1 Samuel 13-14 Time for War
Saul was reluctant to take the role of king of Israel. After a year, he stepped up. In the second year, it was time for war!
Saul got off to a slow start as far as being king goes. He only stepped into the role when Jabesh-gilead was attacked by the Ammonites. After that, Saul set his sights on freeing Israel from the hand of the Philistines. These wouldn’t be the only nation he fought against, but it was his strongest opponent of the time.
Saul is still new at this and makes MANY mistakes. One of them is the beginning of the end for him. Let’s join the people of Israel as they begin following their new king.
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The battle in Jabesh-gilead had been just what Saul needed to boost his confidence. Israel had mustered 300,000 men for this campaign. When it was all said and done, Saul decided that he didn’t need that many men; always on guard and looking for an enemy to take down.
Saul chose 3,000 men. The brightest and the strongest in all of Israel. Everyone else he sent home. “You will rally to me when you are called. Not before” he instructed them.
Saul further divided these 3,000 men. Two thousand stayed with him at Michmash and the other thousand were with his son, Jonathan, at Gibeah.
Jonathan’s first campaign was to take down the Philistine garrison that was close to Gibeah. Jonathan and his men were so successful that the Philistines began to tremble in fear! A decisive blow to an oppressive power over Israel.
The Philistines were so oppressive, they removed ALL the blacksmiths from the nation of Israel. They wouldn’t let any be trained either. They were afraid that Israel would rise up against them if they had armament. Israel didn’t even have the skilled labor to sharpen their own farm implements. To add insult to injury, Israel had to pay their Philistine oppressors to do this task for them.
When Saul heard that Jonathan had conquered the garrison, he spread the news of that victory far and wide. But as king, HE took credit for the work. If this victory had been attributed to anyone other that Jonathan, they would have raised a stink over Saul taking the credit.
With the Philistines angered, it wasn’t long before they struck back. With the defeat of the Philistine garrison, Saul fell back to join Jonathan at Gibeah. While Saul regrouped his forces, the Philistines began to flow in like water over a dam. Their complete numbers could not be counted! They came with “thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude.” (1 Samuel 13:5)
The people of Israel were TERRIFIED! When they saw the size of the Philistine army, they hid. ANYWHERE that offered concealment was taken; even cisterns filled with the men of Israel. No cave, cleft, or secret hiding place was empty for long. Saul eve hid out in a pomegranate cave.
Word was also sent to Samuel so that he would come up and bless the people preparing for battle. Saul knew the time it would take for this message to reach Samuel and for him to arrive back; seven days. He had to hold onto the people until Samuel arrived.
Each night, some of Saul’s contingent snuck away. Morning dawned and Saul would notice their absence. Saul understood their fear, but he needed their help and loyalty.
So many people had left by the seventh day since Saul’s call to Samuel, that he became desperate. He arose this morning to find his loyal men dwindled from 3,000 to a mere 600 or so. Even some of these are talking about returning to their homes.
“What can I do to make them stay” Saul asked himself. He knew that if Samuel were here, he would put them under oath to the Lord; after offering a sacrifice to the Lord for their success in battle. But Samuel was nowhere in sight. Saul walked around all morning wringing his hands over this problem.
“I’ve waited long enough. Samuel isn’t coming. He has left me on my own. I HAVE to unify this people with a sacrifice” Saul tells himself.
“Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” (1 Samuel 13:9)
The animals for the offerings were brought to Saul immediately.
Saul looked around one more time, to see if possibly Samuel had arrived. He shook his head and proceeded with the process. Saul slit the throat of the animal for the burnt offering, drained its blood, and cut it into pieces. He then placed it on the altar and laid the torch to it.
As soon as it caught and the fat began to sizzle, Saul looked up and saw Samuel on the edge of the crowd gathered around the altar. Saul quickly made his way to where Samuel was.
“Welcome my lord” Saul said.
Samuel looked beyond Saul and saw the smoke rising from the sacrifice on the altar. He then turned eyes blazing with inner fire on Saul.
“What have you done?” (1 Samuel 13:11a) demanded Samuel.
