April 11: 1 Samuel 13-14

April 11, 1 Samuel 13-14

1 Samuel 13 Saul was now the official King and he chose 3,000 men for his own army. Of which, he kept 2,000 and gave 1,000 to his son Jonathan. In battle, Jonathan defeated a bunch of Philistines, as Israel had became nasty to the Philistines. The Philistines then came to attack with some 30,000 chariots and a massive amount of foot solders, so most of the Israelites hid in caves and holes in the hills, including Saul. Samuel told Saul to wait 7 days before he would arrive and tell Saul what to do, as the Lord would have it. But when the 7 days passed and Saul saw that Samuel didn't show up, Saul got anxious because his people were scattering, desiring to have the Lord’s blessing to win the battle, so Saul authorized a sacrifice to the Lord . As soon as he did, Samuel showed up, and he was upset about it. Saul was not authorized to make sacrifices and he knew it so he made up some excuses (blame statements). Samuel called Saul out for being so foolish and because of his sin, he was going to be replaced by another King that would have a heart for God - by God for God. You can’t plead ignorance before God if you disobey Him and for this reason Samuel left. Saul was getting his men set up and the Philistines used Saul’s own war tactics against him, and they divided into 3 groups. We learn here that the Israelites had 2 swords between all of them, because the Philistines had monopolized on the metal market and kept the Israelites from having swords made…

1 Samuel 14 What a phenomenal chapter we have here! We learn about the obedience of Jonathan, Saul’s son, right in the middle of 2 chapters about Saul’s disobedience (chapter 13 & 15). Jonathan said to his armor bearer (a man that stood in front or besides them, holding a shield for their protection), Let’s go take a peek at these Philistines. He did not tell his dad, Saul, as Saul was hiding in a cave. Nobody knew that Jonathan had gone. Jonathan tells his armor bearer, ‘Let’s go take on this group of Philistines, maybe God will work for us - nothing can stop our God’ (my paraphrase). His armor bearer was all in and they decided that they would ask a question, and if it was answered a certain way, that meant that God was for them and they could attack (and vice versa). So, they did just that and the Philistines answer them which told them that it was a sign from God that He would protect them if they attacked the Philistines. So, the 2 of them ran up a hill, Jonathan holding the sword and the armor bearer having a shield, and Jonathan struck them, which caused them to fall before them and the armor bearer killed them that fell. This caused a panic in the camp and the Philistines were afraid, and there was an earthquake! Saul had no idea what was going on (big surprise when he was hiding), and he also didn't know which of his men were missing. What does Saul do? He wants his lucky charm, so he asks for the Ark of God to be brought to him. The Israelites began to join forces again to attack the Philistines and they noticed that the Philistines were attacking their own men out of sheer panic. The Hebrews that had left Israel and joined the Philistines also saw what was happening and they joined the coming Israelite army against the Philistines. And the Philistines were defeated and fleeing. God saved Israel that day! And also brought back those Hebrews who had joined the enemies camp…

Saul, not known for his amazing dedication to God, made an incredibly rash vow/covenant - cursed is any man who eats until night until Saul was avenged. Not God being avenged, but Saul. Why would he do this? Because Saul was trying to manipulate God by fasting, so that Saul could get his own way of winning the battle. This is not what fasting or an oath is intended for, but instead for the Lord to be honored.  Obviously, Jonathan didn't hear this rash vow, because he was not currently with them when Saul stated it to his people. The two groups joined up later and all the men were fatigued from battle and having no food to strengthen them after warring. As they were walking, Jonathan grabs a bit of honey and his energy was back - but all the other men freaked out because of what Saul said and the curse that Saul vowed if a man should eat any food. Jonathan disagreed with his dad’s vow. They battled and won another battle right before nighttime, and they were starving. So, in reaction to this, they killed animals and starting eating them - raw. Which means they disobeyed God’s law in reason to Saul’s vow, that they were eating bloody animals, which is clearly against God’s law.  In reaction to this, it was also here that Saul builds his first altar before the Lord, which is where they finally cooked the meat and ate. 

Saul wanted all his men to go down to the Philistines and plunder whatever they want from the enemies camp. The priest recommended seeking God, so Saul asked God if he should go down to the Philistines, and God did not answer. Meanwhile, Saul is convinced that sin against God has been committed. And Saul isn’t sure which man sinned, Saul or one of his men, or Jonathan or one of his men. And Saul states, “Even if it is my own son, he shall die…” So they divide the two groups and roll the dice to see who’s fault it is. Kind of like when Joshua had a man steal from Achan, but they didn’t know who, so they kept dividing the groups by lot, until they found out who did it, Joshua 7:10-26. But when the dice points to Jonathan, Jonathan's men ‘escape’ the blame and it all falls on Jonathan. Saul is shocked and asked what has happened and wants to know what Jonathan’s sin is. Jonathan confesses that he didn’t obey his dad’s vow (that he didn’t know about) and that he ate the honey and how it revived him having food. Jonathan stated his last living statement, “I will die.” In other words, what he did, he did and he would take his death like a man of integrity, even under pressure of death. In reaction to this, Saul states that his own son, Jonathan must die. (Even though it was a stupid, ungodly, vow that wasn’t inspired by God but instead by Saul’s pride as he tried to manipulate God) When the army hears of Saul’s condemnation that Jonathan must die, they revolt and demand that Jonathan must not die. Instead of following their ‘king’ and his rash, prideful vow, they demand that God’s ways are more obvious through the saving that Jonathan did by fighting the Philistines, than Saul himself. The army saw that the Lord was more with Jonathan and his decision, then in Saul and his decisions. With this all said, Saul defeatedly retracted his oath to kill his son and ‘went away’ from the whole area of the battle. 

There was war the entire time Saul was king. Interestingly as well, anytime Saul saw someone of strength or greatness - Saul drafted to his personal army for his own desire. This reminds us of the curse that Samuel warned the people of Israel before they got a king and what he would do to them. In 1 Samuel 8:10-18 states that the best men, will be at his beckoning call for whatever he wants and draft men for war. 

To sum it all up:

• We shouldn't need statistics before we decide if we are going to obey Jesus or disobey Him. If God calls or tells you to do something, how do you process it? 
• Does God not answer you sometimes? Why? Maybe He wants you to wait. Maybe you are in willful sin? Maybe He is giving you an answer different than one that you want?
• Jonathan’s faith is commendable. He went against all odds and took a step for God. When everyone else, including their leader, were too cowardice to do anything, Jonathan put his faith in front and followed God. Do you tend to be more like Saul (hide//wait) or more like Jonathan (bold/faith)? Who would you rather be like?