Introduction
Victory! The Philistines have been sent running. It is time to celebrate what the Lord did through them and for them. Without losing one single life, the Israelites were able to drive away their mortal enemy. Every reasonable person would expect a little bit of celebration, right? Well, that was not what Saul thought. Saul's idea of a celebration after victory is to bind his troops by an oath that forbids them to eat till they have marched all over the region and engaged the enemy again.
I. Saul's Unwise and Rash Oath, 24-30.
A. Look at the contrast between verses 23 and 24.
1. v. 23 – the Lord gave them victory!
2. v. 24 – Saul caused them to distress.
"Saul shows a strange ability to turn deliverance into distress." Ralph Dale Davis
3. In 13:6, the Philistines distressed Israel and God save them.
a. That makes sense that the enemy is pressing them.
b. But here it is their own king who is hard-pressing them.
4. As we will see later on, Saul had an incredible neck for distress.
B. The exact oath was that nobody would eat at all till after sundown.
1. The battle of Michmash had taken place in the previous night – the army had pursued the Philistines all night.
2. They are now going to march close to 20 miles in pursuit of the remaining Philistines all the way to Aijalon, 31.
3. All this without one ounce of fuel.
C. There was also a serious problem with the motivation behind the oath, 24.
1. "You are not going to eat because I want my revenge."
2. A big difference from Jonathan's motivation in v. 6 – "This is the Lord's work."
D. As they pursue the Philistines, the army enters a forest, or wooded area, teeming with honey, 25-30.
1. It seems like they found a huge hive, maybe on the trunk of a dead tree, overflowing with honey.
2. The army followed Saul, but one can see the brewing discontentment with their commander-in-chief, 1b, 26, 28b.
3. Jonathan hadn't been around for the oath because he was too busy fighting the enemy, so he did what every soldier wanted to do: he ate the honey, 27 – he immediately felt better!
4. The soldiers who saw Jonathan do that were horrified because of the oath his father had taken on their behalf, which leads Jonathan to recognize his father's folly, 28-30.
II. The Army Suffers Because of Saul's Oath, 31-35.
A. By the time evening came, the army was so hungry that they just started eating whatever they could get their hand on, 31-32.
1. I assume they were at least roasting the meat, though the passage doesn't even say that.
2. One thing we know they weren't doing was draining the blood before eating the meat, 32b.
Dt. 12:16 – Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it on the earth like water.
B. Somebody brought that up to Saul, presumably the priests, and Saul was upset about it and tried to remedy it, 33-35.
1. Saul shows concern for his troops, but he doesn't seem to have a clue that he is the cause of their distress.
2. He tries to provide a way to fix things for them with an altar.
a. There is this curious little note at the end of v. 25 – first time.
b. This was really the first time that Saul had enough religious concern to build an altar.
C. Saul reminds me of the Pharisee who worry about the minute details of outward conformity to the letter of the all while neglecting matters of the heart.
Mt. 23:23 – Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.
III. Jonathan Almost Dies Because of Saul's Oath, 36-46.
A. Saul decides that he is going to push his troops even more by sending them into battle for a second night in the row, 36a.
B. A priest pipes up, "Should we check with the Lord about that? Should we pray about it?" 36b.
1. The priest is likely Ahijah.
2. I think the priest realized that Saul was going off the deep end and wanted to slow things down.
C. Saul agrees to ask the Lord for his opinion, 37.
1. It is likely that they used the priestly ephod that contained the Urim and Thummim.
Ex. 28:30 – And you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron's heart when he goes in before the Lord. So Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart before the Lord continually.
2. Nobody really knows exactly what this was or how it worked.
a. The best guess is that it was a binary system of yes or no.
b. Perhaps little rocks with words on it.
3. Whatever it was, the Lord did not use it to give Saul any direction concerning his battle strategy.
D. When the Lord did not answer Saul's question, he immediately did what every good Christian does: "Somebody other than I sinned. That's why things are not working for me. It's somebody else's fault!", 38-39
1. Saul again makes another rash oath, 39.
2. The troops know what is going but they keep silent, 39b.
3. Notice how Saul sets this up: he and Jonathan on one side and all the troops on the other side.
a. He was fairly confident that the lot would fall on the troops.
b. So we can only imagine his surprise when it fell upon him and Jonathan.
E. Saul blames Jonathan for God's silence, but we already know that Saul is the one to blame.
1 Sam 13:13-14 – And Samuel said to Saul, "You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to becommander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you."
F. In his blindness, Saul declares that Jonathan should be killed, 43-45.
1. This is what sin does: it blinds us to reason and reality.
a. We become so intent on blaming other people that we don't see the absurdity of what we are doing.
b. We rather sacrifice people and relationships on the altar of our sin than repent.
2. The troops of Israel come to save their savior, 45.
a. They were willing to put up with Saul to a certain point because of his office as king.
b. But their allegiance had reasonable limits.
IV. A Synopsis of Saul's Military Conquests, 47-48, 52.
A. All of sudden, what seems to be a glowing report of military success pops up that goes against the flow of what the passage has been communicating about Saul.
1. Enemies to the east are defeated: Moab and Ammon.
2. Enemies to the south are defeated: Edom.
3. Enemies to the north are defeated: Zobah.
4. Enemies to the west are defeated: Philistines.
5. And as a set up to chpt. 15, the pesky Amalekites are defeated.
B. Though this account looks on the surface as something good, it actually tells us that Saul's reign was marked by conflicts and wars, 52a.
C. Another thing that this synopsis does is that it communicates to us that Saul's reign is over.
1. Even though he will still have possession of the throne for a couple of decades, he has been removed by God as we will see more clearly in chpt 15.
2. As far as literary structure goes, this summary of military accomplishments is reserved for the end of a king's life.
D. These verses speak of all Saul's victories, but the Lord is not looking for a winner, but for disciples who will follow him as he told them to follow him.
V. Saul's Family, 49-31.
A. Not a lot to say here.
B. The Spirit is introducing characters that will play important roles as the story unfolds for the rest of 1 Samuel into 2 Samuel.
VI. Back to the Oath: A Neck for Distress
A. Saul's rash oath teaches us something important – Saul was about to turn deliverance into distress.
B. We too may have a propensity to turn deliverances and blessings into distress.
1. Fathers can easily do that.
2. Any relationship can generate distress when the Lord has delivered us or blessed us.
C. Christ is the anti-Saul.
1. Out of distress, he brings deliverance.
Ps. 40:1-3 – I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth—praise to our God; many will see itand fear, and will trust in the Lord.
2. He unburdens the burdened.
Mt. 11:27-30 – All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the oneto whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
Conclusion
As we experience the unburdening that comes through faith in Christ, we reflect that in our relationships. Is that happening in our relationships? When we relate to people, do we reflect the fact that Christ has delivered us? Or, are they marked by causing distress or burdens? Are people closer to Christ as the result of having you their lives?
http://olympiabp.blogspot.com/2015/09/a-neck-for-distress-1-sam-1424-52.html
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