THE CONQUEST OF JONATHAN Jonathan could not stand to see how his people lost their dignity; and believing that, “Nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few” (1 Samuel 14: 6). Jonathan, with his armorbearer, went over the narrow and deep valley, and found favor in God’s sight to realize conquest. Yet, because of his father’s hasty decrees, Jonathan fell under curse, because he tasted honey in the middle of the day. Saul put the people under oath, saying, “cursed is the man who eats any food until evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies” (1 Samuel 14: 24). 1- Jonathan crosses over to the Philistines 1 – 15. 2- Saul goes to war 16 – 23. 3- Jonathan breaks his father’s oath 24 – 31. 4- The people eat the meat of beasts with the blood 32- 35. 5- The people rescue Jonathan’s life 36 – 46. 6- Continuous conquests 47 – 52. 1- JONATHAN CROSSES OVER TO THE PHILISTINES The two armies confronted one another: The Philistines at the northern sharp rock “Bozez,’, meaning light, facing Mishmash; and Saul with his men at the southern sharp rock ‘Seneh,’ opposite Gibeah with a narrow but very steep slope in between them, that no one can cross over save a mountain goat, or someone crawling on his hands and knees. Each army was watching the other, while the Philistines were busy devastating the land of Benjamin. Jonathan was zealous for his people; and contrary to his father, he was an upright man, who loved the truth, whatever the cost would be, and faithful in his relationships with others. In his faith, he proceeded to act without telling his father, for fear that he would stop him. Saul at that time was confused, and many of the people, in their terror, escaped, leaving the king with only 600 men who did not know what to do. Saul was in the outskirts of Gibeah (1 Samuel 14: 2), namely, outside the city, probably in the wilderness close to Gibeah. ‘Ahijah’ - probably ‘Ahimalech,’ bearing that name out of respect to the name of God, [‘Ahijah’ means the (brother of the Lord), while ‘Achimalech’ means the (brother of the king] - was in ‘Shiloh,’ wearing the ‘ephod,’ namely, the priestly garment (Exodus 28: 6), in his residence, because there was no more service in the tabernacle, after the Philistines took away the ark of God (1 Samuel 4). Jonathan could not stand that shameful situation, and believed that God is capable of realizing his promises to His people, and would work for them “for nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few” (1 Samuel 14: 6) His young armorbearer, sharing his faith, supported him in his intentions, demonstrating the importance of faithful friends in partaking of our spiritual strife, and accompanying us on our way, on the contrary of wicked friends who make man lose hope and bring him down to perdition. There would be the exaltation of joy, when we enjoy God, in security and brotherly unity. 2 St. Augustine1 Jonathan said to his armorbearer: “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few” (1 Samuel 14: 6). Jonathan was aware of his weakness, but he delivered it in the hands of God to consummate His will, believing that He would mightily work in the life of His people. According to the apostle Paul: “through faith they subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of aliens” (Hebrew 11: 33, 34). The weapon of the heart is faith in Christ By faith of the mind, man would be as though he is actually dwelling in God’s kingdom. St. Isaac the Syrian2 Jonathan set a sign: that if the Philistines said to them “Come up to us,” then they would go up, for the Lord had delivered them into the people’s hand. Actually when Jonathan and his armor-bearer showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines, they sarcastically said: “The Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden”;; then they called to the two men, “Come up to us, and we will show you something,” intending to kill them. Although they addressed them in sarcasm, Jonathan considered it to be a sign from heaven, firmly believing that the enemy would experience, after their arrogance, a definite fall. As it was impossible to climb the rock upright, Jonathan and his companion did that crawling on their hands and knees, in a degrading and dangerous way. Here, God put terror in the hearts of the enemy, who assumed that the two men were being followed by a great army; so they fled. The two men killed 20 of the enemy within an area of about half an acre of the land, while many others fell to their death on the deep narrow slope. The enemy actually struck themselves by themselves; and “there was a very great trembling” : an allegoric form of speech that may either refer to the extent of their terror, or to an earthquake that probably happened. Thus, Jonathan climbed up crawling on his hands and knees, leaning on God in faith, to scatter before him the mighty and haughty armies. 