Adrift without an anchor (1 Sam 14:36-46)

Saul’s life frequently reminds me of the unstable person tossed about like a wave in the wind (James 1:6-7). Although James speaks of the doubter, it is also a fair description of Saul’s volatility. Scripture often presents in dramatic fashion the kind of behaviours that we can identify in our own lives, albeit in more mundane form. Reflecting on the dynamics and the consequences of such attitudes can teach us better ways to live. In our passage, Saul is intent on further action against the Philistines, but the priest has to remind him to ask God’s direction first (1 Sam 14:36). When the Lord is silent, the king rightly concludes that sin in the camp is the cause. However, his original disregard for God is now turned into zealous rage against the guilty party, so that he swears to administer the death penalty even if his own son has sinned (1 Sam 14:39). What drives such an attitude?

Saul seemingly tries to compensate for his earlier negligence by promising extreme action, but he is unnecessarily severe. After all, he does not know if the sin warrants death and what if it is really Jonathan? Would he let his own son be executed? Behind his behaviour is surely insecurity: he wants to prove himself as tough and uncompromising. However, his vow is rash because Jonathan’s sin was committed in ignorance for which the remedy is a sin offering, not the death penalty (Lev 4:22-26).[1] Nevertheless, Saul’s oath is a solemn promise made to God and, recognising this, Jonathan acknowledges that he must die (1 Sam 14:43 cf. Judg 11:35). Saul’s twisted sense of justice created an impossible situation without satisfactory resolution: either his son dies, a penalty more severe than the crime, or the oath is violated.

At the heart of Saul’s instability is his shifting reference point: sometimes himself and his own feelings, which may be swayed by the opinion of others. Thus, the people’s pressure on Saul saves Jonathan and the blustering oath is retracted (1 Sam 14:45). At this stage, the original question whether Saul should fight the Philistines, is also abandoned and everyone goes home (1 Sam 14:37, 46). Saul, then, is a man without an anchor, adrift and tossed about where the wind blows. It is ironic that he condemns his son to death because the latter broke a vow in ignorance while the king broke his knowingly. When our reference point is not in God and His Word, we often end up with double standards: one for others, one for ourselves. The Lord, however, will judge rightly. If He saw Jonathan’s inadvertent sin as sin nonetheless, how much more will He condemn Saul’s intentional violation of his oath? The point is not that he should have executed Jonathan, rather he should never have made a vow such as this. The king staked his own life on fulfilling his vow (1 Sam 14:44), setting off alarm bells for ancient readers conscious of the sanctity of vows (Deut 23:21). While the episode is left open-ended, it foreshadows the fate of the king whose continued destructive actions will eventually rebound on him.

We may not go to the extremes that Saul did, but if our reference point is not God and His truth, then we, too, shall lack an anchor and will be adrift morally and spiritually. It may be that we are so confident in our own moral judgment that we are quick to condemn others and we need to submit humbly to God and seek His assessment of what is right and wrong. On the other hand, insecurity about ourselves could lead to paralysis where we are too fearful to act. If so, we need to remember that God has created us with gifts and abilities that are sufficient to do His will and He who began the good work in us is able to complete it (Phil 1:6). If we fear the opinion of others, God reminds us that what really matters is how He sees our work and when we do our best for Him, He will sustain us (1 Cor 15:58). May we seek Him and find our anchor in Him.

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[1] It has to be admitted though that Jonathan’s attitude is defiant when the troops tell him about Saul’s vow for a fast (1 Sam 14:29-30) and he does not come forward of his own accord to admit his guilt but waits for the lots to fall.

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