What I Noticed Today (1 Samuel 13-14)

1 Samuel 13

1 Samuel 13 recounts Saul’s failure as a leader of the people.

In verse 1, Saul was 30 years old when he became king, and he reigned 42 years over the Israelites.

In verses 2-22, four major failures of Saul are recounted:

1. Saul failed to act decisively when threatened by the Philistines (1 Samuel 13:1-4). Jonathon, his son, declared war on the Philistines and defeated them, yet Saul took credit for the victory.
2. Saul failed to inspire or control his army. Some of the men ran away, some hid, and some left the country ((1 Samuel 13:5-7).
3. Saul failed to follow Samuel’s directions to wait seven days before offering a sacrifice. (1 Samuel 13:8-9). His impatience and rebellion against God began his downward spiral early in his reign.
4. Saul lied to Samuel in an attempt to excuse his actions (1 Samuel 13:10-15). When Samuel confronted Saul, he lied to Samuel rather than confessing and repenting his sin. (We’ll catch Saul in a similar lie in 1 Samuel 15:15.)

1 Samuel 14

In 1 Samuel 14:1-23, Jonathan secured victory over the Philistines:

• Once again, Jonathan took action against the invading Philistines.
• Jonathan inquired of God, had faith in God’s promise, and proceeded against the Philistines in faith.
• When Saul heard about the battle initiated by Jonathon, he finally called the army together and joined in the battle.
• The Lord, through Jonathon, gave Israel victory over the Philistines.

Some thoughts for further consideration:

What a contrast there is between Saul and Jonathon! In many respects, Saul failed as a leader, yet Jonathon, his son, was a man of God who took action!

In verses 24-46, Saul rashly made an oath that weakened his army by not allowing them to eat during the course of a long battle. 

• Saul’s army went through a forest and found honey, but none of them ate because of Saul’s oath.
• Saul’s son, Jonathan, had not heard of his father’s oath and ate some of the honey and was refreshed.
• As the Israelites defeated the Philistines that day, they rushed to take plunder, slaughtered cattle, and ate meat with the blood still in it (prohibited in Leviticus 17:10-14).
• Saul realized eating the blood was also wrong (Leviticus 17:10-14), so he rushed to build an altar to the Lord and have the men slaughter their animals there.
• Saul also rashly wanted to continue the battle the next day without consulting God, but Samuel stopped him until they inquired of God.
• God did not answer. Saul realized someone had violated the oath not to eat. The men of the army were cleared. Jonathan admitted to eating honey, and Saul declared that Jonathan must die.
• The interceded on Jonathan’s behalf, saying he should not die because he had delivered Israel.
• Ultimately Saul gave up pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines returned to their territory.

In verses 47-52, the reign of Saul as king is summarized:

• Saul fought against Israel’s enemies; the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, the kings of Zobah (Arameans), and the Amalekites.
• Saul’s family included his wife Ahinoam, his three sons Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malki-shua, and his daughters Merab and Michal.
• Abner was the commander of Saul’s army.

What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.

Tomorrow: Day 102, 1 Samuel 15-17