Bible Reflections From Scripture Union Volume OneSample

Once Bitten, Twice Bitten Read 1 Samuel 14:24-52 Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city. Proverbs 16:32 We must guard against making the same mistakes over and over again. We may not have the freedom of a second chance. Also, if we have not learnt our lesson, things could go very wrong not only for ourselves but for others as well. Patience and waiting on the Lord to reveal His will seems to be particularly difficult for us in this fast-moving age. Remember the bitter punishment King Saul suffered because he was too impatient about going to battle and could not wait for Samuel (13:13-14)? It was a very costly mistake which led to the loss of his dynasty. Now once again, as he saw his enemy, the Philistines, running about in confusion, he was eager to strike them. He immediately asked for the priest to find out God’s decision about it but could not wait for the answer. This was when he made wrong decisions. He rashly put a curse on anyone who dared to eat anything before the battle was over. That was a foolish curse. The soldiers already had no weapons to fight with (13:22) and he did not allow them even to have food for the energy to fight with their bare hands. Honey was available in the woods for them and the fact that Jonathan ate of it and was energised confirmed that it was very wrong of Saul to curse so. As a result, at the end of the battle, the soldiers were so tired and hungry that they pounced on the plunder and killed the animals there and then and ate them, together with the blood. God prohibited this. Worse was to come! When God kept silent on inquiry by the priest, Saul hastily deduced that a sin had been committed among them and he hastily cursed again. It is shocking that Jonathan’s so-called 'crime' of eating honey deserved the death penalty in the eyes of his own father! The Holy Spirit gives us patience and wisdom. Pray for those in leadership positions that they do not make rash decisions that will have an adverse impact on those they lead.