Samuel Thru Solomon The History of First Samuel Lesson 6-1 Samuel 11:1-12:25 In the last lesson we saw the choice of Saul to be the King of Israel. First the LORD told Samuel. Then Samuel told Saul. Lastly, after Saul had several weeks to digest his future, the LORD picked Saul as King before the assembled tribes of Israel. We also included at the end of our notes a timeline of t he life of Saul. We shall refer to it in future lessons. After the LORD designated Saul as King, his acceptance was far from universal. We closed last time with the verses: 1 Samuel 10:25-27 "Then Samuel dismissed the people, each to his own home. Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched. But some troublemakers [a] said, How can this fellow save us?' They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent." Saul had the good sense not to argue. He knew that such men could only be persuaded with deeds. The LORD soon provided Saul with a chance for deeds. 1 / 17
1 Samuel 11:1a Nahash [b] the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead. Evidence suggests that Jabesh Gilead was on a plain located about a mile and a half east of the Jordan River about nine miles southeast of Beth Shan, just as where the Wadi Yabis flows out of the Mountains of Gilead. Jabesh Gilead had a unique relationship with the tribe of Benjamin (Saul's tribe) and Gibeah (Saul's home town). According to Judges 19-21, not many years after Israel had conquered the land, both Benjamin and Gibeah were destroyed by the tribes of Israel. It happened because of a civil war between Benjamin and the other tribes of Israel that happened after some men in Gibeah had raped and murdered a Levite traveler's wife. After the war, there were only 600 men left out of the whole tribe of Benjamin. The rest of the tribes had then voted to destroy all the inhabitants, excepting the virgins, of any town in Israel which had not sent troops to fight Benjamin. Jabesh Gilead was the only town in Israel who had not sent men. The surviving virgins provided 400 wives to help the men of Benjamin to reestablish the tribe. [c] Obviously then the people who reestablished Jabesh Gilead would have been from the same tribe (probably Manasseh) and people of the great grandmothers of the Benjamites 1 Samuel 11:1b-2 And all the men of Jabesh said to him, "Make a treaty with us, and we will be subject to you." But Nahash the Ammonite replied, "I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye [d] of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel." The siege must have already lasted some quite time. To have brought the city to the point of 2 / 17
surrender, they must have run out of food or water. Yet till now, no one in Israel had sent help, though they must have known of the siege. [e] We do know that fear of Nahash had been one of the reasons Israel had wanted a King (1 Samuel 12:12). Nahash seems to have known of this fear, and his contempt for Israel had grown to the point that he wanted to humiliate all Israel. 1 Samuel 11:3 The elders of Jabesh said to him, "Give us seven days so we can send messengers throughout Israel; if no one comes to rescue us, we will surrender to you." The fact that Nahash seems to have accepted the seven days indicates his confidence that Israel was too scared to oppose him. Anyway, what could they possibly do in seven days? His contempt would lead to an over confidence and carelessness that would cost him dearly. 1 Samuel 11:4 When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and reported these terms to the people, they all wept aloud. It would have taken at least one day for the messengers to arrive at Gibeah. The people were all distressed at the news of what was about to happen to their relatives. 3 / 17
1 Samuel 11:5-6 Just then Saul was returning from the fields, behind his oxen, and he asked, "What is wrong with the people? Why are they weeping?" Then they repeated to him what the men of Jabesh had said. When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he burned with anger. The situation needed immediate action. The Holy Spirit gave Saul the power, persuasiveness and decisiveness that was needed. He acted immediately. 1 Samuel 11:7 He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent the pieces by messengers throughout Israel, proclaiming, "This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel." [f] Then the terror of the LORD fell on the people, and they turned out as one man. 4 / 17
Saul evidently took a pair of his own oxen and cut them in pieces. He was in effect saying "The time for tending your fields is past, now is the time for war!" This was also reminiscent of the Levite who sent pieces of his wife to all the tribes of Israel in the aforementioned incident in Judges. [g] Saul had to be familiar with that story. The result was immediate. It had to be, Israel only had six days to respond and gather. Notice that the LORD was not only dynamic in inspiring Saul's message, but He was also dynamic in the way the message was heard. 5 / 17
1 Samuel 11:8 When Saul mustered them at Bezek, the men of Israel numbered three hundred thousand and the men of Judah thirty thousand. The result was the largest muster in three centuries. 1 Samuel 11:9 They told the messengers who had come, "Say to the men of Jabesh Gilead, By the time the sun is hot tomorrow, you will be delivered.'" When the messengers went and reported this to the men of Jabesh, they were elated. The messengers had evidently stayed with Saul until this point. Then they went back through the siege lines, evidently protected by the terms of the surrender agreement. Saul told them they would be delivered by the next day. He didn't disclose he was planning to attack by night. 1 Samuel 11:10 They said to the Ammonites, "Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do to us whatever seems good to you." 6 / 17
