I Samuel Chapter 14
Please read: I Samuel 14 –
The Israelites were far outnumbered by the Philistines. They had not attacked yet, they more or less just stood in mass numbers to intimidate the Israelites. It was impossible odds. Six hundred against thousands of Philistines. Jonathan, the son of Saul, looked at the situation differently than his father. He was willing to step out in faith knowing that God could change the odds to be in their favor. He didn’t know if God would do that, but he knew that God could. So, Jonathan asked his armor bearer to go with him to fight.
Jonathan had said that if the Philistines called out to them to go and fight them then God was going to give them the victory and that is exactly what God did. It must be noted that Jonathan was willing to die trying, because if the Philistines had spotted Jonathan and his armor bearer and moved to attack them, then they knew God was not in this. But God stepped in and something miraculous happened. There was an earthquake under the feet of the Philistines, and the ground shaking caused a lot of confusion amongst them. The Philistines were panicking and shouting in their fear. This was the opportune time for the army of Saul to attack. Keep in mind that the Spirit of God was no longer with Saul and he lacked wisdom to know what to do in such situations. He was a king lacking experience and lacking the Spirit of God.
Let's Reflect
1. The first thing Saul did when the commotion started was order a count of the men to find out who had led an attack against the Philistines because he knew he had not given the order. Who did they discover to be missing?
2. The second thing Saul did was require the Ark of the Covenant be brought since they were going to take it into battle. And the third thing he did was to consult with the priest to entreat God whether they should go and fight. But what was God already doing for them?
3. In verse 21 we learn that there were some Hebrews (Israelites) who had surrendered to the Philistines before there ever was a battle. But what did they do when they saw the Philistines in a state of panic because of the earthquake?
4. People who had been hiding in the hills and caves came out to fight against the Philistines. What does verse 23 tell us about the battle?
5. Verse 24 tells us that Saul’s head was now in the fighting but to such an extreme that he wouldn’t even let his men do what?
6. Jonathan did not know about his father’s decree not to eat anything until afterward. What did he eat?
7. The people were famished and spent. They had been fighting hard against the Philistines, so they began to eat from the spoils of war, the animals that they took. What was the problem with this?
8. Saul recognized the greater sin and allowed the people to cook the animals on an altar he built. He announced that they would go and attack the Philistines again, but the priest stopped him saying that he should do what?
9. Saul threatened to kill whoever it was that ate food against his command even if it were his son Jonathan. When it was determined that it was Jonathan, Saul announced that he should die. But what did the people do? Saul had to concede.
10. What does the Bible say about Saul’s kingdom in the last verse?
