Monday, August 7, 2023

I Samuel 14, A Taste of Honey

Very few Israelites have iron swords. But the Philistines have iron swords and use that technology to help them oppress the Israelites.  The Israelites, under Saul, have been preparing to meet the Philistines near Gibeah, at a place called Michmash.  The area has a series of east-west ravines (wadis) that make north-south travel difficult; an exception to this terrain is a pass at Michmash. (See this website for more on the geology and Biblical history of Gibeah & Michmash.)

I Samuel 14: 1-5, Jonathan and his armor bearer 
One day Jonathan son of Saul said to the young man bearing his armor, "Come, let's go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side." But he did not tell his father. 

Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Migron. With him were about six hundred men, among whom was Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was a son of Ichabod's brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD's priest in Shiloh. No one was aware that Jonathan had left.

On each side of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost was a cliff; one was called Bozez, and the other Seneh. One cliff stood to the north toward Micmash, the other to the south toward Geba.
 
Saul has been fairly timid lately in dealing with these Philistines.  But Jonathan has aggressive plans. He keeps these plans from his father presumably to avoid being told not to venture out. In a number of these campaigns, Saul will be very tentative while Jonathan (or David, later) are aggressive.

The "ephod", the priestly garment often used to divine God's intentions, is with Saul's men. The priest named here is Ahijah, grandson of the corrupt Phinehas, son of Eli. The corruption of Phinehas is described in I Samuel 2: 12-17; the sad birth of his son Ichabod is told in I Samuel 4: 19-22.

The Israelites and Philistines are camped opposite of each other, across a ravine that runs roughly east-west.

I Samuel 14: 6-11a, Challenge to the Philistines
Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, "Come, let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few."

"Do all that you have in mind," his armor-bearer said. "Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul."

Jonathan said, "Come, then; we will cross over toward the men and let them see us. If they say to us, `Wait there until we come to you,' we will stay where we are and not go up to them. But if they say, `Come up to us,' we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the LORD has given them into our hands."

So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine outpost. 

Jonathan and his armor-bearer go to one of the cliffs and make themselves visible to the Philistines. Jonathan wants a confrontation with the more powerful Philistine encampment. He sees the Philistine invitation to climb up to their camp as a sign that God plans to give him victory.

I Samuel 14: 11b-12, "Come over to us!"
"Look!" said the Philistines. "The Hebrews are crawling out of the holes they were hiding in."

The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, "Come up to us and we'll teach you a lesson." 

So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, "Climb up after me; the LORD has given them into the hand of Israel."

Jonathan, trusting God for a sign, is called over by the Philistines.  The Philistine call is a taunt, a sign of their arrogance and overconfidence. 

I Samuel 14: 13-14, "Come over to us!"
Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him.

In that first attack Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre. 

Robert Alter suggests that the climbing, using hands and feet, indicates that Jonathan and his armor-bearer take an unexpected route, a harder route up the hill, a route in which they are not visible to the indolent soldiers above them. When the two top the rise, they attack the Philistines, killing about twenty of them, and setting the camp into panic.

(NIV footnotes: The phrase translated here "half an acre" is literally "half a yoke", that is, half of the land a yoke of oxen might plow in a day.)

I Samuel 14: 15-17, Panic
Then panic struck the whole army--those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding parties--and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God. 

Saul's lookouts at Gibeah in Benjamin saw the army melting away in all directions. Then Saul said to the men who were with him, "Muster the forces and see who has left us." When they did, it was Jonathan and his armor-bearer who were not there.

Jonathan's sudden attack and the ground shaking (an earthquake?) panics the Philistines and they run. The narrator emphasizes that this terror was created by God.  Saul's lookouts report this chaos to Saul.

I Samuel 14: 18-23, Rout
Saul said to Ahijah, "Bring the ark of God." (At that time it was with the Israelites.)

While Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the Philistine camp increased more and more. So Saul said to the priest, "Withdraw your hand." Then Saul and all his men assembled and went to the battle. They found the Philistines in total confusion, striking each other with their swords. Those Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines and had gone up with them to their camp went over to the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.

When all the Israelites who had hidden in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were on the run, they joined the battle in hot pursuit. So the LORD rescued Israel that day, and the battle moved on beyond Beth Aven.

in verse 18, instead of "Bring the ark of God...", the Septuagint has "'Bring the ephod.'  (At that time he wore the ephod before the Israelites.)" Commentators argue that ephod instead of ark makes more sense here as the ark had been left permanently at Kiriath Jearim (I Samuel 7: 1-2.)

Saul first asks for guidance from the ark (or ephod) but then realizes that the Philistines are running and so abandons his inquiry. The chance for victory is obvious and his men quickly pursue the retreating army.. More Israelites join in and the divine attack started by Jonathan and his armor-bearer turns into a rout.

I Samuel 14: 24-26, Saul's oath
Now the men of Israel were in distress that day, because Saul had bound the people under an oath, saying, "Cursed be any man who eats food before evening comes, before I have avenged myself on my enemies!" So none of the troops tasted food.

The entire army entered the woods, and there was honey on the ground. When they went into the woods, they saw the honey oozing out, yet no one put his hand to his mouth, because they feared the oath.
 
Saul, despite his astute recognition of the chance of victory, has also hamstrung his soldiers by a foolish vow. This prevents his army from eating when they can.

