Monday Devo
Scripture:
1 Samuel 11:1-11
Saul Defeats the Ammonites
11 About a month later, King Nahash of Ammon led his army against the Israelite town of Jabesh-gilead. But all the citizens of Jabesh asked for peace. “Make a treaty with us, and we will be your servants,” they pleaded.
2 “All right,” Nahash said, “but only on one condition. I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you as a disgrace to all Israel!”
3 “Give us seven days to send messengers throughout Israel!” replied the elders of Jabesh. “If no one comes to save us, we will agree to your terms.”
4 When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the people about their plight, everyone broke into tears. 5 Saul had been plowing a field with his oxen, and when he returned to town, he asked, “What’s the matter? Why is everyone crying?” So they told him about the message from Jabesh.
6 Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he became very angry. 7 He took two oxen and cut them into pieces and sent the messengers to carry them throughout Israel with this message: “This is what will happen to the oxen of anyone who refuses to follow Saul and Samuel into battle!” And the Lord made the people afraid of Saul’s anger, and all of them came out together as one. 8 When Saul mobilized them at Bezek, he found that there were 300,000 men from Israel and 30,000 men from Judah.
9 So Saul sent the messengers back to Jabesh-gilead to say, “We will rescue you by noontime tomorrow!” There was great joy throughout the town when that message arrived!
10 The men of Jabesh then told their enemies, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you can do to us whatever you wish.” 11 But before dawn the next morning, Saul arrived, having divided his army into three detachments. He launched a surprise attack against the Ammonites and slaughtered them the whole morning. The remnant of their army was so badly scattered that no two of them were left together.
Saul Defeats the Ammonites
11 About a month later, King Nahash of Ammon led his army against the Israelite town of Jabesh-gilead. But all the citizens of Jabesh asked for peace. “Make a treaty with us, and we will be your servants,” they pleaded.
2 “All right,” Nahash said, “but only on one condition. I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you as a disgrace to all Israel!”
3 “Give us seven days to send messengers throughout Israel!” replied the elders of Jabesh. “If no one comes to save us, we will agree to your terms.”
4 When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the people about their plight, everyone broke into tears. 5 Saul had been plowing a field with his oxen, and when he returned to town, he asked, “What’s the matter? Why is everyone crying?” So they told him about the message from Jabesh.
6 Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he became very angry. 7 He took two oxen and cut them into pieces and sent the messengers to carry them throughout Israel with this message: “This is what will happen to the oxen of anyone who refuses to follow Saul and Samuel into battle!” And the Lord made the people afraid of Saul’s anger, and all of them came out together as one. 8 When Saul mobilized them at Bezek, he found that there were 300,000 men from Israel and 30,000 men from Judah.
9 So Saul sent the messengers back to Jabesh-gilead to say, “We will rescue you by noontime tomorrow!” There was great joy throughout the town when that message arrived!
10 The men of Jabesh then told their enemies, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you can do to us whatever you wish.” 11 But before dawn the next morning, Saul arrived, having divided his army into three detachments. He launched a surprise attack against the Ammonites and slaughtered them the whole morning. The remnant of their army was so badly scattered that no two of them were left together.
Commentary:
11:6–7 As in 10:6 (see note there), the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul, but here he is filled with power like one of the judges (Judg. 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 14:6, 19; 15:14). He apparently did not need to identify himself to his fellow Israelites other than as “Saul”; the message itself seems to presuppose some degree of authority, though he also invokes Samuel’s authority. Saul issues a conditional curse (Whoever does not come out), symbolized by his dismembering of the oxen (cf. Judg. 19:29–30).
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 509.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 509.
Questions:
When Nahash, king of Ammon, threatened to humiliate the people of Jabesh-gilead, they had little hope of rescue. When Saul heard what was happening, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he became very angry. This wasn't anger over a personal insult or a threat to his own position, Saul was grieved by the cruel treatment of God's people, and that anger moved him to act. He would not stand by while others suffered.
Brandon described this as an “anger of love.” We see something similar in Jesus when He confronted the corruption taking place in the temple. His anger wasn't rooted in wounded pride or a need to win an argument. He was responding to something that dishonored God and harmed people. Scripture doesn't call us to be indifferent toward evil. Paul writes, “Be angry, and do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26). There are things that should grieve us, things that should trouble us, and things we should refuse to accept as normal.
But anger is complicated. We can be quick to get angry when something affects us personally and barely notice when someone else is suffering. We can become consumed with what is wrong in the world, but never move past our own frustrations. We can even convince ourselves that our anger is righteous when what we're really feeding is resentment toward people we disagree with. The presence of anger doesn't always mean we're sharing God's heart. We have to pay attention to where that anger is leading us.
Godly anger moves us toward the people who are hurting. It leads us to pray, speak truth, protect those who are vulnerable, and do what we can to help. We refuse to let the brokenness around us make us indifferent and we ask God to help us see people the way He sees them and to respond with both conviction and compassion.
Brandon described this as an “anger of love.” We see something similar in Jesus when He confronted the corruption taking place in the temple. His anger wasn't rooted in wounded pride or a need to win an argument. He was responding to something that dishonored God and harmed people. Scripture doesn't call us to be indifferent toward evil. Paul writes, “Be angry, and do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26). There are things that should grieve us, things that should trouble us, and things we should refuse to accept as normal.
But anger is complicated. We can be quick to get angry when something affects us personally and barely notice when someone else is suffering. We can become consumed with what is wrong in the world, but never move past our own frustrations. We can even convince ourselves that our anger is righteous when what we're really feeding is resentment toward people we disagree with. The presence of anger doesn't always mean we're sharing God's heart. We have to pay attention to where that anger is leading us.
Godly anger moves us toward the people who are hurting. It leads us to pray, speak truth, protect those who are vulnerable, and do what we can to help. We refuse to let the brokenness around us make us indifferent and we ask God to help us see people the way He sees them and to respond with both conviction and compassion.
- Saul's anger was stirred by the suffering of people who needed someone to defend them. Our anger can be much stronger when we're personally offended than when someone else is being mistreated. Whose suffering have you learned to overlook, minimize, or keep at a distance? What makes it easier to look away than to get involved?
- Jesus confronted evil without being controlled by pride, personal offense, or hatred. Think about the people or issues that tend to provoke your strongest reactions. Have you become more passionate about proving that you're right than about loving the people affected? Where might your anger be shaping you into someone who is more critical of others than compassionate toward them?
- Godly anger should move us toward protecting and serving people, not just feeling strongly about what's wrong. Identify one person or situation you've been tempted to ignore or treat as someone else's responsibility. What action do you need to take, even if it costs you time or personal comfort to do so?
Prayer Topics:
- Confess the times you've allowed frustration, worry, or criticism to replace prayer and meaningful action.
- Thank God for equipping you with His Word, prayer, and the power of His Spirit.
- Ask God for wisdom to confront what is wrong without treating people as your enemy.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to show you a practical way to serve someone in need and give you the courage to follow through.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
6. Is the Bible God’s Word? Jesus proved He is God by rising from the dead and said the Old Testament was God’s Word and gave authority to the Apostles to write the words of the New Testament, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so that all the words of the Bible are God’s Word.
(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
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