What Saul teaches us in this portion of Scripture is that poor leadership, focused inward rather than outward toward the people, will often lead people into sin. For these kinds of leaders, being obeyed becomes more important than guiding others to obey God. Their authority serves to bolster their own confidence and preserve their image.
There is no shortage of leaders who are driven by a desire to be admired. Yet the outcome of such leadership is often the same: while they may gain the approval of people, they risk rejection from God. In Saul’s case, we see clearly that being admired was far more important than being faithful.
As Saul and his men went out to battle, he placed the people under an oath:
“Cursed be the man who eats food until evening, before I have avenged myself on my enemies.”
Saul’s words reveal that this battle has become a one-man show. Earlier in his life, Saul was described as being small in his own eyes. Now, however, something has changed. He speaks as though he stands on God’s level, issuing oaths and curses. Notice the language: these are his enemies, and he must be avenged.
Twice the text tells us that the men were weary. No matter how spiritual a person may be, God created human beings with physical needs. We need food, water, rest, and shelter. When those basic needs are neglected, reason begins to weaken and survival instincts take over. Weariness, desperation, unmet needs, and unreasonable expectations often become fertile ground for sin. Jonathan not knowing the command found some honey and ate it and it revived him.
After the victory, the men of Israel famished rushed upon the spoil. They slaughtered livestock and ate with the blood; they were starving. Historically, it was not a sin for Israel to eat before the King was avenged. Nor was it a sin for soldiers to eat before battle. Yet it was a direct violation of God’s law to consume the blood with the animal.
Saul’s pride and self-centered leadership placed his men in a desperate situation that led them to sin against God, and eat the lifeblood. Their disobedience did not arise from rebellion but from desperation. And how did Saul respond?
He rebuked them. He even turned on them.
“The people are sinning against the Lord. You have acted treacherously.”
Rather than recognizing his own role in creating the problem, Saul blamed the people. When God refused to answer him even after he built an altar, Saul assumed the issue was that someone had violated his oath. When the lot fell to Jonathan, Saul said he would execute his own son. This is interesting. Saul seems to be setting himself up to look like somewhat of a “Abraham Archetype” Yet when the people intervened and insisted Jonathan should live, Saul relented.
This reveals something important. At the beginning of the passage, Saul is lording his authority over the people in giving an unreasonable command regardless of their needs. By the end, he is yielding to the people as if they are in charge regardless of his word. At first glance these seem like opposite agendas. One appears controlling and overbearing; the other weak and cowardly.
But both behaviors spring from the same root: selfishness.
Selfishness can wear different masks. A person can constantly boast about themselves or constantly criticize themselves, but in either case the focus remains constantly on self. Insecurity works the same way. When a person’s confidence depends entirely upon what others think of them, they will swing between demanding allegiance and seeking approval. Saul’s security was deeply imbedded in what others thought, not in God.
Sometimes insecure leaders demand obedience because it makes them feel powerful. Deep down, they do not trust that they are worthy of being followed, respected, or obeyed. Unsure whether others will willingly follow, they resort to controlling them.
Saul reflects this kind of insecurity. Remember him hiding among the baggage when he was first chosen as king. He knew how to fight, and fight he did. He knew how to be impressive, and impressive he was. But Saul did not know how to lead Israel in worship and obedience to God. He did not know how to humble himself before the Lord.
As a result, Saul seemed more concerned with whether the people obeyed him than whether they obeyed God. Ironically, when he discovered that he could not control the people, he allowed the people to control him. Rather than standing firm in obedience to God, he bowed to public opinion. Saul lacked the courage and conviction that true leadership requires.
At other times, insecure leaders surrender to the crowd because they need that acceptance. Their decisions are not guided by truth or righteousness, but by how they will appear in the eyes of others. They are always aware of their audience.
Both tendencies are present in Saul.
When he forbade the people from eating, the greater victory in his mind was not honoring God or caring for his soldiers. It was avenging himself and preserving his image even though it came in the form of a command. Everything Saul did was feeding the identity he had built around himself: the tall, handsome king, the man who stood above everyone else in Israel. “No one like him in all the land” His confidence was rooted in maintaining that image.
We see this come to full fruition in the next chapter when Saul pleads with Samuel, “i know God rejected me and I have sinned, but please just Honor me before the people.”
The tragedy of Saul is not simply that he failed as a king. The tragedy is that he became consumed with protecting his image rather than pursuing faithfulness. God rejected Saul’s style of leadership in as much as he rejected Saul as a leader.
How can we apply this to our lives today? Where is your confidence rooted; Is it in what other people think of you and how they view you? Is it in whether people listen to you, respect you, or obey you?
Is it in your success at work, your accomplishments, your reputation, or the amount of money you make? all these things change over time. are they safe places to root your identity and tie your value too?
Examine your heart and ask : If _______ were taken away, how would I see myself?
Most importantly, would I continue to follow and obey God even if no one followed or obeyed me? or am I following God simply so that others follow me?
Saul’s downfall was not simply that he feared people; it was that he needed them. When our identity is built on anything other than Christ, we become vulnerable to the same temptation. What we depend on for our security will eventually become what controls us.
My Faith Place 