1 Samuel 11:4-7 sits inside this longer paragraph.
3The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days, that we may send messengers to all the borders of Israel; and then, if there is no one to save us, we will come out to you.” 4Then the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, and spoke these words in the ears of the people, then all the people lifted up their voice, and wept.
5Behold, Saul came following the oxen out of the field; and Saul said, “What ails the people that they weep?” They told him the words of the men of Jabesh. 6God’s Spirit came mightily on Saul when he heard those words, and his anger burned hot. 7He took a yoke of oxen, and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the borders of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, “Whoever doesn’t come out after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen.” The dread of Yahweh fell on the people, and they came out as one man. 8He counted them in Bezek; and the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. 9They said to the messengers who came, “Tell the men of Jabesh Gilead, ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will be rescued.’ ” The messengers came and told the men of Jabesh; and they were glad. 10Therefore the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you shall do with us all that seems good to you.” 11On the next day, Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the middle of the camp in the morning watch, and struck the Ammonites until the heat of the day. Those who remained were scattered, so that no two of them were left together. 12The people said to Samuel, “Who is he who said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring those men, that we may put them to death!”
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv6–7 God gave him the spirit of strength and courage…
God gave him the spirit of strength and courage to go against this tyrant.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv4–7 1Sa 11:4 Then came the messengers to Gibeah of…
1Sa 11:4 Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and told the tidings in the ears of the people: and all the people lifted up their voices, and wept.
Ver. 4. And all the people lifted up their voices, and wept.] This was to "weep with those that weep." {Rom 12:15} And if in addition they "turned again unto the Lord, that their" distressed "brethren might" the sooner "find compassion," as 2Ch 30:9, they did best of all. God, in such a case, "will restore comforts unto his mourners." {Isa 57:18}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv4–7 Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul; partly,…
Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul; partly, because it was not far from them; and partly, because it belonged to the Benjamites, who had a special obligation to take more care of that place, from whence they had their wives, Jdg 21:10, &c.; and partly, because Saul, their new-chosen king, was there.
The people lifted up their voices, and wept, both in compassion towards them, and for fear of themselves, lest it should shortly be their own lot.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On v5 What is here related turns very much to the…
What is here related turns very much to the honour of Saul, and shows the happy fruits of that other spirit with which he was endued. Observe here,
I. His humility. Though he was anointed king, and accepted by his people, yet he did not think it below him to know the state of his own flocks, but went himself to see them, and came in the evening, with his servants, after the herd out of the field, Sa1 11:5. This was an evidence that he was not puffed up with his advancement, as those are most apt to be that are raised from a mean estate. Providence had not yet found him business as a king; he left all to Samuel; and therefore, rather than be idle, he would, for the present, apply himself to his country business again. Though the sons of Belial would, perhaps, despise him the more for it, such as were virtuous and wise, and loved business themselves, would think never the worse of him. He had no revenues settled upon him for the support of his dignity, and he was desirous not to be burdensome to the people, for which reason, like Paul, he worked with his hands; for, if he neglect his domestic affairs, how must he maintain himself and his family? Solomon gives it as a reason why men should look well to their herds because the crown doth not endure to every generation, Pro 27:23, Pro 27:24. Saul's did not; he must therefore provide something surer.
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II. His concern for his neighbours. When he perceived them in tears, he asked, "What ails the people that they weep? Let me know, that, if it be a grievance which can be redressed, I may help them, and that, if not, I may weep with them." Good magistrates are in pain if their subjects are in tears.
III. His zeal for the safety and honour of Israel. When he heard of the insolence of the Ammonites, and the distress of a city, a mother in Israel, the Spirit of God came upon him, and put great thoughts into his mind, and his anger was kindled greatly, Sa1 11:6. He was angry at the insolence of the Ammonites, angry at the mean and sneaking spirit of the men of Jabesh-Gilead, angry that they had not sent him notice sooner of the Ammonites' descent and the extremity they were likely to be reduced to. He was angry to see his neighbours weeping, when it was fitter for them to be preparing for war. It was a brave and generous fire that was now kindled in the breast of Saul, and such as became his high station.
IV. The authority and power he exerted upon this important occasion. He soon let Israel know that, though he had retired to his privacy, he had a care for the public, and knew how to command men into the field, as well as how to drive cattle out of the field, Sa1 11:5, Sa1 11:7. He sent a summons to all the coasts of Israel, to show the extent of his power beyond his own tribe, even to all the tribes, and ordered all the military men forthwith to appear in arms at a general rendezvous in Bezek. Observe, 1. His modesty, in joining Samuel in commission with himself. He would not execute the office of a king without a due regard to that of a prophet. 2. His mildness in the penalty threatened against those that should disobey his orders. He hews a yoke of oxen in pieces, and sends the pieces to the several cities of Israel, threatening, with respect to him who should decline the public service, not, "Thus shall it be done to him," but, "Thus shall it be done to his oxen." God had threatened it as a great judgment (Deu 28:31), Thy ox shall be slain before thy eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof. It was necessary that the command should be enforced with some penalty, but this was not nearly so severe as that which was affixed to a similar order by the whole congregation, Jdg 21:5. Saul wished to show that his government was more gentle than that which they had been under. The effect of this summons was that the militia, or trained bands, of the nation, came out as one man, and the reason given is, because the fear of the Lord fell upon them. Saul did not affect to make them fear him, but they were influenced to observe his orders by the fear of God and a regard to him who had made Saul their king and them members one of another. Note, Religion and the fear of God will make men good subjects, good soldiers, and good friends to the public interests of the country. Those that fear God will make conscience of their duty to all men, particularly to their rulers.
