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Rise and Ruin: The Leadership of King Saul
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Rise and Ruin: The Leadership of King Saul
Continue exploring
Connected by scripture or shared themes.
Good morning. We're continuing in a series called "Rise and Ruin," looking at the leadership of King Saul in 1 Samuel. Before we dive in, let me ask you a quick question: Who is the best leader you've ever worked under? A coach, a boss, a ministry leader?
When I ask what made that person so good, chances are the answer has something to do with the effect they had on you. The best leaders bring out the best in the people they lead. One of my favorite descriptions of leadership in the Bible is from 2 Samuel 23:3:
"The God of Israel has spoken. The rock of Israel has said to me, 'When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God,' listen to the effect. He dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth."
That's a picture of good leadership. When godly leadership is present, people flourish, things grow. Life gets better. Godly leadership isn't just about what you accomplish—it's about what happens to the people you lead.
In the New Testament, the qualifications for church leaders focus almost entirely on character, not competency. Why? Because godly leadership is designed to be a real-time reflection of God's own wisdom and character. That principle extends beyond the church to leadership in families, workplaces, government, and broader society.
But here's the flip side: When leadership becomes unhealthy, the people underneath it suffer. And that's exactly what we see in Saul's leadership.
Let's read from verse 24. The men of Israel have been hard-pressed that day. Saul had laid an oath on the people. The oath was this: "Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening, and I am avenged on my enemies."
So Saul's soldiers are pursuing the Philistines into the woods, starving. Then verse 25: "Now when all the people came to the forest, behold, there was honey on the ground."
Remember, they're in the promised land—a land flowing with milk and honey. Wild bees produced abundant honey back then. Honey is a delicacy in scripture, symbolizing blessing and abundance. This is a picture of God's lavish care and provision for these weary soldiers. But verse 26: "When the people entered the forest, behold, the honey was dropping, but no one put his hand to his mouth. Why? For the people feared the oath."
Here's the tension: Verse 27. Jonathan, Saul's son, hadn't heard his father's charge. So he dipped his staff in the honeycomb and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes became bright. "His eyes became bright" is a Hebrew expression meaning he was re-energized.
We all know that feeling when you've been starving and finally get that first bite. Some of you get hangry—hungry and angry. When you're really hungry, your blood sugar drops, triggering stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. That's why you feel super irritable and on edge. When you finally eat, it brings your blood sugar back up and lowers those hormones. Plus, tasting food releases dopamine in your brain, creating an immediate sensation of pleasure and satisfaction.
So Jonathan is like a kid with honey all over his hands and mouth, feeling amazing. Then verse 28: someone tells him his father charged the people with an oath. And Jonathan says a heavy statement: "My father has troubled the land."
That's not a casual complaint—that's divine judgment. Instead of being a blessing to the land and people, Saul's leadership has become a burden. Jonathan explains: "See how my eyes have become bright because I tasted a little of this honey. How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies that they found. For now, the defeat among the Philistines has not been great."
In other words, they would have defeated even more Philistines had they been able to eat and refuel. Yet despite this, they still made progress—they drove the Philistines back from Michmash about 16 miles to Aijalon. But verse 31: "The people were very faint."
Now they're allowed to eat. The people are so hungry they violate God's law by eating meat without properly draining the blood first. Saul stops them and makes them go through the proper ceremonial process. Then verse 35: "Saul built an altar to the Lord. It was the first altar that he had built to the Lord."
That's striking. A leader of his stature, leading God's people, and this is his first time building an altar. Then Saul says, "Let us go down after the Philistines by night. We got them on their heels, so let's keep chasing and plunder them until morning. Let us not leave a man of them." The soldiers respond: "Do whatever seems good to you."
Now, husbands, let me give you a quick marriage tip: If your wife says "whatever, whatever you want to do," it's a trap. It's not real. Don't trust it. Saul's soldiers are saying the same thing—it's not an enthusiastic endorsement.
But the priest says, "Hold on. Let us draw near to God here." So verse 37: Saul inquired of God, "Shall I go down after the Philistines, Lord, will you give them into the hand of Israel?" But God did not answer them that day.
You have to interpret this in context. Because of Saul's sin in chapter 13, God had removed his blessing and divine endorsement. When it says "God did not answer him," that's divine judgment against Saul.
But here's the problem: Saul is so spiritually disconnected, so spiritually insensitive, so spiritually dull that he does not understand what's happening. He freaks out. He assumes there must be sin in the camp. So he goes on a witch hunt.
Verse 38: "Saul said, 'Come here all you leaders of the people and know and see how this sin has arisen today. For as the Lord lives who saves Israel, though it be even if it be Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.'" Nobody's willing to speak up. Saul has them cast lots to identify the person who sinned. The lot falls to Jonathan. Jonathan confesses he ate a little honey.
