1S14-15: Why Was It Okay For Jonathan To Break Saul’s Vow Without Consequence?

“Now the people came to a forest where there was a honeycomb on the ground.  When the people had entered the forest, they saw there the honeycomb with honey dripping out; but no one put his hand to his mouth, because the people feared the oath.  But Y’honatan hadn’t heard his father charging the people with the oath, so he put out the end of the staff in his hand, dipped it in the honeycomb and raised it to his mouth; whereupon his eyes lit up.”-1 Samuel 14:25-27

Due to God’s providence, Saul’s men entered a forest inhabited by large colonies of bees.

This meant there were delicious honeycombs (DEVASH in Hebrew) lying all over the place.

Unfortunately, due to Saul’s ridiculous vow, the soldiers were unable to take advantage of this blessing from heaven.

Honey was noted for its ability to quickly revive someone who was in a starved or weakened condition by instantly raising their blood sugar levels.

So it must have been with great discipline that the soldiers passed the honey by without sneaking even one bite of the glistening morsels that lay all around them.

However, Jonathan hadn’t heard of his father’s hasty vow.

So he didn’t hesitate for a second to partake of this nourishing gift from heaven.

One of the soldiers saw Jonathan eating the honey and told him about his father’s vow against taking any food and drink.

When he heard the news, Jonathan went into a rage.

Jonathan’s response says it all:

“My father has brought trouble to the land. Just look how my eyes have lit up because I tasted a little of this honey.  How much greater would the slaughter of the P’lishtim have been today, then, if the people had eaten freely of the spoil they found with their enemies!”

Now, let me finish up today’s post with a little quiz question for you.

All of the soldiers were duty-bound to Saul’s vow, and would have suffered a divine curse had they broken it.

However, Jonathan was NOT duty-bound nor obligated to adhere to his father’s oath.

Why?

The answer is that he had never of the oath…

And because he had never heard it, he had never agreed to it.

In God’s divine providence, God had kept Jonathan engaged elsewhere so that his dad’s ridiculous vow would have no effect upon him.

I think there’s a great takeaway here.

Just as the Lord kept Jonathan safe from Saul’s harmful vow…

Let’s not overlook the many ways that God has kept us safe from so many things that could’ve harmed us in the past…

And be grateful for His divine cover of protection that continues to this very day.

Amen.