V. His prudent proceedings in this great affair, Sa1 11:8. He numbered those that came in to him, that he might know his own strength, and how to distribute his forces in the best manner their numbers would allow. It is the honour of princes to know the number of their men, but it is the honour of the King of kings that there is not any number of his armies, Job 25:3. In this muster, it seems, Judah, though numbered by itself, made no great figure; for, as it was one tribe of twelve, so it was but an eleventh part of the whole number, 30,330, though the rendezvous was at Bezek, in that tribe. They wanted the numbers, or the courage, or the zeal for which that tribe used to be famous; so low was it, just before the sceptre was brought into it in David.
VI. His faith and confidence, and (grounded thereon) his courage and resolution, in this enterprise. It should seem that those very messengers who brought the tidings from Jabesh-Gilead Saul sent into the country to raise the militia, who would be sure to be faithful and careful in their own business, and them he now sends back to their distressed countrymen, with this assurance (in which, it is probable, Samuel encouraged him): "Tomorrow, by such an hour, before the enemy can pretend that the seven days have expired, you shall have deliverance, Sa1 11:9. Be you ready to do your part, and we will not fail to do ours. Do you sally out upon the besiegers, while we surround them." Saul knew he had a just cause, a clear call, and God on his side, and therefore doubted not of success. This was good news to the besieged Gileadites, whose right eyes had wept themselves dry for their calamities, and now began to fail with looking for relief and to ache in expectation of the doom of the ensuing day, when they must look their last; the greater the exigence the more welcome the deliverance. When they heard it they were glad, relying on the assurances that were sent to them. And they sent into the enemies' camp (Sa1 11:10) to tell them that next day they would be ready to meet them, which the enemies understood as an intimation that they despaired of relief, and so were made the more secure by it. If they took not care, by sending out scouts, to rectify their own mistake, they must thank themselves if they were surprised: the besieged were under no obligation to give them notice of the help they were assured of.
VII. His industry and close application to this business. If he had been bred up to war from his youth, and had led regiments as often as he had followed droves, he could not have gone about an affair of this nature more dexterously nor more diligently. When the Spirit of the Lord comes upon men it will make them expert even without experience. A vast army (especially in comparison with the present usage) Saul had now at his foot, and a long march before him, nearly sixty miles, and over Jordan too. No cavalry in his army, but all infantry, which he divides into three battalions, Sa1 11:11. And observe, 1. With what incredible swiftness he flew to the enemy. In a day and a night he came to the place of action, where his own fate, and that of Israel, must be determined. He had passed his word, and would not break it; nay, he was better than his word, for he promised help next day, by that time the sun was hot (Sa1 11:9), but brought it before day, in the morning-watch, Sa1 11:11. Whom God helps he helps right early, Psa 46:5. 2. With what incredible bravery he flew upon the enemy. Betimes in the morning, when they lay dreaming of the triumphs they expected that day over the miserable inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead, before they were aware he was in the midst of their host; and his men, being marched against them in three columns, surrounded them on every side, so that they could have neither heart nor time to make head against them.
Lastly, To complete his honour, God crowned all these virtues with success. Jabesh-Gilead was rescued, and the Ammonites were totally routed; he had now the day before him to complete his victory in, and so complete a victory it was that those who remained, after a great slaughter, were scattered so that two of them were not left together to encourage or help one another, Sa1 11:11. We may suppose that Saul was the more vigorous in this matter, 1. Because there was some alliance between the tribe of Benjamin and the city of Jabesh-Gilead. That city had declined joining with the rest of the Israelites to destroy Gibeah, which was then punished as their crime, but perhaps was now remembered as their kindness, when Saul of Gibeah came with so much readiness and resolution to relieve Jabesh-Gilead. Yet that was not all; two-thirds of the Benjamites that then remained were provided with wives from that city (Jdg 21:14), so that most of the mothers of Benjamin were daughters of Jabesh-Gilead, for which city Saul, being a Benjamite, had therefore a particular kindness; and we find they returned his kindness, Sa1 31:11, Sa1 31:12. 2. Because it was the Ammonites' invasion that induced the people to desire a king (so Samuel says, Sa1 12:12), so that if he had not done his part, in this expedition, he would have disappointed their expectations, and for ever forfeited their respect.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv4–7 Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul,.... Where…
Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul,.... Where he was born, and brought up, and now dwelt; and he being elected king, it brought an honour to the place; and from hence had this name, to distinguish it from the others, and this is the first time it was so called. Now the messengers from Jabesh came hither directly, because they knew that Saul, the chosen king, dwelt here, and the Benjaminites, of all the tribes, had great reason to show regard to them, since it was from thence they had four hundred wives, when they were reduced to six hundred men only, in order to raise up their tribe:
and told the tidings in the ears of the people; Saul being not at home in the city, but in the fields, they reported to them the hardships their city was under, being besieged by the Ammonites, and threatened that if not relieved in such a time, all their right eyes would be plucked out:
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and all the people lifted up their voices, and wept; moved with sympathy to their brethren, and who by their intermarriage with them were nearly related to them; and who might fear they would not stop there, but having taken that place would march forward, and come to them, and use them in like manner; the thought of which was very distressing to them.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv5, 7 After the herd - For being only anointed king,…
After the herd - For being only anointed king, and not publickly inaugurated, nor having yet had opportunity of doing any thing worthy of his place, he thought fit to forbear all royal state, and to retire to his former private life, which, howsoever despised in this latter ages, was anciently in great esteem. Good magistrates are in pain, if their subjects are in tears.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv4–7 Verse 4. Then came the messengers to Gibeah] It…
Verse 4. Then came the messengers to Gibeah] It does not appear that the people of Jabesh-gilead knew any thing of Saul's appointment to the kingdom, for the message is not directed to him but to the people.
