Village Schools of the Bible

A Devotional Study of 1 Samuel 11 & 12
by Max Frazier, Jr.

In chapter 11 we observe Saul's first act as king, and it was a successful one.
Chapter 12 contains Samuel's frustrations with Israel over the issue of a king.

I. Jabesh Gilead attacked and threatened (1 Samuel 11:1-3)
II. Saul's response to this crisis (vs. 4-8)
III. Saul delivers Jabesh Gilead (vs. 9-11)
IV. Saul confirmed as king (vs. 12-15)

I noticed an interesting point of survival psychology in this chapter. When besieged by the Ammonites, the people of Jabesh Gilead were willing to surrender, unconditionally it would seem, to ensure their survival. But the Ammonite king put a condition upon that surrender - the removal of their right eyes as a symbol of humiliation. Suddenly, surrender no longer seemed like a good first choice. They then sought a savior who came in the person of Saul. Our enemy can be as daunting as the Ammonites. Yet he always demands consequences when we surrender to him. Remember Paul's words, "for the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Yes, we need to seek a savior to rescue us and He is Jesus Christ who came to set us free from sin. And what a deliverance it is!

After Saul's great victory at Jabesh, there was an outcry against those who had opposed his kingship. There were some who doubted Saul's leadership abilities. So, after this great victory, it was very tempting to seek retribution from those nay-sayers. It was time to wipe their noses in the dirt. But Saul was wise enough to give all glory to God for the victory. He deferred all glory coming to him. And when this happened there was no longer any desire to humiliate those in opposition to him. Sometimes we are so obsessed with the preservation of our own dignity that we are willing to destroy others in order for it to be preserved. But if we are quick to acknowledge that we are just servants, then we will focus on giving glory to God and not upon ourselves. This was a good attitude on the part of Saul early in his career. He soon forgot it. May we never forget it, however.

I. Samuel's "vote of confidence" (1 Samuel 12:1-5)
II. Samuel gives a brief review of Israel's history (vs. 6-11)
III. Samuel rebukes Israel for asking for a king (vs. 12-19)
IV. Samuel encouraged Israel to obedience (vs. 20-25)

Samuel was an old man. He had served Israel so very faithfully for many years. He had guided it through times of prosperity as well as through adversity. Now he assembled the people for one final address. He knew he needed to confront some present sins of the people, especially as it related to their persistent desire to have a king. But he began by allowing his own life to be inspected by the people. Samuel knew that before he could remove the beam from someone else's eye he had to make sure there was none in his own. So he asked the people to evaluate his life. The true test of leadership comes when we are vulnerable before those we lead. This can be very painful and frightening. But it is only as we are transparent before others that we can prove effective in our leadership over those God has given to us. Lord, I need encouragement to be more transparent before my flock. Help me to model this attitude of Samuel.

Verse 24 declares a powerful truth for us today as well as for Samuel's generation. We are instructed to fear God, that is to stand in awe of Him and to revere Him, and we are to serve the Lord. But what is to be our motivation? It is the consideration of all that God has done for us. The ability to remember is a precious gift. Unfortunately we do not use it often enough. I believe Samuel was telling the people to have those moments, and to have them quite often, so they could pause to remember what God had done. Such remembrance would then propel them onward in reverence and service. Lord, I need to take more time to remember what You have done in my life. I do desire to grow in my awe of You so I can serve You better.

1Samuel 9-10 Return to the Table of Contents 1Samuel 13-14