1 Samuel 14:24-52: Saul’s Foolish Oath

1 Samuel 14:24-52: Saul’s Foolish Oath

We’ve been working our way passage by passage through the book of 1 Samuel, and today the next passage we come to is 1 Samuel 14:24-52, so I’ll be reading a selection of verses from that passage. Hear now the words of the Living and True God:

²⁴ And the men of Israel had been hard pressed that day, so Saul had laid an oath on the people, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies.” So none of the people had tasted food. ²⁵ Now when all the people came to the forest, behold, there was honey on the ground. ²⁶ And when the people entered the forest, behold, the honey was dropping, but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. ²⁷ But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the people with the oath, so he put out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes became bright. ²⁸ Then one of the people said, “Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food this day.’ ” And the people were faint. ²⁹ Then Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. See how my eyes have become bright because I tasted a little of this honey. ³⁰ How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies that they found. For now the defeat among the Philistines has not been great.” ³¹ They struck down the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon…. ³⁶ Then Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder them until the morning light; let us not leave a man of them.” And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.” But the priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.” ³⁷ And Saul inquired of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?” But he did not answer him that day. ³⁸ And Saul said, “Come here, all you leaders of the people, and know and see how this sin has arisen today. ³⁹ For as the Lord lives who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.” But there was not a man among all the people who answered him. ⁴⁰ Then he said to all Israel, “You shall be on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side.” And the people said to Saul, “Do what seems good to you.” ⁴¹ Therefore Saul said, “O Lord God of Israel, why have you not answered your servant this day? If this guilt is in me or in Jonathan my son, O Lord, God of Israel, give Urim. But if this guilt is in your people Israel, give Thummim.” And Jonathan and Saul were taken, but the people escaped. ⁴² Then Saul said, “Cast the lot between me and my son Jonathan.” And Jonathan was taken. ⁴³ Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” And Jonathan told him, “I tasted a little honey with the tip of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am; I will die.” ⁴⁴ And Saul said, “God do so to me and more also; you shall surely die, Jonathan.” ⁴⁵ Then the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has worked this great salvation in Israel? Far from it! As the Lord lives, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day.” So the people ransomed Jonathan, so that he did not die. ⁴⁶ Then Saul went up from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place….

May God bless the reading of his Word.

 Let’s pray: Father, what a blessing it is to be gathered together around your Word with the opportunity to immerse ourselves in it this morning. We pray that your Spirit would be present and at work in our midst, causing the truths and teachings we encounter to find a place in our hearts. It’s in Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Several weeks ago, a story came across my news feed about a professional golfer named Ryan McCormick putting a piece of tape over his mouth during a golf tournament in Texas. Apparently, he was having some trouble controlling his temper while golfing, and nothing else he tried seemed to work. He told reporters that he had tried reading anger management books and talking to counselors about the issue yet was still having trouble keeping his anger in check. So, that day, he decided to just put a clear piece of tape over his mouth while competing in the golf tournament in order to keep himself from saying something in anger that he’d later regret. And, you know, even though taping your mouth shut probably isn’t a permanent solution or even the best solution to the problem Ryan McCormick was seeking to address, it’s not the worst solution either. I think this golfer deserves at least some credit for identifying a legitimate problem in his life and seeking to address it—though, admittedly, in a rather creative way.

Not only that, I think just about all of us can identify to some degree with Ryan McCormick’s struggle. I imagine all of us have allowed things to come out of our mouths that we later wished we could take back. Maybe we said something in a moment of anger that we later regretted. Or perhaps we let the stress of a particular situation get the best of us and said something harsh. Or maybe we simply failed to think about what we were saying before saying it and therefore made a careless comment that ended up hurting someone around us. And perhaps, for some of us, we struggle in this area not merely on occasion but on a fairly regular basis. Perhaps there’s a pattern in our lives of saying things that are unkind, unloving, overly harsh, overly critical, exaggerated, untrue, hurtful, demeaning, condescending, divisive, inconsiderate, impulsive, crude, boastful, or that are rightly described as gossip.  

