Success Invariably Attracts Numbers

Those of God's people who had gone over to the Philistines (the inspired writer calls them, in contempt, "Hebrews," not "Israelites"), and others who had hid themselves, now turned out to share the victory. Both traitors and cowards were now willing to identify themselves with God's side, since that side was triumphant. It has always been so, but immeasurably more pleasing to God are the godly minority who cleave to Him, and are willing to accept both reproach and peril for His name's sake. The God-fearing ones of Mal. 3:16 and "the rest in Thyatira" (Rev. 2:24) are examples of this.
The remainder of 1 Sam. 14 is rather the story of Saul than of Jonathan. The poor benighted king almost turned the victory into disaster. The meddling of flesh in divine movements is always to be dreaded. Saul's foolish prohibition of all food until the work was finished led to frightful license on the part of the people, as all unnecessary prohibitions are apt to do. Jonathan had his eyes opened by disobeying his father (for he ate some honey). David says, on the contrary, "The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes." Psa. 19:8. This means that true enlightenment is found in the path of obedience to God.
The forms of religion were still acknowledged by the king. He built an altar (the first he ever built to the Lord), and instructed the priest to inquire of God about the further pursuit of the Philistines. Finding himself divinely ignored, he suspected divine displeasure somewhere. But he was so utterly far from God that the thought never occurred to his mind that he was the offender. How deceitful is the flesh!
When the lot was taken, he positively passed sentence of death upon Jonathan! Ignorance and folly could scarcely have gone further. But the common sense of the people revolted against the king's stupidity. "Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought this great salvation in Israel? God forbid." So the matter ended. Saul went home, and the Philistines got away without further chastisement.
The whole chapter is deeply humiliating in its exposure of the helplessness and folly of religious flesh, and is blessedly exhilarating in its precious assurance of what God can do with even the feeblest instruments who are right in heart towards Him, and who are able to trust Him wholly.