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Okay, 1 Samuel chapter 14. I'll 
just review a little bit from last week since we're picking 
up in the second half of the chapter. It's a long chapter, 
so we covered verses 1 to 23 in 1 Samuel 14 last week. Just by way of reminder or review, 
in verses 1 to 15, we have the initiative of Jonathan. Remember 
that as soon as Saul becomes the king, he already starts his 
downfall. In 1 Samuel chapter 13 specifically, 
we see Jonathan take the lead in a battle against the Philistines. 
We see Saul engaged in a burnt offering. He didn't wait for 
Samuel. In many respects, 1 Samuel 13 is the beginning of the end 
for the king, King Saul. And again in chapter 14, Jonathan 
takes the initiative. He and his armor bearer go to 
the Philistine garrison. He makes that statement in 14.6. 
He says, it may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing 
restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few. And in this, 
he evidences something of his faith in the living God. He evidences 
a realization of God's sovereignty. He doesn't demand. He knows that 
it is, if perhaps, or it may be, because he didn't know the 
secret mind of God. But he nevertheless went to the 
garrison. The armor bearer was faithful 
and went along with him. When they go up or shimmy up 
to the garrison, as soon as they get to the top, the men in the 
garrison fall before them. And then the armor bearer goes 
ahead and kills those particular men. 20 of them. Remember at 
this particular time as well, Israel was very demoralized. There wasn't a whole lot of hope 
to be had with reference to a victory over the Philistines, but God 
had exercised his prerogative to spare Israel to save them 
on that particular day. So after this death of these 
men in the garrison, then there was a trembling, in verse 15, 
in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison 
and the raiders also trembled, and the earth quaked, so that 
it was a very great trembling. Now the watchmen of Saul and 
Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and there was the multitude melting 
away. and they went here and there. 
Then Saul said to the people who were with him, now call the 
roll and see who has gone from us." At this point he didn't 
know it was Jonathan. He didn't know that Jonathan 
and the armor bearer had stolen away. And then they call the 
roll, they figure it out that it's Jonathan and the armor bearer 
And then in verse 18, Saul said to Ahijah, the priest, bring 
the ark of God here. For at that time, the ark of 
God was with the children of Israel. This was a good thing. 
Saul wanted divine guidance. Saul wanted to know the mind 
of God. But Saul was impatient. Just like he didn't wait for 
Samuel in chapter 13 and he went ahead and offered up the burnt 
offering, so here. He calls to Ahijah to bring the 
ark. And then in verse 19, it happened 
while Saul talked to the priest that the noise which was in the 
camp of the Philistines continued to increase. So Saul said to 
the priest, withdraw your hand. In other words, we need to get 
to it. We don't want to hear what God has to say at this particular 
time. And then notice in verse 20, 
Saul and all the people who were with him assembled, and they 
went to the battle, and indeed every man's sword was against 
his neighbor, and there was very great confusion. One of the brilliant 
tactics of the Philistines was the confiscation of arms, and 
they did this by means of controlling production. In other words, the 
Philistines were the metal workers and because of their high prices, 
they made it such that the Israelites did not have weapons. The only 
ones that had swords in Israel were Saul and Jonathan. So when 
we read verse 20, we are to understand that Philistine turns against 
Philistine. Philistines are killing each 
other, just like the battle in Gideon's time in the book of 
Judges in chapter 8, I believe. Yes, hang on. The Philistines, 
where are we at here? Judges 7, yes. So the Philistines 
are killing each other in chapter 14, verse 20, and then all of 
the Israelites start to come out from hiding And now they 
want to engage in the battle against the Philistines. When 
you see that sort of confusion and mayhem take place, I guess 
it emboldens you to come out from your hole and to join the 
battle. When Philistines are killing 
each other, Israelites have a vested interest in the battle at that 
particular time. But notice how this section of 
the chapter ends in verse 23. So the Lord saved Israel that 
day, and the battle shifted to Beth-Avon. So what we have is 
the initiative of Jonathan and we also have the goodness of 
God in saving Israel once again in this particular instance. 
Now we're going to pick up reading in verse 24 and then seek to 
see what we have in this latter part of the chapter. And the 
men of Israel were distressed that day, for Saul had placed 
the people under oath, saying, Cursed is the man who eats any 
food until evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies. 
So none of the people tasted food. Now all the people of the 
land came to a forest, and there was honey on the ground. And 
when the people had come into the woods, there was the honey 
dripping. But no one put his hand to his 
mouth, for the people feared the oath. But Jonathan had not 
heard his father charge the people with the oath. Therefore, he 
stretched out the end of the rod that was in his hand and 
dipped it in a honeycomb and put his hand to his mouth, and 
his countenance brightened. Then one of the people said, 
your father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, 
curse it is the man who eats food this day. And the people 
were faint. But Jonathan said, my father 
has troubled the land. Look now how my countenance is 
brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. How much better 
if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies 
which they found. For now would there not have 
been a much greater slaughter among the Philistines. Now they 
had driven back the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. So the people were very faint 
and the people rushed on the spoil and took sheep, oxen and 
calves and slaughtered them on the ground. And the people ate 
them with the blood. Then they told Saul, saying, 
Look, the people are sinning against the Lord by eating with 
the blood. So he said, You have dealt treacherously. Roll a large 
stone to me this day. Then Saul said, Disperse yourselves 
among the people and say to them, Bring me here every man's ox 
and every man's sheep. Slaughter them here and eat. 
