I Samuel 14
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I Samuel 14:24-27, Now the Israelites were in distress that day, because Saul had bound the people under an oath, saying, “Cursed be anyone who eats food before evening comes, before I have avenged myself on my enemies!” So none of the troops tasted food. The entire army entered the woods, and there was honey on the ground. When they went into the woods, they saw the honey oozing out; yet no one put his hand to his mouth, because they feared the oath. But Jonathan had not heard that his father had bound the people with the oath, so he reached out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it into the honeycomb. He raised his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened.
Without giving it much thought or asking the Lord for wisdom, Saul decides to make a rash oath requiring that all the men in his army fast from food until the Philistines were avenged. So now his men are scared, tired, and hungry! Saul’s son, Jonathan, eats some honey, not knowing about the oath. When he is told about his father’s oath, he is not frightened but rather exasperated with his father’s poor decision-making.
The Israelites go on to defeat some of the Philistines but there is still more fighting ahead of them. Saul is convinced that their inability to secure total victory must be due to a sin that has occurred and he asks for some confirmation of this. Whoever is at fault, Saul will put to death. When the lot falls upon Jonathan, Saul is willing to kill his own son in order to gain God’s favor and that of the people. But the army revolts. They see Jonathan as the reason they were able to have any victory at all. Jonathan is seen as a trusted leader who cares for his troops. Saul gets a vote of no-confidence. We begin to see Saul’s poor leadership, rash decision-making, and selfish desperation get the best of him.
Let’s pray…God, We need your wisdom. On our own, we will mess up over and over again. Lord, help us not get too busy or too full of ourselves to seek your wisdom in all we do. We need you. More of you and less of me. In Your Name, Amen.