Use Common Sense - King Saul

The men of Israel were pressed to exhaustion that day, because Saul had placed them under an oath, saying, “Let a curse fall on anyone who eats before evening—before I have full revenge on my enemies.” So no one ate anything all day, even though they had all found honeycomb on the ground in the forest.

1 Samuel 14:24-25

Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, who spearheaded the development of the nuclear submarine, interviewed thousands of business-school graduates over a period of years. What he saw did not impress him.

“What it takes to do the job will not be learned from management courses,” he said. “It is principally a matter of experience, the proper attitude, and common sense, none of which can be taught in a classroom.”

King Saul had many gifts and talents, but he often lacked common sense, such as when he took the men of Israel into battle against their archenemies, the Philistines. As his soldiers prepared for battle, Saul gave them the curious order that anyone who ate anything during the daylight hours would be cursed. I guess he reasoned that daylight was for fighting, so the men could eat at night.

Saul’s oath defied common sense. God could have commanded them not to eat anything during the battle, but God did no such thing. Saul made the order simply to save time; he was so focused on taking revenge on his enemies that he forgot that his men needed nourishment to fight well.

King Saul’s rashness and impatience led to poor decisions and outright disobedience, which helped to scuttle his once-promising reign. Though the Israelites defeated the Philistines that day, the victory might have been far more decisive had Saul not placed such a foolish burden on his men.

At times, God may call you to do something unusual. But use common sense and make sure that you don’t move out ahead of God and make impulsive decisions or vows. That could cause big problems in your life and the lives of those close to you.