A Heart Committed to Christ
1 Samuel 11:1-15
Turn in your Bibles to 1 Samuel 11. If you have read this chapter, you know that it is all about a battle. We see this a lot in Old Testament narrative, the physical fighting of Israel against her enemies. However, when we turn to the New Testament, we see somewhat of the opposite. Though it is not strange to see the judges going to battle, or in this case Saul; we would think it strange if we read that Christ rallied His disciples and went to war. Yet there is war in the New Testament, but it is always the fight of a spiritual battle. When the Apostle Paul addressed the weapons of righteousness, he spoke of things such as purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, and love. He wrote:
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Eph 6:12 (LSB)
It would seem that Old Testament Israel was to fight their battles with earthly weapons but not so in the New Testament and though that seems to be a great difference to us, the similarity is that we are in a battle today, we are in a war, though our culture does not like to speak in those kinds of terms anymore. In fact, there is such a negative attitude towards war when at one time in our history, there was a positive view of war if it was for the right reason. I mean if someone broke into your house and threatened to kill your wife and children, I would hope that we would applaud the guy, the husband who defended them, and did whatever he had to do to keep them safe. This would be true of war as well. And this, of course, does not mean that I would be promoting war in any way, but if some madman was leading a country (e.g. another Hitler) and attacked them, I would hope that that country and its citizens would do whatever it needed to defend its people, or that we would defend another country who were being unfairly attacked, as there is heroism in that, isn’t there? Yet in our day, any kind of war talk whether good or bad is really frowned upon.
So, we even tend to downplay the use of war language within Christianity. When my Mom and Dad were first married they were part of the Salvation Army. A time when songs like The Battle Hymn of the Republic were more popular. “Glory, glory hallelujah, His truth is marching on!” So, in our Christian pursuit today of witnessing to the unbeliever, we view it more as an idea to promote to them, not necessarily as warfare but more as diplomacy, or as a truth to try to convince them. John Woodhouse writes that we try to sell a product, not fight a battle; we are salespeople, not soldiers; and we have books to promote, but we no longer carry weapons. And I love his quote:
“We face potential customers, not an enemy. We are out to expand our market share and increase our customer base, not to capture, defeat, or destroy a foe. We form a business plan, not a battle plan … We are more like advertisers than fighters.”
John Woodhouse, Looking for a Leader 192
And of course, Woodhouse is not defending this type of approach. He is only stating the way it is often viewed for Christianity today. Now there may be something in some of us that this kind of talk gets your blood running. I mean the movie where the good guys are getting crushed almost to the point of sure defeat, and then you look on the horizon, and what is coming? This other good army seems to extend from horizon to horizon, and they charge down on horseback and wipe out the entire enemy. Yah! We do read such things in the book of Revelation. In chapter 19, when all the enemies of God align themselves where John writes:
“Then I saw the beast [Satan] and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war with [Christ] who sits on the horse and with His army.”
And of course, the beast was seized, and the false prophet and they were thrown into the lake of fire. And the rest were killed with the sword, and they too were thrown into the lake of fire. And I thought that if we in our Christian culture considered our Christianity as more of a battle, we may need to rethink our tactics as believers, understanding that it is a battle.
So, in 1 Samuel 11, we have before us a literal conflict and it is not like Israel is strong, or successful. And it is not like their new leader King Saul has any experience. For all we have seen from Saul thus far is that he whined that he was from the smallest tribe in Israel. He did not seem to do anything against the Philistine garrison he came across. He would not tell his uncle about being appointed king, and when Samuel was about to anoint him, Saul was found hiding in the baggage. And so naturally, there were those (end of chapter 10) who questioned his qualifications, and so, from any kind of perspective this is not good for Israel when they are about to be threatened. So, let’s look at the story (vs 1):
“And Nahash the Ammonite came up and besieged Jabesh-gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, ‘Cut a covenant with us, and we will serve you.’”
