1 Samuel 14:36 Commentary and Bible Study

After strengthening themselves by this meal, Saul proposes that they renew their attack on the Philistines, and that they press their advantage until there are none of their enemies left alive. The people answer, ‘Do whatsoever seemeth good unto thee.’ They have chosen Saul as their king and they must now allow thmselves to be led by him, although they are finding out that he is capable of very foolish decisions. The way this is put, it suggests that they are becoming used to the idea that Saul does what he wants to do without consulting anyone else. But they know it is foolish to get in his way. However the priests are not happy with this. Saul ought to be seeking the Lord’s will in such a big decision. Saul does what is suggested to him, and asks counsel of God: ‘Shall I go down after the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into the hand of Israel?’ This is the right thing to ask, but it has been necessary to remind him to do it. The Lord however does not answer Saul that day. The priest could get no response from God in the manner that was appointed for those times, and God only refused to respond, if there was sin in the camp. Saul therefore assumed somebody had disobeyed his command and his curse. He therefore commands the leaders to assemble, and announces that an enquiry should be made and that the perpetrator will be put to death, even if it turns out to be his own son Jonathan – which it does. There is to be a lot cast, and Saul asks the Lord to give a perfect lot which will accurately identify the culprit. Again the dreary response of the people is, ‘Do what seemeth good unto thee.’ There is no point arguing with this man; he is going to do what he wants to do anyway. They are intimidated by him, and they are learning the hard way what a different kind of leader he is to Samuel. So the lots are cast. Saul puts himself and Jonathan on one side, and all the the rest on the other, and the lot points to him and Jonathan. A further lot identifies Jonathan, and his father demands to know what he has done. Why did the Lord not answer? Had Jonathan really sinned? No, but the Lord was going to bring this matter out into the open. The lot rightly identified Jonathan as the one who had violated the curse, but he was not really the guilty party. It was Saul who had brought all this trouble on the people, but since he had pronounced this solemn curse, the Lord was going to hold him to account for it, by not answering him.Saul in his pride and in his cruelty, decides that even his son must die. But the people in the end will not have it, and they oppose the king and Jonathan is preserved. He is king; his word is going to stand against every other word. He will not back down and admit that it was rash of him to invoke this curse. He feels that his authority would be threatened, were he to do so. He will therefore insist then even his own son dies, now that he has found out what happened. The fact that Jonathan did not hear the curse and was innocent of it, is neither here nor there. Saul seems to have little love for his own son; they were certainly very different men, operating on entirely different principles.What an individual Saul has become! Disobedient to God, proud, taking shortcuts; foolish, vindicative, cruel even to the point of the execution of his son. Of course it all lies in the future, but in due course he is going to try to kill David also. You can see the man who started in such a humble way is soon spoiled and ruined in his manner.