IMITATE THEIR FAITH/JONATHAN - "It Was With God That He Acted"

For Saul, the victory did not as well as it did for Jonathan. Saul had made some grave mistakes. He disobeyed Jehovah's appointed prophet Samuel by offering a sacrifice that the prophet, who was also a Levite, was suppose to offer.  When Samuel arrived, he told Saul that because of such disobedience, his kingdom would not last.  Then when Saul sent his men into battle, he first put them under an ill-advised oath;  "Cursed is the man who eats any food before the evening and until I have taken vengeance on my enemies!" - 1 SAMUEL 13:10-14; 14:24. 

Saul's words hint at a sad change in the man. Was the humble. spiritual man becoming an ambitious egotist?   After all, Jehovah never directed that such an unreasonable restriction be put on those brave, hardworking soldiers.  And what about Saul's words "until I have vengeance on my enemies"-do they suggest that Saul through that this war was all about him?  Was he forgetting that is was Jehovah's justice that matter and not Saul's hunger for vengeance, glory, or conquest?

Jonathan knew nothing about his father's  ill-conceived oath. Exhausted from the heated battle, he dipped his staff into a honeycomb and tasted some honey, he immediately felt his strength revive.  Then one of his men told him about his father's prohibition against eating.  Jonathan responded: "My father has brought  great trouble on the land. Look at how my eyes brightened because I tasted this little bit of honey. How much better if the people had eaten freely today from the spoil of their enemies that they found? For then the slaughter of the Philistines would have been even greater."   (1 Samuel 14:25, 30)  He was right, Jonathan was a loyal son, but his loyalty was not blind. he did not mindlessly agree with everything his father did or said, and that balanced view earned the respect of others.

Next time: IMITATE THEIR FAITH/JONATHAN - Conclusion of "It Was With God That He Acted"

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