"1 Samuel 11"

This has been automatically generated, and therefore may contain some unintended inaccuracies.

Nehash the ammonite went up and besieged Jobash Gilead, and all the men of JBash sat to him. Make a treaty with us, and we will subject to you. But Nehash the ammonite replied, I'll make a treaty with you only on a condition that I goucha the right eye of every 1 of you, and so bring disgrace on all Israel. The elders of JBash said to him, give us 7 days so that we can send messengers throughout Israel. If no 1 comes to rescue us, we will surrender to you.

When the messengers came to Kibbeh of sail soul and reported these terms to the people. They all wet allowed. Just then Seoul 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 man of JayBesh had said.

When Seoul 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 through Israel proclaiming. This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samu. Then a terror of the lord fell on the people, and they came out together as 1 when Seoul mastered them at Visel, Visak. The man of Israel numbered 300000, and those of Judah, 30000.

They told the messengers who had come. Say to the man of JBesh Juliet, by the time the sun is hot tomorrow, you'll be rest skewed. When the messengers went and reported this to the man of JBash, they were elated. He said to the ammonites, tomorrow, we will surrender to you, and you can do to us whatever you like. The next day Seoul separated his man into 3 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 2 of them were left together. The people then said to Samuel, who was it that asked, shall Seoul reign over us? Turn these men over to us so that we may put them to death. But Saul said no 1 will be put to death today.

For this day, the lord has rescued Israel. And Samu said to the people, come let us go to Gil Gal and they renewed a kingship. So all the people went to Gil Gal and made Soul King in the presence of the lord, there they sacrificed fellowship offering before the lord and Seoul, and all the Israelites held a great celebration. Oh, good morning. For me and my Steven, I'm, 1 of the elders here at Hopechurch.

It's great to to you this morning. And as we as we turn to god's word now, let me let me pray. Fabio, do we do thank you for your words, and we pray as as we look at it now, over this time, we pray that you would be sending your spirit that he would give us eyes to see more clearly who the lord Jesus is, and we pray pray this all for his glory, amen. Now I don't know if you remember, in July 20 24. This was a time when, labor won the general election just a couple of years ago.

And you might you might have well, you might have had many thoughts at the time. You might have had hopes and fears for for Starmer and his cabinet. What were they going to be ruling like? But actually, if you remember back in July, It was when we had those horrific starbings in stock ports, and there was, mass pro process wasn't there. There was, people coming out, wanting something to be done about this.

There was there was rioting, and, I suppose 1 of the questions was the media definitely had this question is, what would Starma do about these things? Would he would he send in the the armed the armed police would he even send in the army to to restore law and order? Maybe maybe you've had this, in in a smaller scale at work if you have a a new manager take over. Maybe maybe you think, oh, now finally, the manager's gonna deal with all the problem the problems around here. Get rid of all the those the the the dead wood, maybe fix the heating, maybe sort the sort this place out.

We saw, didn't we, last week that Seoul had been newly crowned, king of Israel. Israel, as a nation, had had rejected, God as as their ultimate ruler, and they wanted to to have a king, like the nations around them, want to lead them into battle. And we saw, didn't we? It was quite a, a eventful few chapters in chapters 9 and 10 involving donkeys, gifts of bread, soul prophesying, being transformed as he's received the spirits. We have all these things going on.

And then finally, at the end of chapter 10, it culminates in the crowning of soul in front of the the whole nation. He is anointed. The king And if if you if you remember, there was there was hope and there was joy at this time. God moves in men's hearts to follow him, and they they they they they are full of joy and they're shouting. Long live the king.

Long live the king. This this this this this farmer, former boy from Gibia, He had come, and he had been anointed king. He is he had been chosen from all the other people of Israel. He was to rule on the behalf of god. And as we go through 1 Samuel, today and, in the subsequent chapters, we will find out what it means for Saul to be the king, and what it means to be the anointed king of god.