The people lifted up their voices and wept.] They saw no hope of deliverance, and they expected that their reproach would be laid on all Israel.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv4, 7 1Sa 11:4-5. To Gibeah of Saul — So called,…
1Sa 11:4-5. To Gibeah of Saul — So called, because it was the place where Saul was born and brought up, and where he had hitherto dwelt. Behold Saul came after the herd — For, being only anointed king, and not publicly inaugurated, nor having yet had opportunity of doing any thing worthy of his place, he thought fit to forbear all royal state, and to retire to his former private life, which, howsoever despised in these latter ages, was anciently in great esteem. Saul said, What aileth the people that they weep? — Let me know, that if it be a grievance that can be redressed, I may endeavour to help them. “Good magistrates,” says Henry, “are in pain if their subjects be in tears.”
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv4, 6, 7 They came to Gibeah on account of the connection…
They came to Gibeah on account of the connection between the Benjamites and the people of Jabesh Judg. 21.
In the ears of the people - They did not even inquire for Saul, so little was he looked upon as king. 1Sa 11:5 shows how completely he was still in a private and humble station.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv4–7 Of Saul. Septuagint, "to Saul," which may remove the…
Of Saul. Septuagint, "to Saul," which may remove the surprise of Abulensis, that the king is not mentioned. (Salien) --- Saul was absent at the time, so that they made known the threatening danger to the people.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On v7 THEY SEND TO SAUL, AND ARE DELIVERED. (Sa1 11:5-11)
THEY SEND TO SAUL, AND ARE DELIVERED. (Sa1 11:5-11)
he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces--(see Jdg 19:29). This particular form of war-summons was suited to the character and habits of an agricultural and pastoral people. Solemn in itself, the denunciation that accompanied it carried a terrible threat to those that neglected to obey it. Saul conjoins the name of Samuel with his own, to lend the greater influence to the measure, and to strike greater terror unto all contemners of the order. The small contingent furnished by Judah suggests that the disaffection to Saul was strongest in that tribe.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv4, 6, 7 4. Messengers to Gibeah — Gibeah was nearly sixty…
4. Messengers to Gibeah — Gibeah was nearly sixty miles southwest of Jabesh, and it would have taken a day and a night for the messengers to reach it. But why were these messengers sent to Gibeah? We most naturally suppose that the elders of Jabesh knew that Saul had very recently been elected king, and therefore dispatched their messengers to his place of residence. When they arrived at Gibeah they found no regal court, and no king, for Saul was away in the field attending to the cattle. What then could they do but utter the tidings in the ears of the people? All the people… wept — For they saw no prospect of saving their brethren from this cruel infliction, and their nation from foul reproach.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv4–7 4. lift up their voices and wept] Oriental nations…
4. lift up their voices and wept] Oriental nations naturally display their feelings in tears accompanied by loud wailings. Cp. ch. 1Sa_30:4; Gen_27:38; Jdg_2:4; Jdg_21:2, &c. Achilles, Patroclus and other Homeric heroes shed tears in a way which western nations account utterly unmanly.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv4–7 (4) Then came the messengers to Gibeah.—In the preceding…
(4) Then came the messengers to Gibeah.—In the preceding verse we read that it was resolved by the beleaguered city to send messengers to all the coasts of Israel, but we only hear of the action taken by Saul in Gibeah. It therefore may be assumed that this was the first city they sent to, not only on account of their ancient friendship with Benjamin, but because Gibeah was the residence of the newly-elected sovereign, Saul.
And all the people lifted up their voices, and wept.—This is exactly what might have been expected from Benjamites hearing of the terrible straits into which the city they all loved so well, and which was united to them by such close bonds of friendship and alliance, was reduced; but though they grieved so deeply, they do not seem of themselves to have been able to devise any plan for its relief, until their great fellow-citizen took the matter in hand.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv4, 6, 7 Vers. 4, 5. Among other places the messengers came…
Vers. 4, 5. Among other places the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, where they make no appeal to him, but tell their sad tidings in the ears of all the people. Powerless to help, they can only weep; but in the midst of their lamentation Saul came after the herd (Hebrew, following the oxen) out of the field. Saul was not driving a herd of cattle home, but had been ploughing, and, labour being over, was returning with the team of oxen.
