1 Samuel 11
This story in the book of 1 Samuel begins with the Ammonites deciding to besiege a small Israeli village in the region of Manasseh. They give the people two options: either to lay down their swords and surrender to the Ammonites, who will then gouge out their right-eye balls. Or, die by the sword. Which would you decide? Would you channel your inner Braveheart, rally whatever able-bodied folks are around, and go to war? Well, the men of Jabesh agreed there was no William Wallace amongst themselves, and asked if they could send word to the rest of their county for help. If no one came to their aide in a week, they would surrender.
The news hits the ears of Saul, not sitting on a throne, but coming back from plowing the fields. This would be his first true dealing as a king, and with foreign affairs. The Lord enters the picture in a particular way that is worth noting though. In verse 6 we have “the spirit of the Lord came upon him in power, and he burned with anger.” Saul is spirit lead in these early days, and especially in this instance. He goes on to essentially threaten the Israelites not to be so willing to turn away in surrender as the men of Jabesh. Then the Lord moves again, “then the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they tuned out as one man” (v.7b). Saul’s anger is righteous, and the people’s terror leads to their unification as if the collective of 33,000 were “one man” on the battlefield.
Saul sends a messenger to the men of Jabesh telling them their enemy will be no more before the day breaks. The men get the message, then tell the Ammonites if no one comes to their rescue by daybreak, they will surrender. Saul keeps his word, conquers the Ammonites, and everyone celebrates him as the hero, fulfilling their desire for “a king to lead us and go out before us and fight our battles” (1 Sam 8:20). The people of Israel are so amped on Saul’s victory, that they want to have the men of Jabesh executed for teasing treason, but Saul has grace for them, dedicating the day to the Lord.
Jumping back to the initial attack from the Ammonites, the name of the king who was leading the charge is Nahash, which means “snake”. In the Bible, from the garden narrative and the subsequent fall of mankind, the snake largely symbolizes Satan and his advances on humanity. Unification was an issue for Israel, exposed by the near-depleted spirit of Jabesh, and their weak commitment to their nation in the midst of attack. Not only did Nahash want to capture Jabesh, but he also wanted to gouge their right eye out upon their surrender. This was a common tactic as men who were trained in combat would typically hold their shield with their left arm, peering out from behind it with only their right eye. The men of Jabesh would be rendered useless in battle, which wasn’t much of an issue given they didn’t want to fight in the first place, rather, it would serve as a humiliation for the entire nation of Israel.
If we’re thinking about how Satan attacks us as God’s people, it’s not too far removed from this situation. As in 1 Peter 5.8 we are told “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” The devil is searching for those of us in the church who are weak or potentially easy targets to manipulate to surrender to him, and as Nahash wants here, to take away the very things that would defend ourselves from his attack. We can end it here and I can beseech you to continue fasting, praying, reading the Bible, and belonging to God’s people as it’s intended, but Saul and the Israelites reaction is too good to miss out for us as God’s church.
Saul gets angry, and that’s a good thing. If we see people straying from community, or better yet, besieged by the enemy being manipulated to deny the faith, we should at least feel the need to do something as strongly as Saul does here. He rallies the others in Israel so fiercely that terror is what puts them in line to fight as one unified force. At the battles conclusion, in reflection of the victory God gave Israel, Saul chooses to have grace for Jabesh instead of putting them to death. “But Saul said, ‘No one shall be put to death today, for this day the Lord has rescued Israel’” (1 Samuel 11.13).
Questions:
Are you vulnerable in your walk with Christ right now?
In your community, who do you need to ask for help from to see God’s church come to your aide?
Who in your community seems to be wondering from their commitment to Jesus?
How might you rally the people around you to embrace those with His grace?
Father we praise you for this victory in Christ that we now hold. In reflection of this, would we have grace for others, and be unified as you have called us to be in your love. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