Saul spread his arms and his shoulders crept up by his ears a little as he answered. “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” (1 Samuel 13:11b-12)
It took every ounce of restraint in Samuel to keep a civil tone to his voice. Saul’s impatience had just sealed his own fate. “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” (1 Samuel 13:13-14)
There was nothing Saul could do to ‘undo’ this. He scrubbed his face with his hands in frustration. After a minute, he spread his hands in supplication to Samuel and asked; “Will you offer the peace offering, and inquire of the Lord for us concerning success?”
“I cannot. You have made the altar unclean. I cannot offer a sacrifice to the Lord on it. But I will pray for you and your success.”
Saul dropped his hands to his side and dropped his head as well. Samuel would do no more today for the cause, and because of Saul. Samuel turned and walked away. Saul returned to the people.
Saul chose not to offer the second sacrifice, as it may further enrage the Lord. After the burnt offering was consumed, Saul swore the people to loyalty. They would each return to their hiding places and wait. No one knew exactly what they were waiting for or how far in the future it would be.
While Israel waited in caves, rocks, tombs, and cisterns, the army of the Philistines made a move. Three groups of ‘raiders’ were sent out for the main camp at Michmash. “One company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual; another company turned toward Beth-horon; and another company turned toward the border that looks down on the Valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.” (1 Samuel 13:17b-18)
A few more days go by and Jonathan, Saul’s oldest son, has had enough waiting. He decided to do something instead.
Jonathan sneaks out of camp. His armor bearer comes with him. Jonathan is fortunate, as he is one of the only two people in Israel to own a sword. The moratorium on blacksmiths had his grandfather hide the swords he owned.
As Jonathan and his armor bearer make their way through the pass, Johathan puts forth his plan. “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.” (1 Samuel 14:6)
His armor bearer was quick with his response. “Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul.” 1 Samuel 14:7)
Jonathan was grateful to hear this response. Now it was time to share the rest of the plan. “Behold, we will cross over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them. If they say to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place, and we will not go up to them. But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the Lord has given them into our hand. And this shall be the sign to us.” (1 Samuel 14:8-10)
Jonathan’s armor bearer was a little warry of showing himself to the Philistines, but he would NOT back down. He would follow wherever Jonathan led.
“It’s time” Jonathan says to himself. He motions for his armor bearer follows right along. The two of them step out from the cover they had been using to conceal their approach. They don’t make a sound, but come to the center of the ravine and stand to their full height.
Their movement captures the eye of one of the Philistine guards. He throws back his head and laughs. “Look, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.” (1 Samuel 14:11) When the laughter stopped one of the guards called out to Jonathan and his armor bearer. “Come up to us, and we will show you a thing.” (1 Samuel 14:12a)
Jonathan’s heart leapt for joy. These were the EXACT WORDS he had asked for as a sign from the Lord. The two men look at each other and smile. Jonathan whispers to his armor bearer; “Come up after me, for the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.” (1 Samuel 14:12b)
It is a steep climb, requiring both men to move on their hands and feet to reach the top. Jonathan pops up over the rim of the cliff first with his armor bearer right behind him.
Because of the lip at the edge of the cliff, the Philistines couldn’t see every step of the to men’s climb. They waited with smirks on their faces. They would show these Hebrews a ‘thing’ alright. But first they would have a little fun with them.
When Jonathan stood up, he quickly drew his sword and began swinging it with all his might. The Philistines around him fell to the ground, mortally wounded. Jonathan’s armor bearer followed after him with a fling knife, finishing off any who weren’t quite dead yet. In the space of moments, Jonathan had killed 20 of the Philistines.
Chaos quickly ensued and the whole Philistine camp began fighting against one another. Those who were not running for their lives were attacking their own countrymen. Even the three forces that had broken off fell into this same panic and chaos situation.
Jonathan and his armor bearer were not the only ones to witness this phenomenon. The watchman of Saul’s army saw what was happening and brought word to Saul.
Saul was certain that someone from their numbers had started this all. And it could only be the hand of God acting on their behalf. “Count and see who has gone from us.” (1 Samuel 14:17)
A quick count was made, and it was discovered that Jonathan and his armor bearer were missing. Saul had to act fast, but he wanted to know the will of the Lord in this instance. “Bring the ark of God here.” (1 Samuel 14:18) Saul said to Ahijah.
