24 And the men of Israel had been hard pressed that day, so Saul had laid an oath on the people, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies.” So none of the people had tasted food. 25 Now when all the people came to the forest, behold, there was honey on the ground. 26 And when the people entered the forest, behold, the honey was dropping, but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. 27 But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the people with the oath, so he put out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes became bright. 28 Then one of the people said, “Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food this day.’” And the people were faint. 29 Then Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. See how my eyes have become bright because I tasted a little of this honey. 30 How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies that they found. For now the defeat among the Philistines has not been great.”
31 They struck down the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. And the people were very faint. 32 The people pounced on the spoil and took sheep and oxen and calves and slaughtered them on the ground. And the people ate them with the blood. 33 Then they told Saul, “Behold, the people are sinning against the LORD by eating with the blood.” And he said, “You have dealt treacherously; roll a great stone to me here.” 34 And Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people and say to them, ‘Let every man bring his ox or his sheep and 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 they slaughtered them there. 35 And Saul built an altar to the LORD; it was the first altar that he built to the LORD.
36 Then Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder them until the morning light; let us not leave a man of them.” And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.” But the priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.” 37 And Saul inquired of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?” But he did not answer him that day. 38 And Saul said, “Come here, all you leaders of the people, and know and see how this sin has arisen today. 39 For as the LORD lives who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.” But there was not a man among all the people who answered him. 40 Then he said to all Israel, “You shall be on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side.” And the people said to Saul, “Do what seems good to you.” 41 Therefore Saul said, “O LORD God of Israel, why have you not answered your servant this day? If this guilt is in me or in Jonathan my son, O LORD, God of Israel, give Urim. But if this guilt is in your people Israel, give Thummim.” And Jonathan and Saul were taken, but the people escaped. 42 Then Saul said, “Cast the lot between me and my son Jonathan.” And Jonathan was taken.
43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” And Jonathan told him, “I tasted a little honey with the tip of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am; I will die.” 44 And Saul said, “God do so to me and more also; you shall surely die, Jonathan.” 45 Then the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has worked this great salvation in Israel? Far from it! As the LORD lives, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day.” So the people ransomed Jonathan, so that he did not die. 46 Then Saul went up from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.
47 When Saul had taken the kingship over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, against the Ammonites, against Edom, against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. Wherever he turned he routed them. 48 And he did valiantly and struck the Amalekites and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them.
49 Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchi-shua. And the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn was Merab, and the name of the younger Michal. 50 And the name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the commander of his army was Abner the son of Ner, Saul’s uncle. 51 Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.
52 There was hard fighting against the Philistines all the days of Saul. And when Saul saw any strong man, or any valiant man, he attached him to himself.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Saul imposed an oath on his soldiers, declaring a curse on anyone who ate anything until the Philistines had been defeated. This strategy of fasting may have been driven by a desire to win the Lord’s favour but it seems ill-conceived. There was no requirement in the Law that soldiers abstain from eating during battle. In order to fight well, they would have needed a high-calorie intake. But the soldiers refused to eat anything, even wild honey in the forest because they feared the curse.
Jonathan had not heard of the oath so he dipped his staff into some of the wild honey and ate it and was immediately energised (“his eyes brightened”). A nearby solder, aware of the oath, informed Jonathan of the oath the soldiers had been put under. Jonathan remarked that his father had brought trouble on the land. Their victory would have been much greater had it not been for the oath that inhibited his army.
The men were so hungry when the battle was over and they were released from their vow that they immediately began to slaughter the sheep, oxen, and calves that were spoils of war and ate it while there was still blood in it—which was a direct violation of the Law (Gen 9:4; Lev 3:17). When Saul was informed that the people were sinning, he immediately provided a large rock on which to slaughter the animals and drain the blood before eating. Saul also built an altar to the Lord.
Saul began making plans to continue to pursue the Philistines and plunder them but the priest, Ahijah, encouraged Saul to inquire of the Lord first. Saul asked the Lord if he should continue to pursue the Philistines but he received no answer that night. The priests would use the Urim and Thummim when seeking the Lord’s answer but the lack of a definitive answer suggests they weren’t limited to yes and no answers. The lack of a definitive answer prompted Saul to seek out who had sinned in their midst. A decision was made between the royal family and the rest of Israel and then another between Saul and Jonathan and the lot fell to Jonathan. Jonathan had not sinned by breaking the vow, because he had not been party to the promise to fast that day. He was placed under his father’s curse because he had tasted some honey in the forest. As Israel’s king, Saul had the power to curse, but he did not have the ultimate authority to enforce his curse, unlike the Lord (Gen 12:3). Saul’s decision was overthrown by the people who recognised God’s work that day and Jonathan’s faith-filled actions that had brought them victory. The people ransomed or rescued Jonathan that day.
The concluding verses of the chapter give a summary of Saul’s military career, administration, and family. The formula for this paragraph is similar to the concluding paragraphs of Israel’s future kings. It seems odd to place it at this point in the story. Perhaps it is because from the author’s perspective, from this point Saul is disqualified as Israel’s true king even though he continued to function as the head of state for many more years.
Are you prone to making rash decisions or do you take time in God’s word and prayerfully consider God’s will before choosing a course of action?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
John the Baptist Beheaded: Mark 5-6