I Samuel 13:16–22

I Samuel 13:16–22: Israel Without Weapons

Synopsis

This is a pretty short passage, which makes a simple point: Because the Philistines don’t want the Israelites making swords or spears, they have outlawed blacksmiths in Israel. So any time the Israelites need something sharpened—like plowshares, or axes—they have to go to the Philistines. This means that none of the men gathered with Saul and Jonathan have swords or spears, except for Saul and Jonathan. (The passage doesn’t mention where they got them.)

Actually, the passage also tells us that the Philistines have sent out three raiding parties, towards the Israelites. We’ll have to see in a later passage if these raiding parties are important to the story.

Thoughts

I don’t really have any thoughts on this passage. Since the Israelites don’t have any weapons, this battle, more than any in their history so far, will clearly be won by the LORD, and not by the Israelites. (If the Israelites win at all, of course; we’ll see in an upcoming passage. Are you in suspense?)