1 Samuel 14:16 - Meaning and Application

Here we see how the great victory Jonathan and his armor-bearer won over the Philistines was pressed further and made useful.

The Philistines were first turned against one another by God’s power. They melted away like snow before the sun and kept striking one another down (1 Samuel 14:16), for, as the next verse says, each man’s sword was against his fellow (1 Samuel 14:20). When they ran in fear, they did not turn back on the men chasing them. Instead, they treated as enemies anyone who stood in their way. They had felt secure because all the swords and spears were in their hands, while Israel had none except Saul and Jonathan. But God showed how foolish that confidence was by making their own weapons the tools of their own ruin, more deadly in their own hands than if Israel had held them. See the same thing in (Judges 7:22) and (2 Chronicles 20:23).

This also stirred up the Israelites to fight more boldly. The watchmen of Saul, the sentries at Gibeah, soon noticed what was happening (1 Samuel 14:16). They saw the enemy camp in great confusion and a great slaughter among them. When they checked, they found that no one from Israel had gone missing except Jonathan and his servant (1 Samuel 14:17). That would have greatly encouraged them, because it showed that this could only be the Lord’s work. Two men had done against a great army what no human strength could have done.

Saul then began to ask God for guidance, but he soon stopped. His heart had not really come down enough to seek Samuel, though he was probably nearby, since (1 Samuel 13:15) says Saul had come to Gibeah of Benjamin. Instead, Saul called for the ark (1 Samuel 14:18), wanting to know if it would be safe to attack the Philistines now that their camp was in confusion. Many people are willing to ask God about their safety, while they never ask him about their duty. But when Saul’s scouts reported that the noise in the enemy camp was growing louder, he told the priest to stop at once: “Withdraw your hand” (1 Samuel 14:19), meaning, stop asking and do not wait any longer for an answer. If he meant, as some think, that the priest should stop praying, that was very foolish. Joshua did not stop Moses from lifting his hands when Israel fought Amalek. More likely, Saul was telling the priest to stop inquiring of the Lord, either because he thought the answer was no longer needed, or because he would not wait for it. He was in such a rush to strike a beaten enemy that he would not finish his worship or listen for God’s answer. A careless, worldly mind is quickly turned away from prayer. A true believer does not rush like that, and does not think any business too urgent to bring God along with it.

Then Saul and the small force he had made a strong attack on the enemy, and all the people were called together (1 Samuel 14:20). They had no silver trumpets to sound the alarm in battle, as God had appointed in (Numbers 10:9), so they gathered by shouting. Their number was not so large that they could not be brought together quickly. Now they acted brave, but the hard work had already been done for them. In the same way, our Lord Jesus has already conquered our spiritual enemies and scattered them. We would be very cowardly if we would not take up our arms now, when we are only called to pursue the victory and share the spoil.

Then every Hebrew, even those from whom you would least expect it, turned his hand against the Philistines. Some of those who had gone over to the enemy and were among them now fought against them (1 Samuel 14:21). Some think these were prisoners of war who had been forced to serve, and now they became thorns in the Philistines’ sides. It seems more likely that they had joined the Philistines willingly, but when they saw them falling, they recovered the spirit of Israelites and fought bravely for their country. Others had run from battle and hidden in the hills. Now they came back to their places and joined the pursuit (1 Samuel 14:22), hoping that strong zeal now, after the danger was past and victory was sure, might make up for their earlier cowardice. It was not much credit to them to appear now, but it would have been more shameful if they had stayed away. Those are truly careless and faint-hearted who will not act for God when his cause is winning, as well as when it is right. So every hand was at work against the Philistines, and every Israelite killed as many as he could without sword or spear. Yet the chapter ends by saying that it was the Lord who saved Israel that day (1 Samuel 14:23). He saved them through them, for without him they could do nothing. Salvation belongs to the Lord.