It’s been said that “the words you speak become the house you live in,” and that certainly seems to be true. The things we say have a massive impact on the way life goes for us and the kind of environment in which we end up living. In fact, I’m not sure there’s anything that has a greater impact on our relationships with people around us—such as our spouse, children, coworkers, friends, and neighbors—than the words we say. It’s also been observed that words are like arrows in that, once they leave the bow, they can’t be taken back. Once you say something, you can’t un-say it. Even if you subsequently apologize for it, it’s still out there and will likely be remembered.

So, how can we keep ourselves from saying things we’ll later regret? And how can we use our words to build a house for ourselves that we actually want to live in? These are just a couple of the questions that the passage of Scripture we’ll be looking at today here in 1 Samuel 14 will lead us to consider. The main idea of this passage is that Saul’s foolish oath casts a shadow over Israel’s victory. Saul’s foolish oath—that is, his foolish words—casts a shadow over Israel’s victory.

Now, to remind you of the context here, the previous chapters recorded Saul demonstrating that he lacked the necessary character to be king of Israel. And God actually told Saul in 1 Samuel 13:14 that, because of his disobedience, the kingship would be taken away from him. And that was a key turning point in the book of 1 Samuel. From that point on, we’ve been expecting Saul’s kingship to eventually be taken away and for God to raise up another king in Saul’s place. And that’s exactly what we see starting to happen in our main passage of 1 Samuel 14:24-52. Saul’s kingship is beginning to unravel.

You may recall from last week that the first half of the chapter records Saul’s son Jonathan carrying out a courageous assault on the Philistine military garrison and God working in a mighty way on Israel’s behalf. Even though the Philistines vastly outnumbered the Israelites, God actually causes a massive panic to break out in the Philistine camp so that the Philistines are thrown into utter disarray. 

We then read this in verse 24: And the men of Israel had been hard pressed that day, so Saul had laid an oath on the people, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies.” So none of the people had tasted food. So, once Saul sees that the tables have turned and that the Israelites are about to win a stunning victory over the Philistines, he lays a very rash and foolish oath upon his army: “Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies.

Now, I’m not exactly a military expert, but I’m not sure how exactly withholding food from your troops is supposed to cause them to fight more effectively. Personally, I have trouble being effective in much of anything when I’m hungry. I have trouble thinking on an empty stomach, working on an empty stomach, and certainly engaging in extensive physical exertion on an empty stomach—which is precisely what a soldier especially in ancient times would have had to do in battle. Yet that’s what Saul requires of his troops—as if hunger would help them fight more effectively.

Also, not only is this a foolish oath that Saul lays upon his army, it’s also one that reveals how selfish and full of himself Saul is. In this oath, Saul speaks not of what’s best for the Israelite nation but only of him personally being avenged on his enemies. Saul isn’t thinking of others but only of himself.

We then read in verses 25-27, ²⁵ Now when all the people came to the forest, behold, there was honey on the ground. ²⁶ And when the people entered the forest, behold, the honey was dropping, but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. ²⁷ But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the people with the oath, so he put out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes became bright.

Now I’ll just say that the Israelite army exercises impressive self-restraint in these verses. Even though they’re incredibly hungry, they resist the temptation to eat the honey that’s right there in front of them. As anyone who’s ever gone grocery shopping on an empty stomach can attest to, the temptation to purchase something delicious when you’re hungry can be pretty overpowering. Yet Saul’s men somehow resist the temptation to eat this honey.

However, Jonathan wasn’t around when Saul bound the Israelites under this oath. If you recall from earlier in the chapter, Jonathan and his armor-bearer were too busy single-handedly taking on an entire Philistine garrison. And so, because Jonathan wasn’t aware of the curse Saul pronounced on anyone who ate before evening, Jonathan dips the tip of his staff into the honey, scoops some of it into his hand, and enjoys a delightful midday snack of honey.

Verses 28-30 then tell us, ²⁸ Then one of the people said, “Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food this day.’ ” And the people were faint. ²⁹ Then Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. See how my eyes have become bright because I tasted a little of this honey. ³⁰ How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies that they found. For now the defeat among the Philistines has not been great.” So, Jonathan says out loud what many of Saul’s men were probably thinking already—that this oath Saul impulsively laid on his army is utterly ridiculous.

