“Hello, Saul. First king of Israel. You were foolish and strong, and you didn’t last long. Goodbye, Saul.” This line comes from a song in Andrew Peterson’s walk through the story of the Bible on his album “Behold the Lamb.” I can imagine the statement that King Saul didn’t last long is based at least partly on 1 Samuel 13:1. But that verse is notoriously difficult to understand. It can’t possibly mean either that Saul was one year old when he became king or that his reign was a mere two years. Some have argued that the numbers got jumbled up as the text was copied over the centuries. Others have argued that the numbers here are relative to other events and are not a statement about the total length of Saul’s reign. To this point, there has been no single view on this verse that has emerged as particularly more plausible than others. Maybe the most we can say is that the events narrated in chapters 13-14 seem to have happened relatively early in Saul’s reign. But as for Saul’s reign itself, according to Paul’s statement in Acts 13:21, it lasted forty years. It was, in fact, a long reign, and it was a consequential reign of Israel’s first king. The summary of Saul’s reign is told to us at the end of chapter 14. Notice all that Saul accomplished in 14:47-48: “When Saul had taken the kingship over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, against the Ammonites, against Edom, against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. Wherever he turned he routed them. And he did valiantly and struck the Amalekites and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them.” Saul brought a measure of internal order to the nation and victory over neighboring enemies. Overall, looking over the whole course of his reign, it looks like he actually accomplished a great deal for Israel.
But the tragic story of Saul teaches us that it is entirely possible to accomplish great things for the Lord in this life and not even know the Lord. In the annals of Israel’s history, Saul is recorded as a leader who made a real difference. But the author of 1 Samuel shows us in the stories about Saul that, when you look into the heart of this consequential leader, you see a man who lacked faith in the Lord. And thus you see the subtle deceptions of sin that can lead people, maybe even people like us, to value what we can accomplish for God without even really trusting God ourselves.
I spent a few of my earliest years of life in Fort Worth, Texas, while my father was completing a medical residency. During that time I remember visiting the Omni Theater, which showed Imax movies on the largest screen you can imagine. At the beginning of every Omni Theater showing, they would play a short film that was footage of flying over the city of Forth Worth recorded from a helicopter looking down on the city. As a young child, I remember looking at that giant screen and feeling the sensation in my body that I was actually high above the city of Fort Worth and might fall at any moment onto the pavement below. It was scary for a kid. So after my mother realized that I was terrified of the Omni Theater, she coached me along and told me that if I just closed my eyes during the scary parts, I wouldn’t feel like I was about to fall anymore. And sure enough, she was right. Simple as that. We often say, “Seeing is believing,” but in that case, seeing what was in front of me actually distorted my picture of reality. I had to turn from what I could see and focus instead on what I knew was true.
In a sense, the entire Christian life is learning how to turn from what we can see and focus on what we know is true. Seeing is not believing. Believing what God has spoken, rather, gives us a new way of seeing. Faith enables us to see the real world for what it is, as opposed to the limited, distorting picture of our own eyes. Tragically, King Saul stands for us in these two chapters as an example of a man who, though he ultimately accomplished great things, nevertheless lived his life by sight, not by faith. But running in contrast to Saul throughout this story is the picture of his son Jonathan, who is just the opposite. May aim today is to contrast these two characters and show what their examples teach us about living by faith in the Lord.
First, let’s begin with
When you read 1 Samuel 13-14 carefully, you notice that Saul characteristically acts based on his own assessment of his circumstances instead of listening to God. And that is why he stands to us as a warning of what it looks like to live without faith. When we construct a picture of reality based on our own experiences instead of based on what God has said, we are essentially saying to God, “I know better than you.” As we have seen in our ongoing sermon series through Job, the temptation to interpret reality by our own judgments based on experience is a strong one, and it is one against which we must always be on guard as we humbly submit all of our thought and life to the Word of God.
There are three examples in this story of Saul acting on the basis of sight, not faith. There is an incident with a sacrifice, an incident with the ark, and an incident with an oath. The incident with the sacrifice occurs in chapter 13, where Saul and a portion of his army are stationed at Michmash, while Jonathan his son was in command of a smaller unit at Gibeah. Jonathan launched a successful attack on a Philistine garrison, and that provoked a response from the Philistines that left Israel in a dire situation. They are outnumbered. They lack the technological capabilities of the Philistines, who have not only chariots but also a monopoly on blacksmiths, leaving the Israelites to resort to weapons made of bronze, stone, and wood. So many of the Israelites have resorted to hiding in caves, tombs, and cisterns, while the Philistines are sending out raiding parties at will.
