First Samuel 14:15-52
Chapter 14 contrast a man of faith with a man of pride.
God will join the man of faith in battle by shaking the ground. But, God does not even answer the man of pride.
The man of faith operates by staying focused on God’s will and purpose.
The man of pride gets distracted by trivial issues that have no bearing on fulfilling God’s purpose.

Saul will lose focus of his purpose. The results will be:
1) He gets confused and becomes indecisive
2) He focuses on small and trivial details and becomes overbearing.

14:15-23 Saul Joins Jonathan in the Battle
Jonathan understood God as the leader and the warrior for Israel.
Jonathan saw the Philistines as unbelievers without a covenant with God.
He saw the Israelites as God’s people.

Jonathan believed:
1) That God was working and would show himself in Israel. So, Jonathan responded in faith and took a step.
2) That God had worked through out Israel’s past history. Jonathan knew the word and history
3) That large numbers where not necessary for Israel to win. Jonathan knew the presence and power of God.

Instead of joining in the battle that God has already joined in these where Saul’s Actions:
1) Find out who left the camp
2) Inquire of God
3) Stops inquiring of God when the Philistines continue to retreat
4) Assemble the troops Saul does not have the ability or the faith to see what to do.

When he should act, he waits. When he should wait, he acts.

Jonathan’s Faith Spreads to:

• Armor bearer
• The Israelite traitors
• The militaries hiding cowards
• Saul’s army of 600
• To the nation

Saul had the priest seek God when he did not know what to do and was unsure.
But once he saw they where winning he said, “withdraw your hand.”
He no longer needed God’s help.

Jonathan’s faith helped bring the traitors back to Israel’s side.
People are looking for able leadership. People like to be on the right side.

Saul had given the impression of being the “wrong” side.
Those who simply wanted to good leadership left Israel for the Philistines.

14:24-30 Jonathan Breaks Saul’s Rule
Jonathan initiated a great victory because he was a man of faith.
Saul then limited that victory because he was a man of pride.

Aijalon is 17 miles west of Michmash.

1 Timothy 4:1-4 hypocritical liars will come and forbid eating meat and marriage.
Romans 14:1-5, 12, 14, 1, 20 Be tolerant of others convictions but do not join in with men’s rules.

14:31-35 The Plunder
The men had become misguided by Saul’s oath and his refusing them food.
They obeyed the lesser rule only to get into a position of violating a greater rule.
The men began to eat in a way that violated the actual law of God.
Saul builds his first altar. Not a real good time considering they are already in the middle of the battle.
Solomon did not begin his reign until he had visited God at the altar.

Legalism leads to a greater sin Galatians 5:19-21

14:36-46 God’s Law vs. Saul’s Rule
Inquiring of God was not Saul’s idea but Ahijah
No answer from God because:
1) Saul’s intentions are self glory
2) Saul was disloyal to Yahweh Saul thought God did not answer because someone had broken Saul’s rule not to eat

Jonathan had eaten and violated Saul’s rule but he had done this in order to fulfill God’s law.
God’s law was high and had been around longer. It goes back to the days of Moses and Joshua.
Romans 13
Acts 4:19

Proverbs 21:4— “Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin.”
The light for Saul’s spiritual life is pride. So, darkness is what guides Saul.

Saul is confused because:
1) He has replaced a relationship with God with Legalistic practices
2) He has confused God’s law and the king’s rules
3) He is seeking his glory and kingdom instead of God’s glory and God’s kingdom
4) Saul is focused on ISSUES that distract from the PURPOSE that God had called him.
5) When God will not speak to him he assumes it is somebody who broke the king’s rule instead
of realizing it was because of the king not following God.

Procedures or Production; Methods or Results
People often get distracted away from being productive and achieving results because they spend their time
on procedures and methods.

Procedures and methods themselves are not results.

People who have never had to make a living based on production or results tend to get caught up in
procedures and methods.

Both are necessary but continual focus on methods and procedures is like trying to keep the car between the lines
on interstate by opening the drivers door and watching the yellow lines go by directly by the car.
You are going no where very slow and run a very dangerous risk of running into something bigger because you didn’t
see it coming or being a very dangerous obstacle on the road for someone else.

But by looking out the windshield you can both see down the road toward the goal and avoid collisions while
also keeping you car between the lines.

Saul does not understand that he is ultimately suppose to drive the Phillistines out of the land of Israel.
Instead in the middle of the battle he stops to focus on who stopped and ate food.
Saul does not see the big picture and does not ultimately understand his purpose as king.
The king is to follow God (and the prophet Samuel).
Instead Saul gets his rules mixed up with God’s law because he has his position mixed up with God’s.

Saul does not see himself as someone who is serving God, but as someone who has replaced God.

David sinned but had a heart for God and his plan. David confessed his sin and returned to God.
David was disobedient but actually wanted to fulfill God’s plan and serve him.
Saul appeared to follow God but only when it was convenient for him and aligned with what he wanted to do.
Saul always did what he wanted and even placed his will and his rules above God’s.
David could recover and follow God. Saul could only become more and more confused.
Believers become confused and complicate their lives because they will not think like God thinks and they will not
follow his basic rules that guide us. His word is a light.
To walk without that light is to walk in darkness.

Saul has tried to earn God’s favor by doing all the right things except for understanding his plan and obeying it.

Saul has checked off all the right boxes but did so without ever really doing what God wanted:

• He waited, but should have fought.
• He sought God with the Ark, but should have gone into battle
• Made a rule and made the men take an oath of obedience, but he should have obeyed God’s word
• Stopped the slaughter and eating of meat with blood, but should have let the men eat during the day
• Built an altar to find favor with the Lord, but obedience is better than sacrifice
• Sought God again, but it dealt with his trivial rule and he should instead have been pursuing the enemy
• Was willing to punish his own son with death, but this was not the goal for the day. His son was the hero and the man of faith.

Notice that the man of pride led everyone to a state of confusion until they had to stop the man of pride from killing the man of faith.

The result of Saul’s daily activities:
1) Israel stopped pursuing the Philistines.
2) The military ended the day having to deliver the hero, Jonathan, from his father
3) The 600 men that where with him at the start of the day now voted against his decision to kill Jonathan.
So Saul lost the support of the only 600 men that supported him

14:47-48 Review of Saul’s History

14:49-51 Introduction of Saul’s Family

14:52 Saul Takes the Mighty and the Brave In David’s day the mighty and the brave came to him. Saul took them. Just like Samuel had promised.