Verse 44: "Saul said, 'God, do so to me and more also, you shall surely die, Jonathan.'" This is crazy. Saul's soldiers can't believe what they're hearing. You're about to kill your son because he ate some honey.
Verse 45: "Then the people said to Saul, 'Shall Jonathan die? Who has worked this great salvation in Israel? Far from it. As the Lord lives, there shall not be one hair of his head that will fall to the ground. For he has worked with God this day.'" The people draw a line in the sand. They rescue Jonathan so that he does not die. Then Saul gives up on pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines go to their own place.
Verses 47-52 wrap up with a summary: Saul had been outwardly successful from a human perspective, but he was a failure from God's perspective.
Let me ask: What does this have to do with us today in 2026?
You know Steve Jobs was a genius. He revolutionized multiple industries—Apple, Pixar, music, phones. But if you read his biography, you know Steve Jobs did not have the best reputation. One writer put it this way:
"When people talk about Steve Jobs, they usually think about the legend...the man who reinvented computers, music, and phones...He's become a symbol of creativity, perfection, and almost supernatural taste. But there's another version of him that appears only when you ask the people who actually spent time in the room with him, who worked under him, who built Apple's products with him. Because alongside the genius, there is someone who could be cruel, manipulative, punishing, and emotionally volatile. Someone who broke people down as easily as he built products up."
Another writer noted: "While Steve Jobs was a successful leader, entrepreneur, and visionary, he fell considerably short of the qualities possessed by the very best leaders. His success and his charisma overshadows all of his bad qualities and behaviors."
The unfortunate reality is that this can also be true in churches and among Christian leaders and Christian organizations. I've had pretty wide exposure to pastors—not just because I'm a pastor and grew up as one, but because my first job after college was working with pastors across the country. I can genuinely say most pastors are humbly and faithfully doing the work, trying to serve God's people. But we've all seen the headlines. We've all heard of or experienced leaders who bear the name of Jesus, who serve among God's people in the church, who are manipulative or even abusive.
So we need to talk about it. And I think that's why God put this passage—this snapshot of Saul's leadership—in the Bible.
What can we learn from Saul's leadership? Four warning signs of toxic leadership. Now, before I even dive in, I know some of you, especially maybe some of our older brothers and sisters, are already rolling your eyes, because "toxic" is just a buzzword we throw around so much that it can lose its meaning.
Let me be clear: Your boss is not toxic because they require you to be at work on time. Your boss is not toxic because your performance review included a review of your performance. Your teacher is not toxic because they gave you a zero on an exam you didn't turn in. Your teacher is not toxic because they scheduled an exam on your birthday.
When I say toxic, I'm talking about patterns of leadership that consistently damage the people they're supposed to serve. That's what we see in Saul's leadership.
This is a pattern throughout Saul's story from the very beginning. You might remember: In 1 Samuel 8, when Saul and his servant are looking for his father's donkeys, it's the servant who suggests they go find the prophet Samuel. It doesn't come to Saul's mind. The most famous prophet in all of Israel doesn't cross his mind.
You see the same thing in chapter 14. It's the priest who has to stop Saul and remind him to draw near to God before battle. Whenever Saul initiates any kind of spiritual activity, it's almost always in an attempt to get God's endorsement—to use God to advance his own agenda. There's no pattern of true intimate communion with God.
In a country full of Christian symbols, Christian language, and Christian institutions, it is very easy to project a Christian image. You see this in leaders who pray before a public meal or start a ministry meeting, but it seems more like a quick formality than the overflow of a personal connection with God. You see it in leaders who reference the Bible, but it doesn't seem to really flow out of them. You don't see biblical priorities shaping and driving their actual lifestyle and character.
It is very easy to use the name of God, to use the name of Jesus, to identify yourself with a Christian heritage and yet not have authentic conviction that shapes the way you actually live and show up in the world. Jesus constantly confronts religious leaders about the gap between the image they project and the reality of the character and life they actually live.
One of our leadership values here as a church is "lead from overflow."
Compare Jonathan and Saul for a minute. Remember: Jonathan was a successful leader too. He successfully attacked a Philistine garrison in chapter 13, and another garrison in chapter 14—just him and his armor bearer.
Before he went to attack, what did Jonathan say? Chapter 14:6:
"Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, 'Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.'"
Jonathan took a bold step of faith because he trusted in God's power and cared about God's glory. Why does he want to take this risk? Because he knows how powerful God is. He says, "I'm willing to put myself at risk because I want to see the name and power of God glorified and lifted up."
But compare that to King Saul. Two little words reveal Saul's heart and his leadership. Verse 24, the second half: Saul imposed an oath saying, "Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies."
