From Field to Battlefield
5 Just then Saul was returning from the fields, behind
his oxen, and he asked, "What is wrong with the people? Why are they
weeping?" Then they repeated to him what the men of Jabesh had said. 6
When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he
burned with anger…11 The next day Saul separated his men into three divisions;
during the last watch of the night they broke into the camp of the Ammonites
and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. Those who survived were
scattered, so that no two of them were left together.
AFTER Samuel anointed Saul to be king, Saul went back to the
farm. This sounds a bit odd, doesn’t it? But in truth, agriculture was the only
trade. There was no war to fight, and there were no laws to make at this time.
Saul, too, again may have been demonstrating his fear of an unknown future.
It’s safe to go to what you know. It’s fearful to look ahead to what you don’t
know. Saul was comfortable behind the oxen.
But then comes change. Suddenly as the Ammonites threatened to mutilate the
people of Jabesh, Saul responded. God has orchestrated this threat on Israel to
initiate his power over Saul. Saul takes charge in one of the most dramatic
effective moments of his life. His leadership on the battlefield is sure and
powerful. Suddenly Saul has a reputation. Suddenly Saul is a king in all it
means. God has moved his people into a new time in a dramatic new way. Will
Saul stay so sure and faithful?
A Moment’s Thought: What do you prefer, the “field” of
comfort or the “battlefield” of God’s purpose?
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