Vers. 4-11.
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The perfecting gift.
The facts are
1. The message brought to Gibeah throws the inhabitants into grief andconsternation.
2. Saul, on hearing the tidings, is aroused by the Spirit of God to summonthe nation to follow him and Samuel.
3. The people responding to the call, help is assured to the men of Jabesh.
4. The result is the utter defeat of the Ammonites. The effect of the appealof the men of Jabesh on the people of Gibeah, on Saul, and subsequently on the conflict with the foe, brings out three truths of wider range than the particular instance recorded.
I AN IMPERFECT APPRECIATION OF THE RESOURCES PLACED WITHIN THEIR REACH ACCOUNTS FOR SOME OF THE TROUBLES OF MEN. "The people lifted up their voices and wept." Their hearts sank within them; the boding ruin of Jabesh was the precursor of their own. This conduct was the effect of a non-appreciation of the position they then held under the care of God. Had they duly considered the significance of the return of the ark, the value of the reformation already inaugurated, and the lessons of history, (Jud_1:7:7) they musthave seen that an appeal to their God-approved king, in humble dependence on God, would have in some way saved their brethren of Jabesh. Men in all ages have lost much good and brought on much misery by not adequately considering the resources put within their power.
1. The earth, air, and sea have been for ages full of God s hid treasures for the use of man; there lie powers to heal, to accomplish work, to promote the material and domestic good of all. Neglect or forgetfulness of their presence for generations deprived men of physical blessings now enjoyed by rich and poor. Doubtless other resources are close at hand, if only we duly appreciated them, and sought them in the right way.
1. In the human constitution there are valuable powers which, in numberless instances, are not duly considered and developed. Faculties lie dormant which might contribute to the wealth, culture, and comfort of the possessor and society. The material and intellectual loss to the world of
2. undeveloped powers is enormous. The occasional results of education only reveal the extent of our deprivation of possible good.
3. In the Christian there are gifts of the Spirit not sufficiently stirred up. In the ordinary gifts of the Spirit there is generally a reserve of power in excess of the exertion put forth. In maintaining the conflict with sin and in doing deeds of love more might be accomplished by a proper estimate and use of what already dwells in the renewed soul.
1. In the reserved power of God, dependent for its exercise on the prayer of faith, there is a vast store of blessing not often touched. The Divine energy has not all been expended. Largely, in connection with the progress of Christ"s kingdom, it is dependent for its outflow on the effectual fervent prayers of his servants. We are to prove him, whether he will not open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing.
2. In the provision for the renewal and forgiveness of the most guilty there is a resource not always appreciated. Many men continue to carry their guilt and yield to the impulses of a depraved nature because they forget or do not duly consider WHO stands by them mighty to save. Did they but truly "know the gift of God, and who it is" that speaks to them of salvation, they would not go hither and thither, sad, and weary, and tearful, but would ask of him, and he would give them "living water.
II THERE IS A PERFECTING GIFT FROM GOD REQUISITE TO DEVELOP AND TURN TO BEST ACCOUNT MUCH ELSE BESTOWED BY GOD. Saul was already a powerful man, chosen by the nation, and recognised by God as king. He was endowed with prerogative and latent capabilities. The tidings which caused wailing among the men of Gibeah because of their non-appreciation of their true position were the occasion of a remarkable display of courage and energy on the part of Saul, and that because "the Spirit of God" came upon him. Whatever the precise nature of this higher gift, its practical effect was to draw out all that was in the man and the king, and to enable the powers already bestowed to act for the benefit of Israel. It perfected all else done for Saul. There is a relation of dependence in the blessings God bestows on us. Some come to full development only when allied with another, which, therefore, may be called a higher good. The physical energy for defeat of Ammon lay in Israel. The gift of Saul turned it all into victory. The same relation is seen amongst us; e.g. material wealth is a boon not to be despised, often the gift of God; but for its full development and enjoyment it needs another gift health of body and generosity of spirit. Great mental abilities are of God; the additional gift of a devout, lowly spirit insures their most perfect use. Home adorned and enriched by all that wealth, art, and domestic affection can contribute is a precious blessing; yet its joys are more full and varied, its affections more pure, and its sorrows more endurable, when the higher blessing of personal religion is supreme there. The external privileges of religion, free use of the word of God, instruction and care of pious parents, associations of the sanctuary, entreaties of pastors and friends, are among the greatest mercies enjoyed by men; yet even these are raised to their highest value only when the Holy Spirit comes down, like "upper and nether springs" to water the "south land.
III GOD SOMETIMES EFFECTS HIS PURPOSES AMONG MEN BY INDIRECT ACTION UPON THEM. In the accomplishment of Divine purposes, in the physical, mental, or spiritual spheres, a variety of combinations are often requisite. To the deliverance of Jabesh-Gilead it was needful to arouse the people as well as the king. It was by the tremendous energy of the king, aroused by the direct action of the Spirit of God, that their instant cooperation was secured. The law of indirect action widely prevails. That the Eternal is in direct, constant, energetic contact with each being is certain. He "upholds all things by the word of his power." Yet, if language may be so used to indicate a mystery, the import of his energy on men is not always immediate. The energy of one spirit acting on another is, so to speak, a refraction of a force originally in God, and coloured by the character of the medium through which it passes. There are many illustrations of the general truth of indirect action.
