offering, a copper sea on twelve copper oxen, ten copper lavers and a royal place in the form of an ambo. Near the courtyard of the priests, somewhat below it, stretched the Great Courtyard for the people, surrounded by a strong wall. This courtyard, stretching 500 steps in length and width, had a marble colonnade that went around it. Buildings for priests were built in it, and later galleries where prophets preached the word of God to the people, and cells where students gathered around teachers.

When the construction of the temple was completed, Solomon gathered the elders of Israel and the people and, with singing and music, brought the ark of the Lord, the tabernacle and the sacred things from the tabernacle of David to the temple. When the ark was placed in the Holy of Holies under the wings of the cherubim, the glory of the Lord in the form of a cloud overshadowed and filled the temple. Then Solomon fell to his knees in his royal place, raised his hands to heaven and said a prayer to God, in which he asked the Lord to fulfill the requests of not only the Israelis who would pray to him in the temple or turning to the temple, but also the foreigners who would pray at the temple. When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven onto the prepared sacrifices. The people fell to the ground and glorified God. After this many sacrifices were made. He answered Solomon's prayer by appearing to him at night in a dream; The Lord told Solomon that He had heard his prayer, and promised to establish his kingdom if he fulfilled the commandments of God. “If,” said God, “you depart from Me, then I will destroy you from the face of the earth, and I will reject this temple” (Chronicles 2-7).

The glory of Solomon's reign: wealth, power, wisdom, the glory of Solomon and the prosperity of the people under him

Having created the temple of the Lord, Solomon built himself several magnificent palaces. Particularly magnificent was the palace, called the house of the Lebanese tree, in which various rarities were collected and, among other things, 500 golden shields, in which all the utensils and all the vessels were made of pure gold, because silver in the days of Solomon was considered nothing. In Solomon's judgment chamber there was an ivory throne overlaid with gold. Solomon received his wealth mainly from maritime trade, for which he established a merchant fleet in Ezion-Geber, on the Red Sea.

To protect his kingdom from enemies, Solomon built several fortified cities, in which he kept many horsemen, horses and military chariots (Solomon ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates to Egypt).

But most of all, Solomon became famous for his wisdom: he spoke three thousand parables and composed one thousand and five songs, he knew plants from cedar to hyssop and all animals. People from the most distant lands came to listen to the wisdom of Solomon and brought him gifts. So, the queen of the Saveans (of Sheba) came to him with rich gifts, tested his wisdom, examined all the remarkable things in his place and said: “I did not believe what they told me about you. Now I confess that they didn’t tell me half of what I found.”

Under the wise rule of Solomon, the Israelites lived calmly, each under his own vineyard and under his own fig tree, eating, drinking and having fun (Chronicles 8:9).

Solomon's weaknesses, God's judgment over him and his repentance

Among Solomon's wives were foreign idolaters. To please them, Solomon built temples for idols, and in his old age he even began to participate in idolatry with his wives. For this, the Lord announced to him that most of his kingdom would be taken away from his family and given to another. And indeed, even during his lifetime, people began to appear who disturbed the peace of his kingdom.

Ader, a descendant of the kings of Idumea, who was hiding in Egypt, returned to Idumea and established himself in it. Razon, the former military commander of Adraazar, king of Suva, then the leader of a gang of robbers, took possession of Damascus Syria.

Solomon's most dangerous enemy was a certain Jeroboam the Ephraimite. He was a worker along with other Ephraimites in the construction of the walls of Jerusalem. As a man capable of business, Solomon made him an overseer of works. The Ephraimites were dissatisfied with these works. One day Jeroboam met the prophet Ahijah, an Ephraimite, in the field. Ahijah tore his new clothes into 12 pieces, gave him ten pieces of it and said: “Thus says the Lord: I will take the kingdom out of the hands of the son of Solomon; I will give you 10 tribes, and I will leave him one tribe, for David’s sake. If you keep my commandments like David, then I will be with you and will strengthen your house like the house of David.” So Solomon wanted to kill Jeroboam, but he fled to Egypt.

