The Piety That Kills: Saul's Holy Hunger Strike
Introduction: The Religion of Me
There are two kinds of religion in this world. There is the religion that comes down from God, and there is the religion that bubbles up from the hearts of men. The religion from God is a religion of grace, life, and liberty. It is a religion of feasting and fighting, of honey from the rock and victory over the enemy. The religion of man, however, is a religion of performance, of ego, and of burdensome rules. It sounds terribly pious. It uses all the right words. It invokes the name of God, it makes solemn vows, and it demands absolute obedience. But at its core, it is a religion of control, designed not to glorify God, but to elevate the man who invented it. This is the religion of Saul.
In our passage today, we see a king who is more concerned with his own reputation than with the welfare of his people or the glory of God. He is a man who confuses his own will with God's will, and his own vengeance with God's vengeance. Saul imposes a vow on his men that is not commanded by God, that is detrimental to the battle, and that ultimately leads to far greater sin. He manufactures a religious crisis out of thin air and then presents himself as the spiritual hero who can solve it. This is a classic pattern of failed leadership, both in the world and, tragically, in the church.
This is not just a story about a bad king. It is a cautionary tale about the kind of piety that kills. It is a warning against any form of spirituality that makes men weary instead of strong, that binds their hands instead of freeing them for service, and that values the letter of a man-made law over the life of a son of the covenant. We must learn to distinguish between the voice of God and the pious-sounding echo of our own pride. One leads to life, and the other troubles the land.
The Text
Now the men of Israel were hard-pressed on that day. And Saul had put the people under oath, saying, "Cursed be the man who eats food before evening and until I have avenged myself on my enemies." So none of the people tasted food. Now all the people of the land entered the forest, and there was honey on the ground. So the people entered the forest, and behold, there was a flow of honey; but no man put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the sworn oath. But Jonathan had not heard when his father put the people under a sworn oath; therefore, he put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened. Then one of the people answered and said, "Your father strictly put the people under a sworn oath, saying, 'Cursed be the man who eats food today.' " And the people were weary. Then Jonathan said, "My father has troubled the land. See now, how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. How much more, if only the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found! For now the slaughter among the Philistines has not been great."
Then they struck among the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. And the people were very weary. So the people rushed greedily upon the spoil, and they took sheep and oxen and calves and slaughtered them on the ground; and the people ate them with the blood. Then they told Saul, saying, "Behold, the people are sinning against Yahweh by eating with the blood." And he said, "You have acted treacherously; roll a great stone to me today." And Saul said, "Scatter yourselves among the people and say to them, 'Each one of you bring me his ox or his sheep, and slaughter it here and eat; and do not sin against Yahweh by eating with the blood.' " So all the people that night brought each one his ox with him and slaughtered it there. And Saul built an altar to Yahweh; it was the first altar that he built to Yahweh.
Then Saul said, "Let us go down after the Philistines by night and take spoil among them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them." And they said, "Do whatever seems good in your eyes." So the priest said, "Let us draw near to God here." And Saul asked of God, "Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You give them into the hand of Israel?" But He did not answer him on that day. And Saul said, "Draw near here, all you chiefs of the people, and know and see how this sin has happened today. For as Yahweh lives, who saves Israel, though it is in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die." But not one of all the people answered him. 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 in your eyes." Therefore, Saul said to Yahweh, the God of Israel, "Give a perfect lot." And Jonathan and Saul were taken, but the people escaped. And Saul said, "Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son." And Jonathan was taken.
Then Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what you have done." So Jonathan told him and said, "I indeed tasted a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am; I must die!" And Saul said, "May God do this to me and more also, for you shall surely die, Jonathan." But the people said to Saul, "Must Jonathan die, who has brought about this great salvation in Israel? Far from it! As Yahweh lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day." So the people redeemed Jonathan, and he did not die. Then Saul went up from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.
(1 Samuel 14:24-46 LSB)
The Vow that Troubles (vv. 24-30)
We begin with Saul's disastrous leadership.
"And Saul had put the people under oath, saying, 'Cursed be the man who eats food before evening and until I have avenged myself on my enemies.' " (1 Samuel 14:24)
Notice the possessive pronoun. This is not about God's enemies, but "my enemies." This is not about God's glory, but "I have avenged myself." Saul's vow is born of ego, not piety. It is a piece of religious theater. He wants to appear zealous, to show everyone how serious he is. But it is a foolish vow. An army fights on its stomach. To forbid food during a running battle is military malpractice. It is to value the appearance of devotion over the reality of victory.
And what happens? God, in His common grace, provides. There is honey on the ground. This is a gift. This is fuel for the fight. But the men cannot partake because they are bound by the king's foolish word. They fear the man-made curse more than they value the God-given provision. This is the essence of legalism. It sets up an arbitrary human rule in opposition to the good gifts of God and calls it holiness.
