Grasp the Gospel — Bible Comprehension Quizzes

1 Samuel 11 Devotional

Mercy on the Day of Victory

“But Saul ordered, “No one shall be put to death this day, for today the LORD has worked salvation in Israel.””1 Samuel 11:13 (BSB)

Nahash the Ammonite offers Jabesh-gilead a treaty with a cruel price: every man's right eye, to disgrace all Israel (11:2). When the news reaches Gibeah, the people can only weep. Saul hears it as he comes in from the field, and the Spirit of God rushes on him (11:6). He summons Israel, the terror of the LORD falls on the people, and they come out as one man (11:7). By the next day's heat, the Ammonites are scattered (11:11).

After the victory, the people want to kill the men who had scorned Saul. Saul refuses. No one will die that day, he says, because the LORD has brought salvation to Israel (11:13). It is a fine moment for Saul, and he sees it rightly. The rescue belonged to the LORD, and a day of God's salvation is a day for mercy, not for settling scores. When God has been kind to you, you are free to show kindness, even to those who doubted you.

To think about: Who has doubted or dismissed you, and how could God's kindness to you shape the way you treat them?

About 1 Samuel 11: Saul Rescues Jabesh-gilead

Nahash the Ammonite besieges Jabesh-gilead and demands a humiliating treaty. God’s Spirit comes on Saul, who rallies Israel and routs the Ammonites, spares those who had doubted him, and is confirmed as king at Gilgal.

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