Friday, 19 August, 2005: Today’s Bible readings.

1 Samuel 11

¹ Then Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead, and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.” ² But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “On this condition I will make a treaty with you, that I gouge out all your right eyes, and thus bring disgrace on all Israel.” ³ The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days respite that we may send messengers through all the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to save us, we will give ourselves up to you.” ⁴ When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, they reported the matter in the ears of the people, and all the people wept aloud.

⁵ Now, behold, Saul was coming from the field behind the oxen. And Saul said, “What is wrong with the people, that they are weeping?” So they told him the news of the men of Jabesh. ⁶ And the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled. ⁷ He took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, “Whoever does not come out after Saul and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen!” Then the dread of the LORD fell upon the people, and they came out as one man. ⁸ When he mustered them at Bezek, the people of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. ⁹ And they said to the messengers who had come, “Thus shall you say to the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have deliverance.’” When the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh, they were glad. ¹⁰ Therefore the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will give ourselves up to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good to you.” ¹¹ And the next day Saul put the people in three companies. And they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

¹² Then the people said to Samuel, “Who is it that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring the men, that we may put them to death.” ¹³ But Saul said, “Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the LORD has worked salvation in Israel.” ¹⁴ Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingdom.” ¹⁵ So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they sacrificed peace offerings before the LORD, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

The book of Judges set the stage for 1 Samuel. Recall the very last words in Judges:

Judges 21:25

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Saul was anointed king by Samuel in chapter 10. He is then publicly proclaimed to be king by the lot in chapter 10. Here we see Saul taking his first action as king in saving the people of Jabesh-gilead.

What do we learn from this?

God raises up leaders within His people to lead them in a time of crisis. He works through these people to act to protect and preserve those who are His own. Thus Saul acts to unite the people of Israel in opposition to the oppression of the Ammonites. Saul is appointed to that task by God, and in Saul’s action, God saves His people. As Saul himself declares in verse 13, “[T]oday the LORD has worked salvation in Israel.”

And so God has worked to raise up a Moses, a Paul, an Augustine, an Athanatius, a Luther, a Machen to lead His people in times of crisis.

Where is Christ in this passage?

Saul was a very flawed king. He started out well, but quickly we see Saul disobey God’s command and forfeit the kingdom. He then spends the rest of his years in a murderous campaign against the one God has anointed to replace Saul.

David becomes king after Saul. He too is a sinful man and fails in many ways. But God makes a great promise to David. The great King will come from the line of David, and will rule as the perfect king. The great king will work to preserve and protect His people. He will save them from a greater threat than the Ammonites. This great king will save them from their sins and will reconcile them to God.

This great king is Jesus Christ, and He is perfectly reigning over His people and He is bringing the nations into submission to His will. He is the king of Israel.