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Saul’s Good Beginning 1 Samuel 11

1 Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you." 2 And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, "On this condition I will make a covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes, and bring reproach on all Israel."    3 Then the elders of Jabesh said to him, "Hold off for seven days, that we may send messengers to all the territory of Israel. And then, if there is no one to save us, we will come out to you." 4 So the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the news in the hearing of the people. And all the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5 Now there was Saul, coming behind the herd from the field; and Saul said, "What troubles the people, that they weep?" And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh. 6 Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard this news, and his anger was greatly aroused. 7 So he took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, "Whoever does not go out with Saul and Samuel to battle, so it shall be done to his oxen." And the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out with one consent.          8 When he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. 9 And they said to the messengers who came, "Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh Gilead: 'Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have help.' " Then the messengers came and reported it to the men of Jabesh, and they were glad. 10 Therefore the men of Jabesh said, "Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do with us whatever seems good to you." 11 So it was, on the next day, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and killed Ammonites until the heat of the day. And it happened that those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.          12 Then the people said to Samuel, "Who is he who 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 accomplished salvation in Israel." 14 Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there."     15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they made sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly. 


A Crisis of Faith (vv. 1-3)


The Hatred of the World/Ammonites

The Ammonites never forgot or forgave the way Jephthah humbled them (Judges 11:29-33). They tried to rebuild their old kingdom just east of the Jordan River. They had grown strong and bold. They prepared to attack nearby Jabesh-Gilead. These weak Israelites offered to make a covenant with the Ammonites to save their skin. The Ammonites agreed on the condition that the men submit to having their right eyes gouged out. This would prevent them from being soldiers. Even more, it was intended as an insult to Israel. So confident were the Ammonites that the men of Jabesh-Gilead would submit to these dreadful terms that they gave them seven days to seek deliverance. It was one of the lowest moments in Israel’s history. We see in the Ammonite’s disdain the world’s hatred toward Christians – silence them, ridicule the Bible, take the Lord Jesus’ name in vain – anything to insult our faith, offend our sensitivities, weaken our resolve, and mock the God in whom we hope. No such insults are ever given to false religions and practices, however bizarre or perverse. Our Lord said to expect this. “If the world hates you, it hated me first” (John 15:18). The world hates us because the Lord has chosen us out of the world (John 15:19). The world hates the light because its deeds are evil. We should never be surprised or embarrassed by this. Instead, when cursed, we bless. When mistreated, we love.


The Compromise of Jabesh-Gilead

The city of Jabesh-Gilead had been destroyed earlier in its history for failing to join the nation in its opposition to the wicked men of Gibeah – Saul’s hometown (Judges 21:10)! Although the city had been rebuilt, it was still weak and compromised. It had broken covenant with God, and now was willing to make a covenant with the world. This is what happens when we capitulate to sin, any sin, however small. We feed sin, and we grow weaker. Jabesh-Gilead was unable to resist the threats of the Ammonites. Without faith in God, men lose their courage. They make their peace with the world. This is the reason that many sinners are more like zombies than men – they are so captured by sin that they offer no resistance. Because they offer no resistance, sin leaves them alone in their pit, and the world welcomes their support.

The compromises of Jabesh Gilead teach us that we must war against sin in our lives, join with the righteous in opposing sin, and make no allegiances with the world. Believing young adults should not date or intermarry with unbelievers (1 Cor. 7:39; 2 Cor. 6:14). Christians should not support political systems or politicians that are outposts and representatives of the city of man, but instead maintain their prophetic stance toward the world of rebellion against Jesus Christ and separation from the world of sin. And we must keep up the duties of private religion and public gathering for worship, preaching, and prayer, for these are the way we walk in the Spirit and thus are strengthened to resist the temptation to make our peace with the world in order to avoid trouble and enjoy its fleeting pleasures and false prosperity. Spiritual carelessness weakens the soul and paralyzes us with fear so that we can no longer resist evil. When the Lord is with us, we can “be strong and of good courage” (Joshua 1:6-9).


Salvation from an Unexpected Source (vv. 4-12)


Saul’s Good Beginning

The Scripture says that we are “Christ’s house, if we hold fast the confidence and rejoicing of hope firm unto the end” (Heb. 3:6). It is beautiful and satisfying to begin well – a job, a relationship, a life. God’s true children end well. They persevere to the end. Saul is a tragic study of beginning well but completely losing one’s way and finally leaving the right way altogether. This happens usually for one of two reasons. Sudden temptation can overcome us and leave us so wounded that we lose all confidence in the Lord, and over time our taste for him and holy things, and finally stop seeking him at all. Or equally and perhaps more common is the allowance of sins to creep into our lives, and then growing distaste for seeking the Lord, weariness with fighting the law of sin in our members, and finally giving into that sin more and more so that it regains the dominance that was never really broken. Both of these seem to have operated in Saul but, let us also see in him how good a beginning in serving God can be among false professors whom he finally rejects.

