1 Samuel 14:38-15:3
When Saul saw that the Lord did not answer him, he sought to find out who was at fault. Yet how could the Lord answer him to connect His name with Saul’s self-importance? Saul was not walking before God in such a way as to know his own folly. Therefore, having assembled all the people together, he and Jonathan stood on one side, while the people stood on the other. He then asked the Lord to give a perfect lot, and he and Jonathan were taken. They cast lots again and Jonathan was taken. Saul asked Jonathan what he had done, and Jonathan told of how he had eaten some honey in the battle against the Philistines. Saul said, “Thou shalt surely die, Jonathan.”
The Lord would not answer poor Saul, but He had given a perfect lot and showed the foolishness of Saul’s ways before the people. Therefore when Saul would have put Jonathan to death, the people rescued him and would not allow it. They said, “He hath wrought with God this day,” and the Lord used them for the deliverance of Jonathan who was willing to leave all with Him. Jonathan was willing to die or live, according to the will of the Lord.
Then Saul went up from following the Philistines and they went to their place. The Lord was allowing His people to see the foolishness of their choice of a king, and that deliverance was not through “a king to lead them like the nations,” but only by the good hand of God using whomsoever He would. Are we not often like Israel, thinking if we could only have our own way things would run along so much more smoothly? May all this be a lesson to us, making us content to bow to the Lord’s hand in all He passes us through while making our one aim in life just to do His will.
In spite of their self-will and failure the Lord did not forsake His people, but undertook for them over and over again, even in the conflicts they brought upon themselves. How good and patient He is, as we have so often proved! Yet we are so slow to learn and have to reap the folly of our own ways.
Samuel came to Saul again and brought before him the importance of obedience to the Word of God. He had failed in this before—not having waited for Samuel when he had told him to do so. But now another opportunity would be given him to carry out the judgment of the Lord upon Amalek. The Amalekites were those who had come out against Israel when they came out of Egypt, and they typify to us the power of the enemy through the flesh, or the old nature within us. Saul was instructed to cut them off ENTIRELY, not leaving a man or woman or even an infant, along with all their cattle. This reminds us of the word in John 6:63: “The flesh profiteth nothing.” It might seem unkind to Saul to cut off ALL the Amalekites, and their animals too, but the Lord said it must be done, and there was no room left for Saul’s opinion when God had spoken.
No doubt this test comes in each of our lives. Some matter comes before us and the Lord clearly makes His mind known, as He did to Saul here. A desision must be made and the cost is great. It seems unkind, it seems more than we can do, but obedience to God and His Word clearly demands it. The rest of our life turns upon it, as it did for Saul. Let us carefully consider then, the word before us here.
ML 08/15/1954