At the end of his life, Solomon turned to God in repentance. The book of Ecclesiastes, written by him, remains a monument to his repentance, in which he teaches that all temporary blessings are vanity, that the true good of man is in the study and fulfillment of the law of God. Solomon reigned for 40 years ().

Division of the Kingdom of Hebrews into two kingdoms: Judah and Israel (4529 from the creation of the world, 980 BC)

After Solomon's death, the Israelites gathered in Shechem and called Solomon's son, Rehoboam, there to reign as king. Jeroboam also came there and, presenting himself with the people before Rehoboam, said: “Your father has placed a heavy yoke on us; make it easy for us, and we will serve you.” Rehoboam despised the advice of the elders who served under his father, and who advised him to please the people, satisfy their request and speak kindly to them, but he listened to his young advisers and sternly answered the people: “The father has placed a heavy yoke on you, I will do this yoke again.” heavier; he punished you with whips, I will punish you with scorpions (scourges with needles).” The people were offended by this answer, and the ten tribes chose Jeroboam the Ephraimite as their king. Only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin recognized Rehoboam as their king. Thus, the Jewish people were divided into two kingdoms: Judah and Israel (Chronicles 10, 11:1-4).

The callers of the dead were deceivers, ventriloquists who imitated the voice of the dead and spoke for them. When the sorceress undertook to bring Samuel out, she did not even think that she would bring him out, but wanted to deceive Saul, as she deceived other superstitious people. But by the will of God, Samuel (.) actually appeared, and the woman, who did not expect this, was horrified

The Israelis burned the bodies of the dead only in extreme cases, when they wanted to protect them from desecration, or when there were a lot of them during a war or pestilence, and when an infection could occur from them

Perhaps when Saul fell on his sword, the armor prevented him from killing himself, and the Amalekite actually killed him; but maybe the Amalekite lied, thinking to curry favor with David

From this it is clear that the first king of the people of God was already crowned with a crown. Bracelets were worn not only by women, but also by noble rich men

Samuel and his sons. At one time, the judge and priest of the people of Israel was Samuel, who became famous for his love for Yahweh. While Samuel was a judge, the Philistines did not dare attack the Jews. [This is written in the Bible, but it is more likely that Samuel himself preferred not to quarrel with the Philistines and not to fight against them - from the same Bible we learn that Philistine guard detachments were stationed in Israeli cities at that time.]

When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges. But they were not at all like their father, and soon the people could no longer tolerate their behavior. The elders of Israel came to Samuel and said: “Behold, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; Therefore, place a king over us, so that he may judge us like other nations.”

Samuel did not like these words very much, and he asked God for advice. The distressed Yahweh said to him: “Listen to the voice of the people in everything that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, so that I should not reign over them. As they did from the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day—forsaking Me and serving other gods—so they will do to you. So listen to their voices; just present to them and declare to them the rights of the king who will reign over them.”

Samuel conveyed the words of God to the people and explained how the king would rule over them: he would take away their sons and daughters and make them his warriors, servants and maidservants, and take away the best fields and gardens, slaves and livestock from the people. In addition, he will annually take a tenth of everyone's flocks, and all the Israelites will be his slaves. But then it will be too late to complain - God will not hear them.

But the people, even after listening to the formidable warning, stood their ground: “No, let the king be over us, and we will be like other nations: our king will judge us, and go before us, and fight our wars.”

When Samuel conveyed the words of the people to God, the Lord said, “Listen to their voices and give them a king.” After this, Samuel dissolved the assembly of the Israelites.

