It was said that one of President Reagan's favourite stories involves a farmer and a lawyer whose cars just collided in a main street.
The farmer then took a long look at the lawyer, then reached in the back of his car and took out a bottle of whiskey.
"Here, you look pretty shook up," hes said. "Take a nip of this, it'll steady your nerves."
The lawyer took a few quick gulps. "You still look pale," said the farmer. "How about another?"
After taking five or six slugs at the farmer's urging, the lawyer suggested the farmer have a drink himself.
"Not me," declared the farmer. "I'm waiting for the traffic police."
Lesson: Don't get fooled by anyone.
It is always important to know the law so that you will not be in jail.
Today, we are going to talk about not getting fooled by people who wants to take advantage of you.
It is always good to receive the wisdom from God.
We are now in the eleventh chapter of the Book of 1 Samuel.
We have learned last week that Saul had been anointed with oil by Samuel the prophet.
He joined a procession of prophets and prophesied with them.
He was a changed man after this - transformed by the Holy Spirit.
Yet, when he was about to be introduced publicly by Samuel, we read that he hid himself among the baggages or supplies for fear of the great responsibilities ahead of him as king.
But when they took him out and he began to walk with confidence among them, he was a head taller than any Israelites.
Samuel said, "There is no one like him."
And the people shouted: "Long live the king!"
But not all of them accepted him as their new king.
The text says that there were some scoundrels who despised him and brought him no gifts.
But Saul just kept silent.
He knew that someday, his time will come to prove himself worthy of the calling as king.
It is on this context that we will learn in this chapter the difficult situation that ultimately changed in his favor.
Problems can be a source of great opportunity if we know how to use them to our advantage.
And so, let me give you a brief background of 1 Samuel chapter 11.
According to the Matthew Henry's commentary, the Ammonites are bad neighbors to those tribes that lay next to them.
They were descendants from Lot and hence dealt cruelly to Israel as their worst enemy.
If you remember during the time of the Judges, Jephthah had humbled them severely but now that Israel is being punished by God because of their sin, the Ammonites are in advantageous position to avenge that quarrel.
Jabesh Gilead on the other hand is a close neighbor to these Ammonites and previous to that had been destroyed by Israel's sword of justice because they did not stand up against the wickedness of Gibeah.
A lot of them were destroyed at that time, but after many years, their population were being replenished by those who had escaped the sword.
Now, it is again in danger of being destroyed by the Ammorites as if some bad fate attended the place.
Nahas was the king of the Ammorites who lay sieged to this little city of Jabesh Gilead.
We will study three things in this chapter:
1. Why Jabesh Gilead made a treaty with the enemy.
2. How Saul responded with anger to this aggression.
3. Saul's victory and his confirmation as king.
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1. JABESH GILEAD MAKING A TREATY WITH THE ENEMY (vs. 1-3)
1 Samuel 11:1-3 (NIV) "Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty with us, and we will be subject to you.” 2 But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel.” 3 The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days so we can send messengers throughout Israel; if no one comes to rescue us, we will surrender to you.”
Here we find in verse 1 the agrression of Nahash, the Ammonite in laying siege to these weak and helpless Jabesh Gilead.
The name Nahash means "serpent from its hiss" which signify demonic cruelty and brutality.
The name of Jabesh Gilead however means dry, ashamed, withered or confused.
This is actually the character of the people of Jabesh Gilead.
They have become weak and withered in battle.
They have lost sight of their courage and valor as true Israelites after the sword of justice fell upon them.
They tamely yielded to serve the Ammorites without even a bold struggle to defend themselves.
This is a picture of a nation that has broken their covenant with God and forsaken his service that is why they were ready to yield to their enemy even without a fight.
They now seek a covenant with an enemy Gentile nation and offered to serve them thinking that it was to their advantage.
But the Ammonites is an evil nation who took advantage of their weakness by demanding that they shall put out their right eyes.
They were not satisfied to make them merely as their servants but to torment them and put them to exquisite pain.
The logic behind them is that they will be disabled and incapable for war.
