Previously, Jonathan’s courage against the Philistines affected
Saul and the Israelites with the same mettle.
With God’s intervening grace the Philistines were defeated at the Battle
of Michmash and started to pursue the Philistines as they withdrew. The account ends with these words: “So the
Lord saved Israel that day. And the battle passed beyond Beth-aven.” (1
Samuel 14:23, ESV).
In the pursuit of the enemy, Saul makes an unwise decision
in forbidding the Israelites to eat.
When Jonathan, unaware of his father’s vow, eats honey, he ends up at
the sad end of that vow. “Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening,
and I am avenged on my enemies.”[1] Jonathan was probably right, “How much
better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies that
they found. For now the defeat among the Philistines has not been great.””
(1 Samuel 14:30, ESV).
To add insult to the occasion, when evening did come and the
people were free to eat again, they were so ravenous that they did not drain
the blood properly from the animals they were to eat. “Eating meat with blood
is strictly prohibited in the law (Gen. 9:4; Lev. 7:26; 17:10–14; Deut. 12:16.”[2] Saul
attempted to correct the situation by correcting the eating of the meat and
Saul built an altar and made sacrifice to the Lord. Saul then planned a nighttime
advance with a first light assault on the Philistines, but the priest exhorted
him to inquire of the Lord before progressing. Saul inquired of the Lord but
heard no answer.
Saul demands to know whose sin has caused God to remain
silent. This compels him to make another
rash vow. He said that he will kill the
sinner even if it turns out to be his son.
In casting lots, Saul learned that it was his son that bore the guilt of
eating the forbidden food. Saul determined to execute him.
“Then the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who
has worked this great salvation in Israel? Far from it! As the Lord lives, there shall not one hair of
his head fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day.” So the
people ransomed Jonathan, so that he did not die.” (1 Samuel 14:45, ESV)
The people save Jonathan by crediting him with carrying out
God’s will, leading to victory for Israel.
“Then Saul went up from pursuing the Philistines, and the
Philistines went to their own place.” (1 Samuel 14:46, ESV)
The Philistines were left to continue their retreat
unhindered.
This story is riddled with the foolish decision-making of
King Saul. Not that this isn’t important, but the reality is that Saul’s son,
Jonathan, did disobey (even though unintentionally at first) his father’s
command. Jonathan and the people knew that he had sinned. But the people were not willing to let him
die for it. The text says, “So the
people ransomed Jonathan, so that he did not die.”[3] The KJV uses the word, “rescued”. It’s the Hebrew word padah. It usually involves a payment of sort. But in this case we are uncertain as to the
nature of the ransom except that it was the good conscience of the people that
affected it. Apart from their
intercession, Jonathan would have certainly been executed.
Like Jonathan, Christians are a “ransomed people”. Matthew 20:28 (ESV) reminds us that “the Son
of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for
many.” The Greek words translated "ransom" in these texts indicate a
price paid for redeeming or ransoming a slave or prisoner. Jesus paid our
ransom to free us from sin, death, and hell. The sacrificial story throughout the Old
Testament pictured the death of an animal in place of a human being, all
pointing to the ultimate rescue, through the sacrifice of the Lamb of God.
Like Jonathan we have all disobeyed the edict of the King of
kings. In contrast to Saul, our God does not make rash demands. His commands are good and holy. Each one of us have disobeyed His commands
and the curse is death. For all who
place their soul’s trust and enjoyment in Jesus Christ, they can be sure that
He paid the ransom for their lives, to God. That ransom was His own life, the
shedding of His own blood, a sacrifice. Without death Divine justice could not
be satisfied. But through the death of
Christ in our place, justice is served, and mercy is provided.
Our sin made us debtors to God, not Satan nor anyone
else. The ransom price was paid to
God. It was His demand. He alone said, “Without the shedding of blood
there is no forgiveness of sins.”[4] An
old Gospel song[5] reminds
us:
He paid the debt He did not owe, I owed the debt I could
not pay
I needed someone to wash my sins away
And now I sing a brand new song
Amazing grace
Christ Jesus paid the debt I could never pay.
I needed someone to wash my sins away
And now I sing a brand new song
Amazing grace
Christ Jesus paid the debt I could never pay.
[1] The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version. (2016). (1 Sa 14:24). Wheaton, IL:
Crossway Bibles.
[2] Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible
(p. 514). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
[4] The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version. (2016). (Heb 9:22). Wheaton, IL:
Crossway Bibles.
[5] Ellis J. Crum, © 1977 Ellis J. Crum, Publisher (Admin.
by Sacred Selections R.E. Winsett LLC)
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