The Enemy Encamps Against Israel
1 Samuel 11:1 Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you.” 2 And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, “On this condition I will make a covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes, and bring reproach on all Israel.” 3 Then the elders of Jabesh said to him,
“Hold off for seven days, that we may send messengers to all the territory of Israel. And then, if there is no one to save us, we will come out to you.”
"Jabesh-Gilead must have been re-populated after its destruction... The Ammonites and Moabites resented the possession of Gilead by the Israelites Judges 10:6-18; 11." (Albert Barnes) Nahash the Ammonite’s lie was that none could save them. He “came up and encamped against Jabesh Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, ‘Make a covenant with us and we will serve you.’”(1) “Take us for thy confederates, and not for thy slaves. This was to make as good terms for themselves as they could; but they should not have made any with that accursed nation, Deuteronomy 23:3.” (John Trapp)
And Nahash answered them, “On this condition I will make a covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes, and bring reproach on all Israel.” (2) “Thrust out all your right eyes - literally, scoop or hollow out the ball. This barbarous mutilation is the usual punishment of usurpers in the East-inflicted on chiefs.” (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown)
In this way, Nahash the Ammonite would disgrace the whole nation, by treating “some of their people in this opprobrious manner; for it must necessarily have reflected great dishonour upon the whole state, that they should suffer any of their people to be served so.” (Benson) Their ultimate aim was to destroy not just Jabesh Gilead but rather all of Israel.
The elders gave the condition of subjections. “But the elders of Israel said to him,” — “Observe the universal form of civil government among the Israelites, by elders (Judges 8:14, 16, etc.)” (Albert Barnes)— “Hold off for seven days, that we may send messengers to all the territory of Israel. And then, if there is no one to save us, we will come out to you.’” (3) “Nahash was so confident of himself that he allowed this just to expose the pathetic condition of all Israel.” (L .M. Grant)
Nahash encamps against the church today. His message is that sin and death will reign. Yahweh's torah is but fables. "Nahash means 'the serpent.'... Ammon represents typically the enemy of God’s people characterized by evil doctrines and perversions of the truth of God." (Arno Gaebelein) Such lies in my estimation are: "You will not surely die." (Genesis 3:4); eternal separation from God is your lot, or worse eternal torment. "How often compromise is made with the most subtle errors which emanate from Nahash, the serpent! But he makes his condition, their right eyes are to be plucked out. We speak of the eye of faith, and typically we may apply it in this way. All errors and false doctrines blind the eyes of faith and rob God’s people of their true vision" (Arno Gaebelein) May the elders of the church be so wise, trusting in the God of Israel to save by His Spirit, leading in all righteousness.
1 Samuel 11: King Saul of Israel Commands the Host of Israel
4 So the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the news in the hearing of the people. And all the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5 Now there was Saul, coming behind the herd from the field; and Saul said, “What troubles the people, that they weep?” And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh. 6 Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard this news, and his anger was greatly aroused. 7 So he took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, “Whoever does not go out with Saul and Samuel to battle, so it shall be done to his oxen.” And the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out with one consent.
8 When he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
Saul was first anointed privately, but at the public ceremony where he is chosen by lot— the acknowledged hand of Yahweh, Saul hid himself in fear. But now the news of the oppression made it to “Gibeah of Saul”— the hometown of the new king of Israel. He had gone back to work on the family farm, but when he heard of the threats against Jabesh, the Spirit of God came upon him “as upon the Judges before him, as a Spirit of supernatural energy and power.” (Albert Barnes)
“Sacraments and ordinances are not in vain; the Lord had given the Spirit with the anointing oil.” (Joseph Sutcliffe) "Saul had been anointed king. But it is a weak, disjointed realm of which he is made the head— weak because threatened from without, doubly weak because disunited within. Give Saul a few years of peace, and he will have a chance to produce a different state of affairs, instead of that God sends the young king and young kingdom through a very baptism of fire and blood. 'And Israel heard, and the people lifted up their voice and wept’—wept in impotent helplessness, wept in pity for their brothers, wept in pity for themselves, because in their own opinion they can do nothing.” (The Biblical Illustrator) Here is the providence of God at work granting allegiance.
