Appearing Spiritual

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.” . . . But Jonathan had not heard his father’s command, and he dipped the end of his stick into a piece of honeycomb and ate the honey. 1 Samuel 14:24, 27

SAUL SHOULD HAVE BEEN leading his people into battle against the Philistines, confident that the Lord would give his people victory. Instead he was hiding back at the camp, gripped with indecision and grasping at vain gestures of spirituality as a means to secure a military victory. Saul imposed a fast on his soldiers, seeking to appear as a man wholly dedicated to the Lord. He thought their fasting plus the presence of a priest in his priestly garments would impress God. Saul is a tragic example of a person who tried to appear religious but who lacked a living faith in God and a heart to honor him.

Saul’s son was quite different. Jonathan was confident in the Lord’s strength. Though he was young and had an even younger armor bearer with him, together they launched an assault on the Philistine camp, saying, “Perhaps the LORD will help us, for nothing can hinder the LORD. He can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few!” (verse 6). Later, when Jonathan learned about his father’s foolish oath to put to death anyone who had eaten that day, which left his army faint with hunger and unable to fight, Jonathan said, “My father has made trouble for us all. . . . A command like that only hurts us” (verse 29).

This father and son stand in stark contrast to each other: a father who wanted to appear to honor the Lord but had no real passion for God or confidence in him, and a son whose heart had been emboldened by God’s promises and who fully expected God to be true to his word.

We may be older than our children, but sometimes we discover they actually have deeper faith, greater confidence in God, and keen perception about our own attempts to appear more spiritual than we really are.

Lord, may ________ never be forced into saying, “My father [or mother] has made trouble for us all!” Instead, make me wise so I will not make foolish promises. Give me genuine faith so I will not settle for vain gestures of spirituality. Strengthen my confidence in you as the enemy of my soul wages war against me and my family.