in defense of NP: 1 Sam. 14: ; (NWT;)
:24 And the men of Israel themselves were hard pressed on that day, and yet Saul put the people under the pledge of the oath, saying: "Cursed is the man that eats bread before the evening and until I have taken my vengeance upon my enemies!" And none of the people tasted bread.
26: When the people came into the woods, why Look! there was a dripping of honey, but there was no one putting his hand to his mouth, because the people were afraid of the oath.
28:..(and the people began to get tired)
29: However, Jonathon said "My father has brought ostracism upon the land. See, please, how my eyes have beamed becasue I tasted this little bit of honey.
30 How much more so if the people had but eaten today from the spoil of their enemies that they found!"</P>
31 And on that day they kept striking down the Philistines ...and the people got to be very tired.
32 And the people began darting greedily at the spoil and taking a sheep and cattle and calves and slaughtering them on the earth, and the people fell to eating along with the blood
33 So they told Saul, saying "Look! The people are sinning against Jehovah by eating along with the blood..."
Saul was so obviously an absolute idiot in dire need of lessons in interpersonal relationship skills and methods of communication. Anyway, later, Saul ordered the people to set up altars and slaughter the animals and eat them after having properly bled them.
Later, Saul decided that Jonathon should die because of the 'little bit of honey he had tasted". The people intervened, however, and so Jonathon was spared. ; I think relations between father and son went downhill from that day.
1) It DOES appear that the Israelites were famished, and although they may not have been 'starving' in the sense we usually think of (such as the large-bellied African children we see images of all the time) it does appear they might have been weak from heavy fighting. ; I would also venture to guess that eating the animal flesh unbled may have given them fluids as well, as thirst is a much faster killer and greater weakener than being without food. ; In any case, it does not seem the Israelites would have fallen to eating unbled meat without some emergency being present.
2) If it was NOT an emergency situation, would that not so much ;MORE make NP's case? If God allowed it in a non-emergency, then he certainly would not forbid it in an emergency, and on behalf of a child as well?
I think this is a very powerful reasoning tool and example to use with JW's, one of the best I've ever heard; In the "Insight on ;the Scriptures"book, page 871 says:
<In the progress of the campaign against the Philistines, Saul pronounced a curse upon anyone partaking of food before vengeance was executed on the enemy. This rash oath led to adverse consequences. The Israelites tired, and though they triumphed over the Philistines, their victory was not as great as it might have been. Famished, they did not take time to drain the blood from the animals they afterward slaughtered, thereby violating Gods law concerning the sanctity of blood. Not having heard his fathers oath, Jonathan ate some honey. Saul, therefore, pronounced the death sentence upon him. But the people redeemed Jonathan, for he had been instrumental in Israels gaining the victory.1Sa 14:1-45>
NP's statement is backed up by Watchtower itself. ; There are no adverse consequences from eating the unbled meat.