And do not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood. So 
every one of the people brought his ox with him that night and 
slaughtered it there. Then Saul built an altar to the 
Lord. This was the first altar that 
he built to the Lord. Now Saul said, let us go down 
after the Philistines by night and plunder them until the morning 
light, and let us not leave a man of them. And they said, do whatever 
seems good to you. Then the priest said, let us 
draw near to God here. So Saul asked counsel of God, 
shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you deliver them into the 
hand of Israel? But he did not answer him that 
day. And Saul said, come over here, all you chiefs of the people, 
and know and see what this sin was today. For as the Lord lives 
who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall 
surely die. But not a man among all the people 
answered him. And he said to all Israel, You 
be on one side, and my son Jonathan and I will be on the other side. 
And the people said to Saul, Do what seems good to you. Therefore 
Saul said to the Lord God of Israel, give a perfect lot. So Saul and Jonathan were taken, 
but the people escaped. And Saul said, cast lots between 
my son Jonathan and me. So Jonathan was taken. And Saul 
said to Jonathan, tell me what you have done. And Jonathan told 
him and said, I only tasted a little honey with the end of the rod 
that was in my hand, so now I must die. Saul answered, God do so 
and more also, for you shall surely die, Jonathan. But the 
people said to Saul, shall Jonathan die, who has accomplished this 
great deliverance in Israel? Certainly not. As the Lord lives, 
not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has 
worked with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan, 
and he did not die. Then Saul returned from pursuing 
the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place. So Saul 
established his sovereignty over Israel and fought against all 
his enemies on every side, against Moab, against the people of Ammon, 
against Edom, against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he harassed 
them. And he gathered an army and attacked 
the Amalekites and delivered Israel from the hands of those 
who plundered them. The sons of Saul were Jonathan, 
Jishui, and Mal-Keshua. And the names of his two daughters 
were these, the name of the firstborn, Merab, and the name of the younger, 
Michael. The name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam, 
the daughter of Ahimeas. And the name of the commander 
of his army was Abner, the son of Ner, Saul's uncle. Kish was 
the father of Saul, and Ner, the father of Abner, was the 
son of Abiel. Now there was fierce war with 
the Philistines all the days of Saul. And when Saul saw any 
strong man or any valiant man, he took him for himself. Amen. Well, as we look at this particular 
chapter, as I said, it goes closely with what precedes in chapter 
14, verses 1 to 23. And there's four sections that 
we ought to observe in verses 24 to 52. First, the oath imposed 
by Saul in verses 24 to 30. Secondly, the transgression of 
the people in verses 31 to 35. Thirdly, the inquiry made by 
Saul in verses 36 to 46. And then the summary of Saul's 
reign. And we will try to draw out some 
practical application at the end of the study tonight, though 
it's a bit more difficult when we're dealing with certain narrative 
passages like these. Do we learn from this that we 
aren't supposed to engage in rash vows? Certainly, that's 
something we ought to discover here. Is it a wise lesson to 
learn that we ought to eat when we go into battle? I think that's 
probably a good lesson also, but we don't want to reduce it 
to that level. There are some very important 
things in this particular section that apply to the people of God 
in the Church of Christ. in this new covenant setting. 
But let's look first at this oath imposed by Saul. You notice 
a contrast between verses 23 and 24. Verse 23, the Lord saved 
Israel that day, and the battle shifted to Beth-Avon. Certainly, 
when God saves Israel on a particular day, there ought to be great 
rejoicing, there ought to be great celebration, there ought 
to be great sacrifice in his presence. But that's not how 
verse 24 begins. And the men of Israel were distressed 
that day. And the reason why they were 
distressed is Saul had placed the people under oath saying. So the positive statement of 
verse 23 regarding God And here, the negative statement concerning 
Saul's effect on the people. If you go back to chapter 13, 
there's distress. Notice in chapter 13 at verse 
6. After, again, Jonathan takes 
the initiative to deal with the Philistines, the Philistines 
gather together to retaliate against Israel. And in chapter 
13 at verse 6 it says, When the men of Israel saw that they were 
in danger, for the people were distressed, then the people hid 
in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in holes, and in pits. So you can understand when the 
Philistines gather together with a formidable force and they come 
against Israel, that would cause distress. Here they have victory, 
but now under Saul's reign, under Saul's kingship, they are distressed. Davis says there in 13.6, Israel 
is hard-pressed because of massive Philistine pressure. Here the 
Philistines are defeated, but Israel is still hard-pressed 
because of Saul. Saul shows a strange ability 
to turn deliverance into distress. As soon as Saul becomes king, 
it becomes evident that he is not the man for the particular 
job. In fact, in chapter 13, specifically 
at verse 14, after he sins regarding the burnt sacrifice, Samuel tells 
him, but now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought 
for himself a man after his own heart. and the Lord has commanded 
him to be commander over his people because you have not kept 
what the Lord commanded you." Now certainly that's going to 
be David king of Israel. Jonathan serves as a good transition 
between Saul and his lack of being a man after God's own heart 
and David who is a man after God's own heart. Jonathan as 
we saw last week, is a faithful man, and I think that will be 
evidenced tonight as well. But notice specifically the oath, 
the content of the oath. He had placed the people under 
oath saying, cursed is the man who eats any food until evening 
before I have taken vengeance on my enemies. This is not a 
brilliant move for a military strategist in the midst of battle. There were a couple of weeks 
ago, Fran called, and she asked about the luncheon, because you 
know how she brings the gummy bears to the luncheons, right? 