But Jonathan, the hero of the day, did not hear the oath. He eats the honey, and the result is not judgment, but strength. "His eyes brightened." This is what God's grace does. It strengthens, it refreshes, it enlightens. Jonathan's simple, pragmatic act exposes the utter folly of his father's command. When he is told of the vow, his diagnosis is swift and accurate: "My father has troubled the land." He does not say his father has sinned, or has been unwise, but that he has troubled Israel. He has laid a burden on them. This is what false piety always does. It brings trouble, confusion, and weariness.
The Sin that Follows (vv. 31-35)
The natural consequence of Saul's legalism is not holiness, but license. The two are brothers under the skin.
"So the people rushed greedily upon the spoil... and the people ate them with the blood." (1 Samuel 14:32 LSB)
Because Saul had forbidden them from eating what was lawful, they were driven by their extreme hunger to do what was unlawful. His arbitrary rule about not eating at all led them to break God's explicit rule about not eating blood (Lev. 17:14). This is a critical lesson. When you bind the consciences of men with laws God never made, you should not be surprised when they eventually snap and break the laws He actually did make. The pendulum swings from a false asceticism to a true licentiousness.
And how does Saul respond to the crisis he created? With more religious performance. He sets up a stone for proper butchering, which is good, but then he builds an altar. "It was the first altar that he built to Yahweh." Saul is a religious arsonist who shows up with a fire hose and expects a medal. He creates the sin through his foolishness and then positions himself as the spiritual leader who can clean up the mess. He is managing a problem of his own making, all while looking terribly devout.
The Silence that Condemns (vv. 36-44)
Having cleaned up his own mess, Saul is ready to get back to the fighting. But there is a problem.
"And Saul asked of God, 'Shall I go down after the Philistines?'... But He did not answer him on that day." (1 Samuel 14:37 LSB)
God's silence is a form of judgment. Something is wrong in the camp of Israel, and the problem is with the leadership. A wise man would see this as a moment for introspection and repentance. But Saul is not a wise man. He is spiritually tone-deaf. He cannot conceive that the problem might be with him. So he does what all insecure leaders do: he looks for a scapegoat.
He launches a spiritual investigation and doubles down on his folly with another rash oath: "For as Yahweh lives... though it is in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die." He wraps his own prideful witch hunt in the language of divine justice. He is so committed to his own public image as a righteous king that he is willing to kill his own heroic son over a piece of honey. When the lots identify Jonathan, Saul does not hesitate. He is trapped in the prison of his own words. "You shall surely die, Jonathan." This is where false piety leads: to the sacrifice of our own children on the altar of our reputation.
The Redemption that Halts (vv. 45-46)
Just as Saul is about to compound his folly with murder, the people find their voice.
"But the people said to Saul, 'Must Jonathan die, who has brought about this great salvation in Israel? Far from it! As Yahweh lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day.' " (1 Samuel 14:45 LSB)
The people have more spiritual sense than their king. They see the situation for what it is. Jonathan is not a sinner to be executed; he is a hero to be celebrated. He "worked with God." Saul was working with his own ego. The people make a counter-oath, using the same formula Saul used: "As Yahweh lives." They stand against the king's insane legalism in the name of God's manifest blessing. And so, "the people redeemed Jonathan, and he did not die."
This is a victory for common sense, but the story ends on a sour note. "Then Saul went up from pursuing the Philistines." The campaign is over. The victory is cut short. The momentum is lost. Saul's foolish piety put a lid on the blessing of God. He troubled the land, weakened his army, provoked sin, and nearly executed the hero of the day. This is the fruit of man-made religion.
Conclusion: The Yoke of Saul and the Yoke of Christ
The spirit of Saul is not dead. It is alive and well in any church, family, or institution where man-made rules are given the weight of God's Word. It is present wherever leaders bind heavy burdens on the shoulders of their people, burdens they themselves are not willing to bear. It is the religion of performance, of image, of control. It is the piety that makes good men weary and troubles the land.
Jonathan, in this story, is a type of Christ. He is the beloved son who brings a great salvation. He is condemned to die by a corrupt authority, under a law that was not his own. He is the innocent one who must bear the consequences of another's folly. And he is redeemed, not by his own power, but by the intervention of the people.
This points us to the true and better Jonathan. Jesus Christ came and found us weary and heavy-laden, not by one foolish vow, but by the crushing weight of the holy law of God that we had broken. He did not come to add more rules. He said, "Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).
The yoke of Saul is hard, and his burden is heavy. The yoke of Christ is easy, and His burden is light. We must choose which yoke we will wear. Let us throw off the religion of Saul, the religion of performance and pride. Let us repent of troubling the land with our own spiritual projects. And let us come to Christ, the one who worked with God to bring a great salvation, and find rest for our souls. He does not forbid us the honey; He is the honey. He is the one whose grace brightens our eyes and strengthens us for the fight.