- Sam 11:1 (LSB)
Here we are introduced to another threat to Israel, not the Philistines this time, but the Ammonites. The Ammonites had been a pain in the side of Israel for a long time. They were descendants of Lot through Lot’s daughter. Now this request by the people of Jabesh-gilead, part of the tribe of Manasseh, shows to us the terrible condition in Israel, as they seem to be at the mercy of this Ammonite ruler. And what is interesting here is that the people (chp 8) wanted a king like all the nations around them, yet, in reality, they were now asking this Nahash to rule them. And it is surprising that they don’t seem to have any confidence in the ability of Saul to save them, as maybe they assume that he wouldn’t even want to come to their rescue.
“But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, ‘I will cut it with you on this condition, that I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you, thus I will make it a reproach on all Israel.’”
- Sam 11:2 (LSB)
Wow! That is quite the request, isn’t it? It would seem back in this day that bragging rights were important. Now we must understand here that this sort of treatment of an enemy was common. And there may be a little resentment in the land of the Ammonites for what Israel’s judge Jephthah did to them back in Judges 11, where it tells us that he subdued twenty cities of the Ammonites. And good to understand that likely many in Israel would not be certain that God would continue to bless them, as maybe the worship of other gods at this time in their history brought many to believe that this is what we get for what we have done, after all, Samuel had said to them in 1 Samuel 10:19, “you have rejected your God who saves you.”
In verse 3, it is interesting that the people of Israel did not cry out to God here. They don’t even suggest to bring the ark of God into battle, and they don’t tell Saul. But they do ask for seven days and the fact that Nahash lets them have the seven days is sort of a ploy in Old Testament times when powerful leaders liked to play along with their weaker enemies. We see this in the battle between Goliath and David, where Goliath merely toys with David. In verse 4, the people lament but the news reaches Saul’s hometown, but we do not get the indication that Saul was sought out. But we know in the story that there is hope for Israel because of what the narrator had told us earlier, something that God has already said in chapter 9:
“About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be ruler over My people Israel … For I have regarded My people because their cry has come to Me.”
1 Sam 9:16 (LSB)
“Now behold, Saul was coming from the field behind the oxen, and he said, ‘What is the matter with the people that they weep?’ So they recounted to him the words of the men of Jabesh.” 1 Sam 11:5 (LSB)
This is actually puzzling as Saul was to be the man. Yet it seems to be by happenchance that he is made aware of this issue. I wonder what happened to the majority that acclaimed him to be king.
“Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul mightily when he heard these words, and he burned with anger exceedingly.”
1 Sam 11:6 (LSB)
Now that is a rather shocking statement considering all we know of Saul at this point. Yet as we move through some of these Old Testament stories, we will often see the sovereignty of God here in action. Understand that the people of Israel have no confidence in themselves, nor in Saul. Nor do they even seem to have any confidence in a former God who delivered them in the past out of Egypt and has defeated their enemies many times in the Promised land. And understand that Saul himself has shown absolutely zero potential of courage in himself, let alone in God. Yet “when [Saul] heard these words he burned with anger exceedingly.” Where did that come from? How do we explain how this reluctant ruler found this kind of emotion and passion for the fight? Well, it tells us (vs 6), then the Spirit of God came upon Saul mightily.
“Then he took a pair of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, ‘Whoever does not come out after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen.’ Then the dread of Yahweh fell on the people, and they came out as one man.”
- Sam 11:7 (LSB)
This is quite the draft success! And what we see in this verse is the power of the Lord’s leadership, as He has taken a timid man like Saul, and filled him with His Spirit and the people respond not with a fear of Saul or Samuel, but a fear or dread of God was on the people. Do we see the Lord’s hand in these actions? That Saul is overcome with the Spirit of God. He was not looking for the Spirit. We do not find him praying for Spirit, but he is overcome by the Spirit. And notice what as well the Bible says about these valiant men, (10:26) God had touched the hearts of these valiant men. So, again, we see it is God who is using Saul and these men.
“And he numbered them in Bezek; and the sons of Israel were 300,000, and the men of Judah 30,000.”