But right at the end of this chapter, I don't know if you noticed this last week, or you can cast your eyes there now. We get another group of people Maybe people who weren't joining in the chanting, people who weren't really full of joy, and they're and they're actually called wicked people, or or in some versions that says, scoundrels. And actually, it's people who despise the king. They didn't bring him a gift. They didn't shout long live the king.

They didn't care really much about him. And in in 1 sense, they're right, aren't they? What experience does so have to be king of Israel? He's just a former boy, in a few a few moments ago, he was trying to find donkeys unsuccessfully. How can this guy be fit for the job?

For this question that's gonna ring in our ears as we become to chapter 11 of 1, Samuel, can this man save us? So just like just like, a storm is put to the test, and maybe our our manager puts the the test, so we will see a king put to the test. Is this king gonna be the king that the people hope for, and is he gonna be the 1 that God is pleased with? But first of all, let's let's set the scene. And this is my first point.

It's called a da a desperate situation. So we we find ourselves in Eastern Israel beyond the Jordan to a town called Jaybeth, Jaybeth Gilead. We're gonna be taking that a lot, sir, in this in this sermon. Hopefully, we we'll get there. And we've seen that, Jaybeth Gilead, actually, this isn't the first time we've we've seen them mentioned in the Bible.

If you know if you know the end of the book of judges, the Jabeth Giviards, are subject to to judgment by Israel themselves. But now we see in this chapter, that they're in trouble again, not from from Israel and from their own their own people, but from a foreign occupation. We see that it this is, by somebody called Nehash or the Amorites, the the the ammonites, He he's the king of the ammonites. He's 1 of god's enemies. And according to history, he's not a he's not a nice chap at all.

He he'd already, during this time, during his conquest. Humiliated other towns throughout the region, amongst guard and and reuben. And now he comes to JBath Gilead, and he besieges them in a quest to take them over as well. And we see this is a a a dire and desperate situation for the people of JBeth Gidiat. And we see that they are in trouble.

Do do do do you see the the dire and desperation they they have? They've got a they've got, an army, a vicious army, led by, an evil king surrounding their town. He under under this guy, this king isn't there for their goods. He's surrounding them to to, just for for destruction. And as they see this, and as an attempt to to be spared the swords, they they seek to to enter into a into a treaty, with with with with with their Nehash.

That is to to to find a way to be subject to him, with a with an agreements. And did did you did you see what the what what the agreement was? What what does Nahas say to them? What is gonna be the terms of this agree agreement? Well, it's having every man have their right eye gouged out what an agreement that is?

Just imagine that. Yeah. And you you might be thinking, well, actually, that's well, that's better than death, isn't it? But having your right eye gouged out, may may may actually knew what he was doing. If you have your right eye gouged out, it means you you are helpless.

You're you're no longer able to fight maybe with, like, a, like, a bow and arrow or to fight in warfare. You you're you'll no longer be able to defend your town. And in in the end, you you're subject to the to the king anyway. And it and it also, as Nahash points out himself, it would bring disgrace, humiliation on Israel. This is a a desperate and dire situation.

Imagine waking up in Jaybeth Gileans, seeing that town surrounded and thinking, is this the day I'm gonna lose my right eye? And I wonder, have I'm sure we haven't been in this situation, but have have we ever been in in desperate situations before, not knowing where to turn. I I remember when I was younger, growing up in in, in the town up north, I I got into a conflict with a an older chap, and as it as as it escalated, it resulted in in this chap promising to turn up to our local youth group on the Friday night. Threatening to come down with his rugby friends, he called them, that he would come and they and basically beat me up. What and, as you can imagine, I I generally actually was quite scared at that at that point.

It was a desperate situation. Oh, I'll if you wanna know what happened, I will tell you after. And this is the state that Jaybeth Gilead finds that finds himself in. They find themselves in a desperate situation. But the Bible says, actually, we're all in a desperate situation.

