1 Samuel 14:48 Komentář

We left the host of Israel in a very ill posture, in the close of the foregoing chapter; we saw in them no wisdom, nor strength, nor goodness, to give us ground to expect any other than that they should all be cut off by the army of the Philistines; yet here we find that infinite power which works without means, and that infinite goodness which gives without merit, glorified in a happy turn to their affairs, that still Samuel's words may be made good: "The Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name's sake," (Sa1 12:22). In this chapter we have, I. The host of the Philistines trampled upon, and triumphed over, by the faith and courage of Jonathan, who unknown to his father (Sa1 14:1-3), with his armour-bearer only, made a brave attack upon them, encouraging himself in the Lord his God (Sa1 14:4-7). He challenged them (Sa1 14:8-12), and, upon their acceptance of the challenge, charged them with such fury, or rather such faith, that he put them to flight, and set them one against another (Sa1 14:13-15), which gave opportunity to Saul and his forces, with other Israelites, to follow the blow, and gain a victory (Sa1 14:16-23). II. The host of Israel troubled and perplexed by the rashness and folly of Saul, who adjured the people to eat no food till night, which 1. Brought Jonathan to a praemunire (Sa1 14:24-30). 2. Was a temptation to the people, when the time of their fast had expired, to eat with the blood, (Sa1 14:31-35). Jonathan's error, through ignorance, had like to have been his death, but the people rescued him (Sa1 14:36-46). III. In the close we have a general account of Saul's exploits (Sa1 14:47, Sa1 14:48) and of his family (Sa1 14:49-52).

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 14 This chapter gives an account of an adventure of Jonathan and his armourbearer smiting a garrison of the Philistines, Sa1 14:1, which with other circumstances struck terror into the whole army; which being observed by Saul's spies, he and his men went out against them, and being joined by others, pursued them, and obtained a complete victory, Sa1 14:15, but what sullied the glory of the day was a rash oath of Saul's, adjuring the people not to eat any food till evening which Jonathan not hearing of ignorantly broke, Sa1 14:24 and which long fasting made the people so ravenous, that they slew their cattle, and ate them with the blood, contrary to the law of God, for which they were reproved by Saul, Sa1 14:32, upon which he built an altar, and inquired of the Lord whether he should pursue the Philistines all that night till morning, but had no answer; which made him conclude sin was committed, and which he inquired after, declaring that if it was his own son Jonathan that had committed it he should surely die, Sa1 14:35, the people being silent, he cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonathan; who had it not been for the resolution of the people that rescued him out of his hands, because of the great salvation he had wrought, must have died, Sa1 14:40 and the chapter is cited with an account of Saul's battles with the neighbouring nations in general, and of his family, Sa1 14:47.

And he gathered an host,.... A large army; for after the battle with the Ammonites he disbanded his army, and sent them home, retaining only 3000 men, and these deserted him to six hundred, which were all the men he had with him, when he fought last with the Philistines; but now, finding he had enemies on every side of him, he gathered a numerous host to defend his country against them, and particularly to attack the people next mentioned: and he smote the Amalekites; a people that Israel, by the law of God, were bound to destroy, and blot out their name; a particular account of his expedition against them is given in the following chapter: and delivered Israel out of the hands of them that spoiled them; the nations before mentioned, Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Syrians, and Philistines.