1 - turban (turban) made of linen
fabrics; 2 - golden crown with
the inscription "Holiness to God";
3 - heshed (thimble) with 12
precious stones; 4 -
Urim and Turim repository; 5 -
three blue cords for the crown;
6 - two stones (onyxes) with
names of the 12 tribes of Israel
frames; 7 - eyeford (apron
made of gold, wool and linen;
8 - meir (upper robe) from
blue wool with garnets
and golden bells
hem; 9 - linen chiton
fabrics; 10 - belt

First king of Israel. Kish, a noble man from the tribe of Benjamin, had a young and handsome son, Saul, head taller than any Israelite. One day, Kis's donkeys disappeared, and he ordered his son to find them. Searching in vain, Saul came to the city where Samuel lived. And God told him in advance that on this day he would meet the future king of Israel and should anoint him as king. [The rite of anointing consisted of anointing the head of the priest or king with oil - an aromatic oil of a special composition. It was believed that through anointing God transfers a piece of his power to man. Hence the expression “the king is God’s anointed.”]

As soon as Samuel saw Saul, God said, “This is the man I told you about; he will rule over My inheritance.” Samuel and Saul met, and the priest invited the young man to dine with him. At dinner, the cook, on Samuel's orders, served Saul the best cuts, and then the old priest invited the guest to spend the night with him, reassuring him that the missing donkeys had already been found.

The next morning Samuel escorted Saul out of the city. When they were alone, Samuel took a vessel of oil, poured the precious oil on Saul's head, kissed him and said: “Behold, the Lord anoints you to be ruler of His inheritance...” Then he predicted to Saul what would happen to him in the near future, and said goodbye affectionately.

After this event, Samuel called the entire people of Israel and told them the name of Saul. But he was nowhere to be found, and only God indicated that Saul should be looked for in the baggage train, where he hid out of embarrassment. When they ran and brought Saul, who towered head and shoulders above all those gathered, Samuel, admiring him, said: “Do you see whom the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him in all the people.” And the crowd joyfully exclaimed: “Long live the king!”

However, not everyone liked the young king of Israel. Some said with contempt: “Should he save us?” They turned away from Saul and did not give him gifts, as was customary. But Saul showed intelligence and patience: he pretended not to notice anything.

Saul proves his right to reign. Shortly after Saul was declared king, Nahash, the king of a neighboring country, laid siege to the Israelite city of Jabez. Unable to endure hunger any longer, the residents suggested to the enemy: “Make an alliance with us, and we will serve you.” He replied: “I will make an alliance with you, but in order to gouge out the right eye of each of you and thereby bring dishonor on all Israel.” The elders asked for a seven-day delay and promised that if help did not come, they would surrender.

The news of this reached Saul. He, enraged by the impudence of his enemies, cut his oxen into pieces, sent these pieces of meat to all the Israeli tribes, threatening that he would do the same with the oxen of all those who did not respond to his call to help the unfortunate inhabitants of Jabez.

Draft cattle are the main wealth of the farmer. So Saul's threat made an impact. The frightened people immediately gathered together as one person. The king made an inspection and found that he had three hundred and thirty thousand soldiers at his disposal. Then they said to the ambassadors of Jabez: “Tomorrow help will come to you when the sun warms up.”

The next morning, the Israeli army, divided by Saul into three detachments, attacked the enemies from different sides. They fled in panic, but Jabez was saved. So Saul proved that he was capable of being a king and protecting his people. The people demanded the death of those who did not want to see Saul as king. But Saul did not allow this.

Quarrel between Samuel and Saul. By proposing to elect an unknown young Israelite from a small and weak tribe as king, Samuel expected that Saul would obey him in everything. But he soon made it clear to the old high priest that he intended to rule independently. One incident particularly angered Samuel. Saul recruited a squad of three thousand soldiers and decided to begin the fight against the Philistines. At that time, the Israelites and Philistines lived in peace, but even in Gibeah, the city of Saul, there was a Philistine guard force. Saul's eldest son, Jonathan, with a thousand soldiers attacked the Philistines and defeated them.