After that, verse 31 tells us, regarding Saul’s army, that “They struck down the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. And the people were very faint.” Again, that’s not surprising since they hadn’t eaten in quite some time.

Verses 32-35 then record Saul’s men violating the Old Testament law by eating animals without first draining the blood. Basically, when they’re finally permitted to eat, Saul’s men are so ravenously hungry that they eat animals with the blood still in them—which was explicitly prohibited in Leviticus 7:26. So, Saul’s foolish oath ends up leading the entire Israelite army into large-scale disobedience to God’s law.

We then read in verses 36-37, ³⁶ Then Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder them until the morning light; let us not leave a man of them.” And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.” But the priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.” ³⁷ And Saul inquired of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?” But he did not answer him that day.

So, when Saul inquires of God and God doesn’t answer him, Saul knows something’s not right. Those of us who are husbands can probably identify with this. When you ask your wife a question and it’s clear that she hears you, but she doesn’t answer you, that’s not a good sign. There’s a good chance you’ve done something to make her upset. And it’s even worse if you don’t know what you’ve done. Like, how could you possibly not know what you’ve done? Yet, in all fairness, this general dynamic is also true outside of marriage as well. When you’re expecting an answer and one doesn’t come, there’s a good chance something’s wrong.

And Saul understands that. So, we read in verses 38-39, ³⁸ And Saul said, “Come here, all you leaders of the people, and know and see how this sin has arisen today. ³⁹ For as the Lord lives who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.”

So, Saul knows something’s up. And he assumes that “something” is a sin one of the Israelites has committed. So, in yet another rash and impulsive decision, Saul declares that whoever is the cause of God not answering will surely be put to death. It really seems as though Saul’s foolishness is getting worse. Whereas he previously pronounced a curse on anyone who ate before evening, he now pronounces a death sentence.

After that, as we’re about to see, Saul uses a method for seeking God’s guidance that was authorized in the Old Testament law but that’s rather mysterious to us today. It involved two stones called Urim and Thummim that were kept in the priestly garments of the high priest. These two stones were differentiated in some way that we’re not entirely sure of and were used in some way to obtain an answer from God about important matters. Although there are several theories about how exactly this worked, the Bible never gives us any specific information but just records Urim and Thummim being authorized by God as a means of receiving guidance from him and being used in that way on several important occasions.

Perhaps the closest modern parallel might be flipping a coin in order to determine God’s will—though, again, God explicitly authorized these two stones to be used in this way, which is, of course, not the case today for flipping a coin. So, please don’t flip a coin in order to get your questions answered, okay? Instead, just read the Bible and apply biblical principles to your life.

Yet, this is the method Saul employs in verses 40-42 for figuring out whose problematic behavior had kept God from answering his previous inquiry. It says, ⁴⁰ Then he [Saul] said to all Israel, “You shall be on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side.” And the people said to Saul, “Do what seems good to you.” ⁴¹ Therefore Saul said, “O Lord God of Israel, why have you not answered your servant this day? If this guilt is in me or in Jonathan my son, O Lord, God of Israel, give Urim. But if this guilt is in your people Israel, give Thummim.” And Jonathan and Saul were taken, but the people escaped. ⁴² Then Saul said, “Cast the lot between me and my son Jonathan.” And Jonathan was taken.

We then read in verses 43, Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” And Jonathan told him, “I tasted a little honey with the tip of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am; I will die.” Now, in case you didn’t pick up on it, Jonathan’s statement here is thick with sarcasm. He’s basically like, “Okay, I’ll confess my ‘crime.’ I tasted a little honey with the tip of my staff. Guilty as charged! Go ahead and execute me for this horrible offense.”

We then read that Saul’s so delusional in his anger that he’s actually about to go through with the execution. Verse 44: And Saul said, “God do so to me and more also; you shall surely die, Jonathan.” So, Saul’s actually about to have his own son executed—the very same son who was the cause of Israel’s astounding victory that day. Fortunately, verse 45 records the Israelite people managing to talk some sense into Saul: Then the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has worked this great salvation in Israel? Far from it! As the Lord lives, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day.” So the people ransomed Jonathan, so that he did not die.