The people of Jabesh Gilead, having received word from their messengers, sent word to the Ammonites that the next day they would surrender according to the agreement. It must have seemed to Nahash that the news they had received was that no help was coming. The Ammonites certainly did not seem to be aware that an army of 330,000 men was in their proximity. 1 Samuel 11:11 The next day [h] Saul separated his men into three divisions; during the last watch of the night they broke into the camp of the Ammonites and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together. Israel seems to have caught the Ammonites in their tents, in camp. They shattered the army of Nahash. It is worth remembering that the people of Jabesh Gilead were forevermore grateful to Saul. Forty years later, when Saul was killed by the Philistines and his body and the bodies of his three sons were hung on the walls of Beth Shan, the valiant men of Jabesh faced death to remove the bodies for decent burial (1 Samuel 31:8-12). 1 Samuel 11:12-13 The people then said to Samuel, "Who was it that asked, Shall Saul reign over us?' Bring these men to us and we will put them to death." But Saul said, "No one shall be put to death today, for this day the LORD has rescued Israel." 7 / 17
Saul demonstrated great wisdom here. He not only gave credit to the LORD, but he demonstrated humility, mercy and forgiveness. They were qualities that were often lamentably missing later in his reign. Unfortunately, even most of the best Kings of Israel and Judah usually fell victim to the kinds of flattery that beset people in authority. 1 Samuel 11:14 Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, let us go to Gilgal and there reaffirm the kingship." Gilgal was where Israel had first set up camp when they had crossed the Jordan (Joshua 4:19-20) and where all those men born in the wilderness were circumcised and celebrated their first Passover in the land (Joshua 5). It was also one of the three places where Samuel regularly held court (1 Samuel 7:16). It was about 45 miles south of Jabesh Gilead. 1 Samuel 11:15 So all the people went to Gilgal and confirmed Saul as king in the presence of the LORD. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings before the LORD, and Saul and all the Israelites held a great celebration. 8 / 17
The Israelites were jubilant. They at last had their King and they all agreed that he was the man for the job. But they had forgotten something. A King was their will, not the LORD's. 1 Samuel 12:1-3 Samuel said to all Israel, "I have listened to everything you said to me and have set a king over you. Now you have a king as your leader. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the LORD and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these, I will make it right." Samuel reminded them that under his judgeship (which had been the LORD's ordained form of government) they had suffered no material detriment. This is in sharp contrast to what the LORD had told them a monarchy would do in 1 Samuel 8:11b-17. Condensed, that passage said "He will take your sons --- he will take your daughters --- he will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves --- he will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage. Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use -- he will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves." 1 Samuel 12:4 "You have not cheated or oppressed us," they replied. "You have not taken anything from anyone's hand." 9 / 17
They acknowledged that they had no complaint against Samuel. In doing so they acknowledged what the LORD had told Samuel: 1 Samuel 8:7b "It is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king." 1 Samuel 12:5 Samuel said to them, "The LORD is witness against you, and also his anointed [i] is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand." "He is witness," they said. 12:6 Then Samuel said to the people, "It is the LORD who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your forefathers up out of Egypt. The LORD's order had been established with the Exodus. He had appointed Moses as Judge, and Aaron as High Priest. Samuel then went on to recount what the LORD had accomplished under His order. 1 Samuel 12:7-8 Now then, stand here, because I am going to confront you with evidence before the LORD as to all the righteous acts performed by the LORD for you and your fathers. "After Jacob entered Egypt, they cried to the LORD for help, and the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your forefathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place. 10 / 17
First He had delivered them out of Egypt (under Moses), and then settled them in the land (under Joshua). 1 Samuel 12:9-10 "But they forgot the LORD their God; so he sold them into the hand of Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them. They cried out to the LORD and said, We have sinned; we have forsaken the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.' Then He had delivered them from Sisera through the woman Judge Deborah (Judges) and the hand of the woman Jael. 1 Samuel 12:11 Then the LORD sent Jerub-Baal, Barak, Jephthah and Samuel, and he delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, so that you lived securely. Samuel then mentions three of the other Judges and concludes with himself. Every time, the LORD answered them if they would but turn to Him. 11 / 17