Having learned about this, the Philistines went to war against Israel. In their army there were thirty thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and, in addition, “a multitude of people, like the sand on the seashore.” When the Israelis heard about the approaching enemy hordes, they began to scatter into the mountains, hiding there in gorges and caves. Saul and Jonathan had only six hundred men left. But even with them it was impossible to go to war until Samuel came and made a sacrifice to Yahweh.

But Samuel did not show himself. Seven days passed, Saul’s army, already tiny, was melting, and the king decided to make a sacrifice to Yahweh himself. As soon as he finished the sacrifice, Samuel appeared and angrily asked, “What have you done?” Saul explained everything to him, but his excuses were not accepted. Samuel said ominously: “You have acted badly because you have not fulfilled the commandment of the Lord your God, which was given to you: for now the Lord would have established your reign over Israel forever. But now your reign cannot stand: the Lord will find a man after His own heart, and the Lord will command him to be the leader of His people, since you have not fulfilled what the Lord commanded you.” And Samuel left, not wanting to stay with the king.

The exploits of Jonathan and the defeat of the Philistines. It seemed that Samuel’s gloomy prediction would come true immediately: Saul had only a handful of soldiers left, and even those were very poorly armed, because in all of Israel there was not a single blacksmith. The Philistines knew the secret of smelting and processing iron and jealously guarded it - this was the main secret of their military power. They sold iron shovels, pitchforks, axes and other tools to Jews, but they even continued to sharpen them themselves, charging a fee for it. Of all Saul's army, only he and his son Jonathan had spears and swords.

Meanwhile, the Philistines divided into three detachments and, encountering no resistance, began to plunder the country. Then Jonathan, secretly from his father, taking with him only his squire, set off through the mountain gorge to meet the enemy. The Philistines saw them from above and decided: “The Jews are coming out of the ravines in which they hid.” The guards themselves were too lazy to go down, and they shouted: “Come up to us, we will tell you something!”

Jonathan and his armor bearer quickly went upstairs. Once there, Jonathan, unexpectedly for the Philistines, used a spear and sword. The enemies fell one after another, and the squire finished them off. Panic gripped the entire enemy camp, and the Philistines began to scatter like frightened sheep.

From the fortress wall, Saul saw a crowd rushing around the enemy camp, and the confusion was becoming more and more intense. Wasting no time, he led his men into the field, struck the Philistines, and they fled. The Jews who were in the Philistine army ran over to the Israelites, and those people who were hiding in the mountains also joined them.

The battle continued all day, and the Israelites were tired and hungry. But Saul warned that anyone who eats anything before evening, until the enemies are completely defeated, will be executed. Everyone was afraid of punishment and remained hungry. But Jonathan, finding himself in the forest during the battle, did not know about the prohibition and tasted the wild honey found there.

When the battle was over, Saul was unable to go after the Philistines because God had made it clear that someone had angered him. They cast lots and it fell on Jonathan. He admitted that during the battle he ate some honey, and Saul said: “You, Jonathan, must die today.” But then all the people objected: “Shall Jonathan die, who brought such great salvation to Israel? Let this not happen! As the Lord lives, neither will a hair of his head fall to the ground, for he has worked with God today.” So Jonathan remained alive.

The final break between Samuel and Saul. After the brilliant victory over the Philistines, success accompanied Saul in everything. But the Philistines were strong and the fight against them, then dying out, then flaring up again, continued throughout Saul’s reign. Over time, the king managed to create a powerful and loyal army.

Samuel, convinced that Saul was still far from losing his kingdom, came to him and said that God now commands the king to destroy the tribe of the Amalekites, who once, two hundred years ago, fought with the Jews coming from Egypt. At the same time, the high priest warned that Saul must be merciless: “Put to death from husband to wife, from [teenage boy or girl] to a suckling child, from an ox to a sheep, from a camel to a donkey.”

Obeying the order of God, two hundred and ten thousand soldiers, led by the king, set out on a campaign. The Amalekites did not expect an attack and were unable to resist. The Israelites destroyed the entire tribe, leaving only their king, Agag, alive. Saul spared the best livestock and property of the Amalekites, destroying only the worst.

