Commentary - 1 Samuel 11:5-11

Bird's-eye view

This passage records the galvanizing event that solidifies Saul's kingship in the eyes of Israel. Having been anointed by Samuel and chosen by lot, Saul had returned to a quiet, agricultural life, his authority not yet fully recognized. The crisis at Jabesh-gilead, with the Ammonite threat to gouge out the right eyes of its inhabitants, becomes the crucible in which his leadership is forged. The narrative shows a dramatic transformation: the humble farmer, moved by the Spirit of God, becomes a decisive and fearsome military commander. He issues a grisly but effective covenantal summons, musters a massive army overnight, and executes a brilliant military strategy that results in the total annihilation of the enemy and the "salvation" of God's people. This is the story of God's anointed man being publicly vindicated through Spirit-empowered, righteous action, moving him from a king in name to a king in deed.

The central theological point is the work of the Holy Spirit in equipping a leader for his God-ordained task. Saul's righteous anger, his shocking summons, and the subsequent unity and courage of the people are all explicitly attributed to a divine source. This is not a story about a man pulling himself up by his bootstraps; it is a story of the Spirit of God "rushing upon" a man to accomplish God's purposes. Saul, in this moment, functions as a true type of the Messiah: the anointed one who hears the cry of his afflicted people, is filled with zeal, and brings a great salvation.

Outline

Context In 1 Samuel

This chapter provides the crucial narrative confirmation of the events in chapters 9 and 10. In chapter 9, Samuel privately anointed Saul. In chapter 10, Saul was publicly chosen by lot at Mizpah, an event that concluded with some "worthless fellows" despising him and questioning his ability to save them (1 Sam 10:27). Saul's response was to hold his peace and return to his farm. The Ammonite crisis in chapter 11 is therefore the divine test case. Will this chosen king actually be able to deliver Israel? The threat from Nahash the Ammonite is not just a geopolitical problem; it is a theological challenge to God's newly established monarchy. Saul's spectacular success here silences the doubters, unites the nation behind him, and provides the immediate context for the renewal of the kingdom at Gilgal in the following verses (1 Sam 11:14-15).

Key Issues

The Spirit and the Ax

We see here the anatomy of true leadership, which is always, at its root, a gift of the Spirit. Saul is not a self-made man. He is a God-made man. He is minding his own business, following the oxen, when the crisis of his generation is laid at his feet. And what happens next is not the result of a leadership seminar or a surge of natural courage. The text is plain: "the Spirit of God came upon Saul mightily." This divine empowerment is the engine of everything that follows. It produces a holy anger, not a petty or selfish rage. It produces a brilliant, if shocking, strategy for mobilization. And it produces a God-sent fear in the people that welds them together into a unified fighting force. This is how God's kingdom advances. God takes ordinary men, fills them with His Spirit, and uses them to accomplish His extraordinary purposes. The story is a reminder that the essential qualification for leadership in God's economy is not natural talent, but radical submission to the empowering work of the Holy Spirit.

Verse by Verse Commentary

5 Now behold, Saul was coming from the field behind the oxen, and he said, “What is the matter with the people that they weep?” So they recounted to him the words of the men of Jabesh.

The king of Israel is a dirt farmer. He is not in a palace, surrounded by counselors; he is coming in from the field, doing the hard work of a common man. This is a picture of genuine Cincinnatus-like humility. He is not putting on airs. He had been chosen as king, but he was content to wait for God's timing to elevate him in practice. When he encounters the public weeping, he is not aloof but inquires about the cause. He is a leader who is connected to his people, and their sorrow becomes his concern.

6 Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul mightily when he heard these words, and he burned with anger exceedingly.

This is the turning point of the narrative and of Saul's early reign. The Hebrew says the Spirit "rushed upon" him. This is not a gentle indwelling but a powerful, external empowering for a specific task, characteristic of the Spirit's work in the Old Testament judges like Samson. The immediate result of this spiritual empowerment is a burning anger. We must be careful to distinguish this from the sinful anger the New Testament warns against. This is a holy wrath, a righteous indignation at the arrogant evil of Nahash and the threatened mutilation of God's covenant people. It is the anger of God Himself, channeled through His anointed representative. When evil threatens the people of God, holy anger is the only appropriate spiritual response.