Because while He draws sinners of every kind to life, He is recognized as triumphing everywhere. The Lord was indeed commanding His soldiers, His princes, to carry out these triumphs when He said: "Go into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). He commands the Gospel to be preached to every creature, because He willed that all kinds of men be led to the faith, so that while He displayed the noble triumphs of His kings, He might show them conquering everywhere. Hence it is written: "Who wills all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4). Indeed He wills all men to be saved, because from every kind of men He chooses those whom He draws to the joy of eternal salvation. But he sets forth what he accomplished by special fortitude, because it says: "And having gathered an army, he struck Amalek, and delivered Israel from the hand of its plunderers." Amalek is interpreted as "a people licking." What then is designated by Amalek, except the spirits of fornication? For their licking is to soothe the mind toward sinning by the flattery of the flesh. They seek to lick as if by the touch of a tongue when they touch the mind with light suggestions. What does it mean that he is said to have fought and conquered against Moab and Ammon, against Edom and the king of Zobah, yet did not gather an army, but to defeat Amalek he gathered an army? What does it mean that he gathered an army, except that to extinguish the spirit of fornication, a single virtue does not suffice? Abstinence from food is indeed very strong against this vice, but alone it does not prevail; for it is like a soldier who can fight but cannot overcome, because Amalek is not conquered unless an army is gathered. Therefore whoever desires to strike down fornication, let him add to bodily abstinence the virtue of humility. For if the mind disdains to submit humbly to God, it does not suppress the desires of its flesh by mastering and ruling over them. But it is still necessary to gather more, because the army is small. Therefore to the virtue of humility and bodily abstinence let there be added a frequent number of prayers. Indeed the affections of a heart intent on heavenly things are strong soldiers against the war of the flesh. Now therefore in the frequent assiduity of prayers he has a battle line, but an army has not just one battle line but several. Therefore he does not yet have a complete army, and he is by no means able to strike Amalek. Does it profit him that he wears himself down by fasting, that he is pierced with compunction for a time by praying, if the slippery mind thinks impure thoughts and carries within itself the phantasms of wantonness? But he who does not have honorable thoughts within himself cannot prevail in avoiding base ones. For since we are always thinking, good things must be sought out by us, lest we think evil ones. What indeed are all the crowds of good thoughts, except innumerable battle lines of the mind? For while they surround the mind and diminish its weakness, they do not permit the most base enemies to approach it. And because by thinking we are kindled to the desire of great purity, our soldiers are clothed with powerful weapons, by which they both turn the assaults of fornication to flight by repelling them and destroy them by reducing them to nothing. For impure thoughts have no way by which they might enter the soul, which is adorned on every side, as if by the strongest soldier, with the honor of good thoughts. Now therefore let the soul that wishes to destroy Amalek gather an army, and free the seeing spirit from the hand of its ravagers. Let it sit in their midst, so that surrounded on all sides by the examples of chosen strong ones, girded about with the teachings of the Scriptures, it may have no part of itself empty through which the enemy might break in. Because therefore innumerable are the examples of the faithful, because many are the teachings of the Scriptures, the army is great and strong, but it is not difficult to gather. Well therefore it is said of the king of Israel: "Having gathered his army, he struck Amalek," because the spirit of fornication is not conquered before the body is worn down through abstinence, and all the baseness of obscene thought is put to flight by good things filling the mind. Then indeed the "people licking" cannot lick him, that is, soothe him by delighting, because with the flesh tamed by fasts, the mind endowed with the citadel of humility, girded with the weapons of prayer, intent on heavenly teachings, fortified by examples, it cannot prevail to offer an opening to impious suggestion by consenting. This gathering of an army indeed well befits kings, that is, the teachers of the Church, because whoever strives to instruct chosen subjects for extinguishing the madness of fornication, these many columns of auxiliaries must be gathered for him by the word. Well is it also said that Israel was rescued from the hand of his destroyers. To be rescued is indeed said to be uprooted. And what is uprooted is understood to have sunk deep roots into the depths. The hand of the destroyers is the power of evil spirits. Whence it is also written: "By whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought into bondage" (2 Peter 2:19). What then is gathered from this, except that when fornicators consent to the desires of the flesh, they are subjected to the power of evil spirits? Because likewise the enticement of fornication is deep, when the soul is plunged into it through desire, it is held as if by roots in the deep. To be rescued therefore from the hand of the destroyers is to be freed from the abyss of fornication, which is in the power of demons. Well also are the assaults of fornication called destroyers, because concerning the vice of lust it is said through blessed Job: "It is a fire that consumes to destruction, and uproots all increase" (Job 31:12). The spirit of fornication is indeed called a destroyer, because whomever it invades, it surely leaves him no gifts of virtue. For the labor of ministry he can indeed possess some goods, but for the merit of salvation he cannot possess them. He is therefore said to be laid waste for whom, having lost chastity, no other goods avail unto life. The tender things of gardens are also said to be laid waste. For what are the gardens of the heavenly Bridegroom, if not the hearts of the saints, fortified by watchfulness and flowering with the fragrance of chastity? For while they admit no shameful impulses, they are adorned with the white flower of modesty. Whence also it is said to the bride in the Song of Songs in praise of the bridegroom: "You who dwell in the gardens, make me hear your voice" (Song of Songs 8:13). And again: "A garden enclosed is my sister, my bride" (Song of Songs 4:12). A garden indeed, because flowering with the virtue of extraordinary chastity; but enclosed, because fortified by continence. Hence the bride explains what delights the bridegroom, saying: "My beloved is mine, and I am his, who feeds among the lilies, until the day breathes and the shadows decline" (Song of Songs 2:16). Unclean spirits therefore are destroyers, because if they deceive chaste hearts, the deceived hearts lose the tender flowers of so great a virtue. Those therefore who return from impurities to chastity, because they escape the dreadful powers of demons and ascend from the depth of perdition, are fittingly said to be rescued from the hand of the destroyers.