Saul is filled by the Spirit and thus bore righteous indignation against God’s enemies. He cut oxen into pieces, “and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hands of messengers.” “Wisely considering that the sight of men’s eyes does much more affect their hearts than what they only hear with their ears. — saying, ‘Whoever does not go out with Saul and Samuel to battle’ etc. — He joins Samuel with himself, both because he was present with him, and that hereby he might gain the more authority.” (Joseph Benson)— “not, ‘Thus shall it be done to him, ‘ but, ‘Thus shall it be done to his oxen. ‘ God had threatened it as a great judgment (Deuteronomy 28:31), ‘Thy ox shall be slain before thy eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof.’“ (Matthew Henry) Some say this was to proved that he was more lenient than the judges. But the message might be that If they continued in defiance of the Lord’s anointed, they themselves would likely be next by the hand of Yahweh Himself, for “Saul’s conduct could not but remind the people of the similar act of the Levite of Mount Ephraim, (Judges 19:29,) and also of the bitter vengeance wrought on the inhabitants of this same Jabesh-Gilead for their refusal to respond to that call. Judges 21:” (Daniel Whedon)
“And the fear of the LORD fell on the people,”— “a fear was sent upon them by God, so that they did not dare to deny their help…. — ‘and they came out with one consent’ — God,... influenced them with a fear of offending him, so that they readily came and joined him at his call.” (Joseph Benson)— “When he numbered them”— “to see who was absent (compare Judges 21:9)”(Barnes), for the doling out of punishment— “in Bezek,” —“a town in Judah, where the tyrant Adoni-bezek had reigned.” (Joseph Sutcliffe)— “the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.” “This looks like the language of later times, times perhaps subsequent to the establishment of the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Israel here (including Benjamin) is as ten to one compared with Judah.” (Albert Barnes) Yet out of Judah will come the final King of kings and Lord of lords!
9 And they said to the messengers who came, “Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh Gilead: ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have help.’” Then the messengers came and reported it to the men of Jabesh, and they were glad. 10 Therefore the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do with us whatever seems good to you." 11 So it was, on the next day, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and killed Ammonites until the heat of the day. And it happened that those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.
"They concealed the information they had received of Saul's promised assistance. They did come out unto them; but it was in a different manner to what the Ammonites expected.” (Adam Clarke) So it was on the next day, “Saul put the people in three companies,”“intending to attack the Ammonites in three different points, and to give his own men more room to act.” (Adam Clarke) “This was wise, for immense armies obstruct their own movements; they are also soon dispersed by the want of water and food, and by their irregular supplies. A handful of Greeks at the pass of Thermopylæ stopped half a million of Persians.” (Joseph Sutcliffe) — “and they came into the midst of the camp in “the morning watch,” as the remnant of Israel kept watch in full knowledge of the pending battle. This was answered prayer. “The morning watch was the last of the three watches, of four hours each, into which the night was anciently divided by the Hebrews. (Judges 7:19 ) The time thus indicated would be between two and six in the morning.” (Albert Barnes) And this whole narrative took place before the seven days‘ truce expired.
They “killed Ammonites until the heat of the day. And it happened that those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together. “This proves that the rout was complete.” (Adam Clarke) Have you decided to follow Jesus? Followed Him into the waters of a believer’s baptism. Die with Him that you may also live with Him in newness of life. “If God be for us, who can be against us? And my brother, amidst all the threats, and besiegings of the enemy, never forget how soon the Captain of our salvation can hasten to our rescue. Day and night He is at hand, and no distance, no Jordan, no fire, or water, can separate us from His love, and His powerful assistance. What a blessed recollection, amidst all the hosts of the believer's foes?” (Hawker's Poor Man's Commentary)
1 Samuel 11: Saul Made King Over All Israel
12 Then the people said to Samuel, “Who is he who said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring the men, that we may put them to death.”
“Then the people said to Samuel”— “The great weight and influence of the seer among the people is strikingly shown by this record of their turning to him, even in the first flush of this great victory of Saul’s. It was Samuel to whom the people looked to bring to punishment the men who had dared to question the wisdom of electing Saul as king.” (C. J. Ellicott) That would have been the case in the old regime of judges of Israel, but they wanted a king like the other nations.
