1 Samuel Chapter 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.

1. Who were the Ammonites?

The Ammonites were the descendants of Lot through his incestuous relationships with one of his daughters. The Moabites were the result of his incestuous relationship with the other daughter. They lived on the eastern side of the Jordan River in what is now what is called Jordan. The Ammonites, the Moabites, the Edomites, and the Ishmaelites were all related to the Israelites. All of these groups came into conflict with the Hebrews at one time or another.

36 Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. 37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day. 38 The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites to this day. Gen 19:36-38 (ESV)

2. Why would Nahash want to gouge out the right eyes of the men of Jabesh?

The men of Jabesh were known for their archery skills. Archers need the vision of both eyes to have the depth perception to aim their arrows effectively.

Also, in those times they fought with shields in their left hands, which covered their left eye, so that a soldier without his right eye was in effect blind.

3. Why would the Ammonites give the people of Jabesh Gilead 7 days to get help?

The city of Jabesh Gilead was considered very weak and because of the disunity of the Israelite nation and that they had no military leader, Nahash, whose name means snake, was overconfident.

Nahash’s willingness to let his enemies appeal for help shows that he had no fear that threatening reinforcements would come. He was sure of his superiority and may even have viewed the delay as an opportunity to insure victory. At this time Israel lacked a central government, national solidarity, and a standing army.

This is similar to the attitude that many in the military of the Japanese Empire shared as they plan their attack on Pearl Harbor. The figured the U. S. was so militarily weak and disunified that after they destroyed our fleet we would retreat to the mainland and give them free reign to dominate the Pacific. A serious miscalculation fostered by over confidence.

4. Why were the people Gibeah so upset about the threat to Jabesh Gilead a city almost 42 miles away?

The tribe of Benjamin of which Saul was now its most prominent member had been almost completely wiped out by the other tribes in a civil war (Judges 19-21).

Only 600 men survived and all the women and children were put to the sword. Afterward the other tribes felt bad about what they had done. They began to think that they would have to get wives for the surviving Benjamite men, otherwise the tribe of Benjamin would die out. To further complicate the situation, during the war all the tribes had sworn an oath that none of their daughters or sisters would be allowed to marry a Benjamite. So they went up to Jabesh Gilead, captured 400 virgin women and brought them to the Benjamite men as wives. (They also stopped by Shiloh and kidnapped 200 more there). As a result of all this the Benjamites were closely related to the people of Jabesh Gilead. Their grandmothers and great grandmothers were from there.

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.

 

4. If Saul has just been chosen king of Israel, why was he returning from the fields behind his oxen?

Until this point Saul was King of Israel in name only. He still did not think of himself as a king and went back to his “day job”.

5. Can you think of any people, who during a crisis, rose to the occasion?

Circumstances many times propel people to positions of greatness.

For Abraham Lincoln it was the start of the Civil War. At that moment the Union recognized him as more than a backwoods Illinois lawyer.

For Martin Luther it was the day he nailed the 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church at Whittenberg Germany, denouncing the abuses of the Roman Catholic Church. At that moment events began to spiral to the point where he was no longer just another priest, but the leader of the reformation.

For George W. #43 it was 911. At that point he was no longer that bumbler who couldn’t pronounce the names of many of this fellow world leaders and coined words like “strategery”, to being the relentless enemy of the Axis of Evil.

The list goes on. Churchhill, Joan of Ark, Alvin York, Schendler, Martin Luther King, Ghandi.

For Saul it was the day he began to act in Israel’s behalf as king.

6. If the Spirit of God came upon him in power, why would he burn with anger?

I thought the fruit of the Spirit was love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control?

14 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Ex 4:14 (ESV)

And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger. Ex 11:8 (ESV)

So I swore in My anger, they will not enter My rest. Heb 4:3 (HCSB)

25  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. 27  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Matt 23:25-28 (ESV)

Do you think Jesus was angry when He said this?

Is anger a legitimate function of the Holy Spirit?

26  Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. Eph 4:26-27 (ESV)

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.”

 

7. What would you think if the UPS driver dropped off parts of an oxen and your door with a note “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel.”?

