Strong's H1390 - Gibah {ghib-aw'} - a hill city
This city was also in the allotment for the Tribe of
Benjamin. It also featured a hill city. It was the birth
place of King Saul.
In 1 Samuel 9:1 we read about Kish as a mighty man of
powerful force. He had a son named Saul. His lineage
was found in verse one:
1 Samuel 9:1 KJV
Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name
[was] Kish, son Abiel, son Zeror, son Bechorath,
son Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.
We saw previously how Father-Gibeon-Jehi'el had a
son named Kish. How is it that 1 Sam 9:1 now lists
the father of Kish as Abiel instead of Father-Gibeon-
Jehi'el?
Let's look at the names listed:
a) Aphiah - H647 = "I will make to breathe", rekindled,
refreshed
b) Bechorath - H1064 = "offspring of the first birth"
c) Zeror - H6872 = a bundle, bag, little stone, bindeth
d) Abiel - "El (God) is (my) father"; father of strength
or power
What does this mean?
I believe this is a message describing a hidden truth
of the heavenly lineage of King Saul's dual-nature.
"I will make to breathe this offspring [as] of the first birth
binding a little bundled stone to the father of strength"
I believe there are many dual-natures in the Old Testament
patriarchs. I see how a mirror split between Gibeon (vs) Gibeah
directly split forth from the grandfather.
On the one hand, a righteous branch headed by the Levite
Father-Gibeon-Jehi'el begat his firstborn son Abdon, then Zur.
These were both from his wife [Strong's H4601] Ma'akah.
On the other hand, the dual-nature of Jehi'el was also Abi'el.
Abi'el might have had additional sons with another wife not named.
He was also the father of two sons, Kish and Ner. Kish begat Saul.
Ner begat Abner. This is another indication of a split of families.
The divided houses chose similar paths in two very similar cities.
We read in Judges chapters 19 and 20, all of the horible troubles
and experiences of a Levite traveller with his concubine. As we
discovered in Judges 21, a breach was made by God against the
tribe of Benjamin all focused on the hill city, Gibeah.
Unlike Gibeon, where evil was destroyed and the holy priesthood
was to serve in the tabernacle, the tale of Gibeah was one of folly,
evil and war ending in the deaths of over 50,000 Israelites with
the near extinction of the tribe of Benjamin.
The thought for today: Will we humbly find our peace and serve
the LORD in the tabernacle or shall we pursue civil unrest, unholy
and vile practices only to end up in outright wars that divide
us from the Heavenly Father?
