In this episode of Add Bible, we delve into the gripping account in 1 Samuel Chapter 11. It tells the story of how Saul rises to the occasion to deliver the city of Jabesh-Gilead from imminent danger. This narrative not only captures a pivotal moment in Israel’s history, but also serves as a reflection on leadership and the transformative power of the Spirit of God in times of crisis.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Alan J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
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Today brings us to 1 Samuel chapter 11. We will listen to the 15 verses of 1 Samuel chapter 11 from Faith Comes by Hearing.
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1 Samuel 11 Then Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-Gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.
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But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, On this condition I will make a treaty with you, that I gouge out all your right eyes, and thus bring disgrace on all Israel.
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The elders of Jabesh said to him, Give us seven days’ respite, that we may send messengers through all the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to save us, we will give ourselves up to you.
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When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, they reported the matter in the ears of the people, and all the people wept aloud. Now behold, Saul was coming from the field behind the oxen, and Saul said, What is wrong with the people that they are weeping? So they told him the news of the men of Jabesh. And the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled. He took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, Whoever does not come out after Saul and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen. Then the dread of the Lord fell upon the people, and they came out as one man. When he mustered them at Bezek, the people of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
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And they said to the messengers who had come, Thus shall you say to the men of Jabesh-Gilead, Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have deliverance.
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When the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh, they were glad.
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Therefore the men of Jabesh said, Tomorrow we will give ourselves up to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good to you. And the next day Saul put the people in three companies.
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And they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.
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Then the people said to Samuel, Who is it that said, Shall Saul reign over us? Bring the men, that we may put them to death. But Saul said,
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not a man shall be put to death this day for today the Lord has worked salvation in Israel then Samuel said to the people come let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingdom so all the people went to Gilgal and there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal there they sacrificed peace offerings before the Lord and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly
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Back in 1983, when I read this chapter, I had one of those great one-liners again. I just said, Saul delivers Israel from Amorites. Yeah! Remember, I was 28 years old back in 1983, so… Life was maybe a bit more simple to me at that time. And I also wrote in my journal the amount of time my quiet time was, and I’m looking at some of the notes I wrote there. Like on the day I read 1 Samuel 11, it was like five minutes. The next day was 15, the day before was 10, the next day was 30, the next day was 20. So I was actually writing the amount of time that I was spending with the Lord in that journal. I didn’t do a whole lot better in 2002, even though I was a whopping 47 years old at the time. And I had another one-liner after reading this chapter. I wrote, anger directed at sin or Satan is productive. I was actually referring to chapter 11, verse 6, when it says, And the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled. So when Saul heard the news, what happened? His anger was kindled, and at the same time the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him. So anger directed at sin or Satan can, in fact, be productive. Saul sends messengers out throughout Israel to gather the troops to fight against the Amorites. And they do just that. They strike down the Amorites. After that demonstration of leadership by Saul, they all gather at his hometown of Gilgal and make him king. In 2007, I wrote in my journal after reading chapter 11, Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul mightily. An interesting way to say it. Mightily. Came upon. The phrase is used also for Othniel in Judges chapter 3, verse 10, saying, Gideon in Judges 6, verse 34, Jephthah in Judges 11, verse 29, Samson in Judges 13, verse 25, and David in 1 Samuel 16, verse 13. And then I wrote, I want the Spirit of God too. I want it to come upon Alan mightily so I can accomplish great things for God like those listed above. Has the Spirit of God come upon you mightily? Have you ever longed to do something good or even great for God? I think the fact of the matter is, on every one of these people that the Spirit of God came upon mightily, none of them sought that, none of them expected it, none of them longed for it. And yet God chooses to do His will through mere men. I realize that I can do nothing apart from the Lord. And yet God has placed me in a position of leadership both in the Ezra Project and in the Gideons International. So