September 4, 2021
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in 1 Samuel? Here’s today’s reading:
1 Samuel 14 (NIV)
1 One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.
2 Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Migron. With him were about six hundred men, 3 among whom was Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was a son of Ichabod’s brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord’s priest in Shiloh. No one was aware that Jonathan had left..........Continue Reading
Jonathan showed great bravery entering into battle and included God in his approach and was rewarded. God met him in this battle and gave him victory that Saul quickly participates in.
Saul however was wasting time making foolish oaths withholding food from soldiers. Seems like an odd thing to declare when you are trying to keep your soldiers strong and Jonathan seems to recognize that. So even though he did not deliberately disobey the oath the first time, he knowingly encourages everyone to, leading to another foolish oath from Saul sentencing his own son to death because of the original foolishness!
Thank goodness God’s provision covered Jonathan and stopped Saul from continuing down this path!
1 Samuel 14
1 Samuel 14
There is a point in leadership that can happen that we care more about being obeyed than caring for the needs of those we are leading. It seems as though Saul is doing that here and it will be downhill from there. Why else would you tell people who are going into battle not to eat and then say that you will kill your son for not listening, when he didn’t hear you in the first place? It is good that he consults Samuel and the Lord as far as pursuing the Philistines further. But it is sad that the men have to be the ones who insist that he not kill Jonathan after he was the one who pressed the fight and won the battle. It is neat the way God provides here and He is really the One who wins the battle by throwing the Philistines into confusion. But Jonathan begins the process by seeking God’s direction as to whether or not he will attack. The son shines brighter than the farther here and that will be a pattern we will see more consistently in the book of 1 Samuel.
I couldn’t help but think of Romans 13: “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” and recognizing that the Bible DOES allow for exceptions. We admire Jonathan for standing against Saul’s foolish leadership decisions, that will harm his people, soldiers and his very own son. I think of our form of government which, according to our supreme law, the Constitution, is subject to “we the people”. Must we obey these “mandates” placed by authorities lower than the Constitution and not even implemented by our duly elected representatives? I don’t think so.