So Saul’s army was outmatched, and the enemy was coming against him. Having rallied his troops at Gilgal, Saul waited seven days. It was customary in Israel for war to proceed under the Lord’s guidance, which came by means of a prophet. So Saul waited for Samuel to arrive so that he could offer a sacrifice and then inquire of the Lord about what Saul should do. And then seven days passed, and Samuel still wasn’t there. Meanwhile, the people of Israel were terrified, outmatched, and starting to desert Saul out of fear for their lives. What should a king do in that situation, when time is against him, and a bad situation grows worse with each passing day?
In 13:9, we see that Saul made a decision about what to do: “So Saul said, ‘Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.’ And he offered the burnt offering.” We know from Samuel’s response when he arrives that Saul has done something wrong, but what was it exactly? I used to think (and even taught in some settings) that the sin was taking on the role of a priest by offering a sacrifice he was not authorized to offer. But I no longer think that was the issue. In 14:3 we see that Ahijah the priest was actually with Saul, and thus when it says Saul offered the burnt offering, it most likely means that he commanded the priest who was with him to offer it.
The problem was not usurping the role of a priest, it was devaluing the role of a prophet. In the pressure of the situation, Saul decided that it was more important to get the ball rolling by his own initiative than to wait to hear from God through the prophet Samuel. Keeping his army from deserting him became, in that moment, more important than hearing from God. He acted based on his perception of his circumstances, not by faith in the Lord.
Notice that Saul still engaged in a religious act here. He commanded the sacrifices to be offered, as they customarily were. He engaged in the religious ritual, but without the patience to listen to the Word of God. Religious ritual that is engaged apart from the hearing of the Word is mere superstition. I remember one occasion when I heard a man whom I respect highly say something that I found disappointing (and no, I’m not talking about anyone at Cornerstone). He said something to this effect: “I have never enjoyed hearing sermons. I find partaking of the Eucharist [the Lord’s Supper] to be much more meaningful.” The reason I was so disappointed to hear that was because, without the preaching of the Word to interpret its meaning for us, the Lord’s Supper is empty, meaningless, even superstitious! Here is one more story from the Bible that highlights for us the centrality of listening to the Word of God in the walk of faith. If we are not a listening church, we will devolve into a superstitious church.
So Samuel arrives right as Saul is getting the sacrifices underway. And Samuel is not happy. Note 13:10-12: “As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. Samuel said, ‘What have you done?’ And Saul said, ‘When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the LORD.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.’” When confronted by the Lord’s prophet, Saul’s instinct is to justify himself, which shows that he lacks the faith to be honest about his own sin. And the Lord’s judgment is then pronounced against him in verses 13-15: “And Samuel said to Saul, ‘You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the LORD your God, with which he commanded you. For then the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.’ And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal.” Because of this act of disobedience, Saul will never have a son to sit on his throne. Any future dynasty has now been cut off.
So much for the incident with the sacrifice. The second incident that shows Saul’s failure of faith is the incident with the ark of the covenant. As we move into chapter 14, we read the account of Jonathan and his armor bearer causing panic at the Philistine garrison. Saul’s watchmen at Gibeah notice the commotion, and so Saul decides it’s time to act again. Notice what he does in 14:18-20: “So Saul said to Ahijah [the priest], ‘Bring the ark of God here.’ For the ark of God went at that time with the people of Israel. Now while Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the camp of the Philistines increased more and more. So Saul said to the priest, ‘Withdraw your hand.’ Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and went up into battle. And behold, every Philistine’s sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion.” The fact that Saul has the ark of the Lord with his army at the battlefield recalls for us the story in chapter 4 when the Israelites foolishly tried to deploy the ark as a magical charm that would bring divine power against their enemies, and the result was a disaster. Saul has apparently learned nothing from that story. But let’s give him credit: at least by having the ark there, and by instructing the priest to go before it to inquire of the Lord, Saul seems to show a desire to hear from God.
