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.
Introduction and Chapter Overview
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.
Saul's Oath Imposed on Israel
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.
Transgression of the People
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.
Saul's Inquiry and God's Silence
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.
Summary of Saul's Reign
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.
Application and Lessons
So a couple of lessons, and then we close.
Lesson One: Avoid Extra-Biblical Manipulation
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.
Lesson Two: Faithfulness of Jonathan
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.
Lesson Three: Success and Failure of Saul
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.
Lesson Four: The Goodness of God
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.
Closing Prayer
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.