1. In the sphere of mind much is accomplished by powerful intellects affecting a few with their ideas and feelings, who, being more in contact with the masses, give forth the truth or the emotion tinged by their own peculiarities.
2. In the sphere of spirit, religiously considered, a large proportion of what we call influence is of this character. Not only do superior Christians act on a wide area by means of the few who come under their personal attention, but much of the action of God on the world is through his people. His light is not seen by many except mediately in the beautiful lives of the holy. His love acts on the hard heart of man through the compassion he directly produces in the followers of Christ. Men see by holy deeds and spiritual achievements that "God is with" his people, and are thus influenced by God to submit to his blessed sway.
General lessons:
1. It behoves every one to search and see what talents, and means of becoming holy, and of advancing Christ"s kingdom, lie unused.
2. It should be a matter of serious inquiry how much of our wailing andfear are the result of a guilty forgetfulness or distrust of God"s readiness to bless our endeavours.
3. If we are in possession of valuable blessings, and they do not yield all thejoy and satisfaction reasonably to be looked for, we should find out what is that higher gift not yet sought from God.
4. The Church and the Christian have need to inquire how much of thenon-success of endeavour is due to lack of receptivity for the highest gift of all, the rich outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
5. Every one should so live as to be a fit and perfect vehicle for thetransmission of the healing, saving power of God on mankind.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv6–7 His anger was greatly kindled.
1Sa_11:6
His anger was greatly kindled.
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Divine indignation
My subject is Divine indignation--its advantage, its characteristics, and its limitation.
I. Mark the advantage of a good, wholesome indignation. The situation was a critical one. Only a month before, as the LXX give the date, Saul had been anointed king. But it is a weak, disjointed realm of which he is made the head--weak because attacked from without, doubly weak because disunited within. Give Saul a few years of peace, and he will have a chance to produce a different state of affairs, instead of that God sends the young king and young kingdom through a very baptism of fire and blood. And Israel heard, and the people lifted up their voice and wept--wept in impotent helplessness, wept in pity for their brothers, wept in pity for themselves, because in their own opinion they can do nothing. You may have seen, in an occasional fit of repentance, a man who has sold himself body and soul to drunkenness. You may have heard the maudlin sobs in which he humbles himself because he has been such a ten-times fool as to suffer this enemy to encamp within the frontier lines of his life. And you may have seen him slip back to his vice with the tears of shame not quite dry on his cheeks. The man is not the stronger for those tears; he is the weaker. That was like the state of Israel. There never will be help in such tears while the world lasts. Jabesh-Gilead could weep for itself; even the empty eye sockets which Nahash meant to leave them would still be of use for that. Jabesh-Gilead wants something harder than tears; Gods cause wants more than melancholy shakings of the head. God and Israel want a man with a mans heart within him and a mans hand on a sword hilt; and so the Spirit of the Lord came upon Saul when he heard those tidings and his anger was kindled greatly. We want something more of that indignation--eager, hot, fiery--which will burn out evil in the hearts and lives of men. Both in the Church and in the market the world needs men who have the courage of their convictions, and who dare act on them. Of such as will shake their heads sagely over the rottenness of this old world we have enough and to spare. Of an idle and ignorant tolerance we have over much. There are some things in human life which should never receive quarter--selfishness, cowardice, and all lying. Give up lamenting for one half hour, and do something to rid the earth of these, something to cleanse your own life of these, and you will not go back to the weeping, having found the better way. The Saga of our pagan ancestors imagined human life as a great tree whose roots were set deep in the earth while the branches towered up to heaven. But a great snake gnawed at the trunk continually, and would, so ran the tale, bring it to the ground one day. There is that great three-headed snake, which is gnawing still at the trunk of our social and national life, and its three heads are faithlessness, lust, and drunkenness. It is time that vain regrets were done with, that weak and mean excuses for these things were put away, and that the Church, believing in her Divine Head, awoke to her part as a company of those who are banded together to do battle to the death against those things which rot the heart out of life. Who will go forth unto the war with us against these? The effort is useless without a spark of Gods own righteous indignation in the hearts of men.
II. Mark the characteristics of this indignation. Human anger resents the hurt, Divine anger resents the wrong. Can you make the distinction, for it is a weighty one? It was the foul wrong meditated against Israel and through Israel against Jehovah, which passed like fire into Sauls blood Divine anger hates sin because it is sin. There is many a man who repents of his sin after it has been found out. Here one who regrets his drunken habits after they have cost him his situation. So long as they only threatened to cost him his soul he heeded not. There one who sorrows over her shattered reputation after it is published to the world. So long as only God knew it did not greatly matter. It is a cruel and bitter mistake, that of hating sins results instead of loathing sin itself. It came to pass that Jesus was led up to Pilate to be tried for His life, and there He was scourged and condemned. And when all this was so fully under way that no human power could stop it, Judas went up to the temple, and, scattering his blood money before the priests, went out into the darkness and hanged himself. All earth and hell might have laughed to scorn the mans folly. Was his sin made any greater because the crucifixion resulted from it? Was that traitor kiss made any blacker because it led to the darkness of Josephs tomb? No. We need to see sin as God in heaven sees it, and that was one reason why the Cross was set up on Calvary, that we might know how sin appears in the eyes of Him who made us.