During that time, a soldier usually fights with his shield in his left hand which covered his left eye.
Hence, a soldier without his right eye was in effect blind and disabled.
This will also serve as a lasting reproach upon Israel as weak and cowardly.
And so, they were given seven days to consider this proposal.
Nahash was so secure that no one would rescue them at this time.
Here is the truth.
Making an alliance with the enemy is a mistake of many people today.
They bow to pressures from the ungodly advices of friends and relatives who don't know God.
They go into the camp of the enemy to seek solution to the problems that the enemy had caused.
They seek solution from the enemy against the enemy, not knowing that it will put them in the most disadvantageous position.
Remember this: You cannot trust the devil.
You cannot make an alliance with the devil.
He is not an ally he will always be your enemy.
His only desire for your life is to steal kill and destroy.
John 10:10New International Version (NIV) 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
The devil will make you doubt God's Word.
He will put fear in your heart.
He will make you insecure.
He will make you skip church worship services often.
He will lead you astray fro the truth.
And he will make you fail in life.
Brothers and sisters, don't be fooled by the devil.
What is the solution?
Resist the devil and connect with God.
Plug yourself to the Absolute power - Christ.
Seek His help rather than the enemy.
Confess your sin to Him.
Acknowledge your weakness without God.
Trust in His mighty strong hands of deliverance.
There is a big difference between trusting in God and surrendering to the devil's schemes.
Christ will always give you life to the fullest.
There was this story that happened in 1934.
It was during that time that Adolf Hitler summoned German church leaders to his Berlin office to berate them for insufficient supporting his programs.
Pastor Martin Niemoller explained that he was concerned only for the welfare of the church and of the German people.
Hitler snapped, "You confine yourself to the church. I'll take care of the German people."
Niemoller replied, "You said that 'I will take care of the German people.' But we too, as Christians and churchmen have a responsibility towards the German people. That responsibility was entrusted to us by God, and neither you or anyone in this world has the power to take it from us."
Hitler listened in silence but that evening his gestapo raided Niemoller's rectory, and a few days later, a bomb exploded in his church.
During the months and years following, he was closely watched by the secret police, and in June 1937,
he preached these words to his church: "We have no more thought of using our own powers to escape the arms of the authorities than had the apostle of old. We must obey God rather than man."
He was soon arrested and placed in solitary confinement.
Dr. Niemoller's trial began on February 7, 1938.
That morning, a green-uniformed guard escorted the minister from his prison cell and through a series of underground passages toward the courtroom.
Niemoller was overcome with terror and loneliness.
He could still remember the time when he compromised with Hitler before he became Chancellor in 1932.
Hitler promised him to protect the Church but now, he realized that he had been betrayed and that he made a big mistake.
It is time for him to plug in to the Absolute power greater than him.
To trust God above all.
And so, as he was being ushered to his dark cell, he again looked at the face of the guard.
He was impassive, and was silent as stone.
But as they excited a tunnel to ascend a final flight of stairs, Niemoller heard a whisper.
At first he didn't know where it came from, for the voice was soft as a sigh.
Then he realized that the officer was breathing into his ear the words of Proverbs 18:10 "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe."
Niemoller's fear fell away, and the power of that verse sustained him through his trial and his years in Nazi concentration camps until he was released in 1945.
Making an alliance with the enemy is always a mistake.
Only Christ can set us free.
Ephesians 3:14-21New International Version (NIV) 14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family[a]in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
2. SAUL RESPONDING WITH ANGER TO THE AGGRESSION. (vs. 4-11)
1 Samuel 11:4-11 (NIV) 4 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.
We can notice first of all in these verses the humility of Saul even he has been proclaimed as king.
He was not puffed up with pride in the early days of his kingship.
He had already been anointed with oil by Samuel and proclaimed publicly before the whole Israel.
But in these verses, we find him laboring in his oxen as if he was an ordinary man like his own people.
It also shows that by working hard, he could support himself and not to be a burden to his people.
Remember that the apostle Paul also worked with his hands as a tent maker to support himself financially while in the ministry?