You catch that? It's a self-centered motivation. He is obsessed with himself, focused on himself. He is more committed to and passionate about protecting his own reputation, advancing his own agenda, spreading his own glory than he is the agenda and glory of God.
This is the opposite of godly leadership. Even the eternal Son of God—who had all authority, all power, all dominion, all glory—left all of that, wrapped himself in human flesh, and in his earthly ministry, you know what he continued to say? "I came to do my Father's will." That's the model for us. Even in the garden of Gethsemane he says, "Not my will but your will be done," lifting up the will of his Father as a pattern for the life of those who follow him.
Beware of leaders who are more committed to their agenda, more passionate about their way of doing things, than God's agenda.
Saul's soldiers are struggling. Look at how the passage describes them. Verse 26: The people are afraid because they feared the consequences of the oath. Verses 28 and 31: The people were famished and exhausted to the point of fainting. All the people under Saul's leadership show signs of their health breaking down. Saul doesn't care.
The most telling description is right at the beginning: Verse 24. "And the men of Israel have been hard-pressed that day."
If you've been tracking with us in 1 Samuel, that should ring a bell. It's the same word used earlier in chapter 13 when Saul's army was being attacked by the Philistines. "Hard-pressed" means to be oppressed, to feel squeezed or trapped by circumstances beyond your control.
Here's the irony: Earlier, Israel is hard-pressed because of massive Philistine pressure. Here, the Philistines are defeated. But Israel is still hard-pressed because of Saul. One writer put it this way: "Saul shows a strange ability to turn deliverance into distress."
What should have been an honor to serve has now become an overwhelming, stressful burden. God did not require the Israelite army to fast during their battles. This was something Saul was imposing on them. Maybe he thought it would give them a spiritual edge. Maybe it was a motivational strategy. But in reality, all it did was destroy morale and make them ineffective. Saul's decision was foolish, selfish, counterproductive, and unnecessarily harmful.
And here's the thing: Saul can't see it. Why? Because all he seems to care about is getting the job done.
This is precisely why the prophet Samuel had warned God's people about choosing an ungodly king. In 1 Samuel 8:11, Samuel said:
"These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you. He will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of 50s and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks and you shall be his slaves. He will use you to accomplish his agenda no matter what it takes."
That's Saul's leadership. The morale is so low that his soldiers are just going through the motions.
Listen to me, leaders: A lack of care will undermine your credibility just as quickly as a lack of competence. I remember in my own leadership here, one of our graphic designers pulled me aside and said, "Hey man, thanks so much for the feedback you give. It would be really helpful if sometimes you let us know what you like." I didn't even realize it. I'm moving so fast that I'm just like, "Hey, we need to change this." I wasn't trying to be mean—I just move fast. But that compounded over time deprives people under your leadership of one of the things they need: encouragement.
One of our leadership values here as a church is "out-do with honor." We go out of our way to celebrate and value and serve others.
One of my favorite descriptions of Jesus is this: Jesus has the most significant and consequential mission that anybody has ever had in the history of the world. He has three years to accomplish it. And there's this scene where Jesus and his disciples are just walking through a field, plucking pieces of grain and eating it. Why is it there? Because we have a leader who doesn't just see through you or see beyond you to accomplish what he wants. He sees you. He's willing to slow down long enough to see what you need and to care for what you need.
This is how Jesus describes his leadership. Matthew 11:28:
"Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Jesus is not saying, "Don't worry about your work." Come on. Don't show up at the office tomorrow and tell your boss that. The harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few. There is work to do—the most significant, consequential work. But there's a way of working with Jesus, in his power, at his pace, that can actually be life-giving.
A poet named Joshua Luke Smith wrote something that struck me. It's worth repeating:
"You're not a tool in the belt of a workman. You're the wallpaper in God's own phone. You're the picture in his wallet. You're his first thought in his sonnet. You weren't made to be used, but to be known."
God sees you. He delights in you. He invites you to participate in his work—as a teacher, an evangelist, a missionary, a military leader, whatever it is. But he sees you and he cares for you. And as leaders who bear his name, this is what our leadership should look like.
Beware of leaders who use people but don't care for them.
Think about what happens when King David is confronted about his sin versus when King Saul is confronted. David was a wild boy. He had an affair with a soldier's wife while the soldier was deployed, got her pregnant, tried to cover it up, and ordered a hit on his own soldier.
When the prophet Nathan comes to confront him, Nathan tells a fable about a leader who was super abusive to the people under his leadership. David says, "Who is that? Point him out!" Nathan says, "You are that man."
King David humbles himself. He wasn't self-aware before; now he is. He's not just aware of the effect on other people. He's aware of how seriously he has offended God. And this is where we get Psalm 32 and Psalm 51, because King David humbled himself before God and others and genuinely repented.
