“The king summoned the Giv‘onim and said to them — these Giv‘onim were not part of the people of Isra’el but from the remnant of the Emori; and the people of Isra’el had sworn to them; but Sha’ul, in his zeal for the people of Isra’el and Y’hudah, had sought to exterminate them…”-2 Samuel 21:2
Verse 2 tells us that it was Saul’s “zeal” for the people of Israel and Judah that suddenly caused him to wake up one day and say…
“Hey homies, I think I’m gonna go out and exterminate the Amorites today.”
Well, what exactly was this “zeal” Scripture speaks about?
Opinions differ depending on who’s talking.
Some Rabbis say that a good portion of the Amorites became collateral damage when Saul slaughtered the priesthood at Nob.
In other words, since the Gibeonite Amorites supplied wood for the altar fire and water for purification, many were inevitably killed with the Levites when Saul wiped out the priesthood.
This created lasting animosity between them and Saul’s house.
Not only because of the deaths, but also because they lost their means to make a living.
So that’s one interpretation.
But honestly, I think we should go with the more plain meaning of the text.
Plus, we don’t really have any history to support the idea that there was “bad blood” between Saul and the Amorites because of what he did at Nob.
So here’s another perspective that I think more accurately hits the nail on the head.
Saul went against the Amorites because he wanted to win the people’s and God’s approval.
Keep in mind, at the end of the day, Saul was a conniving politician through and through.
And what’s one ugly thing we know about politicians?
They like to pick on unpopular groups to make themselves look good.
This was exactly Hitler’s strategy in the late 1930s.
He publicly blamed the Jews for Germany’s economic and social ills.
So, likewise, I think that’s the real reason why Saul when ballistic on the Amorites at Gibeah.
But it ain’t just little ‘ole me who feels this way.
Awesome scholars such as the great Messianic Jew Alfred Edersheim say the same thing.
Onward.
So we’re told Saul attacked the Gibeonites with the full intent of wiping them out completely.
He didn’t succeed, but boy, he sure came close.
But that’s not the worst part.
Saul’s actions were a direct violation of a vow in which God was a guarantor.
The oath Joshua had made was still valid.
Saul should’ve known that.
Yet, because he went ahead and committed violence against the Gibeonites anyway, the land became stained with blood-guilt.
The Lord’s holiness had been compromised.
It wasn’t so much that innocent people were killed (though the Gibeonites weren’t really that innocent to begin with)…
The issue was more that they were under the protection of a vow made in God’s holy name.
That’s the real issue here, folks.
And that leads to our takeaway for today.
When you make a vow in God’s name, you can’t treat it lightly.
It’s serious business.
This should also be a reminder that we shouldn’t be throwing around God’s name in curses or casual swearing.
That’s not just sloppy.
It’s disrespectful to the holiness His name carries.
Ya feel me?
Done.
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