Chapter 11 is the sort of chapter in the Bible that really makes this sort of thing fun. Whether or not everyone who reads this ends up agreeing with me, I do feel that I have very appropriate responses to every issue brought up by the SAB in this chapter.
The Ammonites, led by Nahash, come up to Jabeshgilead and prepare to do battle against the inhabitants there. The men there send him a message that they don't want to fight, but would rather make peace. Nahash says, "I'll let you live if you show your loyalty to me by gouging out all your right eyes!" Not surprisingly, they hesitate to agree to this, and send for help.
The word reaches Saul that his fellow Israelites are in trouble, and "the Spirit of God came upon Saul". I make no excuse for this, because I think this is one of the times that Saul is acting in the proper manner for a king of Israel, seizing the opportunity to rally together all the people of Israel and unite them in a common cause. His actions indicate to all the people the seriousness of the cause and their king, and the entire nation rallies at Bezek.
Saul sends messengers to Jabeshgilead, telling them that help is on the way by the following afternoon. True to his promise, the next day the army arrives and fights until the Ammonite army is completely destroyed. (That is, not everyone killed, but "so that two of them were not left together.")
Now I realize that this is in the midst of a bloody battle, but I have to give props to Saul for one more thing here that I personally think the SAB should put a "Good things" label on. After the victory, everyone is so excited about the new unity and military/political power of Israel, that they suggest that the people in the last chapter who rejected Saul be rounded up and killed. Saul immediately squashes this idea, which you can guess from the way things have gone in Israel up until this point, would probably have been a successful endeavor, with virtually nobody to be the voice of reason if Saul had not protested. Instead, they go to Gilgal to make sacrifices to God and recommit themselves to the kingdom of Israel.
Maybe you disagree, but I call it a happy ending.
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4 comments:
>>I do feel that I have very appropriate responses to every issue brought up by the SAB in this chapter.<<
Are you entirely comfortable with what Saul does when the spirit of God comes upon him?
"And the Spirit of God came upon Saul ... And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel."
Is that what you do when the spirit of God comes upon you? Hacking up animals and sending the bloody parts to various places throughout the country?
Maybe I missed your "appropriate response" to that one. Do you really think "Saul is acting in the proper manner for a king of Israel" in this oxen-hacking FedEx fiasco?
>>>Are you entirely comfortable with what Saul does when the spirit of God comes upon him?<<<
In this case, yes. I think this is one of the few times that he acted like a true, decisive leader. Lives were on the line,and he did what he needed to drive home the seriousness of the situation.
I mean, are you a vegetarian or something? Why not chop up a couple oxen to save the lives of a city full of people?
How did hacking up a couple of oxen and sending the pieces throughout the country save anyone's life?
What were the people who received the rotting piece of ox flesh supposed to think? Is this really a good way of communicating? Do you do this when the spirit of the Lord comes upon you?
No, I'm not a vegetarian, but I don't hack up animals and send them in the mail. Do you?
>>>What were the people who received the rotting piece of ox flesh supposed to think? Is this really a good way of communicating?<<<
Well, the pieces were sent with a messenger.
>>>No, I'm not a vegetarian, but I don't hack up animals and send them in the mail. Do you?<<<
I'm not in the business of calling a nation to war that's never been to war. I think that tends to make leadership resort to strange practices, like dumping shiploads of tea in the ocean, which I also don't do.
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