Saul Defeats the Ammonites
1 Samuel 10:27-11:15 NLT
27 …
[Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had been grievously oppressing the people of Gad and Reuben who lived east of the Jordan River. He gouged out the right eye of each of the Israelites living there, and he didn’t allow anyone to come and rescue them. In fact, of all the Israelites east of the Jordan, there wasn’t a single one whose right eye Nahash had not gouged out. But there were 7,000 men who had escaped from the Ammonites, and they had settled in Jabesh-gilead.]
Saul Defeats the Ammonites
11:1 About a month later, King Nahash of Ammon led his army against the Israelite town of Jabesh-gilead. But all the citizens of Jabesh asked for peace. “Make a treaty with us, and we will be your servants,” they pleaded.
2 “All right,” Nahash said, “but only on one condition. I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you as a disgrace to all Israel!”
3 “Give us seven days to send messengers throughout Israel!” replied the elders of Jabesh. “If no one comes to save us, we will agree to your terms.”
4 When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the people about their plight, everyone broke into tears. 5 Saul had been plowing a field with his oxen, and when he returned to town, he asked, “What’s the matter? Why is everyone crying?” So they told him about the message from Jabesh.
6 Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he became very angry. 7 He took two oxen and cut them into pieces and sent the messengers to carry them throughout Israel with this message: “This is what will happen to the oxen of anyone who refuses to follow Saul and Samuel into battle!” And the Lord made the people afraid of Saul’s anger, and all of them came out together as one. 8 When Saul mobilized them at Bezek, he found that there were 300,000 men from Israel and 30,000 men from Judah.
9 So Saul sent the messengers back to Jabesh-gilead to say, “We will rescue you by noontime tomorrow!” There was great joy throughout the town when that message arrived!
10 The men of Jabesh then told their enemies, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you can do to us whatever you wish.” 11 But before dawn the next morning, Saul arrived, having divided his army into three detachments. He launched a surprise attack against the Ammonites and slaughtered them the whole morning. The remnant of their army was so badly scattered that no two of them were left together.
12 Then the people exclaimed to Samuel, “Now where are those men who said, ‘Why should Saul rule over us?’ Bring them here, and we will kill them!”
13 But Saul replied, “No one will be executed today, for today the Lord has rescued Israel!”
14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us all go to Gilgal to renew the kingdom.” 15 So they all went to Gilgal, and in a solemn ceremony before the Lord they made Saul king. Then they offered peace offerings to the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites were filled with joy.
Examine the Scriptures
Saul Defeats the Ammonites
1 Samuel 10:27-11:15 NLT
27 … [Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had been grievously oppressing the people of Gad and Reuben who lived east of the Jordan River. He gouged out the right eye of each of the Israelites living there, and he didn’t allow anyone to come and rescue them. In fact, of all the Israelites east of the Jordan, there wasn’t a single one whose right eye Nahash had not gouged out. But there were 7,000 men who had escaped from the Ammonites, and they had settled in Jabesh-gilead.]
This paragraph, which is not included in the Masoretic Text, is found in Dead Sea Scroll 4QSama.
The Masoretic Text refers to the authoritative Hebrew manuscript of the Old Testament.
Whether it is part of the original text is uncertain.
Saul Defeats the Ammonites
11:1 About a month later,
In chapter 10 Samuel anoints Saul as king and Saul is acclaimed king by the people.
King Nahash of Ammon
The Ammonites were a nomadic race descended from Lot’s youngest daughter.
At this point in history, the Ammonites were a constant threat from the east to Israel, while the Philistines were a treat to Israel from the west.
(King Nahash) led his army against the Israelite town of Jabesh-gilead.
(The location of Jabesh-gilead) were located east of the Jordan River.
The Ammonites were nomads living east of Gad, Ruben, and Manasseh.
You may want to refer to a map.
But all the citizens of Jabesh asked for peace. “Make a treaty with us, and we will be your servants,” they pleaded.
2 “All right,” Nahash said, “but only on one condition. I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you as a disgrace to all Israel!”