But then he hears the panic among the Philistines growing louder, and he decides once again, based on his own assessment of reality, that he doesn’t really need to hear from God after all. So he says to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.” God’s guidance is not necessary. Once again, he acts by sight, not by faith. Nevertheless, by God’s grace the battle turns out well for Israel. In 14:23 we read, “So the LORD saved Israel that day.” But then immediately, verses 24-46 put a dark cloud over this joyous occasion.
And that brings us to the third incident that shows Saul’s lack of faith: the incident with the oath. According to verse 24, 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.” Superstitious Saul strikes again, apparently believing that imposing an unnecessary form of self-denial on his army would bring God’s favor upon his efforts, when he himself has not given attention to listening to God. This vow represents a kind of religious practice that is divorced from the true knowledge of God. Even the way Saul words it places more focus on his own revenge rather than on honoring God. And the results are disastrous. For one thing, this senseless vow saps the energy from his army, leading them to less effectiveness on the battlefield. In addition, when the evening comes and the vow has expired, the people are so hungry that they pounce on the spoil of their enemies and eat with such haste that they eat meat with blood in it in violation of the Mosaic Law rather than waiting for the blood to train so the meat can be properly prepared.
But beyond that, this vow brings an apparent curse upon Jonathan, the hero of the day. Jonathan had left before Saul uttered the vow, and not knowing about it, he naturally took advantage of some wild honey when he came upon it in the forest. The text tells us that when he ate it, his eyes brightened (14:27). Have you ever had that sensation either when you had low blood sugar or maybe you stood up too fast, and you could sense your vision darkening? If so, you know the good feeling that comes when you clear that up. Your eyes brighten and your energy comes back. Jonathan experienced this blessing from the honey, but sadly, because of his own father’s foolishness, it led to the Lord’s refusal to answer Saul until the violation of this vow had been discovered by the casting of lots. And then, when it was revealed that Jonathan had violated his father’s oath, Saul made another oath in 14:44: “God do so to me and more also; you shall surely die, Jonathan.” That means, “Let God put me to death if I don’t kill you.” But the people prevailed upon Saul to let Jonathan live. The victory he had won for Israel was proof positive to them that God’s favor was upon him. And so Saul violated his own oath and thus left the curse upon himself, a curse that will be fulfilled at the end of 1 Samuel.
In all three of these incidents, Saul reveals himself to be a man who cares little for what God has to say. He interprets reality by his own judgment, and he acts accordingly. But he still engages in religious rituals as a way of bringing God along on his side. He is a man who lives by sight, and thus religiously by superstition, instead of by faith. Whenever you see two heads of state meeting together on TV, shaking hands in front of the cameras, do you ever think, “Wow, they seem like good friends”? Of course not! You know they are not friends. They are friendly and cordial, but their meeting is not personal; it’s pure business, as they each seek to maneuver for political advantage. Saul treats God that way. For Saul, relating to God is not personal; it’s pure business. It is entirely possible to have a kind of alliance with God, even to serve God, without really knowing him because you don’t really trust him. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your path.” Do you really trust God by submitting to his interpretation of reality? Or do you try to subordinate God to your own purposes? Saul’s example stands as a warning to us not to deceive ourselves into thinking that serving God can substitute for knowing God and trusting him.
But running through these two chapters is a contrast between Saul and another character, whom we are also going to look at here briefly. That brings us, second, to
Unlike Saul, Jonathan characteristically acts by faith in this story, regardless of his circumstances. By faith, he is enabled to see reality more clearly than his father can, because he sees reality as God has interpreted it for him. Because he trusts God, he acts in accord with the way the world really is, where God rules over all things.
And so we notice early on in the story that it is Jonathan’s initiative, not Saul’s, that leads to an early victory over the Philistines. In 13:3 we read, “Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines that was at Geba, and the Philistines heard of it.” Jonathan doesn’t even get public credit for this victory, because when the headlines are published, the leader of the army gets all the credit, and that’s why verse 4 reads, “An all Israel heard it said that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines.” Saul actually had little to do with it; Jonathan took the initiative in faith, and the Lord was with him.