2. Another characteristic of this Divine indignation I would have you notice: It is not selfish; it is for Gods glory. Mark this in Sauls action. A month or so before, when he was crowned king, certain men would not have him as their ruler. And now, when he comes back victor, his supporters urge him to bring out these men and to slay them without ruth. But with kingly self-command Saul refuses. His sword is to be drawn against the enemies of God, not against the foes of his own fame. His indignation is hot against Ammon, for Ammon is Jehovahs foe. His indignation is nil against these men, for they are only his private enemies. Human indignation is often selfish; Divine anger is fired at any indignity done to Gods glory. Cannot one see the distinction in our Lords own life? When His enemies railed at Him as a man gluttonous and a wine bibber, He held His peace, or only uttered words of solemn warning Against their wilful closing of their eyes to the light. But when He saw the temple courts choked with the tables of the money changers, and the pavements defiled by the sellers of pigeons and lambs, He took a lash of knotted cords and bound it round His hand and drove them out. And when He saw the Pharisee taking the very kitchen spices of the widow, but hold himself free, He spoke words which fell like molten metal on these men. It is easy to see when we are hurt, easier to resent it. That is very human. It is Divine when a man sees his brother made in the image of God outraged, and keep all his indignation tot the cause of God. Suspect your auger when there is self-interest in it; trust it when it burns hot for justice to your brother.
III. Mark the limitation of this indignation. I mean that it will not, that it cannot make up the whole of religion. It needs more than hate of wrong to do that; it needs the love of right. Religion is to love God even more than to hate the devil; and the latter is most valuable when it is a means of leading to the former. I have spoken already of how woefully Saul fell away from this position in which he here stands. He fought for God against Ammon when fighting against Ammon did him no hurt. He fought against God in hunting down David, when Davids life seemed to threaten his throne. His indignation burned hot where his self-interest was not involved; but it went out with a hiss when that can came into play. It is only the fine flame of love--love to right and truth and fair play, love to Jesus Christ--which will bear a man through life scathless, and at last present him faultless at Christs appearing. Do not be content till you have gained that. For indignation melts in the fierce flame of passion, and hatred of wrong vanishes when wrong ministers to ones own wishes. (A. C. Welch, B. D.)
Chivalry
It is pleasant to record of Lord Byron (amidst so much of an opposite character), that in his boyhood at Harrow, finding a new scholar, suffering, like himself, from lameness, he said, Let me know if any fellow bullies you, and Ill thrash him if I can! The boy, who became a clergyman in afterlife, never forgot this piece of chivalry.
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v4 1Sa_11:4. “Told the tidings in the ears of the…
CRITICAL AND EXPOSITORY NOTES.—
1Sa_11:4. “Told the tidings in the ears of the people.” Either they were not aware of the election of Saul, as Keil supposes, or they did not approve of his appointment, or he was not in Gibeah and did not return from his ordinary occupation until the message had been delivered.
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1Sa_11:5. “What aileth the people?” Even the men of Gibeah did not apply to Saul, which seems to show that he was not held in much esteem in his native city.
1Sa_11:6. “And the Spirit of God.” This time the Spirit of God came upon him, as upon the Judges before him, as a Spirit of supernatural energy and power—compare Jdg_3:10; Jdg_5:31; Jdg_11:29, etc.—(Biblical Dictionary).
1Sa_11:7. “And he took a yoke of oxen,” etc. “This was a symbolical action, which struck the mind more than words could have done” (Clericus), and “was suited to the character and habits of an agricultural and pastoral people.” (Jamieson.) “After Samuel.” “The introduction of Samuel’s name is a proof that Saul, even as king, still recognised the authority which Samuel possessed in Israel as prophet of Jehovah.” (Kiel.) “And the fear of the Lord fell,” etc. “Jehovah is not equivalent to Elohim, nor is the fear of Jehovah in the sense of fear of His punishment, but a fear inspired by Jehovah.” (Kiel.) “The Spirit of the Lord, which impelled Saul to this noble and vigorous action, so strangely contrasted with his former quiet life behind the plough, laid hold at the same time on the whole nation, so that it was suddenly lifted up, as it were involuntarily, in the uniting and strengthening power of this Spirit from above, to a new life before God (in His fear) and within itself (in unity and union) against the enemies of the theocracy.” (Erdmann.)
1Sa_11:8. “Bezek.” “In the tribe of Issachar, in the plain of Jezreel, not far from Bethshean, at about as great an elevation as Jabesh, according to Eusebius (Onomasticon) seventeen Roman miles north of Nablous, on the road to Scythopolis.” (Erdmann.) “The children of Israel,” etc. “This separate mention of Israel and Judah smacks of the times that followed the division of the Israelites into two kingdoms.” (Clericus.) “The numbers will not appear too large if we bear in mind that the allusion is not to a regular army, but that Saul had summoned all the people to a general levy.” (Keil.) “That the large and powerful tribe of Judah has the relatively small number (30,000) of warriors over against the 300,000 of Israel, is due to the fact that a large part of its territory was in the possession of the Philistines, as to whose further advance more care had to be taken, now that the north-eastern frontier of the country was threatened by the Ammonites.” (Erdmann.)