2- SAUL GOES TO WAR Saul and his men were in the outskirts of Gibeah (1 Samuel 14: 2), when they saw the multitude of the army of the enemy melting away, going here and there. Astonished for what he saw, Saul commanded his people to call the roll to see who was missing, to discover surprisingly that it was Jonathan and his armorbearer. Saul said to Ahijah the priest to ask God through the ephod (according to the Septuagint version). Now it happened that while Saul talked to the priest, the noise from in the camp of the Philistines continued to increase; that Saul became impatient and instructed the priest, saying:” Withdraw your hand” (1 Samuel 14: 19). This behavior reveals the heart of Saul. Although he had several good points, he was impatient, and leaned upon his own thoughts... He asked the Lord; yet before getting His response, he hastened to act; He was not upright in his heart. In his haste to have a swift conquest over the enemy, he made a decision that led his son to fall in 1 On Ps. 137. 2 Ascetic Hom. 64. 3 violation, having placed the people under oath, saying: “Cursed is the man who eats any food until evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies” (1 Samuel 14: 24) Saul erred in that action, counting the conquest as the fruit of only work and effort; not putting faith into consideration; contrary to his son Jonathan, who did not stop working, and put himself to danger, yet through faith in God the Grantor of conquest. His second fault was that he did not give any consideration to the needs of his men who could not strive while weak with hunger. Moreover, his lack of an upright heart was revealed in saying: “... on my enemies,” counting them as his personal enemies... pride and haughtiness of heart! 3- JONATHAN BREAKS HIS FATHER’S OATH Saul’s oath could have led to the death of his son Jonathan, the believer who rescued the people; and also caused the exhaustion of his men, whom God provided, in the wilderness, with honey to eat. Jonathan having not heard of his father’s oath, stretched out the end of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it in a honey-comb, and put his hand to his mouth; his countenance brightened after hunger and exhaustion. Being told of his father’s oath, he said: “My father had troubled the land. Look now, how my countenance has brightened because I tasted a little of that honey. How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found! For now would there not have been a much greater slaughter among the Philistines? “ (1 Samuel 14: 29, 30) By hasty decisions that come out of a heart which is not upright, man loses much, through depriving himself of God’s gifts to him; and losing the chances given to him by the Lord. 4- THE PEOPLE EAT THE MEAT OF BEASTS WITH BLOOD As a result of Saul’s hasty decision, the people were overcome by hunger and exhaustion; “ So they rushed on the spoil, and took sheep, oxen, and calves, and slaughtered them on the ground; and ate them with the blood” (1 Samuel 14: 32). Saul, counting that as a treason against the Lord, ordered his men to roll a large stone to slay the animals on it; and as the sacrifices would be higher than the ground, all the blood would spill before eating them. The people obeyed his order. 5- THE PEOPLE RESCUE THE LIFE OF JONATHAN Saul built an altar to the Lord; and sought the counsel of God, most probably through Ahijah the priest, whether to go down after the Philistines; But as God did not answer him that day, he assumed that there was a sin among the people. So hastily he vowed: “For as the Lord lives, who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die” (1 Samuel 14: 39). The lot came on Jonathan, who admitted what he had done, without fearing death. But the people could not accept the idea of putting Jonathan to death, who, by his faith and courage challenged death to save his people from their enemies. And Saul consented due to the insistence of the people. 6- CONTINUOUS CONQUESTS “Saul established his sovereignty over Israel, and fought against all his enemies on every side; against Moab, Ammon, Edom, against the king of Zobah, and against the Philistines; Wherever he turned, he harassed them. (1 Samuel 14: 7). 4 “Now there was fierce war with the Philistines all the days of Saul. And when Saul saw any strong man or any valiant man, he took him for himself”(1 Samuel 14: 52) Although Saul was not upright in heart, and had been hasty in his decisions, he had zeal and courage; did not stop striving; and took every strong and valiant man to his army. This is a live portrait of spiritual leadership, that do not stop striving; who takes every soul to work for the kingdom of God. A successful leader is the one who directs all energies to work; who does not concentrate the service on himself, but knows how to encourage every soul and to support every hand to spiritual strife.
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