This past Sunday, I wrapped up preaching on 1 Samuel (for this year). A section I skipped over was 1 Samuel 14, which is the story of Jonathan, the son of Saul, going to pick a fight with the Philistines with just his armor-bearer.
What makes this story relevant is that Saul had violated God's instruction in 1 Samuel 13 because Saul was afraid the army was deserting him and the Philistines would mop the valley floor with what he had left. So, Saul broke God's law by offering the burnt offerings to consecrate the warriors and seek God's favor in battle. Samuel arrived and rebuked Saul, and this is one of the early steps in Saul's decline as a king.
His fear, though, is shown to be misplaced. Jonathan and his armor-bearer climb over to the Philistines, start the battle, and the people of Israel win a significant victory. In truth, the only downside of the whole situation is when Saul vows that no one should eat or drink until the battle is won. He makes this vow, pronouncing a curse on anyone who violates it!
Naturally, you cannot see everything that is happening, nor can you get the word of your vows all around the battlefield. Jonathan, who started the battle, gets hungry as he chases Philistines and comes across some honey. He eats a bit, gets his energy renewed...just in time to hear that his father has cursed those who did such a thing!
Further, after the battle, the warriors are so hungry they are eating unclean meat from animals in the aftermath of the battle. Saul does have the good sense to get involved and make sure the meat is properly served kosher so that they do not bring more judgment from God.
Then, Saul finds out that Jonathan has eaten during the battle and plans to put him to death...but the rest of the army stops him. It is, after all, hard to execute the hero.
What is relevant here?
First: sometimes our fears feel very real, but they are less than we think. Saul feared losing the battle, and that fear drove him to disobedience. Jonathan proves this fear was wrong--even though it was grounded in logic and normal situations, it was not quite as bad as Saul thought.
Second: vows that you make before the Lord God should only include yourself. You ought not vow that others will do something. That's not in your rights, even if it is within your power to try and enforce compliance.
Third: bad vows should be abandoned. Seriously: Jephthah in Judges and Saul here show us that rash vows are destructive. Destructive to trust, destructive to faith, destructive to lives.
There's a whole sermon there, but something to keep in mind: through all of this, following God's commands would have made it simpler. And trusting God's promises to deliver would have alleviated a great deal of stress.
That's a lesson worth remembering.
