1 Samuel 14

1 Samuel 14

Morgan - The people rescued Jonathan, that he died not.—1 Sam. 14.45. In this act the true Theocracy, that is, the people God-governed, and so the true democracy, asserted their will against that of the king, and setting aside his ruling, prevented a great wrong. Saul 's oath was one of rashness, and was wholly wrong. As Dr.- Kirkpatrick has pointed out, it led to three evil results, viz.: It hindered rather than helped the pursuit of the enemy; it involved Jonathan in involuntary trespass; it indirectly occasioned the sin of the people. When the result threatened was the death of Jonathan, all the deepest things in national life found expression, and the king was gloriously disobeyed. It is an arresting and assuring fact that this has often happened in human history. Deep down in the human heart there is that which understands the right; and over and over again, under stress of circumstances, that understanding becomes active. When it does, it is invincible. Nothing can stand before it. Kings, rulers, parliaments, are swept aside, and the right is done. Those who desire to lead men in right ways may always appeal to this deepest fact in human consciousness. That is not to say that the appeal will, always be obeyed. There are times when the voice of the people is by no means the voice of God. In such cases however we may know that the voice of the people is contradicting the deepest knowledge of the people. God has never left Himself without witness in the human soul, and whenever we appeal for righteousness and truth, we may know that there is an answering appeal within, the human conscience. (Borrow Life applications from every chapter of the Bible) 1 Samuel 14:46 Then Saul went up from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place. BGT 1 Samuel 14:46 καὶ ἀνέβη Σαουλ ἀπὸ ὄπισθεν τῶν ἀλλοφύλων καὶ οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι ἀπῆλθον εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτῶν LXE 1 Samuel 14:46 And Saul went up from following the Philistines; and the Philistines departed to their place. KJV 1 Samuel 14:46 Then Saul went up from following the Philistines: and the Philistines went to their own place. NET 1 Samuel 14:46 Then Saul stopped chasing the Philistines, and the Philistines went back home. CSB 1 Samuel 14:46 Then Saul gave up the pursuit of the Philistines, and the Philistines returned to their own territory. ESV 1 Samuel 14:46 Then Saul went up from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place. NIV 1 Samuel 14:46 Then Saul stopped pursuing the Philistines, and they withdrew to their own land. NLT 1 Samuel 14:46 Then Saul called back the army from chasing the Philistines, and the Philistines returned home. NRS 1 Samuel 14:46 Then Saul withdrew from pursuing the Philistines; and the Philistines went to their own place. NJB 1 Samuel 14:46 Saul decided not to pursue the Philistines, and the Philistines retired to their own territory. NAB 1 Samuel 14:46 After that Saul gave up the pursuit of the Philistines, who returned to their own territory. YLT 1 Samuel 14:46 And Saul goeth up from after the Philistines, and the Philistines have gone to their place; 1 Samuel 14 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries CHASING THE PHILISTINES CALLED OFF Then Saul went up from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place - Saul gave up chasing the Philistines who made it safely to their own land, minus those that had been slaughtered. How would the passage in 1Sa 14:52 have read if Saul had not delayed (all because of his own foolish vows) and charged forth immediately to route the Philistine army? Just wondering! THOUGHT - What are the "Philistines" in your life? Have you (for whatever reason) delayed in routing the "Philistines" to the point of annihilating them? As a result are you continually experiencing intense spiritual struggle with the "Philistines?" God wants us to kill that sin ("Philistine") before it kills us! Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones once preached 4 messages on Romans 8:13+ (click for sermons) because it was his contention that this was the most important passage in a disciple's arsenal for killing sin! It is the last clause which is most significant for Paul writes "if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live." If I could be so bold as to suggest - you can kill the "Philistine" in our life Jonathan's way or you can try to kill it Saul's way. The only victory we will have over that sin is the victory the Spirit of the Lord enables. Yes, we must still make the choice to daily kill that sin, but we can only do so effectively by relying on the supernatural strength of the Spirit (the "Jonathan" way), the Spirit giving us both the desire and the power to kill that sin (Php 2:13NLT+). Can I show you some grace? Don't become frustrated or discouraged if every now and then the "Philistines" have a "revival" because this spiritual war is not about "perfection" but about "direction!" Keep on pressing on, trusting in and relying on the supernatural power of the Spirit to kill that "Philistine" in your life Guzik on the Philistines went to their own place - The implication in this phrase is that the victory might have been greater if not for Saul’s foolish oath. David Thompson - A believer can be one who has experienced many great blessings of God and still be a spiritual dud. One could have received many blessings for 25 years and never have a right relationship with God. That is the story of King Saul. He appeared to be a great winner but he was a loser.....It is possible to have a few victories in life actually given to us by God and still not be a real dedicated servant of God. One commentator observed you could have a string of victories at church and still not have a life that pleases God. Saul had a heart problem and he never got it resolved. A pastor friend of mine said he had a guy in his church who had given up alcohol and tobacco and still never went anywhere for God. That is Saul. You may be a believer and you may be able to point to moments of victory. In fact, you may have enjoyed prosperity for 25 years and still be a spiritual dud and loser. That is the story of Saul....(he adds) We must be very careful about emotional decisions we make and emotional things we say because what we say may come back to haunt us. That which starts in rashness will end in grief. Just ask Custer, just ask Saul. 1 Samuel 14:47 Now when Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, the sons of Ammon, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines; and wherever he turned, he inflicted punishment. BGT 1 Samuel 14:47 καὶ Σαουλ κατακληροῦται ἔργον ἐπὶ Ισραηλ καὶ ἐπολέμει κύκλῳ πάντας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν Μωαβ καὶ εἰς τοὺς υἱοὺς Αμμων καὶ εἰς τοὺς υἱοὺς Εδωμ καὶ εἰς τὸν Βαιθεωρ καὶ εἰς βασιλέα Σουβα καὶ εἰς τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους οὗ ἂν ἐστράφη ἐσῴζετο LXE 1 Samuel 14:47 And Saul received the kingdom, by lot he inherits the office of ruling over Israel: and he fought against all his enemies round about, against Moab, and against the children of Ammon, and against the children of Edom, and against Baethaeor, and against the king of Suba, and against the Philistines: whithersoever he turned, he was victorious. KJV 1 Samuel 14:47 So Saul took the kingdom over Israel, and fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, and against the children of Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines: and whithersoever he turned himself, he vexed them. NET 1 Samuel 14:47 After Saul had secured his royal position over Israel, he fought against all their enemies on all sides– the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. In every direction that he turned he was victorious. CSB 1 Samuel 14:47 When Saul assumed the kingship over Israel, he fought against all his enemies in every direction: against Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he caused havoc. ESV 1 Samuel 14:47 When Saul had taken the kingship over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, against the Ammonites, against Edom, against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. Wherever he turned he routed them. NIV 1 Samuel 14:47 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. NLT 1 Samuel 14:47 Now when Saul had secured his grasp on Israel's throne, he fought against his enemies in every direction-- against Moab, Ammon, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. And wherever he turned, he was victorious. NRS 1 Samuel 14:47 When Saul had taken the kingship over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side-- against Moab, against the Ammonites, against Edom, against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines; wherever he turned he routed them. NJB 1 Samuel 14:47 Saul consolidated his rule over Israel and made war on all his enemies on all fronts: on Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, the king of Zobah and the Philistines; whichever way he turned, he was victorious. NAB 1 Samuel 14:47 After taking over the kingship of Israel, Saul waged war on all their surrounding enemies-- Moab, the Ammonites, Aram, Beth-rehob, the king of Zobah, and the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he