1 Samuel 10:26-27
Summary for 1Sam 10:26-11:13: 10:26–11:13 a Saul proved his capacity for leadership by tolerating opposition and rescuing the town of Jabesh-gilead. 10:26 b whose hearts God had touched: God gave people confidence in Saul’s ability to lead (cp. 10:9 c).10:27 d These men were scoundrels (cp. 2:12 e) because they scorned God’s chosen king.
• Gifts were given to show homage (Gen 32:13 f, 18 g, 20 h), political friendship (2 Kgs 20:12 i), or submission (Judg 3:15 j, 17 k).
• ignored them: Saul’s self-restraint while being insulted was a sign of maturity. In contrast, Proverbs 16:14 l speaks of a king’s potentially explosive rage when somebody crosses him. See also 1 Sam 11:12-13 m.
• [Nahash ... Jabesh-gilead]: See NLT note. Whether this paragraph was part of the original text is uncertain, but it provides historical context for 11:1-15 n (e.g., 11:2 o).
Thematic note: The Spirit’s Presence
In the Old Testament, the Spirit of the Lord came upon a person or group when they were called to do a task or ordained for an office. The Spirit “came upon” the judges Othniel, Gideon, and Jephthah (Judg 3:10 p; 6:34 q; 11:29 r), empowering them for service. Saul and David both received the Spirit of God when they were anointed king (1 Sam 10:1 s, 9-10 t; 16:13 u). The Spirit would depart when the task had been completed or when the officeholder was removed from office. When Samuel anointed David as the next king (16:13 v), the Spirit left Saul (16:14 w), who was disobedient and had been rejected by God as king (13:7-14 x; 15:10-29 y; cp. 28:15 z; Judg 16:20 aa). After David had sinned with Bathsheba, he prayed to be spared this same judgment (Ps 51:11 ab).
In the New Testament, God’s Holy Spirit is given to all who put their faith in Christ for salvation, not just to individuals in specific roles (see Acts 2:14-21 ac; 1 Cor 12:1-13 ad; Eph 1:13-14 ae). Still, the Spirit performs a similar role in equipping God’s servants to do the work that God has called them to do (see 1 Cor 12:7-10 af). The Old Testament departure of the Spirit from Saul tangibly demonstrates the need for the New Testament warnings not to sin against the Spirit and not to bring sorrow to the Spirit (see Mark 3:28-29 ag; Eph 4:30 ah; Heb 6:1-8 ai).
Passages for Further Study
Gen 41:37-40 aj; Exod 31:1-6 ak; Judg 3:9-11 al; 6:34 am; 11:29 an; 14:5-6 ao; 16:20-21 ap; 1 Sam 10:1-10 aq; 11:6-7 ar; 16:13-23 as; 19:19-23 at; 2 Chr 20:13-19 au; 24:20-22 av; Ps 51:11-12 aw; Isa 11:1-5 ax; Jer 31:33-34 ay; Joel 2:28-29 az; Mark 3:28-29 ba; Acts 2:1-21 bb; 4:31 bc; Eph 1:13-14 bd; 4:30 be; Heb 6:4-8 bf
1 Samuel 11:1-13
Summary for 1Sam 11:1-15: 11:1-15 bg Saul’s kingship was confirmed through a military victory, the very reason the people wanted a king (8:20 bh). 11:1 bi Ammon (see Gen 19:38 bj), located on the east side of the Jordan, represented a threat to Israel similar to the Philistines to the southwest (see also Judg 10:6–11:33 bk).• Make a treaty with us: Cp. Josh 9 bl; 2 Sam 10:19 bm.
11:2 bn gouge out the right eye: Mutilation of captured soldiers was a common practice in the ancient Near East. These disfigured soldiers would have lost all depth perception, seriously curtailing their potential for fighting in a revolt.
11:3 bo Nahash agreed to grant a reprieve of seven days, reflecting his arrogant confidence of victory and his desire to humiliate Israel as much as possible.
11:7 bp Not to participate would indicate rejection of the leadership of both Saul as king and Samuel as prophet.
11:8 bq Bezek was about fourteen miles west of Jabesh-gilead.
• The narrator’s use of the terms Israel and Judah anticipates the later division of the kingdom (1 Kgs 12 br).
11:13 bs No one will be executed: This was a time for rejoicing, not revenge.
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