Friday 4 May 2012

1 Samuel Chapter 10

Verse 24 – 27
And Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen? There is none like him among all the people." And all the people shouted, "Long live the king!" 25 Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship; and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the LORD. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. 26 Saul also went to his home at Gibe-ah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some worthless fellows said, "How can this man save us?" And they despised him, and brought him no present. But he held his peace

1 Samuel Chapter 11
1 Then Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you." 2 But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, "On this condition I will make a treaty with you, that I gouge out all your right eyes, and thus put disgrace upon all Israel." 3 The elders of Jabesh said to him, "Give us seven days respite that we may send messengers through all the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to save us, we will give ourselves up to you." 4 When the messengers came to Gibe-ah of Saul, they reported the matter in the ears of the people; and all the people wept aloud. 5 Now Saul was coming from the field behind the oxen; and Saul said, "What ails the people, that they are weeping?" So they told him the tidings of the men of Jabesh. 6 And the spirit of God came mightily upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled. 7 He took a yoke of oxen, and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, "Whoever does not come out after Saul and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen!" Then the dread of the LORD fell upon the people, and they came out as one man. 8 When he mustered them at Bezek, the men of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. 9 And they said to the messengers who had come, "Thus shall you say to the men of Jabesh-gilead: Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have deliverance.'" When the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh, they were glad. 10 Therefore the men of Jabesh said, "Tomorrow we will give ourselves up to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good to you." 11 And on the morrow Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and cut down the Ammonites until the heat of the day; and those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together. 12 Then the people said to Samuel, "Who is it that 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 wrought deliverance in Israel." 14 Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingdom." 15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they sacrificed peace offerings before the LORD, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

2 comments:

  1. Sharing from a commentary that i read, thought it brought out some truths about our struggle with satan.

    We can see in this account a similarity between Satan, our spiritual enemy, and Nahash, the enemy of Israel.

    i. Satan attacks us, but cannot do anything against us without our agreement. He asks for, and requires our surrender.

    ii. Satan wants us to serve him, and will attempt to intimidate us into giving in to him.

    iii. Satan wants to humiliate us, and exalt himself over us. Through humiliating one saint, Satan wants to bring reproach on all God’s people.

    iv. Satan wants to take away our ability to effectively fight against him.

    v. Satan wants to blind us, and if he cannot blind us completely, he will blind us partially.

    To address point iii, it made me think when Satan has caused one of our roman catholic priests to sin by abuse of children, the whole church is looked down upon and viewed in a negative light and bringing reproach to all.

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    1. Excellent points . I am amazed when I researched and found that Nasash was translated as ' serpent ' This is not a co-incidence ! Thank you for these reflections.

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