1Sa_11:11. “On the morrow,” etc. “Crossing the Jordan—probably by the upper ford opposite Wady Jabis, which comes down from the east into the Jordan opposite Beisan—in the evening, Saul marched his army, all night according to Josephus, thirty furlongs.” (Jamieson.) “Into the midst of the host.” “Of the Ammonites who had gone forth to meet the sally of the men of Jabesh, and found themselves between them and Saul’s companies.” (Wordsworth.) “They which remained were scattered.” Josephus adds that they made a great slaughter—Nahash being amongst the number of the slain—and pursued the fugitives in a complete rout across the desert.” (Jamieson.)
1Sa_11:12. “And the people said unto Samuel.” “To whom they still looked as their ruler, and whose presence is mentioned to show Saul’s moderation and clemency at this time; for it was not Samuel but Saul who interfered to rescue those who had despised him.” (Wordsworth.)
1Sa_11:13. “And Saul said.” “An evidence that Saul was beginning to gain confidence under the influence of the Spirit of God.” (Biblical Commentary.)
1Sa_11:14. “Gilgal.” Doubtless the Gilgal mentioned in chapter 1Sa_10:1. Most commentators think it was the one in the Jordan valley. See notes on chapter 1Sa_7:16. “A very appropriate place, formerly the camp of Joshua (Jos_5:9; Jos_6:10), and connected with those glorious victories which God had wrought by his hand when He first settled Israel in Canaan.” (Wordsworth.)
1Sa_11:15. “And there they made Saul king before the Lord.” “These words mean nothing more than the solemn announcement and presentation of Saul before the nation as divinely appointed king in consequence of the divine legitimation given by his brilliant exploit against the Ammonites. The ‘before the Lord’ indicates the essential difference between this act, and the proclamation and homage at Mizpah, marking the religious act of installation sealed with a solemn offering, by which Saul was formerly and solemnly consecrated to his office by the invisible God-king.” (Erdmann.) “The late period at which the regal form of government was established in Israel is an evidence of the Divine origin of the law, which in a certain degree provides for it, and restrains it. It was not unproductive of advantage to the permanent interests of religion that this great change was delayed by Providence until the Mosaic law had subsisted long enough to prove that its first establishment had not originated in any human policy, and that its subsequent support was independent of any human power.” (Graves.)
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.—1Sa_11:4-15
SAUL’S FIRST VICTORY
I. Men need an occasion to reveal their qualifications for special and important service. Much power lies hidden in the world, because it has never met with an occasion to call it out—because it has never been brought into contact with the combination of circumstances needed to make it manifest. The power by which men send their thoughts round the world by the telegraph wire, or make their words audible at a distance by means of the telephone, has been in the world ever since its creation, but it has only been made manifest in modern times, because men have only lately learned how to give it an occasion to reveal its mighty and wonderful capabilities. If one saw an acorn or a corn-seed for the first time, and was ignorant of the process of germination, he would not dream of the wondrous capabilities which lay hidden within them. And if they were always kept above the ground or planted in an unsuitable soil, or if the rain and sun never reached them, the hidden power within them would remain hidden for ever. And so it is with the mental and spiritual capabilities of men. They may be there, but they need an occasion to call them forth. A soldier may be possessed of courage enough to head a forlorn hope, or of endurance enough to sustain a long-continued siege, but if his lot is cast in a time of peace, his capabilities in this direction will never be known even to himself. There are to-day many members of the Church militant who are as courageous and faithful as the martyrs of the fifteenth century—many good soldiers of Jesus Christ who would prove themselves as valiant for the truth as those who have sealed it with their blood in bygone ages. But the spiritual power within them is hidden even from themselves, because the occasion to reveal it is wanting. It is evident that at this period of Saul’s history the people of Israel were ignorant of his mental ability—they did not think he possessed the courage and the tact necessary to lead them to battle and to victory, but the attack of the Ammonite host furnished the needed occasion for the revelation of what was in him.
II. When God has called a man to any special work, he need not seek the occasion, because the occasion will seek him. When a vessel has been built for the ocean it will be certain to find an occasion to show what it is made of—the elements will seek it out and test the strength of its timbers and its power to weather the storm. Every wave that lashes its sides will furnish an occasion for it to prove what it can do. So when God has destined a man to any special service in the world, there is no need for that man to go out of his way to find an occasion to reveal what is in him. He who called him to the work will likewise give him the opportunity to reveal what he is fit for. Saul had been anointed to the kingship of Israel by the prophet of God, and his appointment had been ratified by lot, which was also an expression of the Divine will. He could, therefore, have felt no doubt in the matter. But he did not seek an occasion of displaying his fitness for the post of honour and responsibility to which he had been called, but returned to the occupation of his early life apparently in the belief that the occasion would not be wanting in which he might prove his ability to fulfil the duties of his new position. And the occasion sought him when the men of Gibeah told him the tidings brought by the messengers of Jabesh. So if any man feels that God has called him to any special work in the world, he need not seek an occasion to prove his fitness for it, for if there has been the call, He who called him will not let the occasion be wanting. If he gives himself up to Divine guidance, and faithfully discharges the duty which comes next to hand, God will take care of the rest. Paul doubtless knew that God had chosen him to bear his name “before kings” (Act_9:15), but he did not go out of his way to find an occasion to do it. He who had destined him to the service provided the opportunity for him (Act_26:2; 2Ti_4:16).
