1 Samuel · chapter 11 of 31
Updated on
1 Samuel 11 tells how Nahash the Ammonite besieges Jabesh-gilead and demands to gouge out the right eye of every inhabitant. When Saul hears the news, the Spirit of God comes upon him, he summons all Israel and defeats the Ammonites. Saul refuses to put to death those who had despised him, credits the victory to the Lord, and the people renew the kingdom at Gilgal.
At the end of chapter 10 Saul was king only in name, and some despised him. Chapter 11 gives him his first test of leadership. Here we see Saul acting with the Spirit of God, with courage and with humility, and the choice the Lord had made is confirmed before all the people.
Nahash the Ammonite goes up and besieges Jabesh-gilead. The men of the city offer to make a treaty with him and serve him, but Nahash answers that he will do so only if they let him gouge out every man's right eye, as a disgrace on all Israel. The elders ask for seven days to look for help, and if no one saves them, they will surrender.
The messengers come to Gibeah of Saul and tell the news, and all the people lift up their voices and weep. Saul is coming from the field behind his oxen and asks what is troubling the people. When he hears what has happened, the Spirit of God comes upon him in power and his anger is greatly kindled. He takes a yoke of oxen, cuts them in pieces and sends the pieces throughout the territory of Israel with this message: whoever does not come out after Saul and Samuel, this will be done to his oxen. The fear of the Lord falls on the people and they come out as one man.
Saul counts them at Bezek: three hundred thousand men of Israel and thirty thousand of Judah. They tell the messengers of Jabesh that tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, they will be rescued. The men of Jabesh are glad and tell Nahash that they will come out to him the next day. On the next day Saul divides the people into three companies, enters the Ammonite camp in the morning watch and strikes them until the heat of the day; the survivors are scattered.
The people ask to put to death those who had said that Saul should not reign over them. Saul answers that no man shall be put to death that day, for today the Lord has worked salvation in Israel. Samuel invites them to go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom. There they make Saul king before the Lord, offer peace offerings, and Saul and all the men of Israel rejoice greatly.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The Spirit of God comes upon Saul in power when he hears the news, and his anger is greatly kindled. Saul's leadership in this chapter is the fruit of the Spirit's action, not of his own strength.
Saul cuts a yoke of oxen in pieces and sends the pieces to all Israel with a solemn warning. It is a drastic gesture that forces everyone to choose; and the fear of the Lord, not only of Saul, moves the people.
Saul will not let anyone be put to death that day, because the Lord has worked salvation in Israel. He credits the victory to God and chooses mercy toward those who despised him, an admirable attitude at the start of his reign.
The people go to Gilgal and confirm Saul as king before the Lord with peace offerings. After the victory, Saul's kingdom is recognized and placed in the presence of God.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: That every inhabitant let him gouge out the right eye, as a disgrace on Israel. — 1 Samuel 11:2
Answer: Seven days. — 1 Samuel 11:3
Answer: He was coming from the field behind his oxen. — 1 Samuel 11:5
Answer: He cut a yoke of oxen in pieces and sent the pieces throughout the territory with a warning. — 1 Samuel 11:7
Answer: Three hundred thousand of Israel and thirty thousand of Judah. — 1 Samuel 11:8
Answer: That no one would be put to death that day, because the Lord had worked salvation in Israel. — 1 Samuel 11:12-13
Saul responds to an injustice with a holy anger that moves him to act, and afterward, in the hour of victory, he chooses mercy and gives the glory to the Lord. In a small group, you can reflect on which injustices today should move us to act, and how to do so without losing humility.
It also shows that unity is a strength: all Israel came out as one man. A church that gathers around a concrete need can accomplish much. And when success comes, it helps to remember where it comes from, and to treat with grace those who once doubted us.
1 Samuel 11 ends with Saul confirmed as king at Gilgal and Israel united and joyful. In chapter 12 Samuel will give his farewell speech to the people and remind them that even with a king they must keep following the Lord.
The text says he did it as a disgrace on all Israel. The mutilation would leave the men of the city marked and weakened, and the public humiliation would be a message to all the tribes.
It was an urgent and symbolic summons: what happened to the oxen of anyone who did not come would happen to his own. Samuel is named alongside Saul in the call because the prophet's authority backed the new king.