Making Vows

July 24, 2007

We pick up in Saul's life today where we left off yesterday. Jonathan, Saul's son, has infiltrated into the enemy camp and had a big victory. Saul decides to fight a battle seeing the panic in the Philistine's faces not knowing that Samuel was the reason for it. He then make a vow that will cause some problems.

1Sa 14:24-26 KJV
(24) And the men of Israel were distressed that day: for Saul had adjured the people, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth any food until evening, that I may be avenged on mine enemies. So none of the people tasted any food.
(25) And all they of the land came to a wood; and there was honey upon the ground.
(26) And when the people were come into the wood, behold, the honey dropped; but no man put his hand to his mouth: for the people feared the oath.

Now I am sure that there were good reasons for him making this decree. In stopping to eat, there may have been much time lost that could be spent against defeating the enemy. The opposite is true also. An army marches on its stomach. The men were starving, but they knew that Saul had cursed the person who ate food. Guess who does it?

1Sa 14:27 KJV
(27) But Jonathan heard not when his father charged the people with the oath: wherefore he put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand, and dipped it in an honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes were enlightened.

Saul had just cursed his own son. Jonathan showed the people that it was good for him, that the light came back into his eyes when he ate it. This now creates a problem. The people saw that the food was good, they saw that Jonathan had not come down with some disease, and, starving as they were, they went hog-wild in eating what ever they could find, some not even draining out the blood.

1Sa 14:33-35 KJV
(33) Then they told Saul, saying, Behold, the people sin against the LORD, in that they eat with the blood. And he said, Ye have transgressed: roll a great stone unto me this day.
(34) And Saul said, Disperse yourselves among the people, and say unto them, Bring me hither every man his ox, and every man his sheep, and slay them here, and eat; and sin not against the LORD in eating with the blood. And all the people brought every man his ox with him that night, and slew them there.
(35) And Saul built an altar unto the LORD: the same was the first altar that he built unto the LORD.

Saul had not learned his lesson from yesterday. He could not make the sacrifices, it was not his place. Thought the intent of stopping the sin in the camp was honorable, it was still wrong. But the worst is still to come. He decides to go after the Philistines, and asks the priest to inquire of the Lord for him, but God is not talking. Now Saul makes a second vow. He calls for the lots to be cast to determine who it is.

1Sa 14:39 KJV
(39) For, as the LORD liveth, which saveth Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die. But there was not a man among all the people that answered him.


Now, a lot of people knew who it was that was causing God not to speak, that Jonathan had eaten when Saul had made a vow. Saul must have expected it to be someone else. As you can guess, the lots worked and Jonathan was chosen. The people would not let him be killed though as he had been the hero of this war.

Saul shows here that promises are not made to be kept, a fact that shows later as he pursues David time and again after promising that he would not. He also shows us the importance of vows. We can learn from him that it is not a good idea to make a vow if you can not keep it.

Vows come at us from all directions. For example, we buy a car and we make a vow to make car payments. If we do not, we are breaking a vow. Can God honor us when that happens? Just a thought.