Saul manifested some humility and discretion, for upon being anointed king, he saw that the monarchy, being a new institution, did not have universal acceptance and would require some activity on God’s part to gain a firm hold in the hearts and minds of the people. Thus, he returned to Gibeah and resumed his agricultural pursuits. It is admirable that he did not demand an immediate change in the nation, or a lavish court, or honor. Second, when he heard of the threat against Jabesh-Gilead, he was moved with zeal for the good of God’s people (vv. 6-7). He was angry at what had happened, but this was no blustering rage but a Spirit-produced zeal that led him to take decisive action. Third, in gathering the people by cutting up the oxen, making the situation in Jabesh-Gilead a national issue, and then arranging the men of war for battle, he displayed prudence and courage (vv. 8-11). Then, after the Lord granted him a decisive victory over the Ammonites, he was modest and merciful in victory (v. 12). He was modest in that he gave the Lord all the credit for the victory, and he was merciful in that he did not allow any reprisals against those who had initially mocked him.

Taking these together, we have a model of a good and godly leader. If only we had men like this today at the helm of our national and state governments! In Saul’s case, these virtues were completely the result of the Spirit coming upon him so that he might be a good king (v. 6). Sadly, he did not persevere in these virtues, for the change in Saul was only formal and outward, not inward and lasting. Changes in us can also be like this – brought on by some new sense of danger or duty, but not inward and deeply rooted in our hearts. Unbelieving men sometimes change for the better. Professing Christians sometimes make external changes, even by the Spirit’s working in them, that resemble regeneration and spiritual fruit. One difference between these external works and the inner change of heart that is given at regeneration is that the new birth is lasting and deepening in its effects. The new birth leads the believer in Jesus to search his heart and to bring his heart before the Lord to be searched. It does not rest in the accolades of men. It is not deceived by surface changes that are eventually exposed as false and only general operations of the Spirit, not saving and eternal operations that bind us to Jesus Christ and create a living, permanent union with our Savior.


The Spirit Makes All the Difference (v. 6)

Even such changes as Saul experienced were by the Holy Spirit. He could never have acted as nobly and effectively as he did, even for the brief time he was a good king, without the Lord’s assistance. We too easily forget our theology when it comes to evaluating what men can and cannot do. We confess to believe in total depravity, but our expectations of our “heroes” often ignore total depravity, original sin, and the need of the new birth to be truly good. All good in this world, even at a natural and non-redemptive level, comes from the Holy Spirit. There is nothing in fallen man but sin and death – not yet absolutely as it will be in hell, but comprehensively poisoning all that he does. And especially in the believer, all spiritual good is wrought in us by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. We must have the Holy Spirit, for he alone changes our heart (John 3:3-8), unites us to Jesus Christ in a living union of grace and life (2 Cor. 3:17), bears witness with our spirits that we are God’s children (Rom. 8:15-16), and seals us for the day of redemption as the downpayment of our inheritance (Eph. 1:14).

These great works of the Spirit today are often ignored or rarely noticed by professing Christians. We somehow think that bearing good fruit and serving Christ faithfully are the ho-hum realities of the Christian life. They are not. We must unplug from our distractions that encourage neglect of God’s wonders happening right in our midst. A young person comes to faith in Christ – this is a powerful work of the Holy Spirit calling for our heartfelt praise. Two who are at odds become reconciled and forgive one another. Who did this, but God’s Spirit? Because the glossolia of Pentecost have ceased we are not to think that the Spirit does no mighty works. He is doing them, but we wind up taking credit for them. Did you resist temptation today? Were you kind and gentle? Did you do a good day’s work with a good attitude? Do not take credit for this. There is no good in us except from the Holy Spirit. It is God’s Spirit indwelling us that does all good. The Christian life is marked by constant miracle. The Holy Spirit is working the power and grace of our Savior’s kingdom in us.


Renew the Kingdom! (vv. 13-15)


The Lord Is the Savior of His People

After the battle was won, some suggested that Saul’s detractors be put to death. Saul refused more death and recognized that not he but the Lord was the true Savior of his people. It was perhaps the high point of his life. “For today, the Lord has wrought salvation in Israel.” This is one of three times a form of “salvation” appears in this chapter (vv. 3,9,13). Saul is king, but the Lord is the King and Savior. Monarch has not changed this reality. Salvation means deliverance from evil, the establishment of peace, and the enjoyment of deliverance. Earthly kings and princes do not give salvation to men. This is one reason we are told to “put no confidence in princes” (Ps. 118:8-9). It is far better to trust the Lord and to look to him as our Savior. Since no man and no nation can save itself from evil, we can be sure that today’s Babel-building will fail. Man cannot save himself. Neither can man dislodge God from being King and Savior. The Father has exalted his Son to his right hand. Jesus Christ is the “Prince and Savior” to grant repentance and forgiveness (Acts 5:31). We must learn this same lesson today – not “kill those who disagree with us,” but “the Lord has wrought salvation.” He is our “Judge, our King, and our Lawgiver; he will save us” (Isa. 33:22). We must cry to him day and night. He will hear us, after he has humbled and chastened us for our confidence in man and worldly loves. He will come and save us.