- Sam 11:8 (LSB)
Just as a note here, this division between Israel, mainly ten tribes; and the mention of Judah, mainly the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and some of the tribe of Manasseh, and some Levites who became known as the nation of Judah, is significant, as in the days to come, these two divisions will begin to split during the reign of Solomon, and will completely separate with his son Rehoboam and another man named Jeroboam. And all Israel will only be united sporadically again, but never really the same, as we see the people of God in the New Testament are basically Jews or from the tribe of Judah, and those from the rest of the tribes were known as Samaritans as they intermarried with other nations.
“And they said to the messengers who had come, ‘Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh-gilead, “Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will have salvation.”’ So the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh; and they were glad.”
1 Sam 11:9 (LSB)
This might be what we would call some positive momentum, as the determination of Saul brought renewed confidence among the people. And what is interesting here is that the Israelites had no idea of what would happen. They did not know if they would be called upon to fight, or if the Ammonites would start killing each other, or if God would open up the ground and swallow their enemies. They just caught this spirit of victory and trusted it.
“Then the next morning Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp at the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.”
1 Sam 11:11 (LSB)
Well, I guess this did involve some fighting and bloodshed, as that next morning Saul took over and completely defeated the Ammonites. In fact, it was during the morning watch which is apparently between 2-6 am. So, this was likely done before the Ammonites were even ready to battle. And as the people of Israel were as “one man,” the Ammonites end up being scattered dead all over the countryside. So, now we have victory in the Israelite camp. So, you would think there would be immediate joy and celebration, but they have some business to attend to. Hey! Remember those guys who questioned our king. Who are the rats that said Saul should not be king? We don’t want them around.
“Then the people said to Samuel, ‘Who is he that said, “Shall Saul reign over us?” Bring the men, that we may put them to death.’”
- Sam 11:12 (LSB)
This verse does make me smile. I mean now that they have this momentum going for them, they are ready to take on anyone who was not completely with them, as this is referring to the ones back in chapter 10 doubted Saul’s leadership. Now I would have to question the pure heart of these people, as they did not seem to have an overly rah-rah heart to fight until Saul rallied them, for we did not see them seeking Saul out when the going was tough. And they seem to take some of the praise here and forgetting it was all God. And it is actually Saul that answers them and he answers them well:
“But Saul said, ‘Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today Yahweh has accomplished salvation in Israel.’”
1 Sam 11:13 (LSB)
It would seem that Saul understood that the victory was God’s, and at least at this point, is an impressive quality in Saul. Then Samuel speaks:
“Then Samuel said to the people, ‘Come and let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there.’”
1 Sam 11:14 (LSB)
It is difficult to know exactly what Samuel meant here by renewing the kingdom. Was he already worried about a split between Judah and the rest of Israel? Was it the folks that were against Saul and those who fought with Saul? Or was he just wanting to encourage unity and their commitment to the Lord?
“So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before Yahweh in Gilgal. There they also offered sacrifices of peace offerings before Yahweh; and there Saul and all the men of Israel were exceedingly glad.”
1 Sam 11:15 (LSB)
Verse 15 seems to give the importance that God had chosen Saul, and yet, even greater, that the people were recommitted to the Lord. This whole thing started with the people wanting a king like the nations around because as God had said, they had rejected Him as their King (1 Sam 8:7). So, this renewing primarily is likely a recommitment to the Lord. And we also see this confirmation of Saul as king: he is no longer the guy who was looking for donkeys; or the guy who was afraid before his uncle; or the guy who was hiding in the baggage. But he is now the guy who leads the people to victory, and he was officially made king (vs 15) before the people and before the Lord. Well, another story with much to think about. And I wish to leave you with four lessons on commitment, our commitment to our Leader.
- Our commitment to Christ is a heart issue more than a word issue.
What I notice in this story are many words that do not always align with the commitment or lack of commitment of these people and this would include most of the characters in this story. Listen to some of the initial words of Saul when he first finds out from Samuel that something is up about his future
“And Saul answered and said, ‘Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak to me in this way?’”