We then read in verse 46, “Then Saul went up from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.” In other words, Saul’s foolish leadership resulted in an incomplete victory over the Philistines. Instead of eliminating the Philistine threat entirely, many of the Philistines manage to escape and live to fight another day.

So, in this passage, Saul ends up being his own worst enemy. The problems he encounters are problems of his own making, and the Israelites are victorious over the Philistines not because of Saul but in spite of Saul. And the act that sets Saul’s downward spiral into motion in this passage is the foolish oath under which he binds the Israelites in verse 24. It’s Saul’s foolish oath that leads to the subsequent difficulties he faces.

And as we consider how this passage connects to our lives, let me encourage you to be very careful about taking oaths—or, perhaps more commonly in our everyday lives, making promises. Personally, I usually try my best to simply avoid making promises or hard-and-fast commitments, especially if I’m not absolutely sure I’ll be able to keep them. Even on my voicemail, I never make any commitment to call people back—because I don’t know if I will or not. I just inform people I’m not able to pick up the phone right now and invite them to leave a message and that’s it. I make no commitments of any kind. So, some of you should probably go home and change your voicemail this afternoon and stop lying to all of those poor telemarketers who hear your voicemail.

But, in all seriousness, it’s generally wise to simply avoid making promises to people—or at least to be extremely cautious about making promises. This is confirmed by the New Testament passages that speak about placing ourselves under oaths such as Matthew 5:33-37. Although considering the context of this passage leads us to conclude that Jesus isn’t issuing an absolute prohibition of all oaths, he is cautioning us about oaths in general and prohibiting us from taking oaths in a deceptive or flippant manner.

In addition, Jesus warns us not just about careless oaths or careless promises but also about careless words in general. He says in Matthew 12:36, I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak. And I’ll tell you what: that’s actually a pretty scary thing to think about. You and I will one day have to give an account to God for every “careless word” we’ve ever spoken. Personally, I’ve unfortunately spoken quite a few careless words over the course of my life—and I suspect you have as well. So, it’s probably in our best interest to try to avoid speaking any more careless words and instead to be very measured and thoughtful in the things we say.

This is all the more important when you also consider the massive amount of damage that foolish words can do in our lives. In addition to what we’ve already seen with Saul’s foolish words and the damage they caused in our main passage today, consider what James 3:3-6 tells us about the power of the tongue to wreak havoc in our lives. It says, ³ If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. ⁴ Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. ⁵ So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! ⁶ And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.

So, James doesn’t exactly beat around the bush in describing the way a foolish tongue can unleash destruction in our lives. He compares the tongue to a small bit that controls a large horse. He then compares it to a small rudder that guides a massive ship. And finally, James says, the tongue is like a tiny spark that sets an entire forest on fire. And that’s precisely what an uncontrolled tongue will do in our lives. James says in verse 6 that it’ll set the entire course of our lives on fire. We certainly see this with Saul in our main passage. And it’s not that hard to think of the many ways in which it’s true in our lives as well.

When we regularly say things to those around us that are unkind, harsh, overly critical, demeaning, inconsiderate, or otherwise hurtful, we should expect those kinds of words to leave in their wake a trail of broken relationships. And maybe you’ve experienced that. Maybe there’s a pattern of broken and fractured relationships in your life—and perhaps a big part of the reason for that is the difficulty you’ve had controlling your tongue.

And, truth be told, we all have difficulty controlling our tongue. James goes on to say in James 3:7-8, ⁷ For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, ⁸ but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. The tongue is a wild beast that no one’s able to fully tame.

We all struggle with making impulsive comments that do more harm than good. We’ve all said things that tear others down instead of building them up. We’ve all been guilty of gossip in speaking poorly about others behind their back without any intention of ministering to them. We’ve all spoken boastfully—even if it took the form of subtly inserting details about ourselves that were designed to impress other people into our conversations with them. And I imagine just about all of us have told crude or coarse jokes, exaggerated the truth in order to make a point, made impulsive commitments that we weren’t prepared to follow through with, been overly critical of others because of our own jealousy toward them, and said things in anger that we later regretted. The tongue is indeed a wild beast that none of us can fully tame.