Now contrast that with King Saul. God doesn't answer his prayer. Saul thinks, "This must be because of somebody's sin." He goes on a witch hunt to pin the problem on somebody else. He's literally about to kill his own son for eating honey. And it never dawns on him that he might be the problem.
This is a chronic pattern in Saul's leadership. We never see him take full responsibility for his own sin. When he's confronted in chapter 13 about intentionally disobeying God's word by offering the burnt sacrifice himself, what does he do? He downplays his sin and shifts the blame.
Listen to this: Chapter 13, Samuel says, "What have you done?" And Saul says, "Well, when I saw that the people were scattering from me and that you did not come within the days appointed and that the Philistines had mustered that Michmash, I said, 'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal and I've not sought the favor of the Lord. So I forced myself. I didn't really want to do it. It wasn't my fault. I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.'"
One writer notes: "One of the marks of an emotionally unhealthy leader is a lack of self-awareness—specifically, an inability to recognize how other people experience them." Saul seems completely unaware of what it's like to be led by Saul. His soldiers are exhausted because of his oath. Jonathan says, "My father has troubled the land." The people eventually have to intervene to keep Saul from killing his own son. Everybody can see the problem with Saul except Saul.
Here's the contrast: Saul was guilty but refused to take responsibility for his sin. Jesus was innocent yet willing to take responsibility for our sin. That's Jesus.
God in his word is just trying to get us to see and take responsibility for our sin. Jesus had no sin. But he who had no sin became sin for us so that through him we might become the righteousness of God. Jesus had no sin. But because of our sin, he came to earth, died on the cross, and bore our sins in his body on the tree so that you and I could be brought back to God and set free from our sin.
When we finally see that, when we take responsibility for it, when we realize that we cannot earn our way back into God's favor, we put our trust in Jesus and we are forgiven and set free.
That's what his leadership looks like. He gets the job done, but how he gets the job done—it's the overflow of his sacrificial love and his care. And he is driven by the joy set before him. So Jesus says to us: "Take the log out of your own eye before you point out the speck in somebody else's."
Four warning signs of toxic leadership:
I know this message lands differently on different people. Some of you are guilty of toxic leadership. Some of you have suffered under toxic leadership.
Some of you have been harsh or unreasonably demanding, maybe even abusive in your leadership. You're known for that. Let me say this in love, but I want to say it very clearly on the authority of God's word: That cannot be your reputation if you are a follower of Jesus.
I get it. When my dad was teaching me to drive in DC, I remember him saying, "If you don't learn how to drive aggressively, son, you ain't going to get nowhere in this city." He was right about driving. But there are so many of us who feel that way about leadership, especially in a town like DC and the DMV.
Let me say this to you: Being harsh and uncaring is not strong leadership. It is ungodly leadership. If that's you, you need to own it and repent. You need to confess that to God and to the people you lead. You need to commit to making concrete changes.
Pastor Annie Stanny had a line that sits with me: "What's it like to be on the other side of me?" That's a question you can ask the people around you.
Here's what you need to do: Go to work this week. Schedule a meeting with your direct reports. Say something like this:
I need to apologize to you. I'm a Christian, and my pastor preached a sermon this Sunday that really convicted me. I realized I haven't been the kind of leader God wants me to be. Here are some specific examples where I think I've been harsh or unfair or unreasonably demanding. How else have you seen that in my leadership? And how has that affected you?
Then you stop and you listen. After you listen, say this:
I'm sorry for mistreating you and here are some of the specific changes I'm gonna make moving forward.
That's what repentance sounds like. This is very difficult to do. But hear me: It's much more difficult to have God oppose you. God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. So it's not too late to make a change.
Some of you have suffered under toxic leadership. I want to talk specifically to those of you who have suffered under toxic Christian leadership and it has rattled your faith. There's so much I could say here. You might need to process that with somebody. But let me say this:
Please do not allow a poor representative of Jesus to distort your view of the real Jesus. Sometimes we get it wrong. Sometimes we're not aware. Sometimes we are aware but we're so entrenched that we continue in our sin. Listen to me: While it might take us a while to see it or a while to repent of what we now see, you don't allow our failures as leaders to keep you from experiencing and enjoying the leadership of the best leader who ever was.
Jesus said, "I came not to be served, but to serve and give my life as a ransom for many. I came that you might have life and experience it to the full." That is the ultimate leader. That desires you to flourish under his leadership.
Maybe today you need to make a decision. Honestly, the story of all of us is that we have all been guilty of toxic leadership. It may not be leading somebody else. It's been leading ourselves—the way we've been living our own life and making our own choices. It has been toxic for us. The Bible calls it sin. And it's not just harmful to you. It's offensive to God.