And I said, you know, Fran, I'd like some gummy bears, because 
sometimes when I'm studying, like a little bit of sugar kind 
of keeps the blood flowing and that sort of thing. So she did. 
She brought me some gummies. And I had some gummies today, 
and it gives you a little spring in the step when you're doing 
your work. When you have battle-weary soldiers going after Philistines 
and you deprive them of food, there is something strategically 
inept about that particular decision. Why does Saul do what Saul does 
in this particular instance? Kiel and Delitzsch say this command 
of Saul did not proceed from a proper attitude towards the 
Lord, but was an act of false zeal in which Saul had more regard 
to himself and his own kingly power than to the cause of the 
kingdom of Jehovah, as we may see at once from the expression, 
till I have avenged myself upon my enemies." So it was a false 
zeal. It was an addition to what the 
existing plan was based on Saul's desire for his own position. 
Samora says it this way, Saul imposes a fast upon the army 
in an attempt apparently to influence Yahweh by a grandiose gesture 
of self-denial in order to continue securing the Lord's help. Saul 
perhaps thinks that if we abstain from food, then God will continue 
to give us victory over these Philistines. Now again, I think 
there's something very much akin to what we see today. People 
aren't content with the means that God has granted. We have 
to bite off more, no pun intended. We have to try more. We have 
to be extra biblical and extra spiritual. and extra pietistic 
in order to try and force God's hand to give us a particular 
blessing. Another commentator named Ellison 
said that Saul's oath in verse 24 belongs to those superstitions 
which think that God is more likely to listen if men indulge 
in unnecessary self-denial. So if I deny myself unnecessarily 
God will be so impressed by what I'm doing that he will then give 
me the particular verdict. We aren't content with the things 
that God has given, prayer, Bible, church, fasting for seasons. We have to fast for 40 days or 
we have to have prayer summits. But we have to have month-long 
vigils. We can't be content with what 
God the Lord has furnished in his word to us. We need something 
extra and super and above in order to try, I think ultimately, 
to manipulate God into giving us what we want. Now if you think 
this is a stretch, we've already seen in 1 Samuel this attempt 
to manipulate God to try and get what we want. 1 Samuel 4, 
again they had a skirmish with the Philistines and in that particular 
instance the Philistines beat them in battle. So what do the 
children of Israel do? They say get the Ark of the Covenant 
and bring it out to the battle and we will gain victory. They 
weren't doing this as a means of reverencing God, or of praising 
God, or of esteeming God. They had reduced the Ark of the 
Covenant to the status of a holy horseshoe, or of a four-leaf 
clover, or of a lucky rabbit's foot. They thought that the mere 
presence of the Ark would be the means by which they would 
bring victory. They sought to manipulate. They 
also engaged in magic. in order to try and gain victory 
over the Philistines. So what does God do? God has 
the Philistines not only win the battle, but capture the very 
Ark of the Covenant and take it into Philistine territory. 
So Saul apparently here is doing an extra over and above. Brethren, that is the way Baal 
is worshipped. If we empty our minds and we 
do enough things, then God will most certainly bless us. Doesn't Jesus forbid this approach 
to his Father? He says that the heathen think 
that for their many words they will be heard. When we pray to 
God in faith, we can trust that He will answer according to His 
will. He doesn't bless us based on 
the amount of words that we throw up to Him. He doesn't say, wow, 
you've prayed for a half hour, so I'll give you 15 units of 
blessing today. We need to separate this mindset 
of formulaic approaches to the living and true God. Baal was 
worshipped in a formulaic way. We do this and Baal blesses this 
way. For the Baal worshippers, copulation, 
sexual immorality, fornication. The worshippers would come together 
and they would copulate with the idea that Baal and his consort 
would in turn copulate and then would fertilize the land. It 
was a formulaic approach in order to worship Baal. Yahweh is not 
Baal. We do not bind Him. We do not 
put His arm behind His back. He is not impressed with us if 
we go 40 days without food. He'll probably say something 
at the end like, why didn't you eat? I never told you to fast 
for 40 days. Eat and pray. If you want to 
fast for a season, that's fine. But if you want to fast for 40 
days, you don't have any warrant from the scripture. was supernatural 
in the case of Moses and in the case of our Lord Jesus. For the 
rest of us, we will die. That is probably what's going 
to happen. God is not impressed with our 
extra-biblical additions. Be faithful with the means that 
God has ordained. People that are searching for 
more oftentimes are the people that aren't doing the bare minimum, 
that aren't doing the basics. I am not convinced that people 
who want to have these Forty day whatever's are the ones that 
are most faithful in church attendance. It's always looking for the newest 
rush, or the newest high, or the newest gimmick, or the newest 
fad. God calls his church to be faithful. That's it. Just be faithful. Notice on the heels of this particular 
oath, the very end of verse 24, so none of the people tasted 
food. That's a blessing on that. That 
is a good thing. I mean, battle-weary soldiers. 
