“When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and reported these terms to the people, they all wept aloud.5 Just then Saul was returning from the fields, behind his oxen, and he asked, “What is wrong with everyone? Why are they weeping?” Then they repeated to him what the men of Jabesh had said. 6 When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger. 7 He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent the pieces by messengers throughout Israel, proclaiming, “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel.” Then the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out together as one. 8 When Saul mustered them at Bezek, the men of Israel numbered three hundred thousand and those of Judah thirty thousand. 9 They told the messengers who had come, “Say to the men of Jabesh Gilead, ‘By the time the sun is hot tomorrow, you will be rescued.’” When the messengers went and reported this to the men of Jabesh, they were elated. 10 They said to the Ammonites, “Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do to us whatever you like.” 11 The next day Saul separated his men into three divisions; during the last watch of the night they broke into the camp of the Ammonites and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.” 1 Samuel 11.4-11
If you threaten one town of Israel, you threaten them all. When King Saul heard of Jabesh’s plight, several things happened: 1) the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, 2) he burned with anger, and 3) he cut up a pair of oxen and sent them to all of Israel with a message.
The text tells us, “the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they came together as one.” In total, 330,000 fighting men came out for battle—a remarkable number! It seems almost everyone responded to the call to help Jabesh defeat the Ammonites. Jabesh then tricked the Ammonites, pretending they would surrender, but the next day, this entire army descended upon them and “slaughtered them until the heat of the day.” The remaining Ammonites were scattered.
I’d like to note the two things that happened to Saul when he first heard the news. First, the Spirit of God came upon him, and second, he burned with anger. This suggests that sometimes there may be a place for righteous anger. If the Spirit was upon him, wouldn’t this be justifiable? Didn’t the Lord lead him to prepare an army to destroy a sinful, pagan people?
And when they came together, they did just that—killing the Ammonites through the heat of the day. Quora.com notes, “The Moabites and the Ammonites are two ancient peoples who are still around today. The Moabites live in Jordan, and the Ammonites live in modern-day Jordan and Iraq. Both groups share a common ancestry and continue to interact with each other culturally.” My point is, this conflict in the Middle East has been ongoing for thousands of years.
Yet as people of God, I choose to believe that the Jews are indeed God’s chosen people and that everyone else can be grafted in, incorporated into God’s plan of salvation now made evident through Jesus Christ. The conquering king mentality of the Old Covenant was intended to bring all people under the Lordship of Yahweh. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen, and much blood was shed.
Aren’t we glad that the Lord had mercy on all people, and now through Jesus, we can experience favor with God, forgiveness of sin, and everlasting life? I am not Jewish, but I have been incorporated into Christ’s Body and accepted by His blood. I am no better than the Ammonites who rejected God and fought against His people. But now, like you, I am a child of God, accepted and loved in His name.
Our goal as Christians is to share the Great Commission with the world. I devote my work at Truett and Revive to training leaders and making disciples. Today, we make converts through love, not violence. Aren’t we glad!
“O Lord God, there is much in the Old Testament I do not understand. Thank you for grafting us in so we might believe upon your name and find life now and life to come. Find us willing and grateful to receive your gift of salvation. I praise your name and bless you. Fill us with your Holy Spirit and redeem your people. I love you, Lord, and praise your name, for you are good, and your love endures forever.” Amen