I think it was that initial victory from chapter 13 that gave Jonathan the confidence that God was with him and led him to do something in chapter 14 that was, by all human reckoning, completely insane. The whole thing is absurd. Jonathan and his armor bearer go out on their own to engage a Philistine garrison. He doesn’t tell his father, most likely because he senses that his father lacks the faith and initiative to lead his army to victory. So these two men launch out on their own, and in order to access the Philistine garrison, they have to pass between two rocky crags, one of which is named Bozez, which means “slippery,” and the other that is named “Seneh,” which means “thorny.” So even to get to a the place of battle where two men were about to take on an entire garrison, they have to pass between Slippery and Thorny, a pass that would have been considered impassable. Even to get the Philistine garrison they have to climb up a rocky crag on their hands and feet. The picture is completely absurd.
But this story, absurd as it sounds, is not the only absurd story in 1 Samuel. Just a few chapters over in chapter 17, we are going to read about a young shepherd who walks right out onto a battlefield, where an armored Philistine champion, a giant of a man, is waiting to kill him and feed his flesh to the birds. This Philistine taunts the young shepherd much like the Philistines in this story taunt Jonathan. And this young shepherd goes into battle armed only with a slingshot and his trust in the Lord. When we read the story of David in just a few chapters, don’t let it escape you that the author wants you to hear the echoes of Jonathan.
What is it that leads Jonathan to do something that seems completely absurd? It is his faith. Notice 14:6-7: “Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, ‘Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the LORD will work for us, for nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many or by few.’ And his armor-bearer said to him, ‘Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul.’” Jonathan’s faith is not presumption. Notice that he doesn’t deny God’s sovereignty to do as he pleases. He says, “It may be that the LORD will work for us.” But he has just experienced God’s blessing on his military efforts, and he has a leading from the Spirit that God is with him. In faith, he proceeds, even against absurd odds.
Saul’s main concern in chapter 13, when he offered the sacrifice so that he could get on to the battle, was to preserve the army that was starting to desert him. He assumed that what he needed above all when going into battle was as large an army as he could retain. Jonathan, by contrast, assumes that what he needs most of all is the presence of God with him. Saul walks by sight, but Jonathan walks by faith. Jonathan does not interpret the world by what he sees, but by what God has revealed about himself. If you interpret any circumstance in your life or in this world without taking God into account, you have interpreted it wrongly. If you have suffered in your life, and the only two options that enable you to cope with that reality are either concluding that God is against you and being bitter at him, or that God is not really in control of suffering, then you are interpreting reality by your experience, not by the Word of God. If you experience same-sex attraction, and you decide that because it feels natural to you, therefore it must be a holy desire, you are interpreting reality by your experience, not by the Word of God. If you look at your budget and decide, “I can’t afford to give anything to the work of the Lord because I need all of my money for these other things,” you are interpreting reality by what your eyes can see, not by the Word of God. Jonathan stands as an example to us of one who sees with the eyes of faith what is real, who acts accordingly, and who experiences God’s blessing as a result.
There is a tremendous irony in this story when you look at the big picture. The irony is that Jonathan seems like he would make a much better king than his father. Of course, we know the next king is going to be David, but the similarities between Jonathan and David that we see when we compare these two young men seem to indicate that Jonathan just as easily could have stepped into that role, and he would have been a very good king over Israel. But Jonathan is never going to get that chance. In fact, the judgment pronounced on Saul in chapter 13 specifically ruled it out: Saul will never have a ruling dynasty. Because of Saul’s sin, God has excluded Jonathan from the throne.
And so at the end of chapter 14, we can read a summary account of a consequential, and largely successful, reign of King Saul. We read nothing about King Jonathan. It seems like such a waste. But let me ask you this: at your funeral, which would you rather people said about you: “He accomplished such great things for God!” or, “He was a man who really knew God.” Hopefully to ask the question is to answer it.
If you live your whole life in relative obscurity, with nothing written about you in the history books or anyone remembering you beyond your own children and grandchildren, and yet you truly know the Lord, you are blessed. Your life, which no one will remember after two or three generations, will have been a life well lived. Nothing that you accomplish, even if you accomplish it for the Lord, matters more than knowing the Lord. So above all, aspire to know him.
And how can you know him? By trusting in his Word of promise given to you in Christ. Once again, let us who are baptized believers eat and drink in faith and remembrance of the one who has made God known to us. Amen.