Mutilation of captured soldiers was a common practice in the ancient Near East at this point in time.
These disfigured soldiers would have lost all depth perception and would be rendered useless in battle.
The people of Jabesh had to choose between mutilation if they surrendered or death if they refused to surrender.
3 “Give us seven days to send messengers throughout Israel!” replied the elders of Jabesh. “If no one comes to save us, we will agree to your terms.”
4 When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul
Probably a two day’s journey.
Saul’s hometown, belonging to the tribe of Benjamin. (Remember its history of violence and perversion.)
and told the people about their plight, everyone broke into tears.
Why would the people of Gibeah care about the people of Jabesh?
It was highly likely that there were close family ties between Jabesh-gilead and the tribe of Benjamin, which would have prompted the inhabitants of Jabesh to seek help from the tribe of Benjamin.
Read Judges 19-21.
Judges 21:12-14 NLT
12 Among the residents of Jabesh-gilead they found 400 young virgins who had never slept with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
13 The Israelite assembly sent a peace delegation to the remaining people of Benjamin who were living at the rock of Rimmon. 14 Then the men of Benjamin returned to their homes, and the 400 women of Jabesh-gilead who had been spared were given to them as wives. But there were not enough women for all of them.
The people of Gibeah would be closely related to the people of Jabesh.
5 Saul had been plowing a field with his oxen,
Saul was working as a farmer, not yet fulfilling his role as king of Israel.
and when he returned to town, he asked, “What’s the matter? Why is everyone crying?” So they told him about the message from Jabesh.
6 Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he became very angry.
The Spirit of God had come on Saul previously. See 1 Samuel 10:10
1 Samuel 10:10 NLT
10 When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, they saw a group of prophets coming toward them. Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy.
Saul cared about the people from Jabesh.
7 He took two oxen and cut them into pieces and sent the messengers to carry them throughout Israel with this message: “This is what will happen to the oxen of anyone who refuses to follow Saul and Samuel into battle!” And the Lord made the people afraid of Saul’s anger, and all of them came out together as one.
Anyone not participating would be rejecting Saul as king and Samuel as prophet.
8 When Saul mobilized them at Bezek,
West of the Jordan River, in striking distance of Jabesh-gilead.
Refer to a map.
he found that there were 300,000 men from Israel and 30,000 men from Judah.
The book was written after 931 B.C. when the kingdom had been divided. (?)
9 So Saul sent the messengers back to Jabesh-gilead to say, “We will rescue you by noontime tomorrow!” There was great joy throughout the town when that message arrived!
10 The men of Jabesh then told their enemies, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you can do to us whatever you wish.”
A setup for a surprise attack?
11 But before dawn the next morning, Saul arrived, having divided his army into three detachments.
Good thinking on Saul’s part.
He launched a surprise attack against the Ammonites and slaughtered them the whole morning. The remnant of their army was so badly scattered that no two of them were left together.
12 Then the people exclaimed to Samuel, “Now where are those men who said, ‘Why should Saul rule over us?’ Bring them here, and we will kill them!”
Saul’s military victory made him look good to the people.
13 But Saul replied, “No one will be executed today, for today the Lord has rescued Israel!”
This was a time for celebration, not revenge.
Saul recognized that the Lord has rescued Israel
14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us all go to Gilgal to renew the kingdom.”
Israel was now going to be ruled by a king.
But
Samuel most likely saw this as the appropriate time for the people to renew their allegiance to the Lord and to restore the covenant relationship between God and His people.
15 So they all went to Gilgal, and in a solemn ceremony before the Lord they made Saul king. Then they offered peace offerings to the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites were filled with joy.
Refer to a map.
The peace offerings were a form of celebration.
A recognition of God’s role in this event.
Saul is recognized as God’s chosen king and formally assumes the privileges and responsibilities of this office.
Saul’s kingship was confirmed through a military victory, the very reason the people wanted a king.
1 Samuel 8:20 NLT
20 “We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.”
