Withdraw thine hand. — The instinct of the general, as we should expect from the character of Saul, soon got the better of his first desire for some Divine guidance. His watchful eye saw that the confusion in the Philistine camp was increasing; now was the moment for his little compact force to throw itself into the melée; so he at once bids Ahijah, the priest of the Lord, to put up the Urim and Thummim, and no longer to seek higher counsel, for the hour was come to fight rather than to pray. This has been the general interpretation of Saul’s action here. Wordsworth quotes Bishop Andrewes, saying, “There are some who with Saul will call for the Ark, and will presently cry ‘Away with it!’ that is, will begin their prayers, and break them off in the midst on every occasion.” And Bishop Hall: “Saul will consult the Ark; hypocrites, when they have leisure, will perhaps be holy. But when the tumult was aroused, Saul’s piety decreased. ‘Withdraw thine hand,’ he said; the Ark must give place to arms.’”
Related Commentaries of 1 Samuel 14:19
1 Samuel 14:19
19 And it came to pass, while Saul talked unto the priest, that the noisee that was in the host of the Philistines went on and increased: and Saul said unto the priest, Withdraw thine hand.