You know, I'm sitting at a study thinking, I need a gummy bear 
to help me make it to the end of the day. If I was cutting 
the heads off of Philistines, and I was covered in blood, and 
the stench of battle, I am certain a big piece of meat would have 
been very helpful. So on the heels of this particular 
oath, what happens? Now they wander into a forest 
that is dripping with honey. I mean, this is probably one 
of the more difficult things that a people have had to go 
through. It says, now all the people of the land came to a 
forest and there was honey on the ground. I bet honey never 
looked as good. I bet honey never looked as tasty 
as it did when they had been put under oath by their king 
until he had taken vengeance on his enemies that they could 
not eat food. Verse 26, when the people had 
come into the woods, there was the honey dripping, but no one 
put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. So what happens now? Jonathan 
comes along. Jonathan was out killing Philistines 
when Saul was making rash oaths. So Jonathan did not hear this 
particular oath. So Jonathan takes his spear. 
He stretches out the end of the rod that was in his hand. He 
dips it in the honeycomb. He puts his hand to his mouth, 
and his countenance brightened. Imagine that. We all know what 
that's like, right? We've got low blood sugar. We're 
hungry. Sometimes your wife or your husband 
says, just eat something and then we can talk because you're 
grumpy and you're not a happy camper. This is what's going 
on. His countenance brightened. It 
cheered him up. See, we often think that it's 
only the spiritual things that God uses to encourage the people 
of God. We need to learn that we're body 
and soul. We're not just disembodied spirits 
floating around In a cloud world, we need food, we need rest, we 
need the sorts of things that God affords to his people. This 
was a rash oath. There was no legitimacy for it 
whatsoever. For what Jonathan did, or so 
what Jonathan did, it ought not to surprise us. Any doctor would 
say, that's exactly what you needed to have your countenance 
brightened. And then, of course, someone 
is there to tell them about the oath that Saul had enacted. One of the people said, your 
father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, curse it, 
as the man who eats food this day, and the people were faint. Now notice what Jonathan does 
in verses 29 to 30. He states the obvious. John Gill says that Jonathan 
shouldn't have said this. My father has troubled the land. John Gill suggests that because 
of an evangelical obedience to the Fifth Commandment, he shouldn't 
have dishonored his father. Maybe that's the case. I don't 
know how many of us could have restrained our talk. I'm not 
saying it's right, wrong, indifferent, but what Jonathan says is the 
obvious. The action of Saul troubled the 
land. This is a strong statement. The 
action or my father has troubled the land. He has brought distress 
upon the land. The same language is used in 
Joshua chapter 7. Achan is the Troubler of Israel. The same language is used in 
1 Kings chapter 18 when Ahab has the gall to tell Elijah that 
he's the Troubler of Israel. Elijah knows and we know that 
it's Ahab that's the Troubler of Israel. So it's a strong statement. Samarra says, Jonathan thus criticizes 
his father for having brought disaster to the country by his 
impractical oath. While Saul was stubbornly religious, 
Jonathan was, by contrast, practically God-fearing. I think that's what 
we're supposed to appreciate. And again, the obvious continues. He says, my father has troubled 
the land. Look now how my countenance is 
brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. How much better 
if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies 
which they have found. In other words, if a little bit 
of honey brightens the countenance of Jonathan, imagine what steak, 
and imagine what meat, and imagine what vegetables, and imagine 
what other sources of proteins and carbohydrates would have 
done to these soldiers. They would have went right after 
these Philistines and been able to mop up. That is precisely 
what he says. For now would there not have 
been a much greater slaughter among the Philistines. You know, 
brethren, we need to remember Israel is at war. It's not a 
spiritual war in this instance. It is a physical holy war. They are engaged in killing people 
and in breaking things. You need energy to do that sort 
of thing. And that is precisely what Jonathan 
says in this particular instance. Now notice, this brings us secondly 
to the transgression of the people. Why do they do what they do? 
Because they transgress the law of God. But they were provoked. They were instigated. When Saul 
forbade them to eat, when the day is over, which I think the 
implication is in 31 to 35, the day in terms of the fast or the 
ban on food is over. They're ravenous. Again, we probably 
don't know what this is like because we can walk to the fridge 
at any time and we have dear friend bring us bags of gummy 
bears. But that's not the case in this 
instance. Notice in verse 31, now they 
had driven back the Philistines that day from Michmash to Eishelot. 
It's about 20 miles west, OK? They're covering distance. And 
again, they're not in Bradley tanks. They're not in helicopters. They don't have the Humvee. They 
don't have the sorts of military armament that we have. If we 
walk 20 miles, not killing Philistines and breaking things, we'd probably 
like to eat, wouldn't we? 20 miles is a good stretch. I don't know of any of us that 
walked that much today. Some of us didn't even drive 
20 miles today. So you see what they are facing 
is very, they're very hungry. That's repeated over and over 
again. Notice in verse 31. So the people were very faint. 
The end of verse 28. The people were faint. What's 
the continual emphasis here? The people are hungry. The people 
want to eat. The people need energy. Now notice what happens in this 
particular situation. And the people rushed on the 
spoil. They saw food. They saw meat. They saw ox, sheep, calves. And they thought, now that the 
fast of this oath is over, we can eat. So what do they do? 
They kill the animals on the ground. What's the implication? 
When they kill the animals on the ground, the animals remain 
in their blood. This is a ritual transgression 
of God's law. They were not to ingest the blood. They kill the animals in the 
blood and they eat the animals, the way the text reads, raw. They didn't spend any time cooking. 
They didn't barbecue. They didn't put sauce on it. 