It’s sort of like in “The Godfather”where the Corleones get the dead fish, (Luca Bratzee sleeps with the fishes) and the movie producer wakes with the horses head in his bed. These are messages that get your attention.

8. What was the result of Saul’s message of the oxen to the tribes?

This was no joke. To the farmers of Israel an ox was like their tractor. If they lost their ox then it would likely mean starvation for their families.

“and they came out as one man.” After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the recruiting centers were lined up with men trying to enlist. Everyone had the same idea.

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.

9. The fact that Saul separated his men into three divisions tells us what about Saul?

When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. Gen 14:14-15 (ESV)

16 And he divided the 300 men into three companies and put trumpets into the hands of all of them and empty jars, with torches inside the jars. Judges 7:16 (ESV) (Gideon)

After assembling 330,000 soldiers at Bezek, 12 miles west of Jabesh Gilead, Saul marched all night and early in the morning (the last watch was the third of the night} engaged the Ammonites in battle, and slaughtered them.

Saul became a capable military leader.

At West Point the battle tactics of men like Saul and Joshua are still studied.

How is it that men who had been farmers and herdsmen are suddenly transformed into generals?

The power of God.

“When the Spirit of the LORD comes upon men it will make them expert even without experience” Matthew Henry

How is it that farmers and tradesman defeated the most disciplines and well-equipped army of the time, the British during the revolutionary war?

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.

10. What did the great victory signify to the people of Israel?

It told them they had been right in calling for a king.

That God had given them the king they needed to defeat their enemy.

That now they didn’t have to be afraid of their enemies.

That Saul was the right guy for the job.

That prosperity was just around the corner.

11. Nobody had said anything about the men who criticized Saul before, why now are they calling for their blood.

When things are going good we all like to be seen as totally unified and part of the winning team. When things are going bad, “I don’t even know them, I had nothing to do with them, I never really agreed with them”.

12. Why didn’t Saul get those dissenters and kill them. Would it not have been the popular thing to do? After all, the majority wanted them killed?

Saul’s life was under the control of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit is not vengeful.

Leaders do not do what is popular, they do what is right.

13. Why was it necessary for the people to reaffirm Saul as king?

They recognized that God was indeed with Saul and they wanted to publically recommit themselves to his leadership.

NIVSN……………….NIV Study Notes.

JVM ………………….J Vernon McGee,

ACC ………………… Adam Clarke’s Commentary

BN ……………………Barnes Notes

WBC………….…….Wycliffe Bible Commentary

CN ……….…………..Constables Notes

IC……………….…….Ironside Commentary

NET…………….…….Net Bible Study Notes.

JFB……………………Jamieson Fausset  Brown Commentary

VWS………………….Vincent Word Studies

CMM………………..Commentary on Matthew and Mark

BDB……………..….Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (NT)

Darby……………….John Darby’s Synopsis of the OT and NT

Johnson……………Johnson’s Notes on the New Testament.

NTCMM…………..The New Testament Commentary:  Matthew and Mark.

EHS………………….Expositions of the Holy Scriptures

CPP…………………The Complete Pulpit Commentary

SBC…………………..Sermon Bible Commentary

K&D…………………Keil and Deilitzsch Commentary on the OT

EBC……………….…Expositors Bible Commentary

CBSC……………….Cambridge Bible for Schools and College

GC……………………Guzik Commentary

RD…………………..Robert  Deffinbaugh

NSB …………………The Nelson Study Bible

MHC…………………Matthew Henry Commentary

ESVN……………..….ESV Study Bible Notes

MSBN……………….MacArthur NASB Study Notes

CSTTB………………..Chuck Smith Through the Bible

 

“Fair Use “ Notice – Title 17 U.S.C. section 107

The above post may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. It is being made available in an effort to advance the understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, social justice, for the purpose of historical debate, and to advance the understanding of Christian conservative issues.  It is believed that this constitutes a ”fair use” of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the Copyright Law. In accordance with the title 17 U.S. C. section 107, the material in this post is shown without profit to those who have expressed an interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.