“Now the men of Israel were pressed to exhaustion that day, because Saul had placed them under an oath, saying, “Let a curse fall on anyone who eats before evening—before I have full revenge on my enemies.” So no one ate anything all day, even though they had all found honeycomb on the ground in the forest. They didn’t dare touch the honey because they all feared the oath they had taken. But Jonathan had not heard his father’s command, and he dipped the end of his stick into a piece of honeycomb and ate the honey. After he had eaten it, he felt refreshed. But one of the men saw him and said, “Your father made the army take a strict oath that anyone who eats food today will be cursed. That is why everyone is weary and faint.” “My father has made trouble for us all!” Jonathan exclaimed. “A command like that only hurts us. See how refreshed I am now that I have eaten this little bit of honey. If the men had been allowed to eat freely from the food they found among our enemies, think how many more Philistines we could have killed!” They chased and killed the Philistines all day from Micmash to Aijalon, growing more and more faint. That evening they rushed for the battle plunder and butchered the sheep, goats, cattle, and calves, but they ate them without draining the blood. Someone reported to Saul, “Look, the men are sinning against the Lord by eating meat that still has blood in it.” “That is very wrong,” Saul said. “Find a large stone and roll it over here. Then go out among the troops and tell them, ‘Bring the cattle, sheep, and goats here to me. Kill them here, and drain the blood before you eat them. Do not sin against the Lord by eating meat with the blood still in it.’” So that night all the troops brought their animals and slaughtered them there. Then Saul built an altar to the Lord; it was the first of the altars he built to the Lord. Then Saul said, “Let’s chase the Philistines all night and plunder them until sunrise. Let’s destroy every last one of them.” His men replied, “We’ll do whatever you think is best.” But the priest said, “Let’s ask God first.” So Saul asked God, “Should we go after the Philistines? Will you help us defeat them?” But God made no reply that day. Then Saul said to the leaders, “Something’s wrong! I want all my army commanders to come here. We must find out what sin was committed today. I vow by the name of the Lord who rescued Israel that the sinner will surely die, even if it is my own son Jonathan!” But no one would tell him what the trouble was. Then Saul said, “Jonathan and I will stand over here, and all of you stand over there.” And the people responded to Saul, “Whatever you think is best.” Then Saul prayed, “O Lord, God of Israel, please show us who is guilty and who is innocent.” Then they cast sacred lots, and Jonathan and Saul were chosen as the guilty ones, and the people were declared innocent. Then Saul said, “Now cast lots again and choose between me and Jonathan.” And Jonathan was shown to be the guilty one. “Tell me what you have done,” Saul demanded of Jonathan. “I tasted a little honey,” Jonathan admitted. “It was only a little bit on the end of my stick. Does that deserve death?” “Yes, Jonathan,” Saul said, “you must die! May God strike me and even kill me if you do not die for this.” But the people broke in and said to Saul, “Jonathan has won this great victory for Israel. Should he die? Far from it! As surely as the Lord lives, not one hair on his head will be touched, for God helped him do a great deed today.” So the people rescued Jonathan, and he was not put to death.”
1 Samuel 14:24-45 NLT
Saul was a man who was led by God but also did not follow Him. Here we see another example of what that looks like. It is a curious exchange because in general, we have seen the father act godly only to have the son become wicked. This is not the case with Jonathan. Saul continues to be a man stumbling through his leadership. His relationship with God is largely superstitious, and this leads to hungry soldiers and a mock trial before God. Saul, like Jepthah before him, makes a claim before God. Then he seeks to enforce it and its consequences upon everyone. What is notable is that Jonathan’s men violated the animal purity laws and yet only Jonathan is implicated in the sin. Beyond this, Jonathan’s sin was against an edict that never came from God. Add to it that there was no consequence for reneging on the punishment and it shows Saul’s complete lack of leadership. Although there was sin and God did not honor Saul’s assault on the Philistines, it is clear that it was because all the sin that was present was a direct result of a faulty and superstitious leader who should’ve consulted God in the first place. But instead, he wished, even his own son to be blamed for his failure, rather than himself. This type of leadership never produces good fruits. Seek the Lord first. Accept the outcomes of your foolishness as your own fault. Give your troops what they need for success at the outset. We should not starve them, and then blame them for their hunger.
Saul’s Leadership: Saul’s leadership is characterized by superstition, lack of consultation with God, and a tendency to blame others for his own mistakes.
Jonathan’s Sin: Jonathan’s sin, while technically a violation of Saul’s edict, was not a sin against God and was a result of Saul’s poor leadership.
Consequences of Faulty Leadership: Saul’s leadership resulted in hungry soldiers, a mock trial, and a failed assault on the Philistines, highlighting the negative consequences of such leadership.
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