Then God said to Samuel: “I regret that I made Saul king, for he turned away from Me and did not fulfill My word.” The next morning, Samuel met Saul, angrily reprimanded him for disobedience to the will of God and confirmed: “Because you rejected the word of the Lord, and He rejected you so that you would not be king.” Saul's repentance did not help him. Samuel demanded to bring the king of the Amalekites and with his own hand killed Agag, who was trembling with fear, in front of the altar of Yahweh. Then Samuel went to his home. He and Saul never saw each other again.

As stated in the Old Testament, he was the first king of the united kingdom of Israel and its founder. He also created a regular army. Saul embodied a ruler who was appointed by God to the kingdom, and then became displeasing to him. Today we will look at the biography of Saul, according to the first Book of Kings.

His ascension to the throne was due to the fact that the judges - the persons who had ruled the Israelite tribes before him - were unable to withstand the increasing pressure exerted by neighboring peoples. They were called judges because their duties included the performance of judicial functions. The greatest danger came from the Philistines.

The story of Saul's accession to the throne is the result of a combination of several versions. According to the first of them, a beautiful Israeli youth once began searching for the missing donkeys that belonged to his father. The prophet Samuel received news from God that the guy who would appear tomorrow should become the anointed one to rule in Israel. When Samuel anointed Saul, he went home, meeting along the way “a host of prophets.” The spirit of God descended on him, and he began to prophesy among them.

According to the second version, Samuel gathered people in Mitzpah (several settlements have this name) and they cast lots. As a result, Saul was proclaimed king. And then the people exclaimed: “Long live the king!”

There is a third option, according to which Saul was proclaimed king in Gilgal (an area in Palestine). This happened after they defeated the Ammonites, who were trying to enslave the people of Jabesh-gilead. The latter were relatives of the tribe of Benjamin. In this version, Saul is presented as a judge, a tribal leader who is sent to save Israel from the threat posed by foreigners.

Despite the difference in plots, all three stories are united by one idea: Saul is the person chosen by God and anointed by Samuel.

Continuous wars

Throughout his reign, Saul constantly fought with the enemies of Israel, which, in particular, included Moab, Ammon, and Edom. But the most stubborn wars were fought with the Philistines. During these conflicts, regular military formations were created, led by experienced military leaders. Among them was Saul's son Jonathan.

The king made no attempt to extend his power beyond the territories inhabited by the Israelites. And they also did not carry out reforms aimed at replacing tribal leadership with a centralized administrative apparatus subordinate to the king.

The history of the relationship between Saul and Samuel (the biblical prophet, the most famous and last of the Israeli judges) reflects the difficulties that were associated with the formation of monarchical rule. Friction between them began to occur after the king gathered an army in Gilgal with the goal of engaging in battle with the Philistines. He offered a sacrifice to God on his own, without waiting for Samuel to come.

According to researchers, the prophet probably saw this as an attack on the prerogative of the priests. He told Saul that he would be punished by the fact that his reign would be short. A complete break occurred when Saul did not carry out Samuel's instructions to completely exterminate the Amalekites.

After David appeared at the court of King Saul, he was the first to notice that the people favored the young man. David's victories over the Philistines aroused envy in the king, which sometimes turned into blind hatred, darkening his reason.

Saul’s son Jonathan also fell under Saul’s hot hand, on whose life he attempted in fits of intense anger. He also executed clergymen. Suspicion forced the ruler to see a conspiracy everywhere and strive to kill David.

Saul continued to fight the Philistines. He defeated them in another battle at Mount Gilboa. Here his sons were killed: Amminadab, Malki-Shua and Jonathan. King Saul himself died here. Surrounded by enemy archers, wounded by arrows, he threw himself on his own sword.

