Text: I Samuel 11
Theme: God can use what seems like a terrible situation to accomplish His purposes
Intro:
- In chapter 10, we looked at the anointing of Saul and his attempt to hide from his new responsibilities. We considered the signs that God gave to Saul that were intended to give him confidence in the power and provision of God to enable Saul to be the king he ought to be.
- In chapter 11, we are going to see how Saul was used by God to punish the Ammonites. In this passage we will see that Saul was an excellent leader when he was under the control of the Holy Spirit.
Main:
- The Peril of Jabesh Revealed (Vs 1-3)
a. The Ammonites encamped against Jabesh-Gilead.
– The Ammonites were actually descendants of Abraham’s nephew, Lot.
– Genesis 19:38 tells us, and the younger, she also bare a son and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.”
b. The descendants of the worldly seed are never friendly to the Christian.
– Pictorially, it is the age-old battle between the Spirit and the flesh, between the world and the Christian. We may all have Adam as our physical father, but every born-again Christian has a new Heavenly Father with who we identify and who the world hates.
c. The men of Jabesh-Gilead sought to make a peace treaty with the Ammonites.
– The Ammonites agreed to a peace treaty, but only if they could gouge out the right eye of every one of the men of Jabesh-Gilead and use their eyes to mock and taunt the rest of Israel.
– Our enemies today are the world, the flesh, and the devil, and you need to understand that there are no peace treaties to be had with these enemies. They are cruel oppressors who battle against the spiritual Christian, seeking to destroy us.
d. In a last ditch effort, they asked for a 7 day rest from the battle, in which time they would call to the rest of Israel to come and help them. If no-one came to the rescue, the men would surrender themselves to the torturous gouging out of their eyes followed by slavery to the Ammonites. This is the price they would pay for having their lives spared.
– God allowed these events to transpire so that He could establish Saul as the ruler over the nation of Israel. - The Call to Battle Sent Out (Vs 4-10)
a. When the messengers came to Gibeah and told of the dire situation at Jabesh, the people wept.
– Notice that Saul came from the fields following a herd of animals. This tells us that Saul had not been established as the king of Israel but had gone home to Gibeah and stayed there working on the farm as he used to do. When Saul saw the people weeping, he immediately demanded to know the reason.
– When Saul heard the tidings of the men of Jabesh-Gilead, the Spirit of God moved him to immediate action.
b. Saul was moved by the Holy Spirit to unite the nation of Israel against her common enemy and to lead the people in battle against the Ammonites.
– Saul was rightly angered by the news of the Ammonite aggression. But, If Saul had been motivated by nothing more than his own passions and emotions, then the plan to rescue Jabesh-Gilead would have failed.
c. The nation gathered to Saul for battle (Vs 8-9)
– Verse 7 tells us, the people came out with one consent, which means, there were no disagreements about this, everyone was on the same page, and they all wanted to join in the battle.
– A united church poses much more of a threat to the devil and his kingdom than a church that is full of disunity and division.
d. Sometimes it takes a battle to unite the crowd.
– Even though Saul had been anointed king and the nation had received the king they had demanded, they still remained unwilling to unite under that king.
– But when the battle arrived and the people found they had a common enemy, suddenly they were ready to follow Saul to the battle.
– Times of testing should not be times of division. When we are going through difficult times as a church that is the time when we most need to stick together and see the battle through together. - The Ammonite Army Repelled (Vs 10-15)
a. The city defence was accomplished (Vs 10-11)
– When the men of the city heard that deliverance was coming, they fooled the enemy into thinking they were giving up.
– This was a deceptive move that would make the Ammonites think that the men of Jabesh-Gilead had finally given up after discovering that there was no-one coming to help them.
b. Tactics are a very useful tool in battles. That is why, when there is a potential battle coming our way, we need to be more diligent in prayer than ever before.
– One thing that I found very encouraging in Adelaide was that we began having all nights of prayer before special meetings or Baptismal services. These nights of prayer were important in light of the spiritual battles we expected to arise.
c. On the following day, Saul divided the people into 3 companies, and they attacked the Ammonites while they were still in their camp.
– God gave Israel the victory that day and established the kingdom in the hand of Saul.
– The defeat of the Ammonites was so great that they were totally scattered so that you could not find two of the together.
d. The people united behind Saul (Vs 12-15)
– Crowds of people are fickle. One minute they are convinced of one thing and the next minute their opinion is easily swayed another direction.
– This is just another reason why we should not put our confidence in a man, no matter who he is.
e. Finally, the people were ready to accept Saul as their king.
– So, God established the kingdom in Saul’s hand, and the people were united in their support of the new king.
– Although Israel demanded a king against the will of God, God used Saul to deliver Israel from her oppressors.
Conclusion:
- You have to be in the battle if you are going to be a victorious Christian. Battles are not won by sitting on the sidelines hoping the enemy will pack it in and go home.
- The battle is ultimately the Lords. Don’t fret but be strong and very courageous.