Annotations Upon the Historical Books Part 2, 1 Samuel · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI.
Verſ. 1. THen Nahaſh the Ammonite came up, and encamped againſt Jabeſh-Gilead.] A city without Jordan nigh unto the Ammonites. This invaſion was brewing againſt the Iſraelites before they deſired a king, and was in part the occaſion of that their deſire, chap. 12.12. And when ye ſaw that Nahaſh the king of the children of Ammon came againſt you, ye ſaid unto me, Nay, but a king ſhall reigne over us, when the Lord your God was your king. But now happely it was the more haſtened by Nahaſh the Ammonite, becauſe of the report which might be brought to him of the Iſraelites ſhaking off the government of Samuel, and deſiring a king to reigne over them, and the diviſion newly begun amongſt them by reaſon of the diſcontent of ſome, who would not acknowledge their new choſen king. What they made the ground of their quarrell it is not expreſſed: Like enough it was that old pretence which they ſtood upon, Judg. 11.13. when Jephtha foyled them, to wit, a claim which they laid to the land of Gilead, where Jabeſh ſtood; which now to recover, and withall to revenge that ſhamefull overthrow which Jephtha had given them, they might be the rather emboldened, becauſe the Philiſtines on the other ſide of the countrey, had exceedingly weakned and oppreſſed the Iſraelites.
Verſ. 2. On this condition will I make a covenant with you, that I may thruſt out all your right eyes, and lay it for a reproch upon all Iſrael.] To wit, to diſable them for the warre (for with their ſhields they covered their left eyes, and therefore having loſt their right eyes, what ſervice of warre could they be fit for?) and conſequently that the accepting of ſuch diſhonourable conditions, might be a perpetuall reproch to all the people, becauſe it would be ſaid hereupon, what a baſe people the Iſraelites were, that would buy off death upon any terms; yea to the God of Iſrael, on whom his people durſt not rely for help: and thus Sathan labours to put out the right eye of faith, and to leave us onelyonly the left eye of reaſon.
Verſ. 4. Then came the meſſengers to Gibeah of Saul, &c.] That is, as to other towns ſo alſo to this: or rather, knowing that Saul their Prince elect was at Gibeah, and Samuel with him, theſe meſſengers of Jabeſh-gilead went directly thither, that they might acquaint them with the extremity of ſtreights they were in, that ſo they might ſpeedily ſend into all the coaſts of Iſrael for help. Had Nahaſh the king of the Ammonites yielded to the ſubmiſſion of the inhabitants of Jabeſh-gilead, he might not only have had that town delivered up to him, but in all probability many more would have yielded themſelves to him after their example. Yea, and when they deſired ſeven dayes reſpite, that they might ſend meſſengers into all the coaſts of Iſrael, promiſing that if in that time they had not help, they would yield up the town, had not he yielded to this, he might happely in that time have taken the town by force. But firſt he proudly and ſcornfully refuſed the tender of their ſervice, and ſent them word that nothing ſhould ſatisfie him, unleſſe he might thruſt out all their right eyes; and when they deſired a truce of ſeven dayes, to try if they could call in their brethren to their aid, ere they yielded to ſo hard a condition, he granted them their requeſt, and (as we ſee here) ſuffered them to ſend their meſſengers, as being puft up with ſuch an opinion of his own ſtrength, that he thought it impoſſible that in that time their brethren either could or durſt come to relieve them; and ſo by this means, through his arrogancy and cruelty he was carried headlong to his own deſtruction, whereas by granting them fair quarter, he might have brought them under his yoke, and have ſpread his victories much further.
Verſ. 5. And behold, Saul came after the herd out of the field.] Being onelyonly yet elected king. and finding many to repine againſt it, returning home he betook himſelf, as moſt Interpreters hold, to his wonted countrey imployments. But this agreeing not with the ſtate of his being conducted home, chap. 10.26 may rather be underſtood of caſuall coming after the herd, and that it is here expreſſed onelyonly becauſe of that which followeth his taking a yoke of the oxen, and hewing them, &c.
Verſ. 6. And the ſpirit of God came upon Saul when he heard thoſe tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly.] Herein we ſee how fairly Saul carried himſelf as long as thoſe gifts of Gods ſpirit were continued to him, wherewith the Lord had fitted him for the government of his people. He that was ſo patient in his own cauſe, that when certain children of Belial ſcorned and deſpiſed him, he paſſed it by as if he had taken no notice of it, chap. 10.27. was now impatient of the wrong that was done to the Lord and his people by the Ammonites, that had propounded ſuch intollerable conditions to the men of Jabeſh-gilead; now his anger was kindled greatly, and it never abated till he had reſcued his poore oppreſſed brethren out of the danger they were in. As for that expreſſion, And the ſpirit of God came upon Saul, ſee the note Judg. 3.10.