They ate meat because they were weary. They were hungry. They 
had been in battle. We need to think this way. We 
need to understand. We need to see what is going 
on in this particular instance. So what we have are the people 
engaged in ritual transgression of God's law. Genesis 9, God 
forbids the ingestion of blood. Leviticus 7, Leviticus 17, and 
in Deuteronomy chapter 12, they were forbidden to eat the blood. This is what the kosher laws 
are all about. It's the way to kill the meat 
so that it's drained of the blood so that the Israelites could 
eat it and participate in the means or in the manner in which 
God gave it. So then they had someone tell 
Saul. Then they told Saul, verse 33, look, the people are sinning 
against the Lord by eating with the blood. So he said, you have 
dealt treacherously. Roll a large stone to me this 
day. He's right. They did deal treacherously. 
They should not have violated Leviticus 17. Man, Saul, you 
shouldn't have put them under that oath. You shouldn't have 
forbidden them to eat. In many respects, Saul pushes 
them. Right in front of these animals, 
he says, go ahead and mow down. When he calls for the rock to 
be rolled over to him, it's so that they can kill the animals 
so that the blood can drain. The way to repair this is to 
no longer ingest blood. This is something we considered 
a few weeks ago. When we are in a particular sin, 
The best remedy is to stop. It is to go the other direction. Don't keep banging your head 
on the wall when you start to bleed. Stop banging your head 
on the wall. Sometimes people say, I haven't 
been reading my Bible the way I ought to read it. Then read 
it. Pick it up. I haven't been attending 
church. Then attend church. Fix the problem 
immediately. Do not put it off. This is what 
Saul does. Saul says, you have dealt treacherously. Roll a large stone to me this 
day. Then Saul said, disperse yourselves 
among the people. and say to them, bring me here 
every man's ox and every man's sheep, slaughter them here and 
eat, and do not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood." 
Again, I am not justifying the people's action. I am not excusing 
them from this ritual transgression. This was a bad thing to ingest 
the blood. But I think I can enter in I 
think I can see what the logic may have been. Because Saul imposed 
this oath and forbid them from eating, they see oxes and sheep 
and it looks like good, hearty food. So they mow down. So every 
one of the people brought his ox with him that night and slaughtered 
it there. Now notice, in verse 35, he builds 
an altar. Then Saul built an altar to the 
Lord. This was the first altar that 
he built to the Lord. I don't have the skill of a Davis 
or a Samora to sort of fish out all that's involved here, but 
there's probably some emphasis involved. This was the first 
altar that he built to the Lord. Should he have built them earlier, 
sooner? What's the implication that the 
author would have for us? There's only so much time and 
so many gummy bears in a day, so you can all roll that one 
around on your own. But I think there is something 
to be gained from an understanding of verse 35. But notice, thirdly, 
the inquiry made by Saul in verses 36 to 46. So Saul says, let us 
go down after the Philistines by night and plunder them until 
the morning light. One of the applications I'm going 
to make at the end, I'm going to go ahead and give you a part 
of it now. The goodness of God. The goodness of God. What do 
I mean by that? Or how do we gain? Or how do 
we understand the goodness of God? Because Israel is winning 
the Philistines in this chapter, notwithstanding a prohibition 
against food and rest. You see, another thing I think 
a battle-weary soldier needs is not only a belly full of protein, 
but he needs a good night of sleep. Saul, in terms of a military 
strategist, is not the brightest bulb in the chandelier. He says, 
let's pursue them all night until morning. These men are tired. They've driven Philistines from 
Mikmash to Eizelon. 20 miles, killing Philistines 
and breaking things, all on empty stomachs. Now they've just glutted 
themselves with meat and blood. They're probably laying there 
ready for a nice long rest. And Saul says, get up. Let's 
go. Let's plunder Philistines all 
night long until the morning light. And let us not leave a 
man of them. Again, a good end, a good objective, 
but not the wisest or sanest way to pursue this objective. 
Even, or not even, but when we get to the New Testament, what 
does the Lord Jesus say to his disciples? Come apart and rest 
a while. Jesus and the Father give their 
people rest. We each get a Sabbath. We have 
all day to rest. God doesn't drive us. constantly, 
continually, relentlessly, without rest. The Lord is good to his 
people. The Lord is gracious and kind. I love that instance in Joshua 
chapter 7, when they figure out, or when God brings the sin to 
Joshua, it's about Achan, God says in the morning, gather the 
people together. I've always taken a certain little 
bit of comfort from that. I mean, this was a horrible thing. 
This was the Troubler of Israel. This caused their defeat at Ai. I mean, they had just beat Jericho 
by marching around the city. They go into Ai, which is a much 
smaller place with a lot fewer troops. They think victory's 
in the bag. They go and they get beaten by 
Aians, whatever you would call an Ai-ite. They go in and they 
get beaten. And then God brings this to Joshua 
and says, gather everybody in the morning. I don't know who 
of us would do that. We've got to deal with this right 
now. And I'll bring them in the morning. I've always taken the 
implication, get a good night of rest because you've got a 
busy day tomorrow. You see, the Lord is good. Saul 
is not being good in terms of his people in the kingdom at 
this particular juncture. Now notice. Go through the night. The priest speaks a word of wisdom. The people do whatever seems 
good to you. The people of Israel, other than 
ingesting blood and engaging in ritual transgression, are 
doing a pretty fine job in this particular chapter. I mean, they 
don't eat when Saul imposes the ban. They kill Philistines the 
way good Israelites are supposed to do. Now Saul says, I don't 
want you to sleep. Let's chase and kill Israelites. 