13 But Saul said, “Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the LORD has accomplished salvation in Israel.”
They asked the prophet, but the king of Israel answered. Samuel could only advise; executive decisions belonged to the king. “And Saul said, ‘There shall not a man be put to death this day.’” (13) “who by their appearance to his summons had testified their obedience, and by their courage and valour had showed their attachment to him, and to the interest of their country.” (John Gill) They had shown by their deeds that they repented of evil scheming against Yahweh’s anointed.
“For today the LORD has wrought salvation in Israel.” By this first public act of pardon, he “not only signified that the public rejoicing should not be interrupted, but reminded them of the clemency of God, and urged that since Jehovah had shown such clemency upon that day, that He overlooked their sins, and had given them a glorious victory. it was only right they should follow His example, and forgive their neighbours’ sins without bloodshed.” (Sebastian Schmidt) “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph. 4:32) “As in God, so in His deputies, mercy and justice should be inseparable; wheresoever these two go asunder, government follows them into distraction, and ends in ruin.” (Starke)
14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there.”
The ordinances of Yahweh were the business of the prophets of Israel. “Then said Samuel to the people, ‘come, and let us go to Gilgal’”; which was the nearest place to them, on the other side Jordan, from which they now were, and where the children of Israel first encamped when they passed over Jordan, where the tabernacle and ark first were, and an altar was built, and where meetings used to be held on certain occasions; all which might be reasons why Samuel proposed to go to this place;” (Gill)
“‘And renew the kingdom there,’ i.e., The covenant of the kingdom between the new king and his people, for the preventing of future rebellion... Serrarius saith these were the ceremonies used at such a time: 1.) They set the king in his throne; 2.) They crowned him; 3.) They anointed him; 4.) They put the book of the law into his hand: They took an oath of him to observe it; 6.) They offered sacrifices of all sorts; 7.) They showed various signs and testimonies of public joy.” (John Trapp) “The best bond between authorities and subjects is that they intend to be mutually faithful.” (Cramer) If anyone now breaks this covenant and persists, let them be accursed— destroyed in the end-time judgment.
“The best bond between authorities and subjects is that they intend to be mutually faithful.” (Cramer)
15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they made sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.
This was a day of new beginnings. “All the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king ‘before the LORD’” —“ who was there present in a special manner; both because the people of the LORD were there assembled, and because there was an altar, as the following sacrifices show. The same phrase is used 1 Samuel 10:17 14:18.
‘They sacrificed sacrifices of peace-offerings’; partly to praise God for so glorious a victory, and for the firm settlement of the distracted kingdom; and partly to implore the presence and assistance of God to the king and kingdom, in all their affairs and exigencies.” (Matthew Poole) The oxen of Israel had a higher use than useless destruction. "An altar of earth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I record My name I will come to you, and I will bless you.” (Exodus 20:24)
“And there they made Saul king”— “The Septuagint has another reading, ‘and Samuel anointed Saul king there.’ The example of David, who, besides his original anointing by Samuel 1 Samuel 16:12-13, was twice anointed, first as king of Judah 2 Samuel 2:4, and again as king over all Israel 2 Samuel 5:3, makes it probable that Saul was anointed a second time; but this may be included in the word ‘made king’ (see 1 Samuel 12:3, 1 Samuel 12:5).” (Albert Barnes) over all Israel.
“And engaging in the ceremonial as they all did in this spirit, ‘both Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.’ It was, perhaps, the happiest occasion in all the reign of Saul. What contributed the chief element of brightness to the occasion was - the sunshine of Heaven. God was there, smiling on His children. There were other elements too. Samuel was there, happy that Saul had conquered, that he had established himself upon the throne, and, above all, that he had, in a right noble way, acknowledged God as the Author of the victory at Jabesh-Gilead. Saul was there, reaping the reward of his humility, his forbearance, his courage, and his activity. The people were there, proud of their king, proud of his magnificent appearance, but prouder of the super-eminent qualities that had marked the commencement of his reign. Nor was the pleasure of any one marred by any ugly blot or unworthy deed throwing a gloom over the transaction.” (Expositor's Bible Commentary)