1 Samuel 14 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

1 Samuel 14 Summary - A Quick Overview

WHEN:

• Israel’s first king, Saul, was appointed in approximately 1050 B.C.

• These events took place several years after Saul was appointed (13:1).

• Saul was king from approximately 1050-1010 B.C.

CHARACTERS:

• Saul – God selected Saul to be the first king of Israel. He was from the tribe of Benjamin.

• Jonathan – Saul’s son. An honorable young man and a great warrior.

• Jonathan’s Armor Bearer – God used him to win a great victory over the Philistines.

• The Philistines – The long-time enemies of Israel.

WHERE:

• The Israelites fought with the retreating Philistine army from Michmash to Aijalon (15-20 miles apart).

OUTLINE:

• JONATHAN AND HIS ARMOR BEARER DEFEAT THE PHILISTINES (14:1-23):

  • In 1 Samuel 13, the Philistines brought a large army to Michmash to fight against Israel.

  • Saul and his 600 men were in a cave near Gibeah.

  • Rather than stay in the cave with his father, Jonathan took his armor bearer and approached the Philistine garrison.

  • Jonathan wanted to fight the Philistines and he knew God could help him. He told his armor bearer, “It may be that the LORD will work for us, for nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many or by few” (14:6).  

  • Jonathan decided that if the Philistines called to him and told him to come up to the garrison, that would be his sign that the Lord was with him and wanted him to attack.

  • If the Philistine watchmen told him to remain where he was, he would refrain from attacking.

  • As the two warriors approached the garrison, they were spotted by the Philistine soldiers, who told them to come up to the garrison.

  • Concluding that God was on their side, Jonathan and his armor-bearer attacked.

  • They struck down 20 men and threw the Philistine camp into a panic.

  • God fought alongside Jonathan and sent an earthquake.

  • God caused the Philistines to start fighting one another.

  • When Saul’s camp realized what was happening, they hurried to join the battle.

  • “So the Lord saved Israel that day,” and the Philistines retreated.

• SAUL’S VOW (14:24-46):

  • As the Israelites were chasing the retreating Philistines, Saul put his men under an oath. He told his men they were not allowed to eat any food until the evening because they needed to stay focused on defeating the Philistines.

  • Jonathan was not aware of the oath, and he ate some honey in the forest.

  • When he was later informed about the oath, He questioned his father’s reasoning, because the men had become so faint they weren’t able to win a decisive victory.

  • By the time the men were allowed to eat, they were so hungry, they started killing animals and eating the meat without properly bleeding it (which was forbidden in God’s law).

  • Saul later discovered Jonathan had violated his mandate, and he was ready to put his son to death. But the people refused to let Saul kill him because God had worked through him to bring salvation to Israel that day.

• SAUL’S BATTLES WITH ISRAEL’S ENEMIES (14:47-52):

  • God gave Saul victory over all of Israel’s enemies. He fought with the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Amalekites, Philistines, and the kings of Zobah.

  • The Israelites experienced “hard fighting” with the Philistines during the whole of Saul’s reign.

  • Verses 49-50 list the names of Saul’s sons and daughters.

  • His sons were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchi-shua.

  • His daughters were Merab and Michal.