Significant Battles – Saul Cements Kingship

Burning Bush Blogs

Equipping Men with Biblical Knowledge and Leadership Skills

Category: Group Study

Thread: Significant Battles and their Impact on God’s Plan

Post Topic: Saul Cements Kingship

Post in Thread: #3 (divided into 4 parts)

Previous: The Fall of Jericho

Scripture: I Samuel 11

Key Verses:
²But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel.”
…
⁶When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger. ⁷He 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.” Then the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out together as one ⁸When Saul musteredthem at Bezek,the men of Israel numbered three hundred thousand and those of Judah thirty thousand.
I Samuel 11:2; I Samuel 11:6-8

Note – This story is divided into smaller sections in order to keep with the Burning Bush Blog’s pledge to produce less-demanding studies. But there is no right or wrong pace. Use in whatever manner works for you and your group.

Part 1 – Nasty Nahash Threatens Disgrace

Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead. 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 of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel.”

³The 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.”
I Samuel 11:1-3

Observations

Geography

Jabesh Gliead was a town on the east side of the Jordan river. Only three of the tribes of Israel occupied land on this side: Reuben, Gad, and part of Manasseh. Jabesh-gilead was situated near the Jordan. Farther to the east , land was controlled by the Ammonites (see map below).

Context – King Saul

The Israelites had demanded that God give them a king, so they could be more like the nations around them. Saul had been anointed by Samuel as the first king of Israel, but the tribes were still disjointed. Different political factions wanted more input in the selection, and Saul had not been the most outspoken leader prior to this conflict.

Context – Prior to the Siege of Jabesh Gilead

The following text was found in a copy of I Samuel 11 in the Dead Sea Scrolls that is not included in most versions:

Now Nahash king of the Ammonites oppressed the Gadites and Reubenites severely. He gouged out all their right eyes and struck terror and dread in Israel. Not a man remained among the Israelites beyond the Jordan whose right eye was not gouged out by Nahash king of the Ammonites, except that seven thousand men fled from the Ammonites and entered Jabesh Gilead. About a month later…

Events

According to the text in the Dead Sea Scrolls, Nahash, the king of Ammon, went on the warpath against the the southern tribes east of the Jordan, Gad and Reuben.
Nahash oppressed them severely. He established his dominance by gouging out the right eyes of all the men.
Only 7,000 men escaped, fleeing to the city of Jabesh-gilead in the territory of Menassah.
Nahash wasn’t to be deterred. He pursued them and laid siege to Jabesh-gilead.
The men of the city proposed a truce – they told Nahash they’d be his servants and pay tribute.
Nahash wasn’t having it. He wanted complete disgrace on God’s people. He said he’d only agree to the bargain if they all had their right eyes gouged out. He gave them a week to decide.

Discussion

What would you have done? Clearly Nahash’s forces were superior. Would you have fought to the death, or agreed to his terms?
Might there have been a strategic reason that Nahash wanted to gouge out the men’s right eyes?

Interpretation

Genre/Author

Narrative. This is a historical story probably written by Samuel, who had anointed Saul as king.

Additional Background

The Ammonites were related to the Israelites, in that they were descendants of Lot, Abraham’s nephew.
Although sometimes allied with the Israelites, the Ammonites usually aligned against them.
The Israelites were warned against intermarrying with the Ammonites because of their practice of worshipping false gods.

Takeaways

The Israelites were likely living outside the will of God.
- They wanted a king, to be like the other nations. In I Samuel 8:7 God tells Samuel that they were rejecting God as their king.
- Another indication is that they tried to make a treaty with Nahash rather than ask God for help.
- All throughout the period of the judges, they would go through cycles of oppression by people like Nahash when they drifted from God.
Why the right eye only?
- Nahash certainly held hate in his heart. He is quoted as wanting to bring disgrace upon Israel.
- But there was also a strategic reason:
  - If a warrior held his shield in his left arm, covering that eye, he’d need his right eye to see.
  - By leaving one good eye, the men could still be productive slaves.
Nahash was so haughty that he granted the city seven days to make a decision.
- He allowed them to send out messengers, certain that nobody would come to their aid.
- He figured it would only add to their humiliation to have to voluntarily give up their right eye after the grace period.

Discussion

What do you suppose drove Nahash to hate the Israelites so deeply? Have you ever been faced with such hatred?

Correlation

John 15:18 – Jesus comforts us in the face of persecution to remember that the world hated him first.