- Sam 9:21 (LSB)
Here we see Saul speaking as if he has no confidence. And yet, we saw this morning that his actions proved otherwise. And I know we spoke about God working in him, yet really his actions betrayed his words, which in this case was a good thing. And then later, of course, Saul was unwilling to even speak of the appointment given to him from Samuel with his uncle. So again, his later actions betrayed his silence, which again, was a good thing. Do you notice this with Saul? We could not, at least at this point, accuse him of talking the talk, but not walking the walk. In other words, he is not boasting about anything, but he certainly came through in the clutch. I mean he is a man of few words, but big on action! Yet then we see the voice of many of the people.
“And Samuel said to all the people, ‘Do you see him whom Yahweh has chosen? Surely there is no one like him among all the people.’ So all the people shouted and said, ‘Long live the king!’”
- Sam 10:24 (LSB)
Here is the voice of the people. And yet when we turn to chapter 11 their confidence in Saul is gone. In other words, they talked big with much excitement, but when the going gets tough they sort of fizzle out. Jesus told a parable about two sons.
“‘But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, “Son, go work today in the vineyard.” And he answered and said, “I will not”; but afterward he regretted it and went. And the man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered and said, “I will, sir”; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’”
Matt 21:28-31a (LSB)
Now I am not preaching this morning that we are not telling the truth. But when it comes to talking big, but eventually cowering, versus talking small but coming through, which is better? It would seem that it is better to do the right thing despite your initial doubt or lack of confidence. This is greater than the one who says all the right things but does not follow through. For some can give all the right answers in the class, some can talk up a storm, but fail to put on their boots when all the struggles come. This is the great need to be who you claim to be. And even when you are timid and afraid, to do what is right. Because if our words are not from our heart, our actions will not back them up. If I talk big here in church or pretend to be a great Dad or some kind of strong believer, the Scriptures are giving me a great warning here. What is the old saying, talk is cheap, but real actions speak volumes, as our commitment to Christ is a heart issue more than a word issue.
- Our commitment to Christ places us in a real battle.
We fail to understand the Christian life if we do not see it as a battle. And I use the term here of our commitment because the greater the commitment the greater the conflict. And I know I have been told that in the past and sometimes have thought, well, life is okay, and things do not seem that difficult. I mean that is the fallback for someone like me when you are an eternal optimist. I’m good1 I’m good! Yet the older I get, the more serious life becomes, not because there are more struggles necessarily, as I feel for all you young guys, as life certainly brings you uncertainties and challenges. But as I get older, I do see life more than I did as having a real enemy, and that life is a constant fight against unbelief, godlessness, pride, ignorance, and sin. In other words, the battle becomes more serious, at least for me. Things in life that I would have placed a value on at one time have become less important to me than spiritual things.
I remember once being at a question and answer with John MacArthur, and he was asked why he didn’t joke as much as he used to when he was younger. And he said as he has grown older life has become more serious for him from a spiritual perspective. And this has to be the default position of the one who attaches himself to Christ. For when Christ went to the cross, Paul wrote:
“Having disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them in Him.”
Col 2:15 (LSB)
The cross became the final doom for Satan and his demon followers as Satan is the clear, direct enemy of Christ, as at the cross Christ crushed his head as stated in Genesis 3:15. And so, when we attach ourselves to Christ, we are pitted directly against the evil one. There is no quiet zone, there is no ceasefire. We are in the middle of the battle. So, that must be realized in our decisions, thoughts, and direction. It must be evident in our battle with sin, for those loses are victories for Satan. And this battle image must be paramount in our prayers, for our commitment to Christ places us in a real battle.
- Our commitment to Christ assures certain victory.
The uniqueness of this battle is that victory is certain. When we read this story of Saul and the Spirit of God coming upon him, it is no longer the power of Saul being expressed, but the power of God. Samuel has already told Saul (10:6) that the Spirit of God would come upon him mightily, and it did.
“Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul mightily when he heard these words, and he burned with anger exceedingly.”
