Apparently Saul gets impatient. His men are deserting him as they stand ready to fight the Philistines and so he makes an offering to God before Samuel arrives. I'm not sure what's wrong with this. Maybe as we read on through the course of Saul's reign this will make more sense. Right now it doesn't for me. We're all guilty of sinning at times when we are honestly trying to serve God and do the right thing. I think it's better than standing by and doing nothing at all for fear of sinning. I think it was Martin Luther that said -- "Praise God and sin boldly." Of course, we can never know what was in Saul's heart here and it's the heart that ultimately matters most.
Again, Saul tries to do the right thing and it backfires for him. After Jonathan trusts God to win an impressive victory, he violates a dictum his father has rashly put into place. Saul has said no one is to eat until the Israelites defeat the Philistines. Seems counterproductive. Jonathan is not acting in defiance of his father. He learns of Saul's command after he has dipped his staff into some honey and tasting it.
The men save Jonathan from his father.
Is it Saul's rashness, his taking things into his own hands with the offering and the command not to eat that angers God? But, at the same time, he makes sacrifices, punishes those who disobey God's ordinance and is even willing to take the life of his son who has disobeyed him and has apparently caused God to become silent. What gives?
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