The book of I Samuel portrays Saul as a complicated, confusing character. At times he is the leader his people need; at other times he hamstrings his followers. It would be worthwhile to pursue a character study of Saul in some Sunday essay. (Rabbis have debated, for several millennia, these characteristics of Israel's first king.)

I Samuel 14: 27-28, Brightened eyes
But Jonathan had not heard that his father had bound the people with the oath, so he reached out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it into the honeycomb. He raised his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened. 

Then one of the soldiers told him, "Your father bound the army under a strict oath, saying, `Cursed be any man who eats food today!' That is why the men are faint."
 
Jonathan has not heard of the vow and takes a moment to enjoy the honey available. (Jonathan's eyes "brightened", a vivid picture of joy.)   A soldier, rather late, updates Jonathan on his father's foolish oath.

I Samuel 14: 29-30, 
Jonathan said, "My father has made trouble for the country. See how my eyes brightened when I tasted a little of this honey. How much better it would have been if the men had eaten today some of the plunder they took from their enemies. Would not the slaughter of the Philistines have been even greater?"

Jonathan is frustrated with his father's foolish vow and responds with wisdom. If Saul had not hamstrung his soldiers, he would have won a greater victory. 

I Samuel 14: 31-32, Meat and blood.
That day, after the Israelites had struck down the Philistines from Micmash to Aijalon, they were exhausted. They pounced on the plunder and, taking sheep, cattle and calves, they butchered them on the ground and ate them, together with the blood.

The men of Saul, victorious, are also ravenous.  When they finally get to eat, they are so famished that they violate a strong Hebrew prohibition, eating meat with blood. 

I Samuel 14: 33-34, Saul's solution
Then someone said to Saul, "Look, the men are sinning against the LORD by eating meat that has blood in it." 

"You have broken faith," he said. "Roll a large stone over here at once." 

Then he said, "Go out among the men and tell them, `Each of you bring me your cattle and sheep, and slaughter them here and eat them. Do not sin against the LORD by eating meat with blood still in it.'" So everyone brought his ox that night and slaughtered it there.

Saul gets the people to slaughter the animals on a large stone. The stone allows the blood from slaughtered animals to run down the sides and away from the meat, so that the soldiers do not eat the meat with the blood.

I Samuel 14: 35-39, Someone broke the vow
Then Saul built an altar to the LORD; it was the first time he had done this.

Saul said, "Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder them till dawn, and let us not leave one of them alive." 

"Do whatever seems best to you," they replied. 

But the priest said, "Let us inquire of God here."

So Saul asked God, "Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into Israel's hand?" But God did not answer him that day.

Saul therefore said, "Come here, all you who are leaders of the army, and let us find out what sin has been committed today. As surely as the LORD who rescues Israel lives, even if it lies with my son Jonathan, he must die." But not one of the men said a word.
 
Saul building an altar is new, says the narrator.  But when God is silent to Saul's question, Saul believes someone broke his vow. Saul follows his vow with rash statements but his men are silent. (Surely some of them know about Jonathan.)

I Samuel 14: 40-43, Jonathan caught
Saul then said to all the Israelites, "You stand over there; I and Jonathan my son will stand over here." "Do what seems best to you," the men replied. 

Then Saul prayed to the LORD, the God of Israel, "Give me the right answer." And Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot, and the men were cleared.

Saul said, "Cast the lot between me and Jonathan my son." And Jonathan was taken.

Then Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what you have done." 

So Jonathan told him, "I merely tasted a little honey with the end of my staff. And now must I die?"
 
Saul inquires of YHWH and gets a response. Although the method of divining an answer is not described, it is likely that the Urim and Thummim, on the ephod, were used to provide a binary answer to questions, much like one might flip a coin.

The decision process isolates Jonathan. Jonathan, of course, is astonished at the seriousness of this.

I Samuel 14: 44-46, Protected
Saul said, "May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you do not die, Jonathan."

But the men said to Saul, "Should Jonathan die--he who has brought about this great deliverance in Israel? Never! As surely as the LORD lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he did this today with God's help." So the men rescued Jonathan, and he was not put to death.

Then Saul stopped pursuing the Philistines, and they withdrew to their own land.

The other soldiers stand up to Saul and protect Jonathan. This time, unlike the earlier vow of Jephthah, ends well, with the vow broken and the child saved.

I Samuel 14: 47-48, Success at war
After Saul had assumed rule over Israel, he fought against their enemies on every side: Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he inflicted punishment on them. He fought valiantly and defeated the Amalekites, delivering Israel from the hands of those who had plundered them.

The new king of Israel is effective in protecting the people from the plunder of their enemies. We have, at this point, the height of Saul's reign and influence. He is the king that the Israelites wanted.

I Samuel 14: 49-52, Saul's family
Saul's sons were Jonathan, Ishvi and Malki-Shua. The name of his older daughter was Merab, and that of the younger was Michal. His wife's name was Ahinoam daughter of Ahimaaz. 

The name of the commander of Saul's army was Abner son of Ner, and Ner was Saul's uncle. Saul's father Kish and Abner's father Ner were sons of Abiel.

All the days of Saul there was bitter war with the Philistines, and whenever Saul saw a mighty or brave man, he took him into his service.

Saul has developed a powerful army, and, as predicted by Samuel, is effective at drafting men into his service. His commander-in-chief is his cousin. The highly esteemed grandsons (Saul, Abner) of Abiel are in charge of Israel at this time.

No comments:

Post a Comment