1 Samuel 10:23-11:15
Saul was a fine-looking man—head and shoulders above the rest of the people—just exactly the kind of man they would have chosen themselves for their leader. When Samuel brought him before the people as the one whom the Lord had chosen, they all shouted, “God save the king.” Then Samuel told them about the kingdom that was to be established, and he wrote it in a book which was laid up before the Lord.
A group of men whose hearts God had touched gathered around Saul when he returned to Gibeah, but some despised him and did not send him any presents. It is instructive to notice that faith always owns whatever is of God, even when failure has lowered its character. It does not show a good state of soul to set at naught those whom God is using, even though we cannot go along with all they are doing. May we profit by what we learn here of the perfect ways of God.
As far as we can learn here, Saul did not wait for Samuel, as he had been instructed, but returned to Gibeah and went about his regular occupation. Before long, the Ammonites came up and encamped against the men of Jabesh-gilead. The men of Jabesh offered to make a covenant with and serve the Ammonites, but they refused except on one condition; namely, that they would put out the right eyes of the men of Jabesh for a reproach on all Israel. The men of Jabesh asked for seven days to see if they could get help, and sent messengers to Saul and told him what had taken place. He took a yoke of oxen and hewed them in pieces, saying that the oxen of any who did not come after him and Samuel to battle, would be hewn in pieces too. The men of Israel then gathered together with one consent—over three hundred thousand of them. Saul divided them into three companies and went out against the Ammonites in the morning watch. The victory was so complete that there were not even two Ammonites left together.
Saul showed a beautiful spirit here, and would not allow those who had previously opposed his being king to be put to death; but he still did not show any concern about the Philistines who occupied the hill of God, and from whom the Lord had raised him up to deliver His people. We notice too, that he spoke of the people following himself first, then Samuel. His false humility was soon manifested, for he thought of his own honor first, and in this his first conflict, he failed to wait for the word of the Lord through Samuel.
Nevertheless God is patient, as He always is, till we definitely and finally reject His Word. Then Samuel gathered the people together to Gilgal. This ought to have spoken to Saul, since he had been told to wait there for Samuel, as we have noticed previously; but in all the rejoicing over their victory this had been forgotten. However the kingdom was renewed, for God had proved Himself faithful. Saul was still being tested, but how unable he was to enter into the thoughts of God for His people as the natural man always is.
As far as Saul’s personal life was concerned, there was much that the natural man would admire, and little he would condemn, as compared with David. Yet Saul was an unregenerate man, while David, in spite of his sad failure, was a man of faith and mightily used of God. How important it is that we measure things by God’s standards and not man’s. Man measures sin by how it affects himself; God measures it by the standard of His own glory.
ML 07/04/1954