And they say, do whatever seems good to you. Then the priest 
said, let us draw near to God here. That's a good thing. That's a very good piece of advice. So Saul asked counsel of God, 
shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you deliver them into the 
hand of Israel? But he did not answer him that 
day. Samorah says the withholding 
of an answer was a certain indication that God was displeased. that 
God was displeased in this whole event, in this whole affair. 
And so what does Saul do? He says, let's cast lots to figure 
out where the sin is. Check the Urim and the Thummim, 
those two stones that the high priest kept in the breastplate 
on his clothing. So this is what's going 
on. Saul said, come over here, verse 
38, all you chiefs of the people and know and see what this sin 
was today. For as the Lord lives, who saves 
Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die." 
It's interesting, isn't it? Did Saul already know that Jonathan 
had dipped the end of his spear in there, right? We know that 
the persons, or a man, advised Jonathan of the oath after the 
particular situation. But up to this point, we don't 
have any indication that Saul knows. So it's an interesting 
thing that he says seems to indicate that Saul does know that Jonathan 
ate. Seems like there was a lot of 
chatterboxes around at that particular time. So as the Lord lives, who 
saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely 
die. Now, this is a pattern we've 
seen in Samuel. We're not even halfway through 
yet. There's not good father-son relationships in the book of 
Samuel, at least in 1 Samuel. I mean, Eli's sons are terrible 
specimens of human beings. They engage in prostituting sacrifice 
and lying with the women at the assembly of the Lord. Eli does 
not restrain his sons. We think that it must be better 
when Samuel is the judge. His sons were wicked. And in 
this particular instance, we've got Jonathan saying to the people 
of Israel, my father is a troubler of the land. And now we have 
Saul invoking by way of oath, as the Lord lives, who saves 
Israel? Though it be in Jonathan my son, 
he shall surely die. Remember up to this point too, 
thus far, Jonathan has been evidencing himself as the warrior of Israel. It's chapter 13 and in chapter 
14. Who's the star? It's not Saul. Saul is not the one out there 
garnering victory for Israel. It's Jonathan. Perhaps in Saul 
at this particular time, this is a good time, to invoke such 
a curse over his son. But not a man among all the people 
answered him. And then verse 40, then he said 
to all Israel, you be on one side, my son Jonathan and I will 
be on the other side. And the people said to Saul, 
do what seems good to you. Therefore Saul said to the Lord 
God of Israel, give a perfect law. So the casting of lots was 
probably done in conjunction with this Yoram and Thumim. It 
was a means by which they sought divine guidance. It wasn't the 
magic eight ball like we talked about, you know, a few weeks 
ago. When I was a kid they had those magic eight balls, probably 
others had that too, and you'd shake it and the answers were 
just ambiguous enough to answer any question you had. Will I 
get married? Yes or no. Well, I mean, that's 
the only way you can answer that, right? Should I go do this? Well, 
maybe. Just very ambiguous. That's not 
what they're doing. They're not shaking the magic 
eight ball. This was a means given by God 
in a time when they didn't have the entirety of the written word, 
just like in the New Testament, tongues and prophesying were 
at a time when they didn't have the entirety of the written word. 
Now that we have the written word, we don't have the Yoram 
and the Thummim, we don't have the tongues and the prophesied. 
So this is what Saul is seeking to determine. Wherein does the 
fault lie in Israel? We've got to deal with this particular 
situation. God has not answered, and as 
a result, Saul interprets this as a bad sign. God is displeased. We've got to get to the bottom 
of what's going on in the midst of the camp. So Saul and Jonathan 
were taken, but the people escaped. It's interesting. The people, 
for their ritual transgression, escaped. Not again that God says, 
it's okay, go ahead and eat blood. The issue here was an issue of 
leadership. The issue here was not an issue 
specifically of the people. As far as that goes, apart from 
ingesting blood, they had been acting very responsibly and very 
obediently. So it's Saul and Jonathan separated 
at this time. Now notice in verse 42, Saul 
said, cast lots between my son Jonathan and me, so Jonathan 
was taken. Now notice, then Saul said to 
Jonathan, tell me what you have done. Kind of a sad scene, really. I hope I never have to interact 
with my son in like manner, or that I would never have to deal 
with my father in this particular manner. Jonathan told him, I 
only tasted a little honey with the end of the rod that was in 
my hand, so now I must die. I doubt it was a, so now I must 
die. It was probably, so now I must 
die? I really have to be put to death 
for tasting a little bit of honey when I hadn't even heard the 
oath to begin with? I mean, that's probably how you 
and I would do it. Jonathan just goes for the point here. So Saul 
answers, God do so and more also, for you shall surely die, Jonathan. If you're familiar with your 
Bible, you'll know that this is the language used in the Garden 
of Eden. Dying, you shall die. He uses 
it without any sort of remorse. He doesn't say, oh Jonathan, 
this is grieving. I don't want to have to execute 
you, but I have to because I'm the king and you've disobeyed. 
No, he does it with vengeance. He does it with earnestness. 
He does it with invoking again the very God of heaven and earth. 
