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1 Samuel 11:5-7 Saul's first military campaign - Day 231

Good morning fellow readers,

A beautiful day in Madison.  I hope today's devotional helps to see the single story of the Bible.

Blessings,

Jeff

Observations:

How strange that the newly anointed king of Israel was out in the fields plowing with oxen?  He certainly wasn't doing the things that Samuel had said.  However, there was no precedent for Saul to follow.  Reminds me of the story that the Constitutional Convention purposefully left much of the duties of the President rather vague because everyone knew that George Washington would be the first and he would figure out what the President would actually do.

The Spirit of the Lord rushes upon him. Points to the difference between OT and NT operation of the Holy Spirit.  In OT, The Spirit enabled certain abilities for a specific function and period of time.  In the NT, the Holy Spirit permanently dwells in each and every believer for the work of sanctification.  I can understand why the Jews in Jerusalem at Pentecost would be confused by the manifestation of the Spirit as it differed from what had happened in the OT.

Back story - Jabesh-gilead was the town that was destroyed to provide wives for the surviving Benjamites because they did not send men to assist in the destruction of Benjamin (Judges 21:8)  So Saul has a deep connection to this town as he is a Benjamite.

Deep back story - Ammonites are descendants of Lot (Abraham's nephew) through one of his daughters.

Thoughts - the events of the Old Testament are not just random unrelated occurrences.  There is usually some previous event(s) that help us understand the actions of the characters in the current event.  Then this event becomes part of the motivation in future events.  And as I have said before, it is all a footnote to Genesis 3:15 and the promise of a Messiah to crush the serpent's head.

 

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