Verſ. 7. Whoſoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, ſo ſhall it be done unto his oxen.] It may well be that Saul took this courſe of hewing a yoke of oxen in pieces, and ſending the pieces to the ſeverall tribes of Iſrael, in imitation of the Levite Judg. 19.29. who did thus cut his concubine in pieces, and ſent them to the ſeverall tribes, the better to ſtirre up their indignation. And in the meſſage he ſent to the tribes, becauſe he was not yet generally approved and received as king of all the people, he uſeth not his own name onelyonly, but Samuels alſo (who it ſeems accompanied him home from Mizpeh as others did, chap. 10.26. and ſo was now with him) that by this means he might make ſure that all ſhould come; if not for reſpect of him their king, yet out of regard had to Samuel, Gods Prophet, and formerly their Judge.
And the fear of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out with one conſent.] That is, though Saul did what he could to make the people afraid to diſobey his command, yet it was of God that they were ſo generally ſtricken with fear, and thereupon ready to come forth at the command of their new choſen king: as it is ſaid of the Canaanites that were reſtrained from purſuing Jacob and his family, when his ſonnes had made that maſſacre in Schechem; Gen. 35.5. And they journeyed; and the terrour of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not purſue after the ſonnes of Jacob.
Verſ. 8. The children of Iſrael were three hundred thouſand, and the men of Judah thirty thouſand.] The men of Judah are reckoned apart from the children of Iſrael; and theſe reaſons may be given for it: 1. Becauſe they uſually had the priviledge of going firſt againſt the enemy, in any common danger: 2. To let us ſee that the tribe of Judah, though the chief, and the tribe wherein God had ſaid the throne ſhould be eſtabliſhed, Gen. 49.10. yielded to obey Saul choſen out of the leaſt of the tribes: or thirdly, becauſe this would intimate how willingly the people flocked together, when out of Judah alone there came thirty thouſand, though by the continuall incurſions of the Philiſtines, they were forced to look to the defence of their own coaſts againſt theſe their neighbours.
Verſ. 9. And they ſaid unto the meſſengers that came, &c.] That is, Saul and Samuel.
Verſ. 10. Therefore the men of Jabeſh ſaid, To morrow we will come out unto you, &c.] They repeat the main head of the covenant they had made with the king of Ammon, to wit, that they would come forth and yield themſelves, concealing the condition, that is, if help came not in the mean time; by concealing whereof they both provide for their own ſafetie, that nothing might be preſently attempted againſt them, and make their enemies the more ſecure, that Saul might come upon them unawares.
Verſ. 11. Saul put the people in three companies, and they came into the midſt of the host in the morning watch, &c.] It ſeems Saul marched all night, that by the morning watch he might come upon them, and ſurpriſe them unawares. And thus he raiſed the ſiege of Jabeſh-gilead, and freed them from that horrid cruelty which the enemy entended againſt them; and how thankfull the inhabitants of this citie were to Saul for this great benefit they enjoyed by his means, we may ſee chap. 31.11, 12, 13. And when the inhabitants of Jabeſh-gilead heard of that which the Philiſtins had done to Saul; All the valiant men aroſe, and went all night, and took the body of Saul, and the bodies of his ſonnes from the wall of Beth-ſhan, and came to Jabeſh, and burnt them there. And they took their bones and buried them under a tree, and faſted ſeven dayes.
Verſ. 13. And Saul ſaid, There ſhall not a man be put to death this day; for to day the Lord hath wrought ſalvation for Iſrael.] In this reaſon that Saul gave why he would not ſuffer any man to be put to death that day, for to day the Lord hath wrought ſalvation in Iſrael, two things may be implyed: firſt, that he would not have a day of ſo much joy and triumph, ſtained with the leaſt ſorrow and mourning amongſt any of the people: and ſecondly, that when God had ſhewn himſelf ſo good and gracious to his people, he could not think it fit to be ſo rigid & ſevere againſt thoſe that had at firſt ſlighted him in his ſovereignty. However here again we ſee what a difference there was betwixt that which Saul was in his firſt government, and that he was afterwards when the Spirit of the Lord was departed from him. Now none more humble and gentle then he, not a man ſhould be put to death for him; but afterwards in his dealing with David, and the Prieſts of the Lord, he was another man, even bloud-thirſty, cruell, and implacable beyond meaſure.
Verſ. 14. Then ſaid Samuel to the people, Come, and let us go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdome there.] A city this was near hand, adjoyning upon Jordan; there Joſhua renewed the covenant betwixt the Lord and his people, Joſh. 5.9. and there Samuel now renewed the covenant concerning the kingdome betwixt Saul and the people. Before he was choſen, but this was as it were the ſolemnity of his inauguration and coronation: and now it ſeems he was anointed in publick as before in private; and therefore in the next chapter, Samuel ſpeaking to the people, calls Saul ſeverall times, the Lords Anointed.
Verſ. 15. And there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal; and there they ſacrificed, &c.] It is evident therefore, that here now Saul and Samuel ſacrificed together in Gilgal; whence we may certainly conclude, that the charge which Samuel gave to Saul, chap. 10.8. that he ſhould ſtay for Samuel at Gilgal ſeven dayes▪ till he came to offer ſacrifice for him, was not meant of Sauls immediate going to Gilgal, but of his going thither when he ſhould be in a ſtrait, and had not Samuel with him, as is before noted in the expoſition of that place.