1 Samuel 14:16-31 – Victory Spoiled By a Sinful King
This is a great victory for Jonathan, and Saul through him. Israel have no weapons, so God uses Philistine weapons (verse 20). Deserters are emboldened to join the chase (verse 21). Cowardly hiders are inspired to join the rout (verse 22). Surely this is a great victory for Saul!
Sadly, again Saul exposes his own limitations. In verses 17-19 he asks for the Ark of the Covenant and a priest while the rout happens. The man who couldn’t wait to hear from God in chapter 13 now waits to hear from God while the enemy flees. One writer sums Saul up like this: “a man who prays when he should act and who acts when he should pray.”
But it’s worse than this too. Saul’s failures are shown up by his rash vow that leads the people into sin and leads him into sin. In verse 24 he lays an oath on the people to fast from food so they can press home the advantage. On a simple level it’s commendable, like his desire for guidance in verse 18. But it is the wrong time for fasting. The pursuit from Michmash to Aijalon (verse 31) is 20 miles. Try that after a battle, on an empty stomach! In Jonathan’s assessment it limits the scale of their victory (verse 30).
We’ll look tomorrow at the further consequences of his rash vow and what it says about Saul the man. But today just linger on this thought: here is a man seemingly seeking guidance from God and making grand commitments. But this does not mean he is a spiritual man. They are foolish commitments and dithering in the face of duty. Look beyond the spiritual sounding words and actions of leaders, religious and political, and see the context they are making decisions in. Often this reveals the heart of the matter. Look beyond your own spiritual facade and search your own heart too.
Questions
- Have you ever prayed when you should have acted, giving a spiritual veneer to delayed obedience?
Prayer Points
- Ask God to show you where you are covering for dithering disobedience with spiritual sounding words and actions.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.