There are six things the Lord hates—no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family. [Proverbs 6:16-19 (NLT)]
Saul, a man willing to kill his son rather than concede his error in making a foolish vow, wasn’t quite as eager to fulfill other vows he made. Later, he promised his daughter (along with exemption from taxes and military service) to the man who killed Goliath. While the vow prohibiting his men from eating came from his desire for revenge, this one may have come from fear. It was the king’s job to lead his men into battle and Saul, as the tallest man and the only one with bronze armor like Goliath’s, was the obvious choice to take on the Philistine. Perhaps Saul hoped the promise of wealth, honor, and a place at the king’s table would be incentive enough for someone else to volunteer to face the Philistine. For 40 days Goliath had taunted Israel but there were no takers until David.
Saul’s appreciation of the giant-killer quickly waned when he realized how popular the young warrior was. Jealous and afraid of being displaced as king, he had second thoughts about having David so close to the throne. Rather than openly reneging on his promise, Saul added an additional requirement. To become his son-in-law, David had to prove himself a true warrior. David, however, already had proved his worth as commander of Israel’s troops. Nevertheless, unwilling to soil his hands with David’s blood, Saul regularly sent him back into battle so the Philistines could kill him. David, however, was up to the task and always returned unharmed. When the time came for David’s marriage to Merab, however, Saul gave her to someone else!
When Saul’s daughter Michal fell in love with David, seeing another opportunity for Philistines to kill the young man, the king offered her to him. Then, rather than honor his first two promises, Saul upped the ante again by demanding a grisly dowry of foreskins from 100 Philistines within a limited amount of time. Although Saul claimed he wanted vengeance on his enemies, what he really wanted was David’s death during what seemed an impossible mission! Although Saul was sure David would die in his effort, the young man returned with twice the required number and the king had no choice but to honor his vow. That, however, didn’t stop him from trying to kill his son-in-law.
Even after Saul promised Jonathon that David would not be killed, the king tried to kill him with his spear. When David escaped, Saul told his troops to kill him at his house, but David escaped again. Years later, Saul again promised not to kill David if only he’d return home but, by then, David knew the king was not a man of his word. Having experienced Saul’s paranoia, deception, and erratic behavior, David knew it was just a matter of time before Saul broke his promise again. He and his men fled to Philistia.
Years later, Saul’s failure to keep one of Israel’s vows cost the nation a three-year drought and Saul’s family their lives. 400 years earlier, Israel pledged, “in the name of the Lord,” to allow the pagan Gibeonites to live in peace in the land. Disregarding this sacred covenant, Saul tried to wipe them out. Although the remaining Gibeonites didn’t hold all of Israel responsible for what amounted to murder, they did hold Saul accountable. As a result, they hung seven of Saul’s descendants.
Saul, a man described as someone who “spent most of his life looking around rather than looking up,” left as his legacy a long line of broken promises—promises made without regard to God’s warnings not to swear falsely. Unwilling to honor his own promises, Saul was unable to believe David’s sincere pledge that he’d never harm his king. After a promising beginning, Saul had a sad and shameful ending. His pride, impulsiveness, disobedience, insecurity, and jealousy eventually got the best of him.
It’s been said that you’re only as good as your word. How good is your word?
Last week, when writing how Jephthah’s reckless vow caused his daughter’s death, I remembered how Saul’s equally foolish vow nearly cost his son’s life. While Israel was at war with the Philistines, Saul and his 600 men were camped near Gibeah. Israel was seriously out-numbered by the better-armed Philistines and, because their enemy controlled the pass at Micmash, Saul’s troops could proceed no further. Although the rest of Saul’s men were afraid, Jonathan and his armor bearer were confident that the Lord was with them. Tired of the hopeless standoff with their enemies, the two snuck out of camp and headed toward the Philistine garrison. After passing through two treacherous cliffs and scaling a steep slope, they entered the enemy outpost and, outnumbered ten to one, killed them all.
Skeptics love to ask how God could allow Jephthah to offer up his daughter as a burnt sacrifice. First, let’s note that it never says God approved of his sacrifice. In fact, Scripture makes it clear that such a sacrifice was abhorrent to the Lord. In His wisdom and mercy, God even provided a way out if someone made a rash or unrealistic vow. Leviticus 27 explains that such a vow could be purchased back with a 20% penalty and describes how valuations were to be determined. Although Jephthah displayed knowledge of Israel’s history when negotiating with the Ammonites, he showed his ignorance of God and God’s law with his rash vow. Moreover, there is no reason to think his daughter was sacrificed in the Tabernacle. It’s more likely that such a horrific event would have been part of a pagan ceremony.
One of the most disturbing stories in the Bible is found in Judges 11. Before leading the army into battle with the Ammonites, Jephthah made a rash vow to the Lord—if given victory, he’d make a burnt sacrifice of the first thing to come out of his house to meet him upon his return. God granted Israel victory but, when Jephthah returned home, it was his daughter who came out to greet him. When the anguished Jephthah told her of his vow, the girl willingly accepted her fate. She only asked for one thing—to go into the hills with her friends to mourn that she’d never marry or know the joy of motherhood. When she returned, “her father kept the vow he had made and she died a virgin.”
Like Christians, Hindus believe that, when the body dies, the soul does not. Unlike Christians, however, Hindus believe that, after death, the soul lives on in an astral body until it is reborn in another physical body. This cycle is continually repeated until the soul reaches a certain state of perfection (moksha) and is released from the bondage of birth and death. At that time, like a drop of water that eventually merges into the ocean, the soul will finally merge into God and become one with its creator. Of course, once absorbed by the sea, the drop would cease to exist.
I recently met Esha while walking and we occasionally stop to chat. Although the bindi (mark) on her forehead told me she is a Hindu and the cross I wear told her I am Christian, our different faiths have not prevented us from talking about God and our beliefs. My younger son’s marriage brought many Hindus into our extended family and I try to understand this complicated religion.