Working hard is an important attitude we need to develop as Christians.
God hates laziness but lifts up those who are diligent.
Then one evening, after working in the field, Saul came to visit his people together with his servants to determine their present state.
It was a show of care and concern specially if the people are in pain.
When he saw that they were crying, he asked them why.
Why were they in pain?
He wanted to help them in any way he can.
Then, he heard about the distress of the whole city due to the cruelty of the Ammonites.
Instantly, the Spirit of God came upon him and his anger was kindled.
What got him angry?
He was so angry that people were weeping over the predicament of their fellow Israelites, but they were not doing anything about it.
He was so angry that the people of Jabesh, God’s people, were in such weak predicament and had not sent him a notice sooner.
He was so angry with sin and wanted God's holiness and justice to prevail.
It was a brave and courageous fire that has been kindled in the life of Saul when he got angry.
Because of that anger, he decided to do something about it.
There are people who get angry and don't do anything about it.
There are people who get angry and curse and hate those close to them because of their anger.
There are those who get angry and destroy properties.
What do you do when you get angry?
As for Saul, he took a pair of oxen and cut it in pieces and send the pieces to several cities of Israel.
It was his way to gather his support to fight against the Ammorites.
He threatened them that if they decline to give their service, the same thing will happen to them.
It was necessary that the command should be enforced with some penalty to see the seriousness of the matter.
And it proved effective for the entire nation came out as one man because the fear of the Lord fell upon them.
And after numbering his troops, he sent word to the people of Jabesh Gilead.
"We are coming to rescue you. Be ready to do your part because we will not fail to do ours."
He knew that he had a just cause and God was on His side.
There was no time to doubt this battle.
When the Spirit of God come upon men, it will make them experts in battle even if they have no previous experience.
When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will know what to do even in a very difficult situation.
And that is what happened to Saul.
Within one day, he attacked the enemy with incredible swiftness.
They marched against them in three columns and surrounded them on every side.
Ultimately, Jabesh Gilead was rescued and the Ammorites were totally routed.
Saul gained his first victory in battle.
Rev. Willaim Secker, the 17th century British Minister said, "He that would be angry and not sin, must be angry at nothing but sin."
We can be angry as long as we direct our anger to the right situation.
We can also be angry as long as we learn our lessons well.
In this case, Saul used his anger to gather enough manpower to fight the battle against the wicked Ammorites.
There was also the story of the great evangelist, D.L. Moody, considered as the "Billy Graham" of the 19th century.
He had a sharp temper which he learned to control - usually.
One evening, Mr. Moody was conducting two evangelistic services back-to-back.
After the first one, as Mr. Moody was standing near the door, welcoming the new crowd that have entered, a man approached him and gave him highly offensive words of insult.
In a sudden fit of anger, Moody shoved the man and sent him tumbling down the short steps.
The man was not badly harmed, but Moody's friends wondered how he could possibly preach the second service.
"When I saw Mr. Moody gave way to his temper," said an observer,"I said to myself, 'The meeting is killed!"
The large number of crowd who have seen the whole thing will hardly be in a condition to be influenced by anything more Mr. Moody can say tonight."
But Moody called the meeting to order, stood and with trembling words, spoke these words: "Friends, before beginning tonight, I want to confess that I yielded just now to my temper, out in the hall, and have done wrong.
Just as I was coming in here tonight, I lost my temper with a man, and I want to confess my wrong before you all, and if that man is present here, I want to ask his forgiveness and God's. Let us pray."
Instead of a lost cause, the meeting seemed unusually touched that night, with many people deeply and eternally impressed with the Gospel."
God can use your anger to victory if brought in the right perspective.
3. SAUL CONFIRMED AS KING. 1 Samuel 11:12-15 (NIV) 12 The people then said to Samuel, “Who was it that asked, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Turn these men over to us so that we may put them to death.” 13 But Saul said, “No one will be put to death today, for this day the Lordhas rescued Israel.” 14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingship.” 15 So all the people went to Gilgal and made Saul king in the presence of the Lord. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings before the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites held a great celebration.