1 Sam 11:6 (LSB)
And so too, in Christ, we, as Christians, have already been assured of victory, as our attachment to Christ begins a spiritual conflict. But also, our attachment to Christ assures us of the victory. For just as the Spirit of God came over Saul and declared ultimate victory, so too, the victory for the Christian is assured. Paul wrote:
“Behold, now is ‘the acceptable time,’ behold, now is ‘the day of salvation’— giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited, but in everything commending ourselves as ministers of God, in much perseverance, in afflictions, in distresses, in hardships, in beatings, in imprisonments, in disturbances, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger, in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in unhypocritical love, in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; as unknown and yet well-known, as dying and yet behold, we live; as punished and yet not put to death, as sorrowful but always rejoicing, as poor but making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing all things.”
2 Cor 6:2b-10 (LSB)
This is the certain victory for the one who believes in Christ, because of our attachment to Him. As He lives, so we live. My final lesson is a reminder to us as we see the people being rallied by the effort of Saul.
- Our commitment to Christ is inspired by His imitators.
If we asked the question here, who gave the victory in our story? The answer must be God, for God orchestrated the entire event. Though He chose to use Saul, but it was God who came upon Saul and equipped him in every way to courageously fight. But God uses men and women who can be a real inspiration to us. I mean if we did not have the godly influence and character of men and women around us, we would miss such encouragement from God through that person. We certainly cannot make idols of them for we know that all men and women are sinners, they are not infallible as they are prone to error.
But that does not mean that men and women who serve Christ passionately cannot be a wonderful inspiration to us. The key is that we follow men and women who live for Christ, and men and women who direct us to Christ, those who deflect the glory to Christ. The Apostle Paul said to follow Christ, so, we might conclude that we are to have a direct line to Christ and follow His life and character, and that would be true. But he also said, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). And we might think, well, Paul was an apostle, so that was different. But that is not true. Yes, he was a great man, but the intent of Scripture is never to lessen the responsibility for you and me to be imitators of Christ, and therefore, the ability to influence others in godly character. And Paul himself (1 Cor 7) admitted his own shortcomings. He was not declaring himself to be some spiritual giant, but he sincerely served Christ and therefore others could follow his example. Paul also spoke about others who led.
“But we ask of you, brothers, that you know those who labor among you, and lead you in the Lord and admonish you, and that you regard them very highly in love because of their work.”
1 Thess 5:12-13a (LSB)
See, this is not about idolizing anyone. But there is room in the Christian faith to look up those who live well and those who teach well, understanding that our commitment is to God. But also, we can look to those who raise up God in their lives by their character and by their teaching. I remember once having a lady who said to me, I do not read books or listen to any preachers online, I only read my Bible. And I said to her that is missing the blessing of people that God is using in our world, because if we cannot benefit and trust those whom the Lord is using, that places a great question on Christianity.
Now I know some have said that our current-day Christianity cannot be true because of so many so-called Christians who have fallen. And it is true, many so-called Christians have fallen. But there are thousands and thousands of Christian leaders who humbly teach and lead every week within their congregations that cannot be disqualified as godly leaders because of the failings of others. Did not Paul himself experience this? For it is not different in New Testament times. At the end of 2 Timothy even the Apostle Paul had those around him who proved not to be faithful: Demas, having loved this present age deserted me; Alexander the coppersmith showed me much harm, the Lord will award him according to his deeds; and at my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me. Ahh, but Luke was with me; Prisca and Aquila, they were a blessing; and pick up Mark and bring him to me for he is useful for service. These are those who inspire us. True, we do not idolize people, but we are grateful for those the Lord uses to build up our faith. So, follow Christ, imitate those who follow Christ, and learn from those who teach about Christ and from those who point us to Christ.
Let’s pray. Lord, we thank You for Your word this morning that we are many years removed from this story, yet we serve the same God. Give us not only the right words, but give us a heart for Christ, a heart that would desire to do what is good and right. And may we understand that we are in a real battle, that our attachment to Jesus Christ means that Satan is our enemy. And we praise You for the certain victory already achieved for us at Calvary, may we live with that great confidence. And we thank You for those who teach us and inspire us, for other believers who truly love You and desire to imitate Christ. And so may we valiantly serve Christ, for He is our King and our Head, that we would obey Him and fight for the sake of the gospel. And all God’s people said, amen.