Tokonaki Tisema 11, 2021
“Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you.”
“Ta fai talite mu‘a, pea te mau nofo kiate koe”
1 Samiuela 11 (1 Samuel 11)
(v. 1-2) PEA ‘alu hake ‘a Nā‘asi ko e ‘eiki ‘Āmoni, ‘o ne fokotu‘u tēniti ke tau‘i ‘a Siepesi-kiliati. Pea lea ‘a e kau tangata kotoa ‘o Siepesi kia Nā‘asi, ‘o pehē, Ta fai talite mu‘a, pea te mau nofo kiate koe. Pea tali ‘e Nā‘asi ko e ‘eiki ‘Āmoni, Ko e me‘a ni pē te u loto ai ke talite mo kimoutolu, ‘a e kape‘i homou mata to‘omata‘u kotoa pē; ka u fakamaa‘i ai ‘a ‘Isileli kātoa.
(v. 1-2) Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you.” And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, “On this condition I will make a covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes, and bring reproach on all Israel.”
G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible
It would seem as though Saul, going down as he did to his house in Gibeah, did not take up the active responsibilities of the kingship until the Ammonite invasion occurred. This would seem to have stirred within him, as the Spirit of God came upon him, a sense of responsibility, and he responded thereto. Immediately, in the presence of the danger, and under the divine power of the Spirit, he gathered the people together, and gained a great victory.
The closing sentences of the previous chapter reveal that there were certain men in the kingdom who were rebellious against his appointment. Now, in the day of his victory, the people suggested the punishment of these men. In this connection the possibility of greatness in Saul was manifested, in that he refused to mar the day of God's victory by visiting the traitors with punishment.
At this time Samuel at once took advantage of the accession of Saul to gather the people together at Gilgal, at which gathering he was confirmed in the kingdom.
David Guzik :: Study Guide for 1 Samuel 11
Encamped against Jabesh Gilead: The Ammonite enemy surrounded this Israelite city, and simply by doing so he made his demands clear. They must either surrender or be conquered.
Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you: The men of Jabesh Gilead felt this was their only hope of survival. Either they must surrender to Nahash (we will serve you) under agreed upon terms (make a covenant with us), or they will simply be killed and plundered.
“Instead of humbling themselves before God and confessing the sins that had brought them into trouble, they put God altogether aside, and basely offered to become the servants of the Ammonites... We see here the sad effect of sin and careless living in lowering men’s spirits, sapping courage, and discouraging noble effort. Oh, it is pitiable to see men tamely submitting to a vile master! Yet how often is the sight repeated! How often to men virtually say to the devil, ‘Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee’!” (Balike)
That I may put out your right eyes: When the men of Jabesh Gilead asked Nahash for a covenant, he agreed to settle peacefully with them – if all the men of the city had their right eyes gouged out. Certainly, Nahash was a serious man.
Nahash made this demand for many reasons. First, it was to glorify himself by humiliating the men of this city and all of Israel. Half-blinding the men of this city would bring reproach on all Israel by making Israel look weak and unable to prevent such an atrocity. Second, it would make the men of Jabesh Gilead unable to fight effectively in battle. In hand-to-hand combat the man with one eye has less depth perception and is at a disadvantage to a man with two eyes.
“He who opposes his shield to the enemy with his left hand, thereby hides his left eye, and looks at his enemy with his right eye; he therefore who plucks out that right eye makes men useless in war.” (Theodoret, cited in Clarke)
We can see in this account a similarity between Satan, our spiritual enemy, and Nahash, the enemy of Israel.
· Satan attacks us but cannot do anything against us without our agreement. He asks for, and requires our surrender
· Satan wants us to serve him and will attempt to intimidate us into giving in to him
· Satan wants to humiliate us and exalt himself over us. Through humiliating one saint, Satan wants to bring reproach on all God’s people
· Satan wants to take away our ability to effectively fight against him
· Satan wants to blind us and if he cannot blind us completely, he will blind us partially
· The name Nahash means serpent or snake
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