1 Samuel 14- should Jonathan be killed?

Loyal Encourager

Should Jonathan really be put to death over an oath by King Saul?

Pilgrim

In that account when Saul did not receive an answer for God, he immediately thought someone had sinned.  Not realizing it was himself.  God not answering was a consequence of Saul making the people take an oath.
He made all the people take an oath (14:24).  Saul may have meant that oath to motivate the army to fight harder to end the battle by nightfall but he (Saul) was really hindering Gods plan ( 14:30 ) by distressing his army before the battle.  He further aggravates his consequences by implying one of the people have sinned, ( 14:38 ) and again not considering for a moment that it could be him causing offense, he swears by the Lord on Jonathan’s life.  Jonathan was not there to take the oath his father placed on the people.  He could have been excused from that judgement I would argue.  For Jonathan to die would teach him (Jonathan) nothing, how could he obey an oath he did not take.  So then who would learn the lesson from Jonathan having to die but the one who issued such a careless oath.  Saul himself.  God was teaching Saul that his carless actions and words can have grave consequences.
It seems that Saul finally understood for after the lot fell on Jonathan and when Jonathan tells Saul what he had done after the great victory of the Lord through him.  Saul is forced to chose between his oath to God and Jonathan.  It appears he chooses God (14:44) But he is restrained by the people because of their equaling strong oath “As the Lord Lives” (14:45).  In this case where both swear as the Lord Lives, one to kill and one to save, neither can act for to do so would be fighting against the Lord in the name of the Lord and both would be found fighting against God.  In those cases it is left to God.  Remember in the end Jonathan does die in battle with Saul.

A similar thing happened in Judges 11: 29 – 40.  A deadly oath, yet it was allowed to be carried out at a later time, but it did have to come to pass.

Remember Joshua 7: 1- 9 the defeat at Ai.  10 – 26 how the lot fell to Achan.

Jesus tells us in Matt. 5: 33 – 37 and James 5: 12 reminds us “do not swear, either by heaven or earth or with any oath.”

In Christ the Lord, who is compassionate and merciful. (James 5:11)