2 Samuel 21:2 (KJV)
And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.)
The story of the Gibeonites dates all the way back to the days of Joshua (Joshua 9). About three hundred fifty years later, Israel demanded a king of their own choosing and anointed Saul.
We know Saul to be a man with a spiritual bent, as all Israelites would have been at that time. But he was not a man of God. Religious people who do not know the Lord or His character often do things in the name of the Lord that are actually opposite the Lord’s will.
Joshua had made a covenant with the Gibeonites. Saul either neglected to search the Scriptures to see that this covenant had been made, or else he did not view the biblical principle of covenant faithfulness as a serious matter. Smith’s Bible Dictionary describes it this way: “In a fit of enthusiasm or patriotism, [he is supposed] to have killed some and devised a general massacre of the rest.”
As I observe a shift—certainly not for the better—in the opinions of the American people toward God, I see some similarities between Israel in Saul’s day and Americans today. We are a people prone to believe in God and even to claim that our God is the God of Christianity. That does not mean the majority of Americans are, or ever have been, Christians.
We have a great deal of religious zeal, but it has seldom been according to the knowledge of God.
That zeal has led to countless unmentionable atrocities in the name of Christ. It has happened in America in general. It has happened within religious denominations. It has even happened in churches I believe are sincerely connected to Jesus Christ.
Zeal—but not according to knowledge.
This has led to the removal of God’s hand of blessing. It is obvious today that our country, and indeed our churches, no longer enjoy the same hand of blessing we once had.
I also notice that the zeal of Saul led not to the slaughter of Israel as a nation, but to the destruction of his own family.
God’s work was still moving forward. God had not abandoned His people, nor had He turned His back on them. David was still king, and God’s own covenant—the one we all ought to pay close attention to—was still in effect. David’s house would bring forth the Saviour, Jesus Christ. But the offspring suffered.
We ought to be all in, sold out to the Lord. But we must take care that we have a genuine relationship with Christ—one in which we are learning His character. Zeal for the Lord, without a true knowledge of the Lord, leads only to disaster.
#ZealWithoutKnowledge #BiblicalCovenant #LearningGodsCharacter #ReligiousButLost #ScriptureMatters
Religious Zeal Isn’t the Same as Knowing God (King Saul Proved It)
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Where have you seen zeal without biblical knowledge cause harm—either in the church or in our culture?
Your response may help someone else recognize the difference between passion for God and truly knowing Him.
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