Israel Gathered in Gilgal to Renew the Kingdom

The Lord directed Samuel that the time was ripe to “renew the kingdom.” The Lord had delivered his people and raised up a king for them. To renew the kingdom certainly involved a fresh sense of their national identity and loyalty to their new king. Much deeper, as the next chapter will make clear, is that they needed to renew the covenant, their allegiance to the Lord. In the four centuries since Joshua, the people had largely been in rebellion against the Lord and his word. There were seasons of temporary return to him under the judges, but as the recent crisis of faith made clear, they needed to return to the Lord with all their hearts. To Gilgal Samuel summoned Israel. Gilgal was where the new generation was circumcised after the wilderness judgment (Josh. 5:9). It was the site of Israel’s first camp on the westward side of the Jordan. It was a historical site for Israel. They made Saul king there, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. They renewed the covenant, confessed their sins, and vowed to walk in the Lord’s ways.


Our Response to Crisis: Faith, Spirit, Christ the King

This was a defining moment in Israel’s history, and its significance confronts us. What do we do in times of national crisis? Personal and congregational crisis? Crisis is normal for sin, for it “goes from bad to worse, deceived and being deceived” (Eph. 4:19). No modern nation is Israel, but the church is God’s holy nation and his purchased possession. When we find ourselves making covenants with the world, this is a crisis of faith. If the Spirit of God indwells us, he strengthens us to resist the world and to overcome it by faith. If we live by the lies of our age, we need to return to God’s truth. We must ask him to give us his Spirit. The world knows nothing of the Holy Spirit and cannot overcome his power. Why, then, are God’s people often so weak and compromised? Why do believers often lose their way, their focus, even their hope? When we face these things, learn the lesson of Jabesh-Gilead and Gilgal – it is time to renew the covenant. It is time to return to the Father through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. He is the enthroned King. He is merciful and will pardon all our sins. We need bring no burnt offerings but to cast the arms of faith around his perfect sacrifice at Golgotha.

How do we renew the covenant? “But seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matt. 6:33). “The kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 14:17). “For you serve the Lord Christ” (Col. 3:24). “And whatever you do in word and deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ” (Col. 3:17). We renew the kingdom in our lives, families, congregation, and nation, by turning from our sins to the Lord in faith and repentance. He will receive and save us. His is the kingdom, power, and glory forever. There is no other Savior. And in our day no less than in Samuel’s, the Lord will be known as the only Savior of his people. He will not share his glory with another, and if we trust politicians and experts to save us, we are sharing his glory with others. He may use them, but they are only creaturely tools. All the glory must be his – in our affections, as shown by our praising him, in our lives, as shown by our seeking him.

But too often, we are like the men of Jabesh-Gilead – agreeing to have our right eye cut out if only we can keep our pleasant little lives. Imagine agreeing to this. Let us live, but take our eyes. Without an active, lively faith and hope in the Lord, there is no limit to how low even a believer can fall. This is not to belittle those who are struggling and even have fallen into the pit of sin and despair. It is to recognize that we are far weaker than we can imagine and capable of making many deals with the world for a little bowl of soup. Esau lives in every human heart, and his compromising spirit must be put to death by the power of the Holy Spirit.

What does this mean in practice? Make no deals of any kind with sin. Faith and holiness are like a seamless garment – pull in one area, and the whole garment becomes misshapen. We cannot give God one area or even most areas of our lives, while retaining little corners of sin for ourselves. We are his purchased possession, his inheritance, and he will have us completely for himself. He loves us and is jealous over us with a godly jealousy (2 Cor. 11:2). Second, we must guard our hearts. A Christian by definition and Spirit-wrought inclination is reflective, self-critical, so that he turns to Christ completely. This is the reason some professors turn away – they give up the duties of soul-searching. They find it distasteful to fight against the law of sin in their members. Making peace with sin is more pleasing than seeking the Lord with all the heart and “chastening oneself every morning” (Ps. 73:14). Jesus Christ is not lovelier than their sins. This kind of backsliding does not happen in one day or one year – it grows progressively, like many cancers.

Thus, we must continue coming to Jesus Christ. He is the only Savior. Think about this seriously. He never stops being the only Savior and King. No legitimate work of his in the soul or in your family or in this congregation ever results in “we need Jesus Christ less.” No. His work always tends in the opposite direction – we need him more. When he is saving us, we pray more, weep more, seek more grace, desire to love him more, to know him better. This is because of who he is. He is the living Savior. It matters not that the West has grown blind and therefore confirmed in its rebellion. It does not matter what unbelieving science says about ultimate reality. The promises and programs of politicians and pundits are profoundly wrong if they lead us away from Jesus Christ as the only Savior of the nations. In the present hour, we must see Jesus Christ again. The answer to all our crises is to come to our King and submit to him.  Begin with yourself, your family, and this congregation. There is no other Savior. There is no one else who can deliver us and help us to live for him. The world and the devil do not want your right eye. They want your soul. And all that is happening in the world that seems to be turning everything upside down is really nothing but the warring, devastating footsteps of Jesus Christ teaching our age this simple truth. There is no other Savior. I, even I, am he that blots out your sins.

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