And God loved you and me so much that with all of our failures and with all of our flaws, while we were yet sinners, Christ gave his life for us and to us.
Good morning. We're continuing in a series called "Rise and Ruin," looking at the leadership of King Saul in 1 Samuel. Before we dive in, let me ask you a quick question: Who is the best leader you've ever worked under? A coach, a boss, a ministry leader?
When I ask what made that person so good, chances are the answer has something to do with the effect they had on you. The best leaders bring out the best in the people they lead. One of my favorite descriptions of leadership in the Bible is from 2 Samuel 23:3:
"The God of Israel has spoken. The rock of Israel has said to me, 'When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God,' listen to the effect. He dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth."
That's a picture of good leadership. When godly leadership is present, people flourish, things grow. Life gets better. Godly leadership isn't just about what you accomplish—it's about what happens to the people you lead.
In the New Testament, the qualifications for church leaders focus almost entirely on character, not competency. Why? Because godly leadership is designed to be a real-time reflection of God's own wisdom and character. That principle extends beyond the church to leadership in families, workplaces, government, and broader society.
But here's the flip side: When leadership becomes unhealthy, the people underneath it suffer. And that's exactly what we see in Saul's leadership.
Let's read from verse 24. The men of Israel have been hard-pressed that day. Saul had laid an oath on the people. The oath was this: "Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening, and I am avenged on my enemies."
So Saul's soldiers are pursuing the Philistines into the woods, starving. Then verse 25: "Now when all the people came to the forest, behold, there was honey on the ground."
Remember, they're in the promised land—a land flowing with milk and honey. Wild bees produced abundant honey back then. Honey is a delicacy in scripture, symbolizing blessing and abundance. This is a picture of God's lavish care and provision for these weary soldiers. But verse 26: "When the people entered the forest, behold, the honey was dropping, but no one put his hand to his mouth. Why? For the people feared the oath."
Here's the tension: Verse 27. Jonathan, Saul's son, hadn't heard his father's charge. So he dipped his staff in the honeycomb and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes became bright. "His eyes became bright" is a Hebrew expression meaning he was re-energized.
We all know that feeling when you've been starving and finally get that first bite. Some of you get hangry—hungry and angry. When you're really hungry, your blood sugar drops, triggering stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. That's why you feel super irritable and on edge. When you finally eat, it brings your blood sugar back up and lowers those hormones. Plus, tasting food releases dopamine in your brain, creating an immediate sensation of pleasure and satisfaction.
So Jonathan is like a kid with honey all over his hands and mouth, feeling amazing. Then verse 28: someone tells him his father charged the people with an oath. And Jonathan says a heavy statement: "My father has troubled the land."
That's not a casual complaint—that's divine judgment. Instead of being a blessing to the land and people, Saul's leadership has become a burden. Jonathan explains: "See how my eyes have become bright because I tasted a little of this honey. How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies that they found. For now, the defeat among the Philistines has not been great."
In other words, they would have defeated even more Philistines had they been able to eat and refuel. Yet despite this, they still made progress—they drove the Philistines back from Michmash about 16 miles to Aijalon. But verse 31: "The people were very faint."
Now they're allowed to eat. The people are so hungry they violate God's law by eating meat without properly draining the blood first. Saul stops them and makes them go through the proper ceremonial process. Then verse 35: "Saul built an altar to the Lord. It was the first altar that he had built to the Lord."
That's striking. A leader of his stature, leading God's people, and this is his first time building an altar. Then Saul says, "Let us go down after the Philistines by night. We got them on their heels, so let's keep chasing and plunder them until morning. Let us not leave a man of them." The soldiers respond: "Do whatever seems good to you."
Now, husbands, let me give you a quick marriage tip: If your wife says "whatever, whatever you want to do," it's a trap. It's not real. Don't trust it. Saul's soldiers are saying the same thing—it's not an enthusiastic endorsement.
But the priest says, "Hold on. Let us draw near to God here." So verse 37: Saul inquired of God, "Shall I go down after the Philistines, Lord, will you give them into the hand of Israel?" But God did not answer them that day.
You have to interpret this in context. Because of Saul's sin in chapter 13, God had removed his blessing and divine endorsement. When it says "God did not answer him," that's divine judgment against Saul.
But here's the problem: Saul is so spiritually disconnected, so spiritually insensitive, so spiritually dull that he does not understand what's happening. He freaks out. He assumes there must be sin in the camp. So he goes on a witch hunt.
Verse 38: "Saul said, 'Come here all you leaders of the people and know and see how this sin has arisen today. For as the Lord lives who saves Israel, though it be even if it be Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.'" Nobody's willing to speak up. Saul has them cast lots to identify the person who sinned. The lot falls to Jonathan. Jonathan confesses he ate a little honey.
