Learning from 1 Samuel 14 - Saul’s Foolish Oath

1 Samuel 14:24 - “Now the men of Israel were in distress that day, because Saul had bound the people under an oath, saying, “Cursed be any man who eats food before evening comes, before I have avenged myself on my enemies!” So none of the troops tasted food…”

“They feared the oath” - Unfortunately, Saul bound his army with an oath that forbid anyone to eat that day. Saul had started well, as the Lord’s anointed, but by this time God had already rejected him due to his disobedience. (1 Samuel 13:14). Saul is like a prophetic picture of empty religion, which sadly characterizes a lot of Christianity today. Other lessons explore Saul’s spiritual problems in more detail, but here we focus only on his rash vow. Saul thought he was being a spiritual strongman by imposing a strict fast on his army. Yet fasting does not always please God; rather, God only accepts fasts that we do when He reveals it. Fasting is a sacrifice, but obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). Saul never understood this. God wanted the army that day to have nourishment for the battle, but Saul decided it would be better to fast - the fast was from his own mind, not from God. Many preachers do this today. They impose their own opinions on the flock instead of God’s true revelation. Some churches even disavow the revealed Word, teaching their members that God no longer speaks today, and that all we have is the letter of the Bible. They keep God’s people from eating the honey that God has provided for us, in order for us to fulfill our mission here on earth. Religious leaders place unnecessary burdens on the backs of the members (see Matthew 23:4).

Remember that Saul’s entire army lacked swords (1 Samuel 13:22). Swords are also a biblical symbol of the revealed Word. “Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17). We see a consistent prophetic theme here - Saul’s army was unequipped, a picture of God’s people when they lack true revelations from the Word. They lack weapons and nourishment. Overall, Saul stands as a prophetic illustration of worthless human religion (which may even call itself “Christian” in some places). Only the two leaders had swords.

This reminds us of churches today that require their ministers to get diplomas in Biblical studies or Theology from professional ministry schools. As a result, there is a “knowledge gap” in the churches between the pastor and the sheep - only the pastors have the “sword” of the Word, and the rest of the church suffers through the battle without it. They cannot all go to Bible colleges, of course. All the other people in the church must earn a living and provide for their families. In contrast, a church that uses the revealed Word makes the message of the Bible accessible to every member, because the Holy Spirit gives the revelations. When a church abandons the worthless human traditions about sending pastors to Bible college and seminaries, and focuses instead on having the revealed Word (the sword of the Spirit, the honey God provides as we enter the woods), then everyone is equal. The members can have revelations from the Word that the pastor will preach to the church. Yet religion operates like Saul’s army, where only a few leaders have the necessary equipment (the Word) to fulfill the mission of the church. The Work of the Holy Spirit is opposite. Any member can get the Spirit’s meaning from the Word.

Jonathan did not know about his father’s foolish oath. With his rod (which represents the Shepherd’s staff, or the guidance of the Spirit), he got some of the honey and took it to his mouth with his hand. The hand represents the five ministries raised by God in the church (see Acts 11:21; Ephesians 4:11). Once he did that, Jonathan’s eyes brightened. Brightened eyes talk about discernment, the ability to see which way to go, and the end of spiritual blindness. This is what revelation does for a man. The honey was available to all. Anyone could take it. It was only a matter of following the Spirit’s guidance. At the same time, the people under Saul’s direction were fainting, falling by the wayside. They could not finish conquering the enemy that day.

Saul’s oath created an awkward situation spiritually, where Jonathan was in violation of an oath even though he was doing the very thing God originally intended. When we make an oath or vow before the Lord, God expects us to fulfill it, and does not excuse us just because we later realize that the vow was foolish (see Ecclesiastes 5:5-6). Saul was the anointed leader of Israel and he had the spiritual authority to bind the army under and oath. We see the spiritual damage that a church leader can do when he injects his own opinions and ideas into God’s Project - he puts the people under a curse even when they are pursuing the proper goals and trying to get the proper spiritual resources.

Saul was trying to be a radical leader with his oath, but it led to two failures eventually. First, the army was unable to finish exterminating the enemy that day. Their victory was incomplete. Second, the soldiers were so famished and desperate by the end that they ate the captured animals raw, without cooking, and with the blood still there. This was a serious sin under the Old Testament law (see Leviticus 17). They were supposed to keep blood separate from the flesh they ate. The blood, as it says in Leviticus 17:11, points forward to Jesus’ blood that makes atonement for sin and gives us his life. Saul’s men were so desperate that they mixed the blood with flesh. It is a tragedy today when Christians lack the revealed Word, and they end up mixing the blood of Jesus with fleshly things. They think that pleading the blood of Jesus is merely for gaining material things like wealth or physical healings, or even worldly things that their hearts desire. Their religious leaders have left them so desperate and spiritually malnourished that they mix the Blood with their own flesh. The important thing here is to understand that God has indeed provided honey - the revealed Word. We need it every day. Each day we need the revealed Word so that we can have enough strength to serve the Lord effectively and faithfully. His Word feeds us and renews our strength.