And the problem goes right down to our heart. Jesus teaches that the words we say don’t just come out of nowhere but are actually a reflection of what’s in our hearts. He says in Luke 6:45, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” So, according to Jesus, the words that come out of our mouth are a window into our heart.

This was certainly the case for Saul in 1 Samuel 14. The rash vow that Saul laid upon his men reflected a lack of trust in God to bring to completion the victory over the Philistines. Not only that, the wording of Saul’s oath also reveals a lot about his heart. Saul said, “Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies.” Do you hear the self-centeredness in those words? Saul’s words reveal that Saul was consumed with himself and with a desire for vengeance. And our words are no different. The things we say speak volumes about what’s within our hearts.

So, our need, most fundamentally, isn’t just to be more careful about what comes out of our mouth. We need our hearts to be changed in a profound way. Because, again, the problematic things we say are just symptoms of the real problem—the problem of what’s within our hearts. So, until the problem of what’s within our hearts is addressed, we won’t be able to fully resolve the problems related to what comes out of our mouths. You can put tape over your mouth all you want—just like that golfer did—but that won’t change what’s in your heart.

Instead, the only one who can change your heart is God—and that’s precisely what he does through Jesus and what Jesus has accomplished on our behalf. You see, the Bible teaches that, in our natural condition, we’re enslaved to the sinful desires and impulses of our hearts. Not only that, God will one day hold us accountable for our sins by punishing us in hell for all eternity. That’s the penalty our sins against God deserve. They deserve an infinite penalty because they’re committed against a God of infinite worth.

And the reality is that we’ve brought this on ourselves. Just as Saul in 1 Samuel 14 was his own worst enemy and brought on himself the difficulties he experienced, our predicament also is self-inflicted. We’re in a mess of our own making and, left to ourselves, have no way out.

Thankfully, though, in his mercy, God’s provided a way for us to be rescued from our sins and the punishment they deserve. He’s done this by sending his own Son Jesus to be our Savior. Jesus entered this world as a man and lived a life of perfect righteousness. Everything Jesus did, every word he said, and even everything within his heart was perfectly pure and righteous.

Jesus then allowed himself to be crucified in order to take on himself the penalty for our sins. Jesus died on the cross as our substitute, suffering the penalty our sins deserved. Yet, three days later, he was triumphantly raised from the dead and is now able to save everyone who puts their trust in him. This involves us renouncing our sinful way of life and putting our confidence exclusively in Jesus to forgive us of our sins and impart to us the merit that’s necessary to enter heaven.

And as a result of the heart change we experience at our conversion and also the gift Jesus gives us of the Holy Spirit now residing within us, we’re able—from the point of our conversion onward—to live in a way that brings glory to God. This includes, among other things, us speaking words that are helpful and wholesome rather than harmful and destructive.

And, very briefly, here are six ways we can do that—six ways to use our words for the glory of God. The first is to engage in praise and thanksgiving. These are the most immediate ways we glorify God through our words and are exactly what God had in mind when he gave us the ability to speak.

After that, a second way to glorify God through our words is to impart wisdom to others. Proverbs 10:11 states that, “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life.” When we speak with biblical wisdom, our mouth functions as a “fountain” that imparts spiritual “life” and blessing to those around us.

Third, God wants us to use our words to build others up. Ephesians 4:29 states, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” That should be our goal in speaking—building others up instead of tearing them down. It’s been said that words are like stones. When thrown carelessly, they bruise—but, when placed carefully, they build.

Fourth, and closely related, we should use our words to minister to others in ways they find helpful. Proverbs 25:11 says that, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” Think about that. “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” What is “a word fitly spoken,” do you think? I believe it refers to saying the right thing at the right time in the right way. That’s what so much of ministering to others in a helpful way comes down to—saying the right thing at the right time in the right way.

After that, a fifth way to speak in a way that glorifies God is to resolve conflict. Proverbs 15:1 tells us that “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” The manner in which you respond to someone when emotions are high makes all the difference in the world when it comes to the outcome of that interaction.

And finally, a sixth way to use our words for the glory of God is to share the gospel—that is, to tell others about who Jesus is and what he’s done to rescue us from our sins. This, of course, is the most valuable message we could ever share with anyone and the greatest way we can be a blessing to those who don’t yet know God.