was successful YLT 1 Samuel 14:47 and Saul captured the kingdom over Israel, and he fighteth round about against all his enemies, against Moab, and against the Bene-Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines, and whithersoever he turneth he doth vex them. Saul: 1Sa 13:1 fought: 2Ki 14:27 Ammon: 1Sa 11:11 12:2 Zobah: 2Sa 10:6 1Ki 11:23 1 Samuel 14 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Click to enlarge - from the Holman Bible Atlas (digital book; Hardcover) copyright © 1998 B&H Publishing Group, used by permission, all rights reserved. This is one of the best resources for Bible maps. Please do not reproduce this map on any other webpage. Thank you. SUMMARY OF SAUL'S VICTORIES Now when Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel - NLT = "Now when Saul had secured his grasp on Israel's throne" he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, the sons of Ammon, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines; and wherever he turned, he inflicted punishment - Given the verdict of Samuel that his kingdom would not endure, it is surprising he exerted such power over his enemies on every side. So Saul expanded Israel's borders in all direction as you can see in the map above - to the South - Edom, to the East - Ammon and Moab, N (Zobah - a portion of Syria which formed a separate kingdom i located northeast of Damascus), and West - Philistia. Note Amalek described in the next verse and in chapter 15 was located toward the Southwest. David Thompson - There is an old saying: “If you succeed without suffering, it is because someone else suffered before you. If you suffer without succeeding, it is because someone will succeed after you.” Saul had walked into a dream job and he was succeeding and for him there was not much suffering. He was not looking to become king, but God had made him king and He had blessed him and was blessing him. 1 Samuel 14:48 He acted valiantly and defeated the Amalekites, and delivered Israel from the hands of those who plundered them. BGT 1 Samuel 14:48 καὶ ἐποίησεν δύναμιν καὶ ἐπάταξεν τὸν Αμαληκ καὶ ἐξείλατο τὸν Ισραηλ ἐκ χειρὸς τῶν καταπατούντων αὐτόν LXE 1 Samuel 14:48 And he wrought valiantly, and smote Amalec, and rescued Israel out of the hand of them that trampled on him. KJV 1 Samuel 14:48 And he gathered an host, and smote the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of them that spoiled them. NET 1 Samuel 14:48 He fought bravely, striking down the Amalekites and delivering Israel from the hand of its enemies. CSB 1 Samuel 14:48 He fought bravely, defeated the Amalekites, and delivered Israel from the hand of those who plundered them. ESV 1 Samuel 14:48 And he did valiantly and struck the Amalekites and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them. NIV 1 Samuel 14:48 He fought valiantly and defeated the Amalekites, delivering Israel from the hands of those who had plundered them. NLT 1 Samuel 14:48 He performed great deeds and conquered the Amalekites, saving Israel from all those who had plundered them. NRS 1 Samuel 14:48 He did valiantly, and struck down the Amalekites, and rescued Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them. NJB 1 Samuel 14:48 He did great deeds of valour; he defeated the Amalekites and delivered Israel from those who used to pillage him. NAB 1 Samuel 14:48 and fought bravely. He defeated Amalek and delivered Israel from the hands of those who were plundering them. YLT 1 Samuel 14:48 And he maketh a force, and smiteth Amalek, and delivereth Israel out of the hand of its spoiler. RSV 1 Samuel 14:48 And he did valiantly, and smote the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them. defeated: 1Sa 15:3-7 Ex 17:14 De 25:19 1 Samuel 14 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries He acted valiantly and defeated the Amalekites, and delivered Israel from the hands of those who plundered them - This is one of the more positive statements about Saul, but this victory had a major problem as described in 1 Samuel 15. 1 Samuel 14:49 Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan and Ishvi and Malchi-shua; and the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn Merab and the name of the younger Michal. Jonathan: 1Sa 31:2 1Ch 8:33 9:39 name of the firstborn: 1Sa 18:7-21 25:44 2Sa 3:13-16 6:20-23 1 Samuel 14 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan and Ishvi and Malchi-shua; and the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn Merab and the name of the younger Michal - Saul's oldest son Jonathan and youngest daughter Michal will play significant roles in the next king's life.