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“But Jonathan did not tell his father.” That sounds like trouble brewing ….
In this case, Saul wasn’t advancing toward the Philistine
army camp, but his son Jonathan saw a possible avenue of attack. Without consulting his father, he set out to see
if it held promise. He asked for a
specific sign from the Lord as he and his armor-bearer neared the camp and
received it. Using his rock-climbing skills,
he ascended a cliff and manager to kill 20 enemy soldiers. God added an earthquake that threw the
Philistines into a panic. Hearing the
commotion, Saul interrupted the priest who was consulting God, wanting the Ark
moved as probably a good luck charm.
Saul had earlier tried to appear super-spiritual to his army
by imposing a fast – not the thing to do when soldiers are in battle and need
energy. Jonathan, away at his attack,
hadn’t heard the command and ate some honey as he rejoined the army. When told of his father’s prohibition,
Jonathan said that Saul had “made trouble for the land” by making such a rash
vow. Saul’s authority was begging to be
undermined.
Then when the men were finally free of the fast at sunset,
they were so famished that they ate raw meat still containing blood – something
prohibited in Moses’ instructions from God.
Saul eventually discovered that Jonathan had eaten during
the fast, but the soldiers defended him, costing Saul even more respect. My commentary
summed up the situation: “When you read
King Saul’s words recorded in Scripture, they often reveal a heart controlled
by pride, foolishness, and deceit. He
would say foolish things just to impress people with his spirituality, when in reality he was walking far from the Lord.”
Father, let my
words and actions match what is in my heart, and when You find things in my
heart that don’t match up with Your will, convict me of them and guide me to
remove them from my life. Help me to
have a heart like Yours.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
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