A New Hope 1 Samuel 11 verses 1 to 15

Introduction

It used to be that we began a new year with a sense of hope and optimism. We made our resolutions to eat less and live better. We set our goals to achieve more. We wondered what memories we might make in the year ahead.

Nowadays there doesn’t seem to be that same sense of optimism. More and more we look back at what has happened in the past year and wonder what could possibly happen next. Uncertainty on a grand scale and looming crisis seem to be the defining characteristics of our age.

It was the same in Samuel’s day. God’s People, facing external threats and internal tension, called on God to give them a king. God gave them Saul. Saul looked the part but his reign hadn’t gotten off to the best of starts; remember how Chapter 10 concludes:

 ²⁷ But some scoundrels said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no gifts…

There was not much hope in Israel.

But today we see God bring a new hope for His People. When Jabesh-gilead is threatened, Saul is empowered to rescue the city. After his victory Saul is confirmed as king. And so, our passage can be understood like this:

An Enemy Who Seeks Our Disgrace

A Spirit-Empowered King Who Brings Salvation

A Kingdom to Belong To

Here we see the appointed king, empowered by God’s Spirit, bring salvation to God’s People and establish His Kingdom.

It is still the same for God’s People today. In Christ, our Rescuer-King, God has worked the ultimate salvation for His People through His Spirit-Empowered King. And so, in Christ, we are set free from sin and death and welcomed into His Kingdom to live for Him in true fullness forevermore. This is the great hope for every Follower of Christ, the Rescuer-King.

Let’s see that first of all as we consider…

An Enemy Who Seeks Our Disgrace

To choose the victim, to prepare the blow with care, to slake an implacable vengeance, and then to go to bed- there is nothing sweeter in the world.

So said Joseph Stalin, the infamous dictator of Soviet Russia.

But these words could also have been uttered by the main antagonist of our story today: Nahash the Ammonite. Nahash was an arrogant, intimidating figure fuelled by hatred and vengeance. And he had built a reputation for terrorising his enemies, and inflicting acts of gross brutality upon them.

According to verse 1 he had set his sights on his next conquest:

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.”

God’s People once again face an enemy who seeks their disgrace.

It seems that Nahash had been terrorising the area for some time. And so, the Jabesh-gileadites were desperate to seek terms with Nahash. Nahash was willing, but on one condition: that he could gouge out the right eye of every one of them and so bring disgrace on all Israel.

Nahash was an enemy of both strategic insight and incredible cruelty. By gouging out the right eye, Nahash would leave these men unfit for battle- you cannot fight what you cannot sight. And these mutilated soldiers, no longer useful for fighting, would be a source of humiliation for all God’s People.

This true story from God’s Word reminds us that we live in a dangerous world. In this world, fallen by sin, we daily witness ‘man’s inhumanity to man’. But more than that, if we are Believers, we must remember we have an Enemy who would gladly destroy us.

Nahash’s actions were motivated by personal vengeance as well as strategic concerns. From the opening books of the Bible we see that the Ammonites and Israelites had a long history of ill-feeling toward one another. And so, Nahash wanted to ‘…bring disgrace on all Israel…’. For this reason, he took great delight in causing the Israelites of Jabesh to squirm in terror before his threats.

In this we see the hatred of the world for God’s People in every generation. And so we remember the words of Jesus in John 15 verse 19:

¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 

It is because of this hostility from an evil and hateful world that God’s People need a Saviour.

And, knowing they needed a saviour, the Israelites in Jabesh made an appeal in verse 3:

…”Give us seven days so we can send messengers throughout Israel; if no one comes to rescue us, we will surrender to you.”…

God’s Word is littered with examples of God’s People crying out for a Saviour, seeking deliverance from an enemy; in Psalm 7 we read:

¹ Lord my God, I take refuge in you;
save and deliver me from all who pursue me…

To be a Believer is to realise your need of God’s salvation.

As Believers we must recognise that we need saving. Yes, we need the forgiveness of our sins and rescue from God’s holy wrath. But we also need salvation from the dangers of this world and the Enemy who would seek our destruction.

And we need to know that we can call out to God for deliverance. In times of danger or dread we can call out to the One who reveals Himself to be our Rock, Refuge, and Rescuer; the One who will never leave us or forsake us.

And God is the One who sends…

A Spirit-Empowered King Who Brings Salvation

Such was Nahash’s contempt for the Israelites, such was his confident desire to spread terror in their nation, that he allowed the Jabesh-gileadites the time to send messengers requesting rescue.

It was in this way that news of the Ammonite siege eventually came to Saul; in verse 4 we read:

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

A decisive moment had come to the newly installed Saul.

It was the threat of invasion that had motivated the people to demand a king. Now that such an invasion had occurred, it was time for the king to come to the rescue and fulfil his calling.

Throughout 1 Samuel we have repeatedly witnessed God’s gracious dealing with His People. In verse 6 we again witness God’s grace as he meets Saul’s need at just the right time:

⁶ When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger.

The coming of the Spirit shows the Lord’s favour toward this king who had been installed as a result of the people’s rebellion- what amazing grace. The Lord was graciously willing to remain Israel’s Savior even through the kingship of Saul.

This was not the first time God had met the needs of His People with the power of His Spirit. In the Book of the Judges we read of God’s Spirit rushing upon Samson, giving him supernatural strength to overthrow the Philistine oppression. Now the Spirit came to empower Saul with strength and wisdom to lead His People in this time of need.

Notice what the coming of God’s Spirit did to Saul: it filled him with righteous anger over Nahash’s evil and a passionate resolve to honour God’s People on crisis. When God’s Spirit came upon Saul he went to war against God’s enemies and the oppressor of God’s People.

