“Slain on Mt. Gilboa”

Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. –I Samuel 31:1

(Today’s text is out of sequence. All apologies for the confusion, but something came to mind that I thought should be noted.)

In the previous chapter David had to use his talents as a military commander in order to rescue those the Amalekites had taken captive. In today’s text we see Saul put his own talents to use, but fail utterly.

Saul was an experienced military commander, and his son Jonathan was amongst the foremost soldiers of his day. The Israelite army he commanded was a veteran force that had fought and defeated the Philistines throughout Saul’s reign. The Philistine invasion was extraordinary, perhaps greater than any Israel had previously faced, but Saul and his men were no amateurs when it came to war.

That Saul chose to fight where he did shows he was using his military sensibilities well. By the standards of the Ancient Near East, the Philistines fielded a modern army. Philistia was composed of cities on the coast of the Mediterranean. All of the land trade between Egypt and the rest of the east went through those cities, which allowed them to grow wealthy. With this wealth they were able to equip their armies with the most advanced military technology of the day – the chariot. In addition to this, they were able to purchase the services of foreign soldiers, such as happened with David in Chapter 29. On the other hand, Israel was not nearly as wealthy as Philitia. She could not afford chariots; her army was composed primarily of spearmen and archers.

In spite of their technological disadvantage, Israel still fielded a formidable army. Saul knew that the key to the fight would be neutralizing the Philistine chariots. If that could be done, the forces would be technologically equal. As a good soldier, Saul positioned his army on a mountain with steep slopes (pictures of Gilboa can be easily found on the internet). It would have been next to impossible for the Philistine chariots to make a frontal assault. Indeed, given they held the high ground, the Israelites should have had the advantage against any kind of assault.

There are theories about how the Philistines prevailed. Their archers, with or without the chariots, may have found a way up the back side of the mountain, or their infantry may have simply outfought the Israelites. Whatever specifically happened, in spite of their experience and preparation, the battle of Mt. Gilboa demonstrates what happens when God’s people try to fight without him.

David’s skill was used in his victory, but Saul used his skill also. The difference between David and Saul was not their circumstances, or their personal abilities – the difference between them was the presence of God. David’s talents would have been useless had God not sent him forward, or provided the abandoned Egyptian to tell him which way to go. In Saul, we see what would have happened to David had God not intervened. David’s talents served him only so much as they served God. Saul’s talents brought Israel victory while he served God, but when he used them in his own service they only secured defeat and occupation. God has blessed us all with talents, but we must mind the purposes we use them for. What we are given is meant to be used in His service. Using them in any other way is futile, and will end in failure.