The First Book Of Samuel. Day 38, Saul Puts Jonathan's Life In Danger, Part One

In Friday's study we learned that Saul had bound all his soldiers by an oath to eat nothing until they had completely won the current battle. This was a foolish oath, for it left his men feeling faint and weak. His son Jonathan didn't know about the oath and ate some honey and immediately felt better, only to be informed by another soldier that Saul had vowed to put to death anyone who ate a bite before the battle was finished. Jonathan pointed out how dangerous this was for the troops and for Israel as a whole because the men would have been able to fight better and longer if they were allowed to refresh themselves.

Saul doesn't yet know about the honey. But his strict rule about food causes his troops to sin against the Lord at the conclusion of the battle. "That day, after the Israelites had struck down the Philistines from Mikmash to Aijalon, they were exhausted. They pounced on the plunder and, taking sheep, cattle and calves, they butchered them on the ground and ate them, together with the blood. Then someone said to Saul, 'Look, the men are sinning against the Lord by eating meat that has blood in it.'" (1 Samuel 14:31-33a) The Lord commanded the people in Deuteronomy 12:23-24: "But be sure you do not eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat. You must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water." When we studied the book of Deuteronomy we discussed the spiritual reason (blood must not be considered common enough for consumption because the blood represents the blood Christ would shed for mankind) and the health reasons for this rule (pathogens that can be transmitted through blood and through uncooked meat).

The soldiers know better than to eat the meat with the blood still in it but they've been driven almost crazy by hunger. You've probably heard the saying, (or have used it yourself), "I'm so hungry I could eat a cow." These men are literally that hungry, thanks to their commander in chief's unhealthy order. Saul doesn't take any responsibility for their sin but he does at least remedy the situation. "'You have broken faith,' he said. 'Roll a large stone over here at once.' Then he said, 'Go out among the men and tell them, 'Each of you bring me your cattle and sheep, and slaughter them here and eat them. Do not sin against the Lord by eating meat with blood still in it.' So everyone brought his ox that night and slaughtered it there. Then Saul built an altar to the Lord; it was the first time he had done this." (1 Samuel 14:34-35) He made a place for them to be able to drain the blood. Then he built an altar to the Lord where I am sure a sacrifice for atonement was made by the high priest who we have been told is traveling with the army. This acknowledges and atones for the sin of eating blood. 

"Saul said, 'Let us go down and pursue the Philistines by night and plunder them till dawn, and let us not leave one of them alive.' 'Do whatever seems best to you,' they replied. But the priest said, 'Let us inquire of God here.' So Saul asked God, 'Shall I go down and pursue the Philistines? Will You give them into Israel's hand?' But God did not answer him that day. Saul therefore said, 'Come here, all you leaders of the army, and let us find out what sin has been committed today. As surely as the Lord who rescues Israel lives, even if the guilt lies with my son Jonathan, he must die.' But not one of them said a word." (1 Samuel 14:36-39) Saul is still willing to risk the health and lives of his men. He allowed them to stop long enough to eat but not long enough for their weary bodies to recover. The high priest recognizes the danger of this: not only could many soldiers die but Israel could lose the war and come under the complete control of the Philistines. The priest is not in a position to forbid the king to carry out this plan, but the Lord is. The Lord doesn't answer, which prevents Saul from ordering his troops onward.

Saul interprets the Lord's silence as proof that there is secret sin in the camp. A sacrifice has been made in repentance for the sin of eating blood so Saul knows the Lord's silence has nothing to do with that. He thinks something else has happened, that a sin has been committed that he knows nothing about. He doesn't know Jonathan ate the honey but Jonathan wasn't sinning when he ate the honey because he knew nothing about his father's orders. But Saul thinks someone has sinned against the Lord and brought the Lord's displeasure upon the whole army. He doesn't stop to think that he is the one in the wrong. He's so sure that someone else is to blame, and he's so confident that it couldn't possibly be his own son, that he utters an oath that puts Jonathan's life in danger. That's why no one speaks up. I don't know whether the whole army knows that Jonathan ate honey but at least one soldier saw him do it and you know how quickly news can spread. I am sure many soldiers knew about it by now.

The soldiers like and respect Jonathan. He cares about them and was angry when he found out they'd been forbidden to eat. He's a man who loves the Lord, who loves his fellow soldiers, and who loves the nation of Israel. The men don't want anything to happen to him and they stand before the king in silence and in solidarity, refusing to point the finger at Jonathan. 

When we study the second half of this passage tomorrow we'll find Saul pridefully willing to stand by his word even if it means his son and heir loses his life. It's only because his men will not stand for it that he has to back down.