Doug Van Pelt

and I walked on down the hall

Once I've set my things down on my desk, it's time to set the thermostat and make some coffee...

Maybe a little coffee and food would have done Saul's army some good. In 1 Samuel 13 and 14, we see God's people set against the Philistines. Jonathan and his armor bearer decided to try something out, so they went into the enemy's camp, thinking that God would deliver them. Sure enough, their plan worked and they killed 20 men together. This set the entire Philistine army into a panic, which the Lord furthered by shaking the earth. The enemy was routed, but Saul did not know how this had happened until he took a count and found his son missing. He had issued orders to the army not to eat until they had defeated the enemies and Jonathan, who had not heard this order, found some honey and tasted it. It made his "eyes brighten." Later on Saul cast lots in an effort to find out why God wasn't revealing his next step to him. This turn of events had Jonathan confessing his honey incident and Saul pronounced the death penalty. But Saul's men stood up and defended Jonathan, who had not heard the decree. I guess this is the kind of mis-management one has when they are at odds with God. In chapter 13 we see Saul get impatient for his priest, so he makes sacrifice himself. When Samuel the priest does arrive, he announces that a new king has already been anointed and Saul's reign will not last. He ushered in his own demise that day with some hasty actions.