In the morning, Saul's body was discovered by the Philistines on the battlefield. They cut off his head and sent it to show it to the people and in the temples of idols. The king's weapons were donated to the temple of Ashtoreth, and his body was hung on the wall in Beit She'an, in northern Israel. The people of Jabesh-gilad, who remembered how Saul saved them, removed the body and buried it in their city. Later, from there it was moved to the area of ​​Zela, near Gibeah, where the tomb of his father was located.

Conclusions about the board

Based on the Book of Kings, we can conclude that the reign of Saul is a period (1029-1005 BC) when the administrative system in Israel had not yet fully developed. The tribal organization continued to exist.

The king's aspirations were mainly aimed at consolidating the monarchy within his own family. Probably most of the nascent administration consisted of members of his family.

For example, his son Jonathan led one of the regular army contingents. And the head of the entire army was also his relative - Abner, the son of Nir. Almost all the military leaders were from the tribe of Benjamin. The king allocated them vineyards and land plots.

Under this ruler, a standing army was formed, consisting of 3 thousand soldiers, but the tribal militia continued to exist. The symbols of Saul's power were a spear, a crown and a bracelet.

), son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. Saul's father was a noble man among the Israelites, and his son Saul was distinguished by his beauty and height. There was no one more handsome than him among Israel - from his shoulders he was taller than all the people. Around this time, the Israelites, hitherto ruled by God himself, wished, following the example of the pagan peoples surrounding them, to have a king, and God showed the prophet Saul. It happened one day that some of his father’s donkeys were missing, and so Saul took one of his servants and went to look for them. While traveling on the third day, they came to the place where the seer Samuel lived, and the servant suggested that Saul turn to the prophet to find out about them. Saul did so and went, at the direction of the servant, to the prophet. Samuel, having received a revelation from above about the approach of Saul and instructions on how to act, invited him to his house for a feast, offered him the first place at it and a special treat, and the next day, seeing him off, being left alone with him, poured water on his head. the vessel of oil, kissed it and said: Behold, the Lord anoints you to be the ruler of His inheritance. You will reign over the Lord's people and save them from the hand of their enemies. To convince Saul that this was the work of God, Samuel predicted to him everything that he would meet on his way home; and these were events that Samuel could not know personally, but only by revelation of God (). A few days after this, Samuel went to Mizpah and gathered all the people there to elect a king. Lots were cast first by tribe, then by tribe, and finally by name. The lot fell on Saul son of Kish, and the people, seeing his majestic stature, immediately exclaimed: long live the king! At the very beginning of his reign, Saul gained the complete favor and devotion of all Israel by his brilliant victory over Nahash and the Ammonite army during the siege of Jabesh-gilead. Immediately after this, the people gathered at Gilgal and celebrated his accession to the throne with peace offerings with joy and triumph. After a series of military exploits, Saul received a command from God to punish the Amalekites for the insults they caused to Israel during his journey from Egypt, but Saul did not fulfill the will of God: he spared the king of the Amalekites and drove from the Amalekites a lot of livestock, the best oxen and sheep, under the pretext of bringing them as a sacrifice to God. Etc. Samuel told the king that obedience to God is better than sacrifice and obedience is better than the fat of rams, and declared to him the will of God that he would no longer be king. From that time on, Saul lost heart and became a slave to jealousy, wickedness and malice; an evil spirit took possession of him; royal honors no longer consoled him. Saul's conduct during all this time towards David shows that he has now lost all generosity and nobility. Shortly before his death, war broke out again with the Philistines. Saul timidly prepared for this war and saw himself completely abandoned by God, not receiving any revelation from Him either in dreams, or through the lips of the high priests, or through the prophets. Then he turned to superstition and asked his servants to look for a sorceress for him. They pointed out to him the sorceress in Endor. Having changed his clothes, he went to her at night and asked her to bring Samuel to him (Samuel was no longer alive at that time). What the woman’s sorcery consisted of is unknown; As soon as she saw Samuel, she screamed loudly and, turning to Saul, said: why did you deceive me? you are Saul. “And the king said to her: Do not be afraid; tell me what do you see? - The woman answered: I see, as it were, God emerging from the earth. -What does he look like? asked Saul. The woman answered: an elderly man comes out of the ground, dressed in a long robe. Saul realized that it was Samuel, fell face down to the ground and bowed to him. The man who appeared asked Saul: Why did you disturb me and force me to leave? Saul answered: It’s very hard for me; The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has retreated from me and no longer answers me, either through the prophets, or in a dream, or in a vision; That's why I called you to teach me what should I do? The one who appeared said: if the Lord has already left you, then why are you asking me? The Lord fulfills on you what He said through me; He will take the kingdom out of your hands and give it to your neighbor, David, because you did not obey the command of the Lord and did not fulfill His will over Amalek. And so He will deliver Israel along with you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. These words struck Saul so strongly that he suddenly fell with his whole body to the ground and there was no strength in him, for he had been without food for a whole day. Then the woman, coming up and seeing him in such a terrible situation, begged him to take food to strengthen himself. At first he refused, but then he obeyed, got up from the ground and sat down on the bed. She killed the calf and baked unleavened bread, and brought all this and offered it to Saul and his servants; and they fortified themselves with this food and went back that same night. The next day a battle took place on Mount Gilboa. The Jews were defeated and driven away. Saul's three sons were killed before his eyes. He himself, wounded by arrows, fearing that the uncircumcised would mock him, asked the squire to end his life, and when he did not agree to this, he fell on his sword and died. The next day, the Philistines found the corpse of Saul and the corpses of his sons, cut off Saul's head and stuck it in the temple of Dagon, put his weapons in the temple of Asherah, and hung his corpse and the corpses of his sons on the walls of Bethsan. Having learned about this, the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead, who had once been blessed by Saul, came at night, took the corpses from the walls of Bethsan, burned them and buried their remains near their city under an oak tree, honoring the memory of their benefactor with a seven-day fast (

