1 Samuel - Odessa, Missouri Community of Christ

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42 Dr. Constable's Notes on 1 Samuel 2007 EditionJephthah's victory over his nation. Jabesh-gilead lay a few miles east of the Jordan Valleyand about 25 miles south of the Sea of Chinnereth (Galilee). 128 The men of Jabesh-gileadoffered to surrender and serve the Ammonites provided Nahash would make a covenantwith them rather than slaughtering them.Nahash's purpose to put out the right eye of his enemies was not uncommon in that day.This wound made a conquered nation easier to control, and it testified to the conqueror'ssuperior power. Specifically it made aiming arrows with the right eye impossible andtherefore insured the Ammonites' safety. Perhaps Nahash's decision to attack Jabeshgileadwas the result of the Israelites breaking a treaty with his nation."In the ancient Near East, the physical mutilation, dismemberment, ordeath of an animal or human victim could be expected as the inevitablepenalty for treaty violation." 129Nahash's willingness to let his enemies appeal for help shows he had no fear thatthreatening reinforcements would come. He was sure of his superiority and may haveviewed the delay as an opportunity to insure victory. At this time Israel lacked a centralgovernment, national solidarity, and a standing army. However, Saul was now Israel'sking.The announcement of the messengers from Jabesh-gilead led the people in Saul'shometown, as well as elsewhere undoubtedly, to weep. They had again forgotten God'spromises to protect them since they were His people. Their reaction was a result ofviewing the situation from the natural perspective only.Why was Saul at home farming since he was Israel's king? He had not yet receiveddirection from God or Samuel to do anything else, as far as we know. The fact that he,the anointed king, was plowing shows his humility. Estate owners never worked the landthemselves. 130 Furthermore he was willing to work hard. Thus he was not self-centered atthis time (cf. 2 Cor. 4:5).Saul's deliverance of Jabesh-gilead 11:6-11God's Spirit came on Saul in the sense that He stirred up his spirit (cf. 10:6, 10). Hisresponse to the messengers' news was appropriate indignation since non-Israelites wereattacking God's covenant people (Gen. 12:3). Saul may have had a personal interest inJabesh-gilead since some of his ancestors evidently came from there (cf. 31:11-13).Following the civil war in Israel, during which many Benjamites had died, many of thosewho remained alive took wives from the women of Jabesh-gilead and the women ofShiloh (Judg. 21).128 Chinnereth is the Hebrew word for "lyre." The lake has the shape of a lyre, which accounts for its name.129 Youngblood, p. 637.130 Marvin Chaney, "Systemic Study of the Israelite Monarchy," Semeia 37 (1986):61.
2007 Edition Dr. Constable's Notes on 1 Samuel 43Saul did something drastic to impress the gravity of the Ammonite siege on his fellowIsraelites. He followed the example of the Levite whose concubine had died in Saul'shometown (Judg. 19:29-30). Later another plowman, Elisha, would slaughter a pair ofoxen and host a meal for his friends as he began his ministry as a prophet (1 Kings19:21)."Saul's slaughter and dissection of his oxen is reminiscent of the Levite'streatment of his murdered concubine and clearly is designed to connect thecommencement of his reign with the historical event which accounts forhis Jabesh-Gilead maternal roots." 131Saul linked himself with Samuel because Samuel was the recognized spiritual leader ofthe nation. The Israelites probably dreaded both Saul's threatened reprisals for notresponding to his summons and the Ammonite threat."In Saul's energetic appeal the people discerned the power of Jehovah,which inspired them with fear, and impelled them to immediateobedience." 132The response of the Israelites constituted the greatest show of military strength sinceJoshua's day (assuming eleph means "thousand" here). Bezek stood about 16 miles westof Jabesh-gilead on the Jordan's western side (cf. Judg. 1:4-5). The division of thesoldiers into Israelites and Judahites probably reflects the division of the nation thatexisted when the writer wrote this book. There is no evidence that such a division existedwhen the event recorded here happened.The messengers returned to Jabesh-gilead with the promise that their town would be freeby noon the next day. The leaders of Jabesh-gilead played with words as they cleverly ledthe Ammonites into self-confidence that they would win. The Ammonites had threatenedto put out the right eyes of the men of Jabesh-gilead (v. 2). The Jabesh-gileadites nowtold the Ammonites to do whatever seemed good literally "in their eyes" (cf. 14:36).Saul wisely divided his troops into three companies. He attacked the besiegingAmmonites early in the morning. The morning watch was the last of three night watches,and it lasted from about 2:00 to 6:00 a.m. 133 The Ammonites did not expect the other131 Eugene H. Merrill, "The Book of Ruth: Narration and Shared Themes," Bibliotheca Sacra 142:566(April-June 1985):140, n. 13.132 Keil and Delitzsch, p. 112.133 These three watches had their origin in Mesopotamia, but all the western Asian nations observed thembefore the Christian era (cf. Lam. 2:19; Judg. 7:19). The only other place in the Old Testament where thisphrase "at the morning watch" occurs in Hebrew is Exodus 14:24 (Youngblood, p. 639). Then God slew theEgyptian soldiers as they pursued the fleeing Israelites through the Red Sea. Perhaps the writer wanted hisreaders to view this victory as another miraculous deliverance at the beginning of a new phase of Israel'sexistence.
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1 Samuel - Odessa, Missouri Community of Christ

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