Saul's improper view of his role as Israel's king comes through clearly in verse 24. The Philistines were not Saul's enemies as much as God's enemies. This was holy war (cf. Judg. 16:28), but Saul viewed the battle too personally. His selfish desire to win for his own glory led him to issue a foolish command.
An oath was an extremely serious matter in the ancient Near East (v. 26; cf. Judg. 14:8-9). One did not violate a king's oath without suffering severe consequences. Jonathan saw the folly of Saul's oath clearly because he wanted God's glory (vv. 29-30). The Hebrew word translated "troubled"(v. 29, akar) is the same one from which "Achan"and "Achor"(Josh. 7:25-26) come. Saul, not Jonathan, had troubled Israel, as Achan had, by his foolish command (v. 24).
Aijalon (v. 31) was about 17 miles west of Michmash. Verses 32-34 illustrate the confusion that resulted from Saul's misguided oath. The Mosaic Law forbade eating meat with the blood still in it (Lev. 17:10-14). The great stone (v. 33) served as a slaughtering table where the priests carefully prepared the meat for eating.
Saul was not entirely insensitive to Yahweh and His will. We can see this in his concern to observe the ritual dietary law (v. 33) and his desire to honor God for the victory (v. 35; cf. Exod. 17:14-16).146There are many examples of spiritually sensitive Israelites building altars to God (e.g., 7: 17; Gen. 12:8; Judg. 6:24; 2 Sam. 24:25; 1 Chron. 21:18). The writer's note that this was the first altar that Saul built reflects his general lack of commitment to Yahweh.
