Another Foolish Order
Why would he say this? Saul is clearly flying by the seat of his pants here. Although he's acting like he's zealous for the Lord, I think there's a lot more selfish ambition involved. He has himself fooled into thinking he's doing all of this for the Lord, but the direction he's leading does not reflect God's heart.
First, Saul ordered people not to eat. That's not God's heart. God uses us in His Kingdom, but He wants to bless us through that process, not just use us.
Second, he promises to kill whoever has violated his ridiculous order not to eat. Again, Saul has spiritualized this... doing it all in God's name, even though the way he is leading does not at all reflect God's heart. He has himself fooled into thinking that his own selfish, vengeful leadership is actually spiritually motivated.
It reminds me of Jephthah's foolish vow to the Lord in Judges 11:29-40. As he went out to try to beat up on the bad guys, Jephthah promised God that if he won, he would sacrifice the first thing that walked out of his house when he returned. When he returns victorious, his daughter comes running out to meeting him. And Jephthah is bound by his oath to sacrifice her.
When selfish ambition gets spiritualized, it's a deadly and destructive combination. We can end up promising things to God and other people that have nothing to do with God's heart.
So I'm reminding myself... Seek God's heart FIRST. Don't get stuck on the visible, tangible results. Don't be so stuck on "victory" that I end up sacrificing the very people that I'm supposed to be fighting to protect.
Created over 4 years ago
