Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20020127.htm

1 AND 2 SAMUEL: GOD'S SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS IN OVERSIGHT
Part XIII: The VALUE Of Depending On GOD To Solve God-Assigned Oversight Problems
(1 Samuel 11:1-15)
  1. Introduction
    1. Any God-assigned overseer (husband, parent, business or church leader) often faces oversight problems.
    2. He (or she) can respond by trying to solve these problems the way he thinks he should OR he can depend upon the Lord and see HIM work through and beside him and solve all God-assigned oversight needs!
    3. 1 Samuel 11:1-15 records the rare event where Saul depended upon God to function and work to resolve the oversight problems he faced in God's assignment. It acts as an instruction for all other overseers!
  2. The VALUE Of Depending On GOD To Solve God-Assigned Oversight Problems, 1 Samuel 11:1-15.
    1. Though Saul was assigned by God to be king, he faced significant ruling challenges in his kingly role:
      1. Though appointed by God to rule, Saul faced foes to his ruling as king, 1 Samuel 10:1, 24, 27.
      2. This was partly due to his not trusting God for the courage publicly to accept his kingship, 10:7, 9, 21f.
      3. Another possible cause to Saul's having foes could have risen out of a former civil war: Saul's tribe of Benjamin had been attacked by the other tribes in a civil war over an atrocity the men of Benjamin had committed against a Levite's concubine, Judges 19-21. So strong was the distrust of the Benjamites at the time that the 11 tribes pledged not to give their own daughters to wed men in Benjamin, Judges 21:1. This deep feeling of distrust could have lingered in Saul's day and caused men to oppose him.
      4. Besides, the Ammonites threatened to attack Jabesh Gilead and mutilate its men, 1 Samuel 11:1-4.
      5. Summary: Due to opposition in his subjects in part to his own lack of trust in God and possibly in part to his lineage, and due to the threat of the Ammonite attack, Saul faced significant oversight problems.
    2. However, the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon Saul when he heard of the Jabesh Gilead situation, and that fact led to God's work in and for Saul to solve all of his (possible and real) problems, 11:5-15:
      1. When Saul heard of the threat to Jabesh Gilead, he was deeply angered due to his personal ties to the area, and the Holy Spirit used that to make him intolerant of the Ammonite threat, 1 Samuel 11:5-6:
        1. Being of the tribe of Benjamin, Saul knew the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead were closely related either to him or to many he knew in Benjamin: (a) In the period of the Judges when civil war broke out between the tribes and Benjamin, only a handful of men in Benjamin survived, Jud. 20:47-48. (b) Concerned about the tribe's annihilation, the other tribes had agreed on circuitous plans to supply wives for these men to preserve the tribe: one plan involved supplying women from Jabesh Gilead as it had not sent troops to help fight Benjamin, Jud. 21:8-14. (Bib. Kno. Com., O.T., p. 442)
        2. Hence, when this town was threatened with a gruesome attack and mutilation of its men, Saul took it personally, a fact the Holy Spirit used in causing him to become very angry, 1 Samuel 11:5-6.
      2. Thus motivated, God's Spirit moved Saul to do something similar to what had started the former civil war (1 Sam. 11:6): he cut up a yoke of oxen and sent their body parts to the nation with word that this would happen to their oxen if they didn't follow Saul and Samuel, 1 Sam. 11:7 with Judges 19:29-30!
      3. This was a brilliant move: as a similar, former dismemberment and message event by the wronged Levite in Judges 19:29-30 had united the nation against Benjamin, so God's Spirit used Saul's dismemberment of his oxen (as a wronged close party to Jabesh Gilead) to unite the nation to attack the Amonites: this unified the nation to solve old civil war distrusts against the men of Benjamin!
      4. God ALSO put His fear on the people, causing the whole nation unitedly to follow Saul, 11:7c.
      5. Thus, Saul led them to route the Ammonites in delivering Jabesh Gilead, 1 Samuel 11:8-11.
      6. This victory led some to want to punish Saul's critics in Israel, but he wisely gave the credit of the victory to GOD and urged no punishment be done, 1 Samuel 11:12-13. This allowed room for Saul's former critics to change their minds and support him, completely healing any old civil war distrusts!
      7. Samuel immediately seized the opportunity this united spirit presented him to reaffirm the coronation of Saul, for such a reaffirmation would cause this unity to become PERMANENT, 1 Sam. 11:14-15a.
      8. As a result, there was worship to God and great, unified rejoicing of God's people, 1 Samuel 11:15b.
Lesson: Saul's trust in God led to His work in and with him to meet all his God-assigned kingly needs!

Application: If we rely on God, the needs we face in the oversight He assigns us will be adequately met!