But Jonathan had not heard that his father had bound the people with the oath, so he reached out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it into the honeycomb. He raised his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened.
In the midst of a long drawn battle with the Philistines, King Saul made a decision to put his army under a fast (the oath) in the hope that it will get God’s attention and give him swift victory.
In this same chapter we see Jonathan (King Saul’s son) leaving the camp with his armour bearer without the Priest (the seer) even knowing. A roll-call had to be taken before they realised that they had crossed to the other side to cause major damage in the enemy’s camp. The nation was in a mess spiritually and politically. The same Jonathan was unaware of the fast, so he tasted the honey to his delight.
Honey symbolically represents the word of God. Hence the Psalmist wrote;
How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Friends as a healthy meal is to our body, so also is His word to our spirit. It provides the spirit with all the vitamins and minerals it needs to function and operate effectively. A well nourished spirit is also like a spring; its source is God’s spirit, its destination – humanity. Hence The Rabbi boldly declared;
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
I have highlighted the word must for emphasis. Worshipping in this fashion is the hallmark of a disciple. This means that our natural environment does not affect or interfere with our lifestyle of worship. So, the seasons, the weather, the economy – has no impact on the quality of our worship. Health, wealth, power, politics – has no influence over the quality of our praise and thanksgiving. We worship regardless of situation or circumstances – glory to the living God!
I pray that your hands are never weary, and your knees are never feeble. Hands to worship, and knees to pray His kingdom on earth.
Go and recover all this week in Jesus’ name!
~ Sabali
Healingsprings fellowship 