This righteous indignation reflects the heart of God. Our God is not passive or distant in the face of evil. He will, in His good time and by His perfect means, execute His holy wrath against all sin- this is the hope of God’s People in every generation.

The situation in Jabesh called for bold and decisive action. In verse 7 we see Saul act accordingly. Inspired by the Spirit, Saul acted with authority and called the people to battle. But notice that Saul was not harsh- he didn’t threaten death to those who opposed him, but only the civil punishment of the death of their oxen.

Again, aided by the Spirit, Saul quickly organised the people in verse 8. This was followed by a clear message and a cunning plan. In verse 9 we can imagine the elation when the people heard: ‘By the time the sun is hot tomorrow, you will be delivered.’ Then, in verse 10 a message delivered to the Ammonites: ‘Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do to us whatever seems good to you.’.

The effect of the message sent to Nahash seems to have been to lull his forces into a false sense of confidence. This was, no doubt, the point. And so, when Saul’s forces arrived- well-ordered and united in purpose- there was only going to be one outcome. In verse 11 we read of a decisive, Spirit-inspired victory for God’s appointed king.

 

Of course, we could say that Saul’s victory was the result of gifted leadership and a good plan well executed by a unified force. But we must note the vital role played by the Spirit of God in equipping the leadership and empowering the people. Salvation came not because Israel had a king but because the king had God’s Spirit.

It is the power of God’s Spirit that brings deliverance to God’s People. It is only when God’s People rely on God’s Spirit that they will know God’s power.

And the power of God’s Spirit is available to God’s People as we gather for prayer and ask Him to work in our lives and in our congregation. And the power of God’s Spirit is available to God’s People as we gather around God’s Word and are devoted to its teaching and instruction. It is in our times of gathered prayer and Bible Study that we will know God working powerfully in the life of our congregation.

Throughout Scripture we see the Spirit at work in the lives of Believers and in the Church to further God’s Kingdom in the world.

And we see that in our passage today. Finally, we see….

A Kingdom to Belong To

A great victory had been won at Jabesh. God’s People had been rescued by God’s appointed king. In verse 12 we see how the people responded to this deliverance. With Saul now established as king among the tribes of Israel the people wanted to deal with those who had opposed Saul earlier. Whether this was newfound devotion to Saul, or an attempt to rid the nation of internal dissent we do not know.

Whatever the motive, Saul was clear in his response in verse 13:

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

In this moment we see the high point of Saul’s life and reign.

In a moment of inspired leadership, he showed restraint that brought unity. Saul reminded the people that it was God who had saved them, so they should honour God- God’s grace should provoke grace in His People.

As events come to a close Samuel gathers the people at Gilgal with a renewed hope for Saul and God’s People; in verses 14 and 15 we read:

Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there reaffirm the kingship.” So all the people went to Gilgal and confirmed Saul as king in the presence of the Lord.

At Gilgal- a symbolic place for remembering God’s faithfulness- Samuel calls the people to renew their loyalty to God’s Kingdom, ruled by God’s appointed king: Saul.

The chapter ends with rejoicing in verse 15. In their peace offerings the people look once again to God’s gracious provision and celebrate what God has done for them through His appointed king.

As God’s People today, coming to the Lord’s Table, we look once again to God’s gracious provision and celebrate what God has done through His appointed King. And as we come and celebrate, we would do well to ponder several truths we are confronted with in our passage today.

Firstly, we have an Enemy and we are engaged in a spiritual conflict against ‘…the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms….’, as Ephesians 6 reminds us. These spiritual forces are just as eager to destroy and disgrace God’s People today as Nahash was in Saul’s day.

And yet, despite the warning of our passage and the repeated warnings of Scripture, the reality is that many in the Church today will fail to see that they are engaged in deadly spiritual warfare. I know this to be true by several simple observations.

Firstly, I see it in the way we think about prayer. We don’t prioritise times of gathered prayer as a congregation, we don’t bring our children to times of gathered prayer but will make sure they get to swimming lessons, and we only ask for prayer when we are facing difficulty in this world.

And then I see it in our approach to sharing the Good News of the Gospel. We don’t like to see it as ‘going to do battle’. In a sense we see it more as selling a product or getting people to ‘sign up’. We do not see it as going out into enemy territory to speak truth and bring light into a world of darkness and lies.

But we must see ourselves as being engaged in spiritual warfare, taking up the weapons of prayer and God’s Word. We must also see that we fight for a King who is all powerful and completely victorious. We fight assured of victory, and in the strength that He provides. And so, we gather at the King’s Table to remember and celebrate and renew our strength for the next battle.

 

 

The same is true on an individual level. As individual Believers we have an Enemy who prowls and seeks our destruction. And, although the lion is defanged, the Enemy is dangerous- we dare not fight Him in our own strength.

We need to recognise the violent threat of our spiritual enemies and make use of the means of God’s grace. Gathered around God’s Word and at the Lord’s Table we make use of the means God has given for our growth in holiness and soundness of faith- we are strengthened to resist the Enemy as our hearts and minds our shaped for Christ.

Conclusion

Today, in God’s Word we are reminded that God’s People need a Saviour. So, we must draw near to the true Spirit-empowered, God-appointed King: Jesus.

In Christ, our Rescuer-King, God has worked the ultimate salvation for His People. In Christ, we are set free from sin and death and welcomed into His Kingdom to live for Him in fullness forevermore. This is the great hope we possess as Believers. So, strengthened by His Word and empowered by Spirit, let honour our King this day and every day until He calls our comes.