III. The action of one man is needed to make many men one in action. Men must have leaders—they must have some one around whom they can rally as a centre of unity if they are to band together to do anything in the world. And when one man of energy and ability concentrates all his own powers to a certain end, other men of less energy and ability will concentrate around him, and their united efforts will become a mighty power. The people of Israel at this time do not appear to have been unwilling to help their brethren of Gilead, but they did nothing but weep until Saul took the initiative and called upon them to follow him. When Saul’s spirit was stirred within him by the Spirit of God to summon all Israel into the field, the fear of the Lord fell upon the people, and they came out “as one man” (see marginal rendering). Granted that there was a supernatural influence at work here, is not the Spirit of God behind all such great movements when their aim is the freedom of the human race or of any part of it? And does not God always move the mass to united action by first moving the heart of one man to take bold and decisive action? The decisive action of Luther at Worms was the fruit of the movement of the Spirit of God upon his soul, and it was the means of inciting the Protestant princes of Germany to united action in the defence of religious liberty.
IV. A conquest of personal enemies by forgiveness is more honourable to a man than a conquest of national enemies by the sword. One of Saul’s successors has left it upon record that “he who ruleth his spirit is better than he that taketh a city” (Pro_16:32); and it is so because the first victory is more difficult to win, and is far more complete and lasting than the second. There are many men who are physically courageous with a kind of animal courage, who would not miss an opportunity to avenge a personal insult if the occasion offered—it is harder to overcome malice in the heart than an enemy on the field. But he who can do the first overcomes his enemy far more completely, for in the latter case it is only the body of the enemy which is overpowered by superior physical strength, and he will be ever on the watch to renew the attack. But to overcome a man by forgiveness takes the man’s heart captive, and, by turning him into a friend, makes it certain that the conquest is a lasting one. Saul showed his fitness to be a king by his brilliant victory over the Ammonites, but he showed it more by his victory over himself when he said, concerning his former personal enemies, “There shall not a man be put to death this day.”
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
1Sa_11:6. Without this zeal no anointed one may be found. For this word will always hold good: “Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord slothfully,” (or negligently) (Jer_48:10). But in truth zeal alone is not the right ornament of the warriors of Christ. Prove thy zeal, whether it is not perhaps mixed with flesh and blood, or even proceeds altogether from this fountain, and know that zeal for the Lord’s cause should not flow from mere excitability, from a momentary ebullition of natural compassion, or from being overcome by human displeasure and anger. Not the strange fire which the sons of Aaron took, but the fire from the holy altar, the Spirit of God—let us learn it from Saul!—must overmaster, inflame, inspire us.—Disselhoff.
1Sa_11:7. There are two sorts of fear. One is a selfish, reward-seeking fear. In this we are caring for ourselves, and that is properly human fear. But there is also a fear of the Lord, the fear that one has for His sake alone, when one fears lest the Lord has been grieved through our own sins, or those of others, or lest we or others should not have sufficiently glorified Him in ourselves.—Berlenberger Bible.
1Sa_11:9. Bold assurance of faith, which in a great undertaking, anticipates its success as an accomplished fact.—Lange’s Commentary.
1Sa_11:13. The victory over the foe is to Saul nothing but a saving act of God Himself. He regards himself as simply the instrument of God. This is the ground for the rejection of the demand; none should die that day. Thereby he gained a victory
(1) over himself—he restrains himself in the exercise of a right;
(2) over the anger of those who demanded that justice should be executed;
(3) over his former opponents;
(4) over the whole people, who must have been carried along by him in the path of noble moral conduct, and lifted above themselves to the height on which he stood.—Lange’s Commentary.
As in God, so in His deputies, mercy and justice should be inseparable; wheresoever these two go asunder, government follows them into distraction and ends in ruin. If it had been a wrong offered to Samuel, the forbearance of the revenge had not been so commendable, although on the day of so happy a deliverance perhaps it had not been unseasonable; a man hath reason to be most bold with himself; it is no praise of mercy, since it is a fault of justice to remit another man’s satisfaction; his own he may.—Bp. Hall.
1Sa_11:15. How many instructive memorials of God’s power and love to His people might suggest themselves to Saul at Gilgal (see Critical Notes). How many pledges and earnests to himself if he imitated Joshua in faith and obedience to God, especially at Gilgal!—Wordsworth.
How absurdly are our judgments led away by merely outward circumstances. Saul was not less the King of Israel, when following his herds at Gibeah, than when returning from the conquest of the Ammonites. His title rested on the Divine appointment, and was not more sacred because surrounded by the lustre of a victory; yet it appeared so in the eyes of the Israelites.—Lindsay.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv4, 6 This is the name of a place. (See: How…
Gibeah
This is the name of a place. (See: How to Translate Names)
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translationWords
messenger
Saul (OT)
people group
cow
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v7 11:7 Not to participate would indicate rejection of the…
11:7 Not to participate would indicate rejection of the leadership of both Saul as king and Samuel as prophet.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.