Verse 44: "Saul said, 'God, do so to me and more also, you shall surely die, Jonathan.'" This is crazy. Saul's soldiers can't believe what they're hearing. You're about to kill your son because he ate some honey.
Verse 45: "Then the people said to Saul, 'Shall Jonathan die? Who has worked this great salvation in Israel? Far from it. As the Lord lives, there shall not be one hair of his head that will fall to the ground. For he has worked with God this day.'" The people draw a line in the sand. They rescue Jonathan so that he does not die. Then Saul gives up on pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines go to their own place.
Verses 47-52 wrap up with a summary: Saul had been outwardly successful from a human perspective, but he was a failure from God's perspective.
Let me ask: What does this have to do with us today in 2026?
You know Steve Jobs was a genius. He revolutionized multiple industries—Apple, Pixar, music, phones. But if you read his biography, you know Steve Jobs did not have the best reputation. One writer put it this way:
"When people talk about Steve Jobs, they usually think about the legend...the man who reinvented computers, music, and phones...He's become a symbol of creativity, perfection, and almost supernatural taste. But there's another version of him that appears only when you ask the people who actually spent time in the room with him, who worked under him, who built Apple's products with him. Because alongside the genius, there is someone who could be cruel, manipulative, punishing, and emotionally volatile. Someone who broke people down as easily as he built products up."
Another writer noted: "While Steve Jobs was a successful leader, entrepreneur, and visionary, he fell considerably short of the qualities possessed by the very best leaders. His success and his charisma overshadows all of his bad qualities and behaviors."
The unfortunate reality is that this can also be true in churches and among Christian leaders and Christian organizations. I've had pretty wide exposure to pastors—not just because I'm a pastor and grew up as one, but because my first job after college was working with pastors across the country. I can genuinely say most pastors are humbly and faithfully doing the work, trying to serve God's people. But we've all seen the headlines. We've all heard of or experienced leaders who bear the name of Jesus, who serve among God's people in the church, who are manipulative or even abusive.
So we need to talk about it. And I think that's why God put this passage—this snapshot of Saul's leadership—in the Bible.
What can we learn from Saul's leadership? Four warning signs of toxic leadership. Now, before I even dive in, I know some of you, especially maybe some of our older brothers and sisters, are already rolling your eyes, because "toxic" is just a buzzword we throw around so much that it can lose its meaning.
Let me be clear: Your boss is not toxic because they require you to be at work on time. Your boss is not toxic because your performance review included a review of your performance. Your teacher is not toxic because they gave you a zero on an exam you didn't turn in. Your teacher is not toxic because they scheduled an exam on your birthday.
When I say toxic, I'm talking about patterns of leadership that consistently damage the people they're supposed to serve. That's what we see in Saul's leadership.
This is a pattern throughout Saul's story from the very beginning. You might remember: In 1 Samuel 8, when Saul and his servant are looking for his father's donkeys, it's the servant who suggests they go find the prophet Samuel. It doesn't come to Saul's mind. The most famous prophet in all of Israel doesn't cross his mind.
You see the same thing in chapter 14. It's the priest who has to stop Saul and remind him to draw near to God before battle. Whenever Saul initiates any kind of spiritual activity, it's almost always in an attempt to get God's endorsement—to use God to advance his own agenda. There's no pattern of true intimate communion with God.
In a country full of Christian symbols, Christian language, and Christian institutions, it is very easy to project a Christian image. You see this in leaders who pray before a public meal or start a ministry meeting, but it seems more like a quick formality than the overflow of a personal connection with God. You see it in leaders who reference the Bible, but it doesn't seem to really flow out of them. You don't see biblical priorities shaping and driving their actual lifestyle and character.
It is very easy to use the name of God, to use the name of Jesus, to identify yourself with a Christian heritage and yet not have authentic conviction that shapes the way you actually live and show up in the world. Jesus constantly confronts religious leaders about the gap between the image they project and the reality of the character and life they actually live.
One of our leadership values here as a church is "lead from overflow."
Compare Jonathan and Saul for a minute. Remember: Jonathan was a successful leader too. He successfully attacked a Philistine garrison in chapter 13, and another garrison in chapter 14—just him and his armor bearer.
Before he went to attack, what did Jonathan say? Chapter 14:6:
"Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, 'Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.'"
Jonathan took a bold step of faith because he trusted in God's power and cared about God's glory. Why does he want to take this risk? Because he knows how powerful God is. He says, "I'm willing to put myself at risk because I want to see the name and power of God glorified and lifted up."
But compare that to King Saul. Two little words reveal Saul's heart and his leadership. Verse 24, the second half: Saul imposed an oath saying, "Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies."
You catch that? It's a self-centered motivation. He is obsessed with himself, focused on himself. He is more committed to and passionate about protecting his own reputation, advancing his own agenda, spreading his own glory than he is the agenda and glory of God.