Witches and sorcerers, as is known, in addition to their usual activities, also practice saimancy, or necromancy, that is, they master the art of summoning the robes, or souls of the dead. The Bible tells about one such thing - the sorceress of Endor...

The Israeli king Saul was greatly saddened. He hasn't had any luck lately on the battlefields. And now the countless army of the Philistines in Sanam stands before him. He saw their camp and was horrified, his heart trembled. Who should I turn to for advice?

The Lord was very angry with him for his obscenities and committed abominations. And then Saul said to his servants: “Find me a woman sorceress, I will ask her for advice.”

The sent ones searched for a long time and finally found it. “There is a sorceress hiding in Ein Dor (Endor).” Then Saul took off his royal clothes, dressed up as an inconspicuous wanderer, went to the witch and said: “Bring out to me the one I’m talking about!”

She summoned the spirit of the prophet Samuel to him, and, recognizing him, Saul fell face down to the ground and bowed.

The words of the prophet plunged him into even greater, hopeless sadness: “And the Lord will take the kingdom out of your hands and give it to your neighbor David.” The prophet reminded him of the formidable words of the Lord: “You must not have a soothsayer, a fortune-teller, a sorcerer, a sorcerer, a charmer, a conjurer of spirits, a magician, or a questioner of the dead, who leads his son or daughter through the fire, for anyone who does this is an abomination to the Lord.”

Saul was terribly frightened when he heard the gloomy prophecies of Samuel, became numb and fell to the ground.

A fierce battle began, the Philistines kept pushing the Israelites towards Mount Gilbul, where the bloody slaughter continued. One after another, three sons of Saul - Jonathan, Aminodab and Malchistra - fall to the ground, struck down with swords. Saul himself was all wounded and exhausted. Feels that his end is near.

Saul laid the point of the sword to his chest, fell on him and gave up the ghost. Samuel's prophecy came true, and a new king, David, came to power...