It says in ephesians 2, without without Christ, we are without hope and without God in the world. And it says It's well that we're in the demean of darkness, and the people of David Giliards are in 1 sense, without hope. I wonder when they sent out their messengers. If they actually thought anyone was gonna respond, I suppose a bit like a, like, a submarine lost at the bottom of the ocean. They think, well, maybe we should send out a message.

You you use our that that that radar system. Just send out send out, our flight. We we need help. We're we're lost. We need somebody to save us.

Just send it out. Anyone could be passing. Any ship could be passing. Just send send out the signal, and it feels a bit like that in this chapter. They send out messengers throughout the whole of Israel.

Somdi, Shory, Somdi could be able to to save us. Maybe maybe even in in in the town themselves, maybe they had some of these these wicked men at the end of chapter 10. Maybe maybe they were saying, oh, well, the supposedly, there is a king of Israel, but I don't think that fellow will be able to save us. There's no point doing this at all. So we see that they're they are in a dire situation, but we also see a formidable response.

So we we get the the message the messages go out. This is in the days before instant messaging, even the days before telephones, and that you you'd have to have people to go out. Physical people go out to to to to run to to other towns, to other cities, to to the ends of the country, to pass on good news or or or or maybe even bad news. And that that that is what it happens here in Gavis Jibeth Gilead. Maybe maybe that's why they needed 7 days.

They needed to send the news out, and the the the message goes out to all of Israel. But most importantly, it it reaches Gibbia, the home of Saul. And we we get in we get in verse 5, don't we this this response to the message? There is there is there is commotion. There is weeping.

They they've they've heard they've heard the report of JBith Gilead and all that's going on, they've heard that they're they're surrounded. They've heard of their plight and that they may they may lose their sides. And, actually, there there's there's there's there's a there's a there's a connection between these 2 places, and and probably they think there's there's maybe family in both of the places. So as they hear this news, they they they may be thinking of loved ones, that they're there, that they could be subject to this humiliation. Just imagine the commotion of people weeping.

I want to I want to remember, I want to remember going to a funeral in Zambia. You could hear that weeping as we walked along the road. I wonder how have you ever have you ever had news that caused you to weep? Maybe you've been even the 1 giving giving this news. So this this news comes and is weeping.

And just as this happened, Seoul turns up with his oxen Maybe maybe this is his routine going out. He's a farmer going out with his auction to the fields every day, working with him in the fields, and then returning later in the day. But today is different. As he returns home with the auction, and as the news of JBeth Giddes plight reaches his ears, did you notice He is transformed, just like the the judges before him. Like, like, maybe Samsung, 1 of the heroes of of judges, he's filled with a spirit of god.

And he's transformed. And if you know anything that about when the spirit comes, he comes for a purpose Like Samsung, filled with the spirit to defeat the Philistines, now soul has the spirit of God for a purpose. But at first reading, you might find it odd, the first thing that this spirit field soul does. In verse 7, it says, he took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces and send the pieces by messengers throughout Israel proclaiming. This is what will be done to the auction of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel.

Now why does he do this? What a what a very odd thing to do? I mean, it sounds like they they were his oxen, and he's just, to tore them apart and send them send them to all parts of Israel. Why is the why is the spirit leading him to do that? Well, actually, this event, it's it's re it's reminiscent of of a of another event in the Bible.

And it's 1 in Judge's 19. We don't have time to go into it all. But in in in this account, maybe you can look it up later, we see this this harrowing and heartbreaking account of a of a levite and his prostitute. And and in in a in a dark turn of events, we see a shocking case of sexual immorality that results in the death of the prostitutes, an absolute harrowing tale, and a and a tale that is so harrowing, the levites is distraught about this, and he's wondering what can we do, and he tears the the prostitute's body apart and he sends it out to all of Israel in a desperate situation. What can be done?

And guess where this dire situation takes place? It's in Gibia, sold hometown. So I'm sure it's 1 that some may have known about. And maybe with that account in mind, he says to Israel. Action is needed.