Ahijah was the closest relative to the former high priest, Eli. He was Eli’s son, Phinehas son. He was the older brother of Ichabod. He wore the Ephod and acted on the Lord’s behalf as priest in the presence of Saul.
While Saul was still talking to Ahijah, he noticed that the chaos in the Philistine camp had gotten MUCH worse. He felt there was no need to inquire of the Lord after all; and no time. He ordered his men into battle. As Saul is leading his men into the battle they see the extent of the chaos. Philistine sword against Philistine sword everywhere they looked. Even the Israelites who had joined the Philistine camp fought against them.
But this was a HUGE army to dispels with the smaller forces that Saul commanded. When those who were hiding in the hills of Ephraim heard what was going on, they came out of their caves and joined Saul’s men in attacking the Philistines. Saul’s men were giving it their all! To encourage them to even more dedication, Saul called out an oath over them.
“Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies.” (1 Samuel 14:24) The people all took his words to heart; all of those who had heard those words at least.
Jonathan and his armor bearer joined up with the armies of Saul and helped push the Philistines back. They kept pushing them right out of the land. One of the places they pushed the Philistines through was a forest. It was a beautiful, lush forest. It was overflowing with a bounty of good things to eat. One of the most readily available things to eat was honey. It was everywhere. It dripped from the trees and even honeycomb lay on the ground.
Jonathan saw the honey. He was hungry but had no time to stop and eat. Instead, he dipped the tip of his spear in the honey, then brought it up to his mouth where he wiped it from his spear and put it in his mouth. It was AMAZING! The natural sugar within the honey immediately entered his bloodstream and gave his body strength to go on.
Just as he finished licking the last drop from his finger, one of Saul’s men saw him. His face grew grave. He grabbed Jonathan by the arm and told him of Saul’s words. “Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food this day.’” (1 Samuel 14:28)
Jonathan shook his head. “What has my Abba done” he thought to himself. He turned to the men around him, spread his hands, and shared his fear regarding Saul’s oath.
“My father has troubled the land. See how my eyes have become bright because I tasted a little of this honey. 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.” (1 Samuel 14:29-30)
The men didn’t argue with him, but neither did they dip their spears in the honey. By the time the battle was over, the men were so hungry they were ready to faint. They were beyond the point of exhaustion. They began grabbing the first things they could lay their hands on. One thing that many of them did was to take one of the Philistine’s goats of sheep and eat it raw. They were ravenous and they acted like ravenous wolves.
Word of this behavior quickly made its way back to Saul.
“Behold, the people are sinning against the Lord by eating with the blood.” (1 Samuel 14:33a)
Saul was aghast at this behavior. Their actions could bring disaster on Israel. He had to deal with this situation immediately. “You have dealt treacherously; roll a great stone to me here.” Saul said of the people.” (1 Samuel 14:33b) Saul appointed a group of his men and gave them direction. “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.’” (1 Samuel 14:34)
The men quickly spread out in the ranks of Saul’s men and told them of Saul’s words. Hands stopped in midair as the realization of what they were doing took hold. One by one, they gathered what they had killed and made their way to where Saul was.
While the men were passing Saul’s message, Saul made an altar to the Lord. This was the first altar he had made in his new role as king. He would have Ahijah perform the actual sacrifices. He did NOT want to have to answer again for offering unauthorized sacrifices.
The men received back their portion of their sacrifices and hungrily devoured them. All were satisfied by the end of the evening.
The Philistines had remade their camp at Aijalon. Once the men in Saul’s command were fed and rested, Saul wanted to punish the Philistines even more.
“Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder them until the morning light; let us not leave a man of them.” (1 Samuel 14:36a)
The people were ready to follow him anywhere. “Do whatever seems good to you.” (1 Samuel 14:36b)
Ahijah thought it best to ask the Lord for His input on this tactic. “Let us draw near to God here.”
This was wise counsel that Saul listened to. Saul brought his question to the priest. “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?” (1 Samuel 14:37)
The Lord remained silent. He would not answer Saul’s question through the priest. Saul was certain it was because of some sin the people had done. He turned to them with his question. “Come here, all you leaders of the people, and know and see how this sin has arisen today. For as the Lord lives who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.” (1 Samuel 14:38-39)
This was the second time, this same day, that Saul had spoken rash words. He meant what he said, but he didn’t think through the consequences of his own words. No one dared to speak and answer to his question. Not even those who had eaten the meat with the blood or those who had seen Jonathan dip his spear in honey and eat it. Silence reigned supreme.