1 Samuel 12:12a "But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, Here the account of 1 Samuel mentions for the first time the real reason Israel decided they had to have a king. They had been afraid of this Nahash that they had just totally destroyed. 1 Samuel 12:12b you said to me, No, we want a king to rule over us'--even though the LORD your God was your king. Samuel makes it clear exactly what they had done. They had rejected the LORD's plan for their life in favor of their own. In spite of that, the LORD had still helped them, but there was a penalty to pay, and the nation of Israel would pay it until they disappeared as an independent people five hundred years later. 1 Samuel 12:13-15 Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see, the LORD has set a king over you. If you fear the LORD and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God--good! But if you do not obey the LORD, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your fathers. 12 / 17
The LORD would still be with them, but the conditions would be harder. Before, only the people had to follow the LORD. Now, both the people and the King had to follow the LORD. In the next five hundred years those conditions would be met very infrequently. After the breakup of the Kingdom after Solomon, none of the Kings of the Northern Kingdom followed the LORD, and only about a third of the Kings of the Southern Kingdom followed Him. The LORD would still occasionally deliver Israel from oppression, but they were far more oppressed during the Kings than during the Judges. Eventually, they were oppressed out of existence. 1 Samuel 12:16-18 "Now then, stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes! Is it not wheat harvest now? I will call upon the LORD to send thunder and rain. And you will realize what an evil thing you did in the eyes of the LORD when you asked for a king." Then Samuel called upon the LORD, and that same day the LORD sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe of the LORD and of Samuel. Just to make His displeasure clear, the LORD destroyed the wheat harvest for the year. That is what heavy rain on ripe fields will do. Since we know i t was the time of the wheat harvest (verse 17) we also know it was late June through mid July. It never rains at that time of the year, or for two months on either side of it. A deluge in July in Israel would be like it snowing in July in Texas. 13 / 17
1 Samuel 12:19 The people all said to Samuel, "Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king." For the moment, the people were struck with sorrow for their sins. They prayed for Samuel to pray for mercy. They should have been praying to the LORD themselves. It is noteworthy that they didn't ask for the LORD to take back the kingship. 1 Samuel 12:20-21 "Do not be afraid," Samuel replied. "You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. Samuel assured them that the promises of the Law of Moses are still assured to them if they would just obey the LORD's commands. 1 Samuel 12:22 For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own. 14 / 17
He assured Israel that they were still the LORD's people. That was the LORD's unconditional covenant. As unfaithful as Israel was, the LORD had determined that, among nations, they would be the best of a bad lot. He had promised Jacob unconditionally what He would do through his descendants, Israel: Genesis 28:13-15 "There above it stood the LORD, and he said (to Jacob): "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your seed the land on which you are lying. Your seed will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out [j] to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your seed. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." 1 Samuel 12: 23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. He also assures them that though they have seen fit to replace him in authority, his heart will still be devoted to exercising the gifts the LORD had given him. He would pray for them and he would teach them. Notice the important principal here. Sin is not only what you do, but also what you don't do. James makes the same point in the New Testament: James 4:17 "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." 15 / 17
1 Samuel 12:24 But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. He encouraged them to remember who the LORD is and remember all the things He had done for them. The same words apply to each of us in any age. 1 Samuel 12:25 Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away." Yet, if they persist in doing evil, having a king won't protect them. The condition of the hearts of the people, in any nation, in any age, determine their destiny. It is not determined by their political leadership. Although, their political leadership may reflect the hearts of the people. [a] Literally "sons of worthlessness." [b] The name Nahash means "serpent." He was the king of the Ammonites (1 Samuel 12:12). [c] The remaining 200 were allowed to be stolen from Shiloh (Judges 21:19-23). 16 / 17
[d] According to ancient authorities gouging out the right eye, as opposed to the left eye, left the man useless for fighting as the usual stance for fighting was to hold your shield with your left hand and your weapon with your right, thereby shielding your left eye. A man with only a left eye would be at a severe disability in war. [e] It is possible that the city was still looked down on with contempt by their fellow Israelites because of their earlier history. [f] Notice that Saul also appealed to the authority of Samuel in this command. [g] Judges 19:29 "When he (the Levite) reached home, he took a knife and cut up his concubine, limb by limb, into twelve parts and sent them into all the areas of Israel." [h] Remember that under the Hebrew clock, the next day started at twilight, not at daybreak. [i] Saul [j] That is, Jacob (you) "will spread out" by means of Him (the seed). The verb is in the second person singular. 17 / 17