Here we find Saul who looked great before the entire nation Israel.
The resounding victory over the Ammonite made it's impact felt all over the country.
He had saved the right eyes of the men of Jabesh Gilead and they were happy.
He had avenged himself over these cruel enemies and the whole nation rejoiced.
This confirmed that Saul was really worthy to be proclaimed as king.
Hence, the people who once were jealous and resented his leadership as king were now put in disgrace before them all.
"How about putting them to death?" one person suggested.
But Saul personally rejected the idea.
"No one will be put to death today."
It was a time of joy and triumph.
That is the best way to gain new friends.
Then, Samuel came out and confirmed the leadership of Saul as their king.
And all Israel held a great celebration.
Have you noticed that at the end of the previous chapter, Saul was silent when they criticized him?
He did not say any word when people attacked his leadership.
He just kept his peace.
In this chapter, he proved them wrong.
There was a problem that ensued and he turned that into an opportunity to prove himself.
Life is like that.
Sometimes, to prove yourself, you need not have to say anything about your attributes, about how good you are.
You need not have to lift your chair among the people.
You need only to be silent for when the opportunity comes, then, you will have a chance to prove to them who you really are.
That is what Saul did and after proving himself, he never held a grudge at them.
And everyone held a great celebration of victory.
One person said, "When attacked by a dragon, do not become one. Do not be like the dragon."
Somebody said, "When you throw mud at someone, you're the one who is losing ground, not them."
Summary of lessons learned:
We must not make an alliance with the enemy.
We must always plug ourselves to the Absolute power - Christ our Lord.
We must use our anger to fight sin and declare His Lordship.
We need not have to react violently if we are being criticized.
Now, repeat after me these prayers of declaration.
1. Every power, mandated to disgrace me will die in the name of Jesus.
2. Every wicked power monitoring my life will be scattered by fire in the name of Jesus.
3. Every power that does not want to see me around will die in the name of Jesus.
4. By the power in the Blood of Jesus, I will arise and shine in the name of Jesus.
5. Holy Spirit, arise and fight for me in the name of Jesus.
6. All my buried Christian virtues of excellence, hear the word of the Lord; “Come out in the name of Jesus and shine in me”.
7. In the name of Jesus, I repossess, retake and claim back everything that the enemy has stolen from me when I was deep in sin.
8. Every power that wants to make me the tail and not the head will die in the name of Jesus.
9. Every “Goliath” in my destiny will be defeated and fall to the ground with a single shot, in the name of Jesus.
10. Every power that does not want to let me go will be destroyed in the name of Jesus.
11. Every enemy of my full-scale joy and peace will be conquered in the name of Jesus.
12. Every curses, witchcraft and spiritual power from my place of origin will be scattered by fire in the name of Jesus.
13. By the blood of Christ, I claim my eternal destiny.
I refuse to be caged.
I will arise and shine in the name of Jesus.
14. May the Fire of God pursue my pursuers in the name of Jesus.
15. Every evil presence monitoring my breakthroughs will die in the name of Jesus.
16. Where good doors have been closed against me, new doors will open by fire in the name of Jesus.
17. Every power, summoning my head for evil will be overcome in the name of Jesus.
18. Beginning this day and every day of my life, I will prosper spiritually, physically, emotionally, intellectually, financially and relationally in my life and the lives of my loved ones in the name of Jesus.
19. All the evil advice given against my favor will crash and disintegrate, in the name of Jesus.
20. Let the wind, the sun and the moon run contrary to every demonic presence in my environment, in the name of Jesus.
21. O you devourers and demonic powers, vanish and flee from our ministry in this church in the name of Jesus.
22. Let every tree planted by fear in my life be dried up from the roots, in the name of Jesus.
23. I cancel all the enchantments, all the curses and all the spells that are against me and my loved ones in the name of Jesus.
24. Let all iron-like curses break, in the name of Jesus.
I claim all these these in Jesus name. Amen.
END...
