Day 1030: Rush of the Spirit - 1 Samuel 11 vs 1 – 7

1-2 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.” 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.” 3-4 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.” 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. 1 Samuel 11:1-7 English Standard Version.

Once again, I found the website 'GotQuestions' a useful resource for information about people and places mentioned in the Bible. In today's case, it pointed out how 1 Samuel 12:12 tells us that Nahash the Ammonite was a big reason why Israel wanted a king of their own, someone to protect them from kings like Nahash. The Ammonites, like the Ammorites, Moabites, and Philistines, were living in the region to which God had brought the Israelites to settle in after leaving Egypt. Based on vs 1-2, what sort of people do you think they were?

An argument some people use against believing in the God of the Bible, is that they say He is cruel. They refer to an Old Testament verse like 1 Samuel 15:3 where God commanded Saul to attack the Amalekites (another nation in that region) and devote all of them to destruction. God said: “Don't spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey." That does sound harsh even in a Christian’s ears. But the assumption of those who criticise God is that the Ammonites and Amalekites were innocent and harmless. But Nahash the Ammonite is an example of how depraved they had become. Like many of the other nations of the region, child sacrifice would have been part of their idol worship.

When Israel was about to enter the land God brought them to, Moses said to them: “Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God. When the Lord your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.” (Deuteronomy 25:17-19)

The people who were 'lagging behind' would most likely have been the elderly, and women with young children. And the Amalekites had attacked them. They had no time for God, and their actions and cruelty were a stench to Him. We see an example of that sort of cruelty in Nahash the Ammonite.

And so the battle lines were drawn as the Ammonites surrounded Jabesh-gilead and issued their terrible ultimatum. But this is where Saul, who'd already been declared by Samuel as the man to be king, was now to make a name for himself before the people of Israel. But was it by his own strength and skill? (vs 6)

Even in the days of the Old Testament, it was God's Spirit who equipped and empowered men and women to accomplish great things for the Lord. So too in our generation, we must always look to God to enable us to do the work of the gospel by the mighty working of His Spirit. We still face a cruel enemy in Satan, but, as the apostle Paul said: “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37)