14:1-3 Saul becomes stationary; having separated himself from the Spirit of God, his future is uncertain and his plans are stagnant. Meanwhile, Jonathan, the son of Saul, makes the decision to remain active against the Philistines. Saul is paralyzed without his defense. His weapons are gone but more devastatingly, so is his weapon of faith.
14:4-5 Jonathan discovers an opportune location from which to engage in battle against the Philistines: a narrow pass with sharp rocks on either side. The children of Israel require a strategic position as their weaponry is limited. As God always does for a child of faith, He enables a victory through creative means.
14:6 Jonathan reveals his trust in God: he refuses to believe that God is unwilling to win any battle, regardless the number of persons on the battlefield. Jonathan understands that God not only willing but also capable to win any battle, no matter how desperate the situation appears. Saul lacked this spiritual resolve and evidenced for us the limitations unfaithfulness places on our lives.
14:7 In ancient battles, soldiers and commanders had armor bearers: people who would carry their weapons and armor, trusting that their companion would protect them. An unfaithful armor bearer would have fled when hearing Jonathan's plans to enter into enemy territory without a specific and convincing plan. Jonathan's entire action-strategy relied on God.
14:8-9 Jonathan's plan is to walk his army into enemy territory without adequate physical weaponry and allow God to deliver the Philistines into their hand. This incredible trust is instructive for us to carry into our own lives. When we walk in righteousness, God ensures that our path is well-defended and charted.
But how many of us are willing to walk without anxiety? How many of us trust that even when we walk into seeming immediate danger, God will provide the material and proficiency to conquer it? Matthew 10:29-31, Jesus explains that if God loves and cares for the little creatures of the earth, He surely cares for and provides for us.
14:10 Jonathan prepares his army to accept God's will: no matter what happens, they will proceed trusting that the events have been predetermined and expertly planned by God. Even if the Philistines call them forth, they will go forth. The faith required for such acceptance, trust and submission to God's will is extraordinary, and will always protect and propel a child of God.
14:11-12 And it happens that the Philistines do indeed call forth Jonathan's Israelite army. The Philistines mistaken believe that their posts within the rocks were hiding places. Instead, the army is more than prepared to face their enemy head-on. Jonathan rises with courage and faith.
14:13 On his hands and knees, Jonathan begins his ascent to meet the Philistines. Interesting concept, and not to be missed: in order to ascent, the faithful descend to their hands and knees. Our submission to God's will makes us powerful, capable, purposeful, and impactful. Remember: the humble shall be exalted, Matthew 23:12.
Jonathan and the children of Israel appear to be desperate and unprepared. Children of God are often underestimated because their enemies cannot see the powerful force of God surrounding, protecting and propelling them. When we bow down before Him, we create the conditions for God to stand up for us. For we, our unfaithfulness, is the hindrance which disables God's will from acting on our behalf. Not our enemy, our unfaithfulness. Saul is currently of no use to this situation, he has placed his own pride in the way of God's will; he has blocked the tunnel of faith with his own plans.
We should be careful not to do the same. Jonathan progresses free and clear into victory because he has removed unfaithfulness, unblocking God's will from transforming and delivering his life. When we allow our anger, impatience or greed into our intentions, we crowd the medium through which God's will could have shattered that which oppresses us. When we insist on our own way, we disallow God's way; and His way is always better than ours.
A Philistine moves against Jonathan but is taken down by his armor bearer.
14:14 Scripture has professed that we are fellow-workers with God, 1 Corinthians 3:9. God allows us to participate in the glory of His victory. Jonathan and his armor bearer battle against the Philistines, knowing that every stroke of their arm and step of their feet is guarded and influenced by God. God, ever our spiritual parent, holds our hand as we do difficult or dangerous things - and especially for the first time. Like a father teaching a child to fish or ride a bike or stand up to a bully, God guides us with skill, strength and affection. He is genuinely, emotionally invested in our lives and hearts and souls.
14:15-17 Saul becomes aware of the battle and immediately... requests to see who, precisely is engaged in battle. Does does not immediately realize that God is engaged in battle. Jonathan's trust and faith invited God to act on Israel's behalf but God is doing the heavy-lifting (though for Him, it's not so heavy).
14:18-19 Saul finally decides to join the battle, but for the wrong reasons. Saul can see an imminent victory. He commands that the ark of God be brought out, not because of faith but custom.
14:20-22 God quickly and efficiently disables the Philistine army. Nature itself convenes to confuse the Philistines and they begin to fight each other, helping Israel to defeat them. Scripture teaches us to evil corrodes itself; its actions over a lifetime cause its own instability and death. The Philistines physically represent this as they literally tear each other down.
