I Samuel 14 · The Lantern

And the day cometh that Jonathan son of Saul saith unto the young man bearing his weapons, `Come, and we pass over unto the station of the Philistines, which is on the other side of this;' and to his father he hath not declared it.

And Saul is abiding at the extremity of Gibeah, under the pomegranate which is in Migron, and the people who are with him, about six hundred men,

and Ahiah, son of Ahitub, brother of I-Chabod, son of Phinehas son of Eli priest of Jehovah in Shiloh, bearing an ephod; and the people knew not that Jonathan hath gone.

And between the passages where Jonathan sought to pass over unto the station of the Philistines is the edge of a rock on the one side, and the edge of a rock on the other side, and the name of the one is Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.

The one edge is fixed on the north over-against Michmash, and the one on the south over-against Gibeah.

And Jonathan saith unto the young man bearing his weapons, `Come, and we pass over unto the station of these uncircumcised; it may be Jehovah doth work for us, for there is no restraint to Jehovah to save by many or by few.'

And the bearer of his weapons saith to him, `Do all that is in thy heart; turn for thee; lo, I am with thee, as thine own heart.'

And Jonathan saith, `Lo, we are passing over unto the men, and are revealed unto them;

if thus they say unto us, `Stand still till we have come unto you,' then we have stood in our place, and do not go up unto them;

and if thus they say, `Come up against us,' then we have gone up, for Jehovah hath given them into our hand, and this to us is the sign.

And revealed are both of them unto the station of the Philistines, and the Philistines say, `Lo, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hid themselves.'

In these circumstances [with few weapons and Saul's fearful army], Jonathan, with an audacious design and with his armor bearer as his only companion, entered the camp of the enemy, and having slain about twenty of them, [he] spread a terror throughout the whole army.

What is the meaning of Jonathan being said to appear to the Philistines with his armor-bearer, if not that the teacher himself must first display the good that he strives to teach others? For he cannot be received with reverence in preaching if he does not first exhibit the honor of his ministry through the light of a good life.

Both appeared to the garrison of the Philistines, etc. Although the Philistines mockingly speak true things mystically; clearly the spiritual Hebrews, that is, those crossing over from vices, are defended from the assaults of enemies by the safest fortresses of the Scriptures, and refreshed by the consolation of these, proceed to public works of virtues to overcome the same mos…

And the men of the station answer Jonathan, and the bearer of his weapons, and say, `Come up unto us, and we cause you to know something.' And Jonathan saith unto the bearer of his weapons, `Come up after me, for Jehovah hath given them into the hand of Israel.'

And Jonathan goeth up on his hands, and on his feet, and the bearer of his weapons after him; and they fall before Jonathan, and the bearer of his weapons is putting to death after him.

And the first smiting which Jonathan and the bearer of his weapons have smitten is of about twenty men, in about half a furrow of a yoke of a field,

and there is a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people, the station and the destroyers have trembled--even they, and the earth shaketh, and it becometh a trembling of God.

And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin see, and lo, the multitude hath melted away, and it goeth on, and is beaten down.

And Saul saith to the people who are with him, `Inspect, I pray you, and see; who hath gone from us?' and they inspect, and lo, Jonathan and the bearer of his weapons are not.

And Saul saith to Ahiah, `Bring nigh the ark of God;' for the ark of God hath been on that day with the sons of Israel.

And it cometh to pass, while Saul spake unto the priest, that the noise which is in the camp of the Philistines goeth on, going on and becoming great, and Saul saith unto the priest, `Remove thy hand.'

And Saul is called, and all the people who are with him, and they come in unto the battle, and, lo, the sword of each hath been against his neighbour--a very great destruction.

And the Hebrews who have been for the Philistines as heretofore, who had gone up with them into the camp, have turned round, even they, to be with Israel who are with Saul and Jonathan,

Who are the Hebrews who had been with the Philistines, if not sinners who have fallen from a religious way of life? Of whom it was said not far above: "The Hebrews crossed the Jordan." They are Hebrews indeed by the order of religion, but they are with the Philistines, and they go up with them, as long as they are deceived by harmful suggestions and advance in wicked conduct.

And the Hebrews who had been with the Philistines yesterday and the day before, etc. Many, having been seduced by heretics and fighting against the Church with them, when they perceived the dissonance of their doctrine, and saw their dialectical subtleties surpassed by the simplicity of the Catholic faith, as if by the act of Jonathan, returned to be reconciled to the Catholic…

and all the men of Israel, who are hiding themselves in the hill-country of Ephraim, have heard that the Philistines have fled, and they pursue--even they--after them in battle.

And Jehovah saveth Israel on that day, and the battle hath passed over to Beth-Aven.

And the men of Israel have been distressed on that day, and Saul adjureth the people, saying, `Cursed is the man who eateth food till the evening, and I have been avenged of mine enemies;' and none of the people hath tasted food.

And all they of the land have come into a forest, and there is honey on the face of the field;

and the people come in unto the forest, and lo, the honey dropped, and none is moving his hand unto his mouth, for the people feared the oath.