7 Then he took a pair of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, “Whoever does not come out after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen.” Then the dread of Yahweh fell on the people, and they came out as one man.

Moved by the Spirit, Saul acts. His action is shocking, violent, and unforgettable. This is not the act of a deranged man, but a form of ancient Israelite summons to war, a visceral covenantal lawsuit. It has a parallel in the horrifying story of the Levite and his concubine in Judges 19. The message was clear: this is a holy war, and to refuse the call is to have your own livelihood, represented by your oxen, utterly destroyed. This is a call to total commitment. Notice he summons them "after Saul and after Samuel," wisely linking his new authority to the established authority of God's prophet. The result is supernatural. It was not the fear of Saul, but the dread of Yahweh, that fell on them. God Himself moved in their hearts, producing a profound and compelling terror that resulted in perfect, instantaneous unity. They came out "as one man."

8 And he numbered them in Bezek; and the sons of Israel were 300,000, and the men of Judah 30,000.

The Spirit's call through Saul's grisly message was wildly successful. A massive army of 330,000 men assembles. This is a nation mobilized. The separate numbering of Israel and Judah is a detail that anticipates the eventual division of the kingdom, a subtle reminder of the fault line that ran through the nation's history. But for now, under the dread of Yahweh, they are united in purpose.

9 And they said to the messengers who had come, “Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh-gilead, ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will have salvation.’ ” So the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh; and they were glad.

Saul's message to the besieged city is one of absolute confidence. He does not say, "We will try our best." He promises deliverance. The word used is salvation (yeshu'ah). While this refers to military rescue, the word is saturated with theological meaning. It is God's deliverance, God's victory, brought about by God's anointed king. He gives them a specific time: "by the time the sun is hot." This is a certain and imminent hope, and it turns the despair of the men of Jabesh to gladness. This is what good news does.

10 Then the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good in your eyes.”

Filled with this new hope, the men of Jabesh engage in a clever bit of psychological warfare. They send a message to Nahash that sounds like complete surrender. This was designed to make the Ammonites complacent and arrogant, dropping their guard in anticipation of their cruel triumph the next day. Faith in God's promise does not preclude the use of shrewd tactics. The serpent is to be crushed, and we are permitted to be as wise as one in our dealings with him.

11 Then the next morning Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp at the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

Saul proves himself not only a charismatic leader but also a competent field commander. He marches his army through the night and divides them into three companies for a surprise attack during the morning watch (between 2 and 6 a.m.), the time when the enemy would be least prepared. The attack is an overwhelming success. The slaughter continues until the heat of the day, the very time salvation was promised. The victory is not partial, but total. The enemy is so thoroughly routed that "no two of them were left together." This is how God deals with those who threaten His people. The victory is absolute.

Application

This passage is a permanent lesson in the nature of spiritual leadership and warfare. First, we see that God often calls his leaders from humble and mundane circumstances. Saul was behind the oxen, not behind a desk. We should never despise the day of small things or assume that our current station is our final one. God is looking for faithfulness in the little, and He will exalt in due time.

Second, the church is in desperate need of men who are capable of righteous, Spirit-filled anger. We live in a time of grotesque evil and arrogant rebellion against God. A placid, polite, and accommodating Christianity is a useless Christianity. We need men whose hearts burn when the enemies of God threaten His people and blaspheme His name. This is not a call to carnal rage, but to a holy zeal for the glory of God and the good of His church.

Finally, this is a picture of the salvation our true King brings. The Lord Jesus heard the cry of His people, held captive by an enemy who sought to blind and humiliate us. Filled with a holy zeal, He came and waged war. Through His death and resurrection, He executed a surprise attack in the darkness, utterly routing the forces of Satan, sin, and death. He promises salvation to all who are besieged, and His victory is total. When He summons us to follow Him, we are to come out "as one man," united by a holy "dread of Yahweh," ready to fight under His banner. The victory is already won, and He will leave no two of His enemies standing together in the end.