that’s what I mean by longing to have the Spirit of God come upon me mightily, is I know that I can’t do one thing without Him. I continued in my journal about the prayer I made after reading 1 Samuel 11. I wrote as a prayer, Father, Son, Spirit of God, for the Spirit of God to come upon me mightily, what would I be like? What would be different? Maybe it already has. Maybe it comes and goes and comes back. I think as we track Saul through 1 Samuel, we’re going to see that the Spirit of the Lord comes and the Spirit of the Lord goes and the Spirit of the Lord comes back. I am just always thankful when I sense the Spirit of the Lord upon me and very humbled to think that God uses me at all to further his kingdom. Saul, Othniel, Gideon, Jephthah, Samson, David were all mere men just like you and me. And God alone raises up men to do his bidding and comes upon them with great power from the Holy Spirit. Does he have something for you to do? Would the Spirit of God come rushing upon you so that you can do something good for God today? Back to the story of mom on this day. I didn’t have any entry in my journal in 2002 about her. Only that Shannon got a job in Charlotte. She’s happy and sad and I wrote, so am I. So my little girl had gone off on a venture to start a new life in Charlotte, North Carolina and got a job. Praise the Lord. Lord, we’ve heard the term holy anger, and I guess there may be something to that. We pray that our anger could always be in check unless you stir that anger up to do something that you want done. And that anger against the enemy or against Satan himself can be something that you want to use to further your kingdom. Lord, help us to understand the feelings that we have. And when we’re angry, let’s make sure that it’s directed not at people, but at the enemy, Satan himself. In Jesus’ name, amen. According to a recent Barna Research study entitled Bible Reading, A New Year’s Resolution, most Americans are not satisfied with their current level of Scripture reading. A majority express a desire to read the Bible more than they currently do. Born-again and practicing Christians are the most likely to desire more Bible reading in their day-to-day lives. It should not come as a surprise that the majority of Americans wish they read Scripture more than they do, says Roxanne Stone, editor-in-chief of Barna Group. After all, two-thirds of Americans agree that the Bible contains everything you need to know to live a meaningful life. Why wouldn’t you want to read such a book more often? The study continues. However, like other New Year’s resolutions, such as exercising more and eating healthier, Scripture reading is often an aspirational goal. It’s the goal that for most people probably doesn’t feel necessary to survive and so can easily get swamped by the day-to-day demands of a busy life. Scripture reading takes time and focus, two things that feel like scarcities in today’s fast-paced and on-demand culture. Like exercise, like dieting, regular Bible reading does not offer instant payoff. It’s a discipline whose rewards are reaped over the long haul. And the study continues, when people go from feeling they should read the Bible more to needing to read the Bible more, they find the time. Access to the Bible is not the issue in the USA, is it? We all have Bibles. According to another study done a few years ago, 88% of Americans own a Bible. We have 3.5 Bibles in our homes. And this is amazing. 59% of people who have no faith or are atheists even own a Bible, probably just in case. So if you have a smartphone, you have access to the Word of God. My Gideon Bible app has over 2,100 languages. Access to the Bible is not the issue. The issue is changing our beliefs about the Bible to behavior with the Bible. So where are Christians with the Bible today? Christians are well-intentioned when it comes to the Bible. We believe that the Bible is the Word of God. We believe, we just don’t behave. Our belief in the Bible and our behavior with the Bible are inconsistent. The middle ground related to the Bible seems to be disappearing. The decrease of Bible-neutral and Bible-friendly people and the increase of Bible antagonists suggests that more people are picking a side. Which side are you on? Are you a Bible antagonist questioning the Bible? Are you Bible-neutral? I just don’t know. Or are you Bible-friendly? I love the Bible. Wherever you are, pick a side. Because of our neglect of God’s Word, we are becoming biblically illiterate. For example, in a private religious elementary school, kids were asked about the Old and New Testaments. Here are some funny things that they had to say. The first commandment was when Eve told Adam to eat that apple. Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt by day but a ball of fire by night. What kind of man was Boaz before he married? So, if we think about Bible literacy or illiteracy, we think about it this way. If God decided to come down from his throne in heaven, become an author here on earth, you’d think his book would be on the bestseller list. And the fact is, the Bible is the number one bestselling book of all time. 2.5 to 5 billion, according to research. It’s also the most read book of all time. Praise the Lord, that alone might be evidence that the Bible, not any other so-called writing, is God’s Word. According to a weekly World News report, here are a few other Bible facts. About 50 Bibles are sold every minute. The Bible is the world’s best-selling book. It’s also the world’s most shoplifted book. That’s interesting. And that doesn’t even count all the Gideon Bibles stolen out of those hotels. So I encourage you to enjoy a portion of God’s Word every day. Make it a daily spiritual habit. And so until next time, I’m Alan J. Huth, and this program is sponsored by The Ezra Project, with support from listeners like you. Visit EzraProject.net to keep AdBible, connecting God’s people to God’s Word, on the air.
