Village Schools of the Bible

A Devotional Study of 1 Samuel 13 & 14
by Max Frazier, Jr.

The key thought in chapter 13 is the beginning of the demise of the kingship of Saul. Chapter 14 describes the victory over the Philistines, blighted with the illogical oath Saul made his men swear and which almost cost Jonathan his life.

I. Israel and the Philistines prepare for battle (1 Samuel 13:1-7)
II. Saul offers the sacrifices (vs. 8-12)
III. Samuel rebukes Saul (vs. 13-14)
IV. Israel prepares for battle without any weapons (vs. 15-22)

This is a chapter about handicaps. First of all, Israel had no army. By the time the battle was to be ensued all Saul had was six hundred men, incredible odds against a Philistine army that could not be numbered. (But remember Gideon's situation?) The second handicap was the lack of swords; they only had two. Now it is hard to fight successfully unless you have the proper weaponry. Those two handicaps were bad, but Saul compounded them with being disobedient to God. This was the greatest handicap of all. When we walk in disobedience our fellowship with God is greatly impaired and our joy is extinguished. When we are disobedient we have to rely upon our own strength and our own efforts which soon become woefully inadequate. No army, no weapons, and a disobedient king. Those are not keys to victory.

Saul's first act of disobedience was motivated by fear. The well-equipped army of the Philistines was so large it was difficult to count them. Saul's army of Israel was so poorly equipped that it only had two swords. Furthermore, the ranks decreased every day as men left because of fear. Saul had been instructed to wait seven days at Gilagl for Samuel. He had done this and everyday he saw more men leave. His army had shrunk to only six hundred men. Motivated with the fear of having no army at all, Saul offered the sacrifice that only a priest was to offer. I believe Saul's heart was right - he knew he needed the Lord's guidance; he had no human resources upon which to trust. Yet, he had been told to wait. Fears are caused by looking out rather than up. Fears cause us to want to hasten God's hand. Saul needed to understand the secret of Israel 40:31 - those who wait (seven days, ten days, three months, however long) on the Lord will gain new strength. Lord, help me to always have an upward look. Quiet me when times of fear arise.

I. Jonathan's victorious attack on the Philistines (1 Samuel 14:1-14)
II. Philistines defeated by Israel (vs. 15-23)
III. Jonathan breaks the oath of not eating (vs. 24-30)
IV. Israel so hungry it eats improperly killed meat (vs. 31-35)
V. Jonathan spared by the actions of the army (vs. 36-45)
VI. Saul's other victories (vs. 46-48)
VII. Saul's family (vs. 49-52)

Saul had a problem in admitting he was wrong. He always needed to save face before others. He always had to appear to be right. He was wrong in making his men promise not to eat before the battle was completed. As a result their weariness prevented them from experiencing a greater victory. He was wrong in proclaiming Jonathan's death just for the sake of his own honor. Thankfully the pressures from his men prevented him from carrying through a faulty plan. But I never read that Saul says to either his men or to Jonathan, "I am sorry; please forgive me." If we are going to be successful leaders then we must be willing to admit our mistakes in leadership. We must be open to sharing before those whom we lead our blunders and errors. We must acknowledge our need for their forgiveness. When we do this we experience a greater measure of leadership.

1Samuel 11-12 Return to the Table of Contents 1Samuel 15-16