King Saul established the beginning of his reign by taking on and conquering King Nahash. There is more to that story than is in the King James Version text. The paragraph below; is found in Dead Sea Scroll 4QSam. It is appended as verse 27 to 1 Samuel 10. It states that King Nahash had already oppressed the people of Gad and Reuben and had gouged out the right eye of everyone living east of the Jordan River. Those who were threatened in Jabesh-gilead were the 7,000 who had escaped.
1 Samuel 10:27 Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had been grievously oppressing the people of Gad and Reuben who lived east of the Jordan River. He gouged out the right eye of each of the Israelites living there, and he didn’t allow anyone to come and rescue them. In fact, of all the Israelites east of the Jordan, there wasn’t a single one whose right eye Nahash had not gouged out. But there were 7,000 men who had escaped from the Ammonites, and they had settled in Jabesh-gilead.
Conquering a king and an army; that had so brutally oppressed so many Israelites and also disfigured them; gives quite a different picture to this story and the magnitude of the victory!
Once Saul was established as king over Israel, Samuel makes a farewell speech to the people. In an emotional state of rejection, Samuel pointed to his unmarred, perfect record of righteousness before the people. He had never cheated or oppressed the people and he never took a bribe.
1 Samuel 12:3-5 KJV Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you. (4) And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man's hand. (5) And he said unto them, The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand. And they answered, He is witness.
For his righteous dealings and for being a pillar of the LORD before the people; his reward was rejection and so he let it be known that his hands were clean. He further pointed out the cycle of rebellion, idolatry, oppression by pagan kings, repentance and rescue by the LORD. Israel had always returned to the LORD, accept when it came to King Nahash; it was then that Israel demanded a king instead of the LORD.
1 Samuel 12:10-13 KJV And they cried unto the LORD, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee. (11) And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe. (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 reign over us: when the LORD your God was your king. (13) Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you.
The battle with King Nahash of the Ammonites was Saul’s victory for his kingdom, but it clearly was a great loss for the people of Israel, because they came to a turning point with the LORD. The people replaced the Holy One of Israel with a man; from Divine leadership to fallible human leadership; from the Almighty, Eternal to a mere mortal. This grave decision was made because they feared more, a man who had gouged their eyes out that they feared God. Nahash will forever be remembered as the man who got Israel to replace the Mighty God with a human king. As long as Israel had kept the LORD as their king, there was Divine Reign on the earth. Anointing Saul ended Divine Reign and so until this day, there is not a single nation who is under the reign of God. Anointing Saul removed by utter rejection, God’s active rule on earth. This was monumental and beyond our full comprehension. It is that error that will be righted at the return of Jesus Christ, when He returns as King of kings.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are my king and I worship you. Reign in my life. Lead me LORD in Jesus’ name , Amen.
Copyright © 2006, 2011 Thomas C. Blake
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