Saul defended his act
with great force: the people were scattering, and Samuel had not
come at the appointed time, and as the Philistines had advanced
close up to Gibeah, he had found it impossible to delay longer,
and had offered the sacrifice in order to advance against them.
To all this Samuel's only answer was:
"Thou hast done foolishly; if thou hadst kept the commandment of
Jehovah, He would have established thy kingdom for ever, but
now thy kingdom shall not continue; Jehovah has sought Him a man
after His own heart, and appointed him to be ruler over His people,
because thou hast not kept that which Jehovah commanded thee."
So he said, and walked off; but Saul went with the army from Gilgal
to Gibeah. At Gibeah, the following verse (xiii. 16) goes on,
abode Saul and Jonathan, and their men, when the Philistines
encamped in Michmash.
The change of place distinctly shows the whole passage about the
meeting of the king with the prophet at Gilgal (xiii. 7-15) to be
an insertion by a later hand. At the beginning of the narrative
Saul is at Gibeah (ver. 2, 3), and the Philistines seek him
there, and halt before the place because they meet with
resistance.
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