This is the opposite of godly leadership. Even the eternal Son of God—who had all authority, all power, all dominion, all glory—left all of that, wrapped himself in human flesh, and in his earthly ministry, you know what he continued to say? "I came to do my Father's will." That's the model for us. Even in the garden of Gethsemane he says, "Not my will but your will be done," lifting up the will of his Father as a pattern for the life of those who follow him.
Beware of leaders who are more committed to their agenda, more passionate about their way of doing things, than God's agenda.
Saul's soldiers are struggling. Look at how the passage describes them. Verse 26: The people are afraid because they feared the consequences of the oath. Verses 28 and 31: The people were famished and exhausted to the point of fainting. All the people under Saul's leadership show signs of their health breaking down. Saul doesn't care.
The most telling description is right at the beginning: Verse 24. "And the men of Israel have been hard-pressed that day."
If you've been tracking with us in 1 Samuel, that should ring a bell. It's the same word used earlier in chapter 13 when Saul's army was being attacked by the Philistines. "Hard-pressed" means to be oppressed, to feel squeezed or trapped by circumstances beyond your control.
Here's the irony: Earlier, Israel is hard-pressed because of massive Philistine pressure. Here, the Philistines are defeated. But Israel is still hard-pressed because of Saul. One writer put it this way: "Saul shows a strange ability to turn deliverance into distress."
What should have been an honor to serve has now become an overwhelming, stressful burden. God did not require the Israelite army to fast during their battles. This was something Saul was imposing on them. Maybe he thought it would give them a spiritual edge. Maybe it was a motivational strategy. But in reality, all it did was destroy morale and make them ineffective. Saul's decision was foolish, selfish, counterproductive, and unnecessarily harmful.
And here's the thing: Saul can't see it. Why? Because all he seems to care about is getting the job done.
This is precisely why the prophet Samuel had warned God's people about choosing an ungodly king. In 1 Samuel 8:11, Samuel said:
"These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you. He will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of 50s and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks and you shall be his slaves. He will use you to accomplish his agenda no matter what it takes."
That's Saul's leadership. The morale is so low that his soldiers are just going through the motions.
Listen to me, leaders: A lack of care will undermine your credibility just as quickly as a lack of competence. I remember in my own leadership here, one of our graphic designers pulled me aside and said, "Hey man, thanks so much for the feedback you give. It would be really helpful if sometimes you let us know what you like." I didn't even realize it. I'm moving so fast that I'm just like, "Hey, we need to change this." I wasn't trying to be mean—I just move fast. But that compounded over time deprives people under your leadership of one of the things they need: encouragement.
One of our leadership values here as a church is "out-do with honor." We go out of our way to celebrate and value and serve others.
One of my favorite descriptions of Jesus is this: Jesus has the most significant and consequential mission that anybody has ever had in the history of the world. He has three years to accomplish it. And there's this scene where Jesus and his disciples are just walking through a field, plucking pieces of grain and eating it. Why is it there? Because we have a leader who doesn't just see through you or see beyond you to accomplish what he wants. He sees you. He's willing to slow down long enough to see what you need and to care for what you need.
This is how Jesus describes his leadership. Matthew 11:28:
"Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Jesus is not saying, "Don't worry about your work." Come on. Don't show up at the office tomorrow and tell your boss that. The harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few. There is work to do—the most significant, consequential work. But there's a way of working with Jesus, in his power, at his pace, that can actually be life-giving.
A poet named Joshua Luke Smith wrote something that struck me. It's worth repeating:
"You're not a tool in the belt of a workman. You're the wallpaper in God's own phone. You're the picture in his wallet. You're his first thought in his sonnet. You weren't made to be used, but to be known."
God sees you. He delights in you. He invites you to participate in his work—as a teacher, an evangelist, a missionary, a military leader, whatever it is. But he sees you and he cares for you. And as leaders who bear his name, this is what our leadership should look like.
Beware of leaders who use people but don't care for them.
Think about what happens when King David is confronted about his sin versus when King Saul is confronted. David was a wild boy. He had an affair with a soldier's wife while the soldier was deployed, got her pregnant, tried to cover it up, and ordered a hit on his own soldier.
When the prophet Nathan comes to confront him, Nathan tells a fable about a leader who was super abusive to the people under his leadership. David says, "Who is that? Point him out!" Nathan says, "You are that man."
King David humbles himself. He wasn't self-aware before; now he is. He's not just aware of the effect on other people. He's aware of how seriously he has offended God. And this is where we get Psalm 32 and Psalm 51, because King David humbled himself before God and others and genuinely repented.