We're in a desperate situation. We need to act. And we see this response, don't we? We see 330000 men come out from across Israel. Just imagine that the the men congregated together.

And why have they come? Why are they all united together? Oh, yes. There's a concern for JBeth Giryard. And maybe they've responded to the the call of the king, but we see in verse 7, it is the terror of the lord that brings them together.

Now this isn't this isn't, like, a frightful terror, but this is a a a a healthy fear of the lord. That is that all other priorities have dissipated All other plans being put on hold. The lord now is at the center, and they they they now have a overwhelming desire to fulfill his purposes to to rescue his people to to follow the anointed king and his prophet into battle, to liberate Israel from shame and community. This is a supernatural working of god. And we see in this this chapter.

This this glorious chapter, I mean, I wonder what you thought when you first read it. What is this about? But we see God working here. God is working not only through his anointed king, but he is also working through, those who follow the king to fulfill his purposes. So here we see a formidable response by the United King and the people as they get ready to go into the battle against the Amanites.

And if you if if if you like warfare, you might be thinking, yeah, great. Let's go. Come on. And we're we're we're we're ready for this. We wanna hear about this battle.

We wanna hear about this warfare. You you you might be thinking, it's gonna be something like a scene from from from, lord lord lord of lord of the rings. This is from the the return of the king. As you've as you've got the the the people of Minath Tirith in in danger. And who comes to their aid?

Well, it's king, Theoden, coming. I don't know if you remember the scene. Such a fantastic scene, I had to look at all yesterday just to see it again. And seeing this, this, this majestic scene where you've got the king and his men on their horses, and the king in front of them, rousing them with a speech, and then you've got, the enemies that they're that they're facing, all their ready, the orks, and all them with all their spears, and their bows and arrows. And you think there's gonna be a battle here.

Come on. Let's go. But, actually, we don't get this in in this passage. The the armies come, but there doesn't seem to be much of a of a battle We we we don't get 2 armies facing up, seeing each other, maybe sizing each other out, saying, I'm gonna get you. We don't get that at all.

We get 1 verse 1 verse of this battle is verse 11, and there isn't even a even really a battle. Sorna's men come into the camp of the Armenites and they devastate them. There's not a battle. The ammonites are diminished. They're scattered and their survivors on a on even together.

You see very often in the Bible, it's not about the battle when the god's involved. The enemies of God don't really stand a chance when he acts. And here in this chapter, it's no different. We see the great deliverance of god. The great deliverance through the anointed king and the people who follow him.

It's lord. It's the lord working. Even so Is it no doubt it's from god? He says in first 13, the lord has provided deliverance. Now it isn't isn't this the picture of the Christian life?

We've been rescued, haven't we? We've been singing about this already. We've been rescued from the demean of darkness We've been rescued from a you might need to just adjust this a minute. Otherwise, we'll be doing this on the floor. We've been rescued.

We've been rescued from a dark and dire situation. 1 that we could do nothing about. And how was that rescue taking place? It is through the anointed king. The anointed king that soul points to the ultimate anointed king.

Jesus has come to us in our greatest need. He's come to us in our our dark and dire situation and he's come to provide for us a glorious and great deliverance. That is what the cross is all about. We're gonna be looking at that later in the service as we celebrate communion. Jesus's come the United King.

He's seen us in our greatest need at the the moment of our greatest need when when we are surrounded by our enemy, when we are in darkness, and he is calm, and he is provided for us. A glorious and great deliverance. And what is our response to this glorious deliverance? Is it not the same as as the nation of Israel at the end of chapter 11? Did did you notice what's going on here?

We have celebration We have we have great rejoicing. We're we're we're in the season. Now aren't we as we approach Christmas? We we we we we're approaching the the season of celebration. Where we have, have, get togethers, parties, music, I'm sure, Christmas songs, chatting, laughing, food together, maybe even hugging if it's in your house.

