Servant King: Off to a Good Start


1 Samuel 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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.

The first test of Saul’s kingship comes along and he passes with flying colors! There is so much in this story that is good. Saul doesn’t make a single wrong move. When his people are threatened he rises to the occasion with the Spirit of God to guide him. You have to be proud of Saul by the end of this story. First, where do we find Saul when word comes of an attack? He’s out plowing a field! The king of Israel is hard at work, sweating with the rest of the people. His humility remains firm. When the problem is presented to him, God’s Spirit is allowed to influence Saul and set forth His plan. He is still faithful to God and His ways. And when presented with an opportunity to take vengeance upon those who opposed his position as king, he grants mercy. Three times the ball is pitched to him and three times he hits it out of the park.

Remarkably, it all seems so easy – and it is. Saul is following God. Instead of pushing his new-found power, he is humbly working like everyone else. When a tough situation arises, God is the one with the answer, not Saul. And when it comes time for mercy to be shown, Saul follows God’s lead and grants it. When God’s way is followed, even the difficult situations are smoother. That’s not to say that the life of the believer is always easy. That would be a foolish stance to take, for life itself provides empirical proof that it is never easy. Do you think that Saul was grateful to be marching into a battle? Certainly not. That is a fearful thing, not matter what the circumstance. But he was confident in the outcome because he was following God. There was no reason to doubt that God could handle this threat to His people and Saul’s faith was firm at this point. His leadership helped to prove to the people that God was worthy to be trusted as well.

This story was undoubtedly retold for a long time after it happened. And with each retelling, the faith of the people grew as they rehearsed God’s victory and His provision for His people. We too need to recount those events in our lives where we could clearly see God’s hand at work for those stories build our faith and the faith of those who hear them. What stories do you have of divine protection and providence? If you can’t think of any, think harder. God is always at work in our lives and if we open our eyes and our hearts, we will see Him and His powerful hand moving for blessings and peace. What are your stories? Tell one to a friend today and share the wealth!

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