And Jonathan hath not heard of his father's adjuring the people, and putteth forth the end of the rod, which is in his hand, and dippeth it in the honeycomb, and bringeth back his hand unto his mouth--and his eyes see!

And a man of the people answereth and saith, `Thy father certainly adjured the people, saying, Cursed is the man who eateth food to-day; and the people are weary.'

And Jonathan saith, `My father hath troubled the land; see, I pray you, that mine eyes have become bright because I tasted a little of this honey.

How much more if the people had well eaten to-day of the spoil of its enemies which it hath found, for now, the smiting hath not been great among the Philistines.'

And they smite on that day among the Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon, and the people are very weary,

and the people make unto the spoil, and take sheep, and oxen, and sons of the herd, and slaughter on the earth, and the people eat with the blood.

And they declare to Saul, saying, `Lo, the people are sinning against Jehovah, to eat with the blood.' And he saith, `Ye have dealt treacherously, roll unto me to-day a great stone.'

It is proper to the preachers of the holy Church both to rebuke committed faults and to show how those rebuked faults ought to be avoided. Once rebuked, they become known, but if people do not know how to avoid them, once exposed they are repeated. What is shown in this eating of blood, if not the hidden poison of pride? But hidden vices are not cured unless they are exposed.

They reported to Saul, saying that the people had sinned against the Lord, etc. The diligent leaders, knowing the negligence of idle teachers, wherein the people sin against the Lord, baptizing those who have not yet been purified from carnality nor fully instructed in faith, immediately rebuke such transgressors and command that the rule of heavenly life be openly proposed wit…

And Saul saith, `Be ye scattered among the people, and ye have said to them, Bring ye nigh unto me each his ox, and each his sheep; and ye have slain them in this place, and eaten, and ye do not sin against Jehovah to eat with the blood.' And all the people bring nigh each his ox, in his hand, that night, and slaughter them there.

And Saul buildeth an alter to Jehovah; with it he hath begun to build altars to Jehovah.

And Saul saith, `Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and we prey upon them till the light of the morning, and leave not a man of them.' And they say, `All that is good in thine eyes do.' And the priest saith, `Let us draw near hither unto God.'

And Saul asketh of God, `Do I go down after the Philistines? dost Thou give them into the hand of Israel?' and He hath not answered him on that day.

And Saul saith, `Draw ye nigh hither all, the chiefs of the people, and know and see in what this sin hath been to-day;

for, Jehovah liveth, who is saving Israel: surely if it be in Jonathan my son, surely he doth certainly die;' and none is answering him out of all the people.

And he saith unto all Israel, `Ye--ye are on one side, and I and Jonathan my son are on another side;' and the people say unto Saul, `That which is good in thine eyes do.'

And Saul saith unto Jehovah, God of Israel, `Give perfection;' and Jonathan and Saul are captured, and the people went out.

And Saul saith, `Cast between me and Jonathan my son;' and Jonathan is captured.

And Saul saith unto Jonathan, `Declare to me, what hast thou done?' and Jonathan declareth to him, and saith, `I certainly tasted with the end of the rod that is in my hand a little honey; lo, I die!'

Jonathan tasted of a honeycomb on a rod, and his eyes were enlightened, and his life was in danger because he acted through ignorance. For Scripture testifies to the fact that he did not know that his father had given strict orders that no one was to taste any food until the victory of the Lord was accomplished.

It is no light sin, as I have said, to violate the appointed fast. In order to demonstrate this briefly by examples, we read in the book of Kings [Samuel] that when Saul the king of Israel was waging war against the foreigners he proclaimed a fast for his entire army, and when all were abstaining he began to fight against the opposing forces.

For what is it that the captive is interrogated, except because faults which seem to have been detected by signs or conjectures are not yet to be struck? For it is as though the wound is already held, but it is still covered. Let it therefore be uncovered, so that it may be able to be healed and cured.

And Saul saith, `Thus doth God do, and thus doth He add, for thou dost certainly die, Jonathan.'

And the people say unto Saul, `Doth Jonathan die who wrought this great salvation in Israel? --a profanation! Jehovah liveth, if there falleth from the hair of his head to the earth, for with God he hath wrought this day;' and the people rescue Jonathan, and he hath not died.

And Saul goeth up from after the Philistines, and the Philistines have gone to their place;

and Saul captured the kingdom over Israel, and he fighteth round about against all his enemies, against Moab, and against the Bene-Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines, and whithersoever he turneth he doth vex them.

And he maketh a force, and smiteth Amalek, and delivereth Israel out of the hand of its spoiler.

And the sons of Saul are Jonathan, and Ishui, and Melchi-Shua; as to the name of his two daughters, the name of the first-born is Merab, and the name of the younger Michal;

and the name of the wife of Saul is Ahinoam, daughter of Ahimaaz; and the name of the head of his host is Abner son of Ner, uncle of Saul;

and Kish is father of Saul, and Ner father of Abner is son of Ahiel.

And the war is severe against the Philistines all the days of Saul; when Saul hath seen any mighty man, and any son of valour, then he doth gather him unto himself.

I Samuel14