We have great celebration, don't we? We're on this something to celebrate. Even e even the world celebrates something about family and, and and this time. We're into the season of celebration, and there's great celebration here. There's great rejoicing here.

The the anointed king has come. The the anointed king has come and rescued his people. What is what a time to celebrate? What a time to get together and to to to remember what has happened to to to join together. You can imagine maybe, people from David Gilead, and the family from from Gibia coming together, that I as 1, knowing there has been a a rescue.

I don't know if you ever been in that situation where where where you've met somebody who's been rescued or or you you've been the 1 rescued. I I I've remembered another situation from my child. I won't go into the details, but I but I remember the time when that when I was rescued from a certain situation, I've been re re being re reunited with my family, and it was joy. There was celebration. The the the dire situation another dire situation had gone.

There is time to celebrate. And do do you see what the what what the people do? They celebrate, what what what else did they do? They they sacrifice the fellowship offering. Now why did they do that?

Was it just something to do? And so you say, we haven't done this for a while. We better sell it do do the fellowship offering. No. This offering is it is the is the offering, that celebrates the the bond between God and his people, it it is the offering that celebrates, peace, the 1 that's that says we are our souls are well.

What a time to celebrate this offer in? God had rescued his people, and we just need to give thanks to him and celebrate all who he is. And what is the greatest reason that we should celebrate? What is the way that we have been greatly blessed but it's that we have been rescued from the demean of darkness, and now we are people of the king. We are in the kingdom of light Jesus has won the victory.

The United King has won the victory, and we sing, don't we? Praise the lord. Praise the lord. Let the earth hear his voice. Praise the lord.

Praise the lord. Let the people rejoice. Oh, come to the father through Jesus' son and give him the glory. Great things he has done. And can I say this morning, Christian, rejoicing what Jesus has done for you?

Remember what he's done? He's brought you out of the demean of darkness. He's brought you into the kingdom of light. He has won the victory for you, and rejoicing that, rejoicing what he's done. And look forward to the day where we will be rejoicing together with our lord Jesus for all eternity, 1 of great celebration.

He's brought us out from a a desperate situation, and he has shown us great deliverance, and he's given us a reason to rejoice. Thanks, Peter God, that he gives us the victory through our lord, Jesus Christ. But the question is, how are we responding to the noted king? Are we still like the the guys at the end of chapter 10? Are we still saying really in our hearts?

How can this this man save us? We need saving. We are without hope and without God in this world. If this is you, you need the anointed king to save you. You see it matters how we respond to the king.

It says in Psalm 2 verse 12, kiss his son, or he will be angry, and your way will lead to your destruction. For his wrath can flare off in a moment. Bless are all who take refuge in him. You see outside of Jesus, not having him as our king, not allowing his victory in our lives. Actually, where does it lead?

Well, it leads to destruction. Like, Jaybeth Gilead, if they had not accepted the the help of the United King, where was their lives gonna end? Was it gonna end in destruction? But for those who have accepted Jesus's way of salvation, who have cried out to him from their dark and desperate situations, we find a place of refuge. Jesus has done everything that is necessary for our enemy to be defeated on the cross.

We now have a place of refuge. And in this refuge, we can rejoice greatly. So let's rejoice in what Jesus has done for us. Let me pray. Not Jesus, we do thank you for all who you are.

We thank you that you are the ultimate anointed king You are the 1 sent from the father, not to condemn the world, but to save the world, save the world from the dark and dire and desperate situation that we find ourselves in the demean of darkness, and we thank you lord Jesus for coming to us And for those who have accepted your offer of forgiveness, we can know that we are now in a place of refuge. We can now know that our enemy has been defeated and our futures are secure. No longer do we need to fear, but we can now rejoice So lord Jesus, we pray, that we would remember all that you have done, that we would persevere, we would continue in our walk with you. And we would rejoice greatly for what you have done for us. We've prayed us all for your glory in Jesus' name, amen.