I’ve been in two fights in my life. The first was in first grade, where a fellow student beat me soundly. The second was a quick fight with my brother, who outweighed me by 100 pounds. It only took a second for me to realize my mistake and make peace with him.
But that wasn’t the case when the Israelites faced the Ammonites. If they were defeated, each man in the community had to have his eye poked out by the enemy.
They told their story to Saul, and God moved on him powerfully.
When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger.
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 (1 Samuel 11:6-7).
Earlier in his life, Saul met a group of wandering prophets. When he joined them, the Holy Spirit came upon him, and he began to prophesy, likely in an ecstatic language.
During this moment, the Spirit of God empowered him to lead his people into battle.
The Catholic Church held a conference on the work of the Holy Spirit this week. One key takeaway was that they believe the Spirit of God is free to act in any way He chooses with God’s people.
When we connect with the Spirit, we shouldn’t limit Him. Instead, we should be open to however He wants to use us. This might mean prophesying like Saul, being used in a battle, or some other assignment from the Lord.
Whatever it is, let’s stay open to the Holy Spirit working through our lives.
God’s Victory
The Israelites gathered as a large army to battle the Ammonites and won a resounding victory.
At an earlier time, some men questioned whether Saul should be king or not. Saul’s response to these men reveals the nature of his character at this point in the story.
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.”
But Saul said, “No one will be put to death today, for this day the LORD has rescued Israel.”
Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingship.”
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 (1 Samuel 11:12-15).
Later in Saul’s story, we see his arrogant side. Right now, he knows the victory belongs to God. Even though some men disrespected him, he chose not to deal with them because God had blessed the people.
The Israelites responded by renewing their agreement with God and their commitment to Saul as king.
Reflections
A few months ago, Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I started studying the entire Bible. We still have a long way to go, but some things are already very clear. God uses people, but the victory always belongs to Him.
Saul understood this and gave God the glory. It’s important for us to recognize that every victory in our lives comes from God.
The best thing we can do is cooperate with Him. Asking Him, “Lord, where are you at work and how can I join you?”
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 