And having gathered the army, he struck Amalek, etc. It signifies foreign nations alien to the faith and sacrament of the patriarchs' blood, whom Christ overcomes in two ways as enemies of his peace, so that he might rescue spiritual Israel from the hand of their devastators, either by saving believers through their own faith or by justly condemning unbelievers through his righteous judgment.

Jonathan and his armor-bearer purpose to attack a garrison of the Philistines, Sa1 14:1. Saul and his army, with Ahiah the priest, tarry in Gibeah, Sa1 14:2, Sa1 14:3. Jonathan plans his attack of the Philistine garrison, Sa1 14:4-10. He and his armor-bearer climb over a rock: attack and rout the garrison, Sa1 14:11-15. Saul and has company, seeing confusion on the Philistine host, come out against them; as did the men who had hidden themselves; and the Philistines are defeated, Sa1 14:16-23. Saul lays every man under a curse who shall eat food until the evening; in consequence of which the people are sorely distressed, Sa1 14:24-26. Jonathan, not hearing the adjuration, eats a little honey, which he found on the ground, Sa1 14:27-30. The Philistines being defeated, the people seize on the spoil, and begin to eat flesh without previously bleeding the animals, which Saul endeavors to prevent, Sa1 14:31-34. He builds an altar there, Sa1 14:35. Inquires of the Lord if he may pursue the Philistines by night, but receives no answer, Sa1 14:36, Sa1 14:37. Attributes this to some sin committed by some unknown person: makes inquiry by lot; and finds that Jonathan had tasted the honey, on which he purposes to put him to death, Sa1 14:38-44. The people interpose, and rescue Jonathan, Sa1 14:45. Saul fights against the Moabites, Ammonites, and Amalekites, Sa1 14:46-48. An account of the family of Saul, Sa1 14:49-52.

Smote the Amalekites - This war is mentioned in the following chapter.

JONATHAN MIRACULOUSLY SMITES THE PHILISTINES' GARRISON. (Sa1 14:1-14) the Philistines' garrison--"the standing camp" (Sa1 13:23, Margin) "in the passage of Michmash" (Sa1 13:16), now Wady Es-Suweinit. "It begins in the neighborhood of Betin (Beth-el) and El-Bireh (Beetroth), and as it breaks through the ridge below these places, its sides form precipitous walls. On the right, about a quarter of an acre below, it again breaks off, and passes between high perpendicular precipices" [ROBINSON].