Shaul's Sin in Gilgal/2

Shaul's Sin in Gilgal

Exegetical Approaches

This topic has not yet undergone editorial review

Over Reliance on Self

In not waiting for Shemuel, Shaul demonstrated that he doubted Hashem's powers to save the nation and preferred to rely on his own strength and strategies. He erred in foregtting that victory is due to Hashem, not man.

Why make Shaul wait? Hashem wanted to ensure that the people recognized that it was Hashem's hand which lay behind their military victories, and not the power of man.  As such, Shemuel made a strategically illogical demand, telling Shaul to wait rather than seize the opportunity to defeat the Philistines while they were still unorganized.  Hashem intentionally had Shaul tarry until his army dispersed and he was left with but 600 men, so that no one could possibly think to take credit for the victory but rather all would recognize Hashem's aid.

Severity of sin – Demonstrating that war is not won by human might was especially important after the establishment of the monarchy, when the people were likely to attribute all success to their king and not Hashem.  Shaul's disobedience proved all of Shemuel's fears in appointing a king valid; soon the people would come to rely on him in place of the true King, Hashem.

Contrast to Yonatan – Yonatan's behavior stands in contrast to that of his father and highlights Shaul's failure. As opposed to Shaul who is unwilling to fight with his meager army,¹ Yonatan goes to attack the Philistines with just his arms bearer.  Unlike Shaul, Yonatan recognizes that numbers in battle are not nearly as important as Hashem's backing, as he says  "כִּי אֵין לַיהֹוָה מַעְצוֹר לְהוֹשִׁיעַ בְּרַב אוֹ בִמְעָט."

Comparison to Gidon

• Similalrities –The description of the battle here contains many parallels to the story of Gidon's battle against Midyan.²  In both stories, the vastness of the enemy is likened to the sand by the sea, while the Israelite fighting force consists of only a few hundred soldiers.  In the story of Gidon, it is explicit that this is a reality imposed by Hashem "פֶּן יִתְפָּאֵר עָלַי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר יָדִי הוֹשִׁיעָה לִּי".  The parallel might support the idea developed here that in Gilgal, too, Hashem had wanted to ensure a small army lest the nation applaud themselves.
• Contrasts – While Gidon gathers his men telling them that they can win with Hashem's help: "קוּמוּ כִּי נָתַן י"י בְּיֶדְכֶם אֶת מַחֲנֵה מִדְיָן," Shaul is afraid to attack with so few soldiers, betraying the fatal flaw in his kingship.

Other manifestations of self-reliance – Later in Chapter 14, Shaul commits the same mistake, acting on his own rather than being guided by Hashem.  After Yonatan's attack, Shaul originally intends to seek Hashem's advice, but when he sees the confusion in the Philistine camp he tells the priest, "withdraw your hand," preferring to take advantage of the enemies' weakness and attack immediately than to wait for Hashem's word.³  Once again, Shaul portrays ignorance of the fact that "לֹא בְכֹחַ יִגְבַּר אִישׁ".

Comparison to Shaul's sin in the battle against Amalek – This position might claim that the sin in the two stories was identical.  In taking from the booty of Amalek, Shaul demonstrated that he viewed himself, rather than Hashem, as the victor of the battle, once again betraying an attitude that attributes success to man's abilities and forgets Hashem's role.

David versus Shaul – David might be chosen in Shaul's stead because he succeeds specifically where Shaul fails:

• Golyat – David's first feat after being anointed is his defeat of Golyat.  His willingness to fight the giant, with neither armor nor sword, stems from his knowledge that wars are won by God, not man. As he tells Golyat, "אַתָּה בָּא אֵלַי בְּחֶרֶב וּבַחֲנִית וּבְכִידוֹן וְאָנֹכִי בָא אֵלֶיךָ בְּשֵׁם י"י."
• Philistines – The commentary attributed to R. Yosef KaraShemuel II 5:24About Attributed to R. Yosef Kara suggests that Hashem tested David in his battle with the Philistines, in the same way He had tested Shaul at Gilgal.  Hashem told David to wait to fight until he heard rustling in the trees, despite a potential counter-attack in the interim.  David, as opposed to Shaul, withstood the test and refused to act except via Hashem's command.

Usurping Shemuel's Role

Shaul actions constituted a rebellion against the prophet, Shemuel.

Why is offering sacrifices problematic? In this era, when worship on high places was permitted, it was not problematic for the individual Shaul to offer a sacrifice. However, since Shemuel had previously told him to wait for him to bring the offerings, when Shaul does it in his stead he infringed on his authority. ⁴

Parallels to the Sin of the Golden Calf – In both stories the delay of a prophet causes someone to act rashly, and find a substitute for the prophet.  This betrays a misunderstanding of the prophetic role, as if the prophet were some sort of magician and a different object or action could replace him. Shaul appears to view the sacrifices as having power in and of themselves to aid the nation, forgetting....

Other evidence

¹ Though Shaul was quick to bring the sacrifice, once he realized that he had only 600 soldiers left, he stays in place rather than fighting the enemy.

² See M. Garsiel, "ספר שמואל א' עיון ספרותי במערכי השוואה, באנאלוגיות ובמקבילות", (Ramat Gan, 1983): 89-99, who lists and analyzes the many content and linguistic parallels between the stories. He demonstrates how Shaul might have started out like Gidon in the beginning of his reign, but later it is Yonatan who parallels Gidon, while Shaul stands in stark contrast.

³ In both stories Shaul's original intentions are positive.  He does wait for seven days in Gilgal, and here he does originally call the priest.  However, in both cases, as soon as events on the ground affect his perception of potential victory/defeat, he loses patience and acts on his own.

⁴ RalbagShemuel I 13:8-13About R. Levi b. Gershom suggests that Shaul's whole purpose in bringing the sacrifices was to attain prophecy.  One might say that this desire, too, was out of place, given that the prophet himself was supposed to arrive..