14:23 So the Lord saved Israel that day... Saul certainly did not save Israel. Jonathan did not save Israel. God saved Israel. God's power only seeks an outlet, and a faithful child is one. God's ability does not make us great, on our very best day we are merely servants (though deeply loved) of His greatness.
14:24 Saul is back in action as king, claiming proudly the victory as his own rather than God's. He commands his army not to eat until the he has taken vengeance on the Philistines.
14:25 The people come to a forest to find honey on the ground. They arrive in a densely fertile, verdant, thriving, protected place and find honey on the ground. God leads His children into such places and upon arrival, we found that His blessed provisions continue. God's word and will is consistently referred to as honey: sweet, substantial, natural and nutritious.
14:26 Yet none of the people eat any of the honey. The symbol here is that Saul's corrupted leadership is depriving his subjects from the provisions of God. Saul's pride is tainting the nation of the children of Israel. They are not partaking of God - benefiting from His ability - because of Saul's flawed commands.
14:27 But Saul's son Jonathan did not hear the command, likely a strategic move made by God. Jonathan dips his rod into the honey; he dips the symbol of his authority into the symbolic word of God. And he eats the honey. Jonathan hears God's will and listens to it with trust. For this, Jonathan is brightened. The Spirit of God illuminates His children, giving them energy, perspective and joy (our soul's crave the nutrient dense provisions of God).
14:28 We see the spiritual damage Saul's reign has inflicted the children of Israel with. Instead of celebrating this beautiful gift from God, both the victory and the offering of more sustenance, they fear the unjust and unnecessary commands of Saul. A corrupt leader disables the population under his rule.
14:29 Jonathan is unfazed by having broken his father's command. Jonathan is confident that having listened to and partaken in God's will was the right thing to do. Jonathan is also wise and perceptive; he can see that his father's rule is flawed and ruinous to the future of the children of Israel.
14:30 Jonathan points out that if the children of Israel had followed God instead of Saul, the victory would have been even greater. Jonathan does not fear death, nor does he fear stating the unpopular and dangerous truth. As children of God, we are called to be honest in the difficult moments especially, because those are the times when the truth is most needed.
14:31-33 Because of Saul's ridiculous command that they people not eat the honey provided by God, the people begin to eat unclean food out of starvation. When a corrupt leader or person cuts off the source of God from a person, the person starves. The person is made vulnerable to the consumption of noxious things.
More than food, God provides the wisdom and opportunity people require to escape desperate circumstances. If the philosophy of God is not taught, exampled or allowed in their lives, people never learn of the productive way. People instead turn to actions and reactions of anger, impatience and greed (symbolized here by unclean meat).
14:34-35 Too little, too late: Saul follows the custom of sacrifice to God. But Saul does this because he is afraid to break a "rule"; the symbolic repercussions of his faithless rule are unnoticed by him.
14:36-37 Saul attempts to communicate with God but his pride and in-genuine love for God disables the connection. Saul has proved that he will not listen and therefore God sees no reason to speak.
14:38-40 Saul proceeds to (unknowingly) condemn his son for tasting the honey. Saul's main objective is to defend and profess his authority (rather than God's). Jonathan submitted to God's authority over a man's. Saul tries to divide the crowd to identify the culprit.
14:41-44 Upon discovering that Jonathan is guilty of this supposed-crime, Saul remains intent on killing him. Jesus evidenced to us that to be a fellow-worker of God, we are called to confront our oppressors - and sometimes, the systems of the world. More often than not, we are misunderstood and condemned for "going against the grain." In John 15:18, Jesus acknowledges that those who are of Spirit rather than the world often face fierce opposition. Jesus continues in John 15:19 to explain that if we were like the world, it would love us... but we are not. We choose to be like our God; because death on earth is only our initiation into our eternal spirit.
In real life, this looks like standing up against bullies, the ones on the bus seats and the ones on thrones. It looks like devaluing that which the world has placed value on - vanity and wealth - and choosing humility and charity instead. It means to proceed through the proverbial red light when God has declared it green.
14:45 God would not allowed Jonathan's enemies to defeat him on the battle field and he will now allow Jonathan's family to defeat him at home. Jonathan's faith in God rescues him again; the people refuse to put to death an agent of God.
14:46 Defeated by justice, Saul and the Philistines return each to their own place.
14:47-52 Saul continues to behave and build his kingdom as God promised the children of Israel a king would. He claims the best and brightest for himself. He grows his family and here his wife, sons and daughters are listen. The Philistines continue to meet defeat not because of Saul's reign but because of God's loyalty to the children of Israel, despite their fickle faith.
