day.” While pursuing the Philistines, Saul rashly adjured the people,
saying, “Cursed be the man that eateth any food until evening.” But
though faint and weary, the Israelites “smote the Philistines that day from
Michmash to Aijalon” (a distance of from 15 to 20 miles). Jonathan had,
while passing through the wood in pursuit of the Philistines, tasted a little
of the honeycomb which was abundant there (14:27). This was afterwards
discovered by Saul (ver. 42), and he threatened to put his son to death.
The people, however, interposed, saying, “There shall not one hair of his
head fall to the ground.” He whom God had so signally owned, who had
“wrought this great salvation in Israel,” must not die. “Then Saul went up
from following the Philistines: and the Philistines went to their own place”
(1 Samuel 14:24-46); and thus the campaign against the Philistines came to
an end. This was Saul’s second great military success.
Saul’s reign, however, continued to be one of almost constant war against
his enemies round about (14:47, 48), in all of which he proved victorious.
The war against the Amalekites is the only one which is recorded at length
(1 Samuel 15). These oldest and hereditary (Exodus 17:8; Numbers
14:43-45) enemies of Israel occupied the territory to the south and
south-west of Palestine. Samuel summoned Saul to execute the “ban”
which God had pronounced (Deuteronomy 25:17-19) on this cruel and
relentless foe of Israel. The cup of their iniquity was now full. This
command was “the test of his moral qualification for being king.” Saul
proceeded to execute the divine command; and gathering the people
together, marched from Telaim (1 Samuel 15:4) against the Amalekites,
whom he smote “from Havilah until thou comest to Shur,” utterly
destroying “all the people with the edge of the sword”, i.e., all that fell into
his hands. He was, however, guilty of rebellion and disobedience in sparing
Agag their king, and in conniving at his soldiers’ sparing the best of the
sheep and cattle; and Samuel, following Saul to Gilgal, in the Jordan valley,
said unto him, “Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he also
hath rejected thee from being king” (15:23). The kingdom was rent from
Saul and was given to another, even to David, whom the Lord chose to be
Saul’s successor, and whom Samuel anointed (16:1-13). From that day
“the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord
troubled him.” He and Samuel parted only to meet once again at one of the
schools of the prophets.