God do so and more also for you shall surely die, Jonathan. Grieving. That a man could say 
this to his son without any sort of remorse or pain or regret. Perhaps he is jealous. Perhaps 
he has seen Jonathan ascending as the man that could have been 
a faithful king. But remember 13-14, Jonathan 
will never be king. Because of the sins of his father, 
because of Saul and his covenantal unfaithfulness, Jonathan, who 
would have been a great king, will never be the king. Now notice, 
the people intervene. This is amazing. The people saved 
the Savior. The people saved the Savior in 
this instance. Notice, it's as if they can't 
handle it anymore. Verse 45, the people said to 
Saul, shall Jonathan die, who has accomplished this great deliverance 
in Israel? Certainly not. We've seen in 
battle Philistines. It was Jonathan and his armor 
bearer. They were the only two that took the initiative. If 
perhaps God will grant us victory. Because the Lord is not restrained 
whether to save by many or few. It was Jonathan who went up that 
garrison. It was Jonathan before whom those 
garrison men fell. And it was Jonathan's armor bearer 
who took him out. And it was as a result of that 
that the earth started to tremble and quake. And it was as a result 
of that that in verse 20 God turned Philistine against Philistine 
to put each other to death. Don't kill Jonathan. Jonathan 
is the Savior of Israel. Certainly not as the Lord lives. Now they invoke an oath. Not one hair of his head shall 
fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day." How 
do you think that cut Saul? That probably didn't feel too 
good. When all of Israel is saying to Saul, do not touch a hair 
of his head, because he has worked with God to provide deliverance 
for Israel. So the people rescued Jonathan, 
and he did not die. The people saved the Savior, 
in this particular instance. So what happens? Verse 46, as 
far as Saul is concerned, the Lord has spoken. So Saul returned 
from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their 
own place. Never say, God does not answer prayer. He just doesn't 
give us the answers that we're after. Remember, that's why they 
did this. That's why Saul did this whole 
thing. Saul, at the behest of the priest, 
who said, we ought to seek counsel from the Lord, Saul says, God, 
is this a good idea? God doesn't answer. So Saul wants 
to know why God doesn't answer. And God spoke, not in favor of 
Saul, but in favor of Jonathan. So the casting of the lots identified 
Jonathan, but that was the foil by which that Saul is shown to 
be the one that has transgressed before the Lord. Really an ingenious 
passage of scripture. This book of 1 Samuel truly is 
amazing. Now notice the summary of Saul's 
reign in verses 47 to 52. It indicates his victories. verses 
47 and 48, his sovereignty over Israel. Saul established his 
sovereignty over Israel and fought against all his enemies on every 
side, against Moab, against the people of Ammon. That's everybody 
to the east. against Edom, that is to the 
south, against the kings of Zobah, that is to the north, and against 
the Philistines, that is to the west. So what do we have? Saul 
exercises sovereignty over Israel and he's doing it in such a way 
as to provide stability and security within Israel and to bring harassment 
against the several enemies that surround the nation. says wherever 
he turned he harassed them and he gathered an army and attacked 
the Amalekites and delivered Israel from the hands of those 
who plundered them. Notice, this is a glowing report. There is nothing negative in 
this summary statement in 47 to 52. There is not one bad word 
said concerning Saul in this whole situation. More on that 
in just a moment. It indicates his family, verses 
49 to 51, and then it ends with this statement concerning his 
recruitment. So while he indeed provided security 
and stability for the nation of Israel from all of the enemies 
surrounding, it wasn't total victory. They were still harassed 
by the Philistines and so Saul kept his eye up. When he saw 
any strong man or any valiant man, he took him for himself. 
Some suggest as bodyguards, probably as soldiers. He would be walking, 
he would see men. he'd say, come on, I've got a 
job for you. It's called killing Philistines. So 47 to 52 is a pretty glowing 
summary statement concerning Saul. If that's all we had concerning 
Saul, it would be quite impressive considering. what the other kings 
in Israel had. So a couple of lessons, and then 
we close. The first is the attempt to gain 
results. You may have guessed, I certainly 
take those men that I quoted as being correct on why Saul 
imposed this oath. He did it to try and secure the 
favor of God by going over and above. Now, I'm not saying just 
eke out a miserable Christian life and never read an extra 
chapter of your Bible. I'm not saying that. I'm not 
saying, as long as you slither into a service and you're there 
10 minutes, I'm not suggesting that at all. But we need to be 
careful of this mindset that we can control God by our religious 
observance. In the case, or if it is the 
case, that Saul attempted continued victory with God's assistance 
through the imposition of the oath, it highlights the folly 
of undertaking extra-religious means in an attempt to move God. We are going to do this so that 
God will give us money for our building. No, just pray. Just 
do what you're supposed to do. Sunday night we considered 2 
Timothy 2, verses 11 to 13. The emphasis in the sermon was on if we endure. Tried to press on all of us the 
necessity of endurance and perseverance in the Christian life. And one 
of the means by which we endure is through using the means that 
God has given. If I had a sharper intellect, 
I would have quoted the Second London Confession, Chapter 14, 
Paragraph 1 that night. When we are enduring hardship, 
as Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 2.3, when we are seeking to persevere 
and endure, what is it that we desperately need? We just need 
faith. We need to know our God, we need 
to believe our God, we need to trust our God. Isn't that ultimately 
the means by which we endure and persevere? It is by trusting, 
by believing. What does the prophet Habakkuk 
say? And Paul repeats, and we see 
it throughout scriptures. The just shall live by what? 
Faith, right? How do we grow in our faith? Is it with prayer vigils? Is 
it with 40-day fasts? Is it with the latest Christian 
conference? Is it the latest DVD? Is it the 
latest Christian book on how to experience God in the most 
woeful circumstances? I think the divines at Westminster, 
the ones that the particular Baptists followed, got it right. The grace of faith whereby the 
elect are enabled to believe to the saving of their souls 
is the work of the Spirit of Christ in their hearts, and is 
ordinarily wrought by the ministry of the Word, by which also and 
by the administration of baptism in the Lord's Supper, prayer, 
and other means appointed of God, it is increased and strengthened." 
