Day 1095: Rash promises - 1 Samuel 14 vs 24 - 35

24-27 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. Now when all the people came to the forest, behold, there was honey on the ground. 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. 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. 29-30 Then Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. See how my eyes have become bright because I tasted a little of this honey. 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.”

31-33 They struck down the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. And the people were very faint. The people pounced on the spoil and took sheep and oxen and calves and slaughtered them on the ground. And the people ate them with the blood. Then they told Saul, “Behold, the people are sinning against the Lord by eating with the blood.” And he said, “You have dealt treacherously; roll a great stone to me here.” 34 And Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people and say to them, ‘Let every man bring his ox or his sheep and slaughter them here and eat, and do not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood.’” So every one of the people brought his ox with him that night and they slaughtered them there. 35 And Saul built an altar to the Lord; it was the first altar that he built to the Lord. 1 Samuel 14:24-35 English Standard Version

In vs 29-30 Jonathan said of Saul “my father has troubled the land”. This was because of the oath Saul put the people under that they were not to eat anything until evening. But Jonathan ate some honey and was strengthened. We're also told, in vs 31, that the people were 'very faint', and began to slaughter and eat the livestock 'with the blood' which they'd captured from the Philistines. This led to Saul building an altar, and instructing the people to only kill the oxen and sheep there, and we're told that this was 'the first altar' Saul he built for the Lord.

How often it is that zeal for the Lord can lead to rash promises, and heartache. Much earlier than Saul's oath, a man named Jephthah made a made a vow to the Lord and said: “If you'll give the Ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” (Judges 11:30-31) Sadly, it was his only daughter. And when he saw her he said: “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I cannot take back my vow.” (Judges 11:35)

Moses had taught the people that “if you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin.” But then he added the words: “But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin.” Deuteronomy 23:21-22.

In a book titled 'Mover of Men and Mountains', R.G. LeTourneau told of how he promised God that if He helped him, he'd tithe the profit back to God. But he didn't keep those promises . . . and went bust! Sorrowfully he repented, started again, and eventually was giving far more than a tithe to the Lord's work. Now we don't all have to do that, but we can learn the lesson of thinking before we speak, and not making promises to God that will “trouble the land!”