Then said Jonathan, My father has troubled the land. Please look how my eyes have been enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey.
Saul was not entirely insensitive to Yahweh and His will. We can see this in his concern to observe the ritual dietary law (1 Samuel 14:33) and his desire to honor God for the victory (1 Samuel 14:35; cf. Exodus 17:14-16). However, Saul may have built this altar simply to make amends for his legal infringement, not to express gratitude for the day’s victory. [Note: Gordon, p. 140.] There are many examples of spiritually sensitive Israelites building altars to God (e.g., 1 Samuel 7:17; Genesis 12:8; Judges 6:24; 2 Samuel 24:25; 1 Chronicles 21:18). The writer’s note that this was the first altar that Saul built reflects the king’s general lack of commitment to Yahweh.