Now contrast that with King Saul. God doesn't answer his prayer. Saul thinks, "This must be because of somebody's sin." He goes on a witch hunt to pin the problem on somebody else. He's literally about to kill his own son for eating honey. And it never dawns on him that he might be the problem.
This is a chronic pattern in Saul's leadership. We never see him take full responsibility for his own sin. When he's confronted in chapter 13 about intentionally disobeying God's word by offering the burnt sacrifice himself, what does he do? He downplays his sin and shifts the blame.
Listen to this: Chapter 13, Samuel says, "What have you done?" And Saul says, "Well, when I saw that the people were scattering from me and that you did not come within the days appointed and that the Philistines had mustered that Michmash, I said, 'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal and I've not sought the favor of the Lord. So I forced myself. I didn't really want to do it. It wasn't my fault. I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.'"
One writer notes: "One of the marks of an emotionally unhealthy leader is a lack of self-awareness—specifically, an inability to recognize how other people experience them." Saul seems completely unaware of what it's like to be led by Saul. His soldiers are exhausted because of his oath. Jonathan says, "My father has troubled the land." The people eventually have to intervene to keep Saul from killing his own son. Everybody can see the problem with Saul except Saul.
Here's the contrast: Saul was guilty but refused to take responsibility for his sin. Jesus was innocent yet willing to take responsibility for our sin. That's Jesus.
God in his word is just trying to get us to see and take responsibility for our sin. Jesus had no sin. But he who had no sin became sin for us so that through him we might become the righteousness of God. Jesus had no sin. But because of our sin, he came to earth, died on the cross, and bore our sins in his body on the tree so that you and I could be brought back to God and set free from our sin.
When we finally see that, when we take responsibility for it, when we realize that we cannot earn our way back into God's favor, we put our trust in Jesus and we are forgiven and set free.
That's what his leadership looks like. He gets the job done, but how he gets the job done—it's the overflow of his sacrificial love and his care. And he is driven by the joy set before him. So Jesus says to us: "Take the log out of your own eye before you point out the speck in somebody else's."
Four warning signs of toxic leadership:
I know this message lands differently on different people. Some of you are guilty of toxic leadership. Some of you have suffered under toxic leadership.
Some of you have been harsh or unreasonably demanding, maybe even abusive in your leadership. You're known for that. Let me say this in love, but I want to say it very clearly on the authority of God's word: That cannot be your reputation if you are a follower of Jesus.
I get it. When my dad was teaching me to drive in DC, I remember him saying, "If you don't learn how to drive aggressively, son, you ain't going to get nowhere in this city." He was right about driving. But there are so many of us who feel that way about leadership, especially in a town like DC and the DMV.
Let me say this to you: Being harsh and uncaring is not strong leadership. It is ungodly leadership. If that's you, you need to own it and repent. You need to confess that to God and to the people you lead. You need to commit to making concrete changes.
Pastor Annie Stanny had a line that sits with me: "What's it like to be on the other side of me?" That's a question you can ask the people around you.
Here's what you need to do: Go to work this week. Schedule a meeting with your direct reports. Say something like this:
I need to apologize to you. I'm a Christian, and my pastor preached a sermon this Sunday that really convicted me. I realized I haven't been the kind of leader God wants me to be. Here are some specific examples where I think I've been harsh or unfair or unreasonably demanding. How else have you seen that in my leadership? And how has that affected you?
Then you stop and you listen. After you listen, say this:
I'm sorry for mistreating you and here are some of the specific changes I'm gonna make moving forward.
That's what repentance sounds like. This is very difficult to do. But hear me: It's much more difficult to have God oppose you. God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. So it's not too late to make a change.
Some of you have suffered under toxic leadership. I want to talk specifically to those of you who have suffered under toxic Christian leadership and it has rattled your faith. There's so much I could say here. You might need to process that with somebody. But let me say this:
Please do not allow a poor representative of Jesus to distort your view of the real Jesus. Sometimes we get it wrong. Sometimes we're not aware. Sometimes we are aware but we're so entrenched that we continue in our sin. Listen to me: While it might take us a while to see it or a while to repent of what we now see, you don't allow our failures as leaders to keep you from experiencing and enjoying the leadership of the best leader who ever was.
Jesus said, "I came not to be served, but to serve and give my life as a ransom for many. I came that you might have life and experience it to the full." That is the ultimate leader. That desires you to flourish under his leadership.
Maybe today you need to make a decision. Honestly, the story of all of us is that we have all been guilty of toxic leadership. It may not be leading somebody else. It's been leading ourselves—the way we've been living our own life and making our own choices. It has been toxic for us. The Bible calls it sin. And it's not just harmful to you. It's offensive to God.
And God loved you and me so much that with all of our failures and with all of our flaws, while we were yet sinners, Christ gave his life for us and to us.