Application

Generic Applications

The people may have been living outside the will of the Lord. But Nahash’s mocking of them was even more egregious. The way he wanted to bring disgrace upon God’s chosen people was a backhanded way of mocking God himself.
- Today there’s plenty of mockers of Christianity. The idea of bowing before God or even admitting that God exists is foreign to them.
- We need to be walking with God to know how to respond.
- There’s a difference between mockers of God and seekers of truth who don’t yet believe. God can give us discernment.

Group Discussion

How do you respond to atheists?
- Is it worth our time to respond on social media to someone who is mocking God?
- Do you have unbelieving friends who believe science can explain everything without the need for God?
The citizens of Jabesh-gilbea were faced with a horrendous fate. In desperation, they sent messengers out to the tribes on the west side of the Jordan.
- Was this their way of reaching out to God in repentance?
- In order to get our attention, does God sometimes bring tragedy upon us when we are living outside of his will?

Part 2 – The Wrath of Saul

⁴When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and reported these terms to the people, they all wept aloud. ⁵Just then Saul was returning from the fields, behind his oxen, and he asked, “What is wrong with everyone? Why are they weeping?” Then they repeated to him what the men of Jabesh had said.

⁶When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger. ⁷He 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.” Then the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out together as one. ⁸When Saul mustered them at Bezek, the men of Israel numbered three hundred thousand and those of Judah thirty thousand.
I Samuel 11:4-8

Observations

Events

The people wept openly when they heard what was happening to their brothers.
Saul, even though anointed as king, was still just a man working in the fields.
The Spirit of God came upon him.
It manifested itself in righteous anger.
- Anger at Nahash and the Ammonites
- Anger at the people for acting helpless and not being willing to fight back.
He essentially threatened the people with the pieces of sliced-up oxen.
They became more afraid of Saul than the Ammonites. And perhaps a bit inspired?
He marched to Bezek, just across the river from the siege.
Over thirty thousand fighting men joined him.

Discussion

Is it surprising to find the first anointed king of Israel simply working in a field?
Do you think the men of Jabesh-gilead sent word to Gibeah in particular, knowing that Saul was there? But not knowing if he’d actually do anything?
How would you have responded to Saul’s mafia-boss move? Sending a slice of an ox and telling you to join his army if you didn’t want to end up the same way?

Interpretation

Setting

Saul would have traveled from his home in Gibeah, just north of present-day Jerusalem. He likely followed a common route north through important cities like Bethel and Shechem to the hill country south of Galilee.

Takeaways

Saul must have responded immediately. He only had seven days to muster support and march about 40 miles.
Saul’s temper is legendary today. But back then, that was the first sign of his passion. And the people responded.
The Bible does not condemn Saul’s anger. In fact, it came about after the Spirit of God came upon him.
- It brings to mind Jesus’ anger when he cleared the cheating merchants out of the temple.

Discussion

Was Saul more angry at the Ammonites or the weak Israelites?

Correlation

Mark 11:15-17 – In a fit of righteous indignation, Jesus clears the evil money-changers and cheating merchants out of the temple, saying they’ve made his father’s house a den of thieves.

Application

Generic Applications

All three persons of the trinity have exhibited righteous anger:
- God the father’s anger burned against Sodom and Gomorrah, for example.
- Jesus, the Son, cleansed the temple.
- Now in this story, when the Spirit came upon Saul, it was manifested in anger.
Just because anger is a real emotion that can be appropriate in certain circumstances, we must be careful not to allow these stories to justify our temper.
- There are many more stories of Saul where his anger was not of God. Perhaps he rationalized these fits because of this episode?

Group Discussion

How do you distinguish righteous anger from sinful anger?
Is righteous anger even a thing anymore, under the new covenant? How can it be squared with Jesus’ command to love your enemies?

Part 3 – Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!

⁹They told the messengers who had come, “Say to the men of Jabesh Gilead, ‘By the time the sun is hot tomorrow, you will be rescued.’” When the messengers went and reported this to the men of Jabesh, they were elated. ¹⁰They said to the Ammonites, “Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do to us whatever you like.”

¹¹The next day 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.
I Samuel 11:9-11

Observations

Events

Saul’s message to Jabesh-gilead: You’re gonna be rescued before the heat of the day tomorrow.
Trickery:
- The men of the city told the Ammonites that they would surrender the next day.
- They pretended to agree to having their right eyes gouged out.
Saul’s men divided into three divisions.
They attacked during the last watch of the night (just before dawn, when the sentries would be least alert).
It was a slaughter-fest. As predicted, the fight wore on until the heat of the day.