That's it. Now, again, Butler said, all 
I got to do is read one word and I've fulfilled. No, read 
as much as you want, but don't think because you read 10 chapters, 
you're going to get 20 units of blessing. God is not for us 
to manipulate. God is not a holy horseshoe. 
God is not a lucky charm that does our bidding because we fulfill 
certain obligations. We do what we do because God 
calls us to do it. We leave the blessing, the giving 
of it, the taking, all that is God's prerogative. A second lesson, 
the faithfulness of Jonathan. the very structure of chapters 
13 and 14. We have in chapter 13, in verses 
2 to 4, the success of Jonathan. Then we've got the fear of Israel 
in 5 to 7, the folly of Saul, and then the distress of Israel. 
In chapter 14, we have the success of Jonathan, the deliverance 
of Israel, the folly of Saul, and the distress of Israel. So 
anytime Jonathan does something good, Saul comes in and ruins 
it. Every time Jonathan brings an 
exploit of victory, Saul comes and does something foolish and 
idiotic. What we are seeing is Jonathan 
rising because he does what God calls him to do. We see in this 
chapter the wisdom of Jonathan, 27 to 30. I mean, my countenance 
was brightened with a little bit of honey. Imagine if these 
battle-weary soldiers ate meat. Imagine the slaughter they could 
inflict upon these Philistines. This then turns into the transgression 
of Israel, the folly of Saul, and the intervention of Israel. Now, if we ask the question, 
because it probably arises, Davis caused me to think through this. 
When we read about Jonathan, we think, wow, that's not fair. 
I mean, he was a great guy, wasn't he? I mean, Jonathan and the 
other Jonathan, Be happy to get that name Jonathan. That's a 
great namesake. That is a faithful brother. That's 
too bad. He couldn't be king. He had such 
promise. He had such gift. He had such ability. He had military 
savvy. He had courage. He had the love 
of Israel. I mean, they intervene in verse 
45. They stand up against a reigning 
king and they say, do not touch a hair on his head. And Saul 
just backs down. Jonathan is a champ, right? Davis points out, the kingdom 
was not Saul's or Jonathan's. He's saying that Jonathan had 
the proper perspective. Jonathan did what Jonathan did 
because he loved God, because he trusted God, and because he 
did what God said. The kingdom was not Saul's or 
Jonathan's. It was Yahweh's kingdom. For 
Jonathan, then, the kingdom was not his to seize, not his to 
rule, but his to serve. And then Davis makes this perceptive 
statement. Maybe a tragic life, because 
we'd look at Jonathan and say, that's tragic, man. He had the 
promise. He had the love. He had the affection. 
He had everything. But because of 1314 and the folly 
of his father, he'll never be king. I mean, imagine that. You 
have promise, you have ability, you have everything, and somebody 
says, you can't have that job because your father was an idiot? 
That would be somewhat disconcerting, wouldn't it? Davis says, though, 
maybe a tragic life isn't tragic if it's lived in fidelity to 
what Christ asks of us in the circumstances He gives us. I think that's a beautiful and 
a most excellent observation. A third lesson, the success and 
failure of Saul. It's right there, verses 47 to 
52. It's a glowing statement of success. He has sovereignty over Israel. It was established. He fought 
against all his enemies. He harassed them wherever he 
turned. He secured their borders. He 
dealt with their enemies, north, south, east, west. Saul was the 
man, militarily and politically. But he was a failure covenantally. He was a failure when it came 
to religion. He was a failure when it came 
to waiting for Samuel. He was a failure when it came 
to calling for the high priest to say, wait, I can't hear that 
anymore, we gotta go do this. He was a failure when it came 
to imposing this oath so that he would get extra special blessing 
from God. Again, Davis says, what matters 
then is not success, whether political or military, but covenantal. Yahweh is not looking for winners, 
but for disciples. I love that statement. Yahweh 
is not looking for winners, but disciples. We need a great big 
dose of this. Saul was, in terms of political 
and military savvier prowess, he was a winner. But in terms 
of covenant, he was a loser, he was a failure. He says, that 
is the reason for the negative undertow in chapters 13 and 14. 
Saul has begun to fail at the point of the covenant in that 
he did not submit to the covenant God. And for the Bible, covenant 
obedience matters far more than vocational achievement. I think 
that's a great lesson for each and every one of us. And then 
we end with the observation I already shared, the goodness of God, 
that they're getting victory, that they've got stability, that 
they've got Philistines on the run is an indication and a sign 
and an evidence that God loves Israel. God saves Israel. God 
is the one who keeps Israel because in spite of foolish oaths and 
an imposition that is bad and a king that wants to commit, 
you know, execute his own son, nevertheless, God the Lord delivers 
his people out of the midst of their trials. Well, let us pray. 
Our Father, we thank You for Your Word and we thank You for 
the lessons that we in the Church can learn from the Old Covenant 
Church. We thank You, God, for Your grace. We thank You for 
the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jonathan, a Savior in Israel 
in the Old, the Lord Jesus, the Savior, the true Israel of God. And we thank You for Him. We 
thank You for His life, His death, and His resurrection. We thank 
You for His current session. And God, help us to learn the 
lessons from Chapter 14 and to put these things into our lives 
or put them into practice in our lives. And we ask this through 
Christ our Lord. Amen.