Death for Tasting Honey

So the LORD saved Israel that day, and the battle continued to rage even out beyond Beth-aven.  Now the men of Israel were worn out that day, because Saul had made them take an oath, saying, “Let a curse fall on anyone who eats before evening – before I have full revenge on my enemies.”  So no one ate a thing all day, even though they found honeycomb on the ground in the forest.  They didn’t even touch the honey because they all feared the oath they had taken.  But Jonathan had not heard his father’s command, and he dipped a stick into a piece of honeycomb and ate the honey.  After he had eaten it, he felt much better.  But one of the men saw him and said, “Your father made the army take a strict oath that anyone who eats food today will be cursed.  That is why everyone is weary and faint.”

“My father has made trouble for us all!”  Jonathan exclaimed. “A command like that only hurts us.  See how much better I feel now that I have eaten this little bit of honey.  If the men had been allowed to eat freely from the food they found among our enemies, think how many more we could have killed!”  But hungry as they were, they chased and killed the Philistines all day from Micmash to Aijalon, growing more and more faint.  That evening they flew upon the battle plunder and butchered the sheep, cattle, and calves, but they ate them without draining the blood.  Someone reported to Saul, “Look, the men are sinning against the LORD by eating meat that still has blood in it.””That is very wrong,” Saul said.  “Find a large stone and roll it over here.  Then go out among the troops and tell them, ‘Bring the cattle and sheep here to kill them and drain the blood.  Do not sin against the LORD by eating meat with the blood still in it.'”  So that night all the troops brought their animals and slaughtered them there.  And Saul built an altar to the LORD, the first one he had ever built.  Then Saul said, “Let’s chase the Philistines all night and destroy every last one of them.”  His men replied, “We’ll do whatever you think is best.”

But the priest said, “Let’s ask God first.”  So Saul asked God, “Should we go after the Philistines?  Will you help us defeat them?”  But God made no reply that day.  Then Saul said to the leaders, “Something’s wrong!  I want all my army commanders to come here.  We must find out what sin was committed today.  I vow by the name of the LORD who rescued Israel that the sinner will surely die, even if it is my own son Jonathan!”  But no one would tell him what the trouble was.  Then Saul said, “Jonathan and I will stand over here, and all of you stand over there.”  And the people agreed.  Then Saul prayed, “O LORD, God of Israel, please show us who is guilty and who is innocent. Are Jonathan and I guilty, or is the sin among the others?”  And Jonathan and Saul were chosen as the guilty ones, and the people were declared innocent.  Then Saul said, “Now choose between me and Jonathan.”  And Jonathan was shown to be the guilty one.  “Tell me what you have done,” Saul demanded of Jonathan.  “I tasted a little honey,” Jonathan admitted.  “It was only a little bit on the end of a stick.  Does that deserve death?”

“Yes, Jonathan,” Saul said, “you must die!  May God strike me dead if you are not executed for this.”  But the people broke in and said to Saul, “Should Jonathan, who saved Israel today, die?  Far from it!  As surely as the LORD lives, not one hair on his head will be touched, for he has been used of God to do a mighty miracle today.”  So the people rescued Jonathan, and he was not put to death.  (1 Samuel 14:23-45 NLT)