Discussion

Did the trickery make a difference?
Were the Ammonites fools for falling for the ruse?

Interpretation

Takeaways

Nahash and the evil Ammonites finally got what was coming to them.
They never expected a 3-pronged attack from over 30,000 men. Within seven days, no less!
We always hear the bad about King Saul. But this was his shining moment.

Discussion

The people had been asking for a king. A leader. A champion. But they weren’t sure what they had in Saul. At his coronation, he almost seemed timid. There were factions who murmured against him. I Samuel 10:27 says that some scoundrels despised him. “How can this fellow save us?” they said.

Now Saul’s moment had arrived, and he rallied the people to a great victory. It seemed the tribes were uniting, soon to be stronger than ever. War is awful, but what would it have been like in the aftermath of that battle? What words would have been exchanged with other men in your unit?

Correlation

I Samuel 31:11-13 – Saul’s heroism remembered
- Decades later, Saul and his sons were killed by the Philistines, and their bodies hung on the wall of a city.
- The men of Jabesh-gilead had not forgotten what Saul had done for them. They marched to the city and recovered the bodies.
- They buried the bones back at Jabesh-gilead, and spent seven days in deep mourning.

Application

Generic Applications

The Ammonites were totally unprepared to be attacked.
- They believed the story about surrendering the next day.
- They were taken by surprise before dawn, which means they didn’t have the most basic of night-watchmen tactics in place.
- They didn’t notice 33,000 armed men gathered on the other side of the Jordan River? Obviously, Saul’s forces wouldn’t have been in view, but they didn’t have any spies out and about?
- These failures can be summed up in one word: hubris.
The saying pride goes before a fall sums up the Ammonites.

Group Discussion

Nahash and the Ammonites made a grave mistake when they mocked God and were too full of themselves to prepare for a possible attack. Their accomplishments lulled them into a false sense of security.
- Do we get lazy in our faith when things are going well?
- How can we stay alert and focused on God rather than our own accomplishments?
Saul’s legacy was permanent with the men of Jabesh-gilead. When called, he acted, even though he had been soft-spoken prior.
- We all want to leave a legacy. To be remembered. Maybe we’ll never be a great leader. But actions speak louder than words. Saul acted, and those actions were remembered by the people of Jabesh-gilead.
- If God calls us out of our comfort zone, will we take action?

Part 4 – Kingship Renewed

¹²The people then said to Samuel, “Who was it that asked, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Turn these men over to us so that we may put them to death.”

¹³But Saul said, “No one will be put to death today, for this day the Lord has rescued Israel.”

¹⁴Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingship.” ¹⁵So all the people went to Gilgal and made Saul 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.
I Samuel 11:12-14

Observations

Events

The people remembered that some had spoken against Saul as king back in I Samuel 10.
They wanted to put these traitors to death.
Saul gave credit to the Lord for rescuing Israel, and said that nobody will die today.
The prophet Samuel called the people to go to Gilgal to renew the kingship.
A huge celebration including fellowship offerings to God ensued.

Discussion

Does this sound like the same Saul that you’ve been taught about?

Interpretation

Setting

The exact spot for Gilgal is not known, but it somewhere near Jericho, close to the Jordan River, but back on the west side.

Takeaways

Saul showed much grace to those who had questioned his kingship.
It seemed that he meant to rule not by fear and power but by following God’s instructions.
Saul must have soaked in the adoration. As his story continues in the Bible, we learn that he craved recognition more than anything.
This was a great day for the Lord and for the people.

Discussion

Saul could have immediately put on a show of power by having his former detractors executed. Why didn’t he?
Regarding those who’d spoken against his kingship prior to Jabesh-gilead – Did Saul win their loyalty on this day? Or would they have seen it as a sign of weakness?

Application

Generic Applications

Saul gave credit to the Lord for the victory. It lead to a great time of celebration. Do we humbly give credit to God for our accomplishments?

Group Discussion

Is it good to seek personal accomplishments?
Is it wrong to seek recognition for our accomplishments, as long as we give credit back to God?
Future Saul stopped following Samuel’s instructions from God, seeking his own way of doing things. This led to God replacing him with David as the next king.
- What in Saul might have led to this change in behavior?
- How do we avoid the same fate?

Historical Significance

This battle cemented Saul’s role as the first king of Israel, united the tribes, and ushered in the era of the kings for God’s chosen people.

Bible study methodology adapted from Searching the Scriptures with permission from Tyndale House:

Swindoll, Charles, Searching the Scriptures. Tyndale House Publishers, 2016.