Saul had all the people stand on one side of the altar and he and Jonathan stood on the other side. After everyone was ready, Saul called out to the Lord.
“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.” (1 Samuel 14:41)
The priest put his hand into his ephod and pulled out a stone. It was the Urim. Saul’s face dropped. He had been certain that it would be one of the people. He had half of his answer. “Cast the lot between me and my son Jonathan.” (1 Samuel 14:42) Saul said with a heavy heart.
The lot was cast again and it fell on Jonathan as the offender. Saul was crushed. He had to know Jonathan’s sin. It wouldn’t change the outcome, but he had to hear it.
“Tell me what you have done” (1 Samuel 14:43a) Saul asked.
“I tasted a little honey with the tip of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am; I will die.” (1 Samuel 14:43b) Jonathan boldly answered.
“God do so to me and more also; you shall surely die, Jonathan.” (1 Samuel 14:44) Saul said wile choking back tears.
The people were incensed! Jonathan had been the hero of the day. NO WAY would they stand by and watch this happen. “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.” (1 Samuel 14:45)
The people had spoken for themselves and for the Lord. They would willingly give their lives for Jonathan’s. Saul and the Lord listened to their cries. Jonathan would not die, and he would carry no guilt for his actions.
Saul was MORE than grateful for the people standing up for Jonathan. He truly didn’t want to have to kill his son. As the two of them walked to their tents for the night, Saul shared his heart with his son.
“I would have given anything if the Lord would have chose me instead of you. But once He chose, there was nothing could do. I had made an oath.”
“Abba, you may want to start watching your words a little more closely. It was your first oath that caused the problem in the first place.”
“Why didn’t you just obey my original words?”
“Because I never heard them.” Jonathan spread his arms in frustration. “I would have obeyed, had I known.”
“I didn’t know….” Saul said while shaking his head. “And, apparently, I wasn’t thinking.”
“We are both forgiven tonight. Let’s talk of this no more” offered Jonathan as he put his arm around his father’s shoulder.
With this turn of events, Saul abandoned the plan of attacking the Philistines in the night. In the morning, both armies returned to their homes. There would be many other days to continue this battle. And the Philistines wouldn’t be the only ones that Saul would find himself and his people drawn up against on the battlefield.
(to be continued)
Rash words can cause a LOT of trouble! God tells us to honor our words, so we need to choose them wisely. As Andy Rooney said; “Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.”
YES. I need this lesson too! I have found myself sucking on my own toes because I put my foot in my mouth. I heard an evangelist once say that “Peter must have had peppermint socks because he was always putting his foot in his mouth.”
I would venture to say that Jonathan had the stronger faith in his family. He stepped up and put his life in the Lord’s hands while everyone else was hiding out. I wonder what history would have looked like if he had been chosen to be king instead. This brings me to another thing that just occurred to me. Saul couldn’t have been a “young man” when he became king. Only a year after taking the throne, his oldest son was man enough to be serving in the army, as a commander no less. That would put Jonathan at least 20 years of age. I wonder how old Saul really was when he was called by the Lord.
When I was searching out Saul’s age the other day, I came across a few sites that said he was “One year old” because of 1 Samuel 13:1; “Saul lived for one year and then became king, and when he had reigned for two years over Israel,…” NOT POSSIBLE people! A two-year-old does not go into battle, nor does he have a son who fights alongside him. Look a little deeper people; which is what I hope I’m doing with our story time.
Father God, thank You again for sharing Your stories with me. Thank You for making them applicable to my life too by bring out areas where I need work too. I’m sorry for all the times that my mouth got me, or someone else, into trouble. Thank You for protecting me from much deserved consequences during those times. I’m half afraid to ask You to work on this with me because the other night, when I identified an area for work, You allowed me opportunities to ‘work’ on the problem; and I failed miserably. I even noticed when I was in the middle of the ‘lesson’ that I was failing. Thank You for bringing me back in line; even if it wasn’t an immediate straightening up. And both that lesson and this one have to do with the same root problem; my mouth! I’m tired of sucking on peppermint socks. Change my heart Lord so that my mouth follows. For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
