Saul Established as King 1 Samuel 11:1-15

Introduction

There’s a story told of a young soldier in the heat of a battle who sent a telegram home that simply said, “Situation desperate. Please advise.” His father replied with just two words: “Advance anyway.”

Sometimes in life, we find ourselves surrounded—by fear, by pressure, by temptation, by the enemy himself. And in those moments, the question becomes: Will we run to the One we said we trusted, or will we try to cut a deal with the enemy just to make the pressure stop?

In 1 Samuel 11, Israel has just crowned their first king—Saul. You’d think this would be a moment of strength, of unity, of bold leadership. But what’s the very next scene we find?

The enemy surrounds the camp.

Nahash the Ammonite encircles Jabesh-gilead, and instead of running to the king they just anointed, the people of Jabesh try to make a covenant with the enemy. Fear still has a grip on their hearts. They had the king they demanded, but they were just as afraid as before.

Isn’t that just like us sometimes? We ask God for something—a relationship, a job, a position, a breakthrough—and when He gives it, we still don't fully trust Him. The Israelites had their king, but not the faith to stand. They were surrounded, not just physically, but spiritually. And in their desperation, they considered surrender over deliverance.

As we walk through this passage today, we’ll see three powerful truths:

The enemy will surround the camp.

The Spirit will stir the righteous to action.

The victory belongs to the Lord.

The Enemy Surrounds the Camp vs. 1-3

We transition from the coronation of Saul as king of Israel to the first attack on Israel since Saul became king

We find Nahash the Ammonite coming and encamping against Jabeshgilead.

Remember one of the main reasons the elders of Israel demanded a king was due to fear of their enemy.

Notice, instead of running to their king when they were surrounded by their enemy they tried to make a covenant with them.

They had the king they asked for, but were still as scared as they were without a king made of flesh.

Isn’t it amazing when God gives us exactly what we want and we still don’t trust him. This is exactly what the Israelites did here, they had their king, but were still scared of their enemy.

When the men of Jabesh tried to make the covenant with the Ammonites, they gave them a condition for the covenant

To make the covenant happen the people of Jabesh would have to get their right eye plucked out, which would have sever consequences to the city and their ability to fight off the enemy

Archers and swordsmen would be handicapped in battle, and everybody would be humiliated and marked as defeated prisoners of war. Without having to kill anybody, Nahash could overtake the city, take its wealth, and enslave the people.

The elders of Jabesh ask for a week to try to get some reinforcements and if none came they would agree to the covenant conditions

They were hoping that someone in Israel would send help for them and Nahash agreed probably thinking that no one in Israel would send help.

It’s interesting that nobody from Jabesh Gilead responded to the call to arms when the nation had to punish the wickedness of Gilead in Benjamin (Judg. 21:8–9), but now they were asking their fellow Jews to come and rescue them!

Saul’s Planned Attack vs. 4-11

The messengers went to Gibea, the home of Saul, and told the people what was going on in Jabeshgilead.

look at the response of the people

It wasn’t to go get the king

Instead all of the people lifted up their voice and wept

No one ever went and told Saul or Samuel

Saul was coming after the herd in the field and heard their weeping and had to ask what was going on with the people “What aileth the people that weep?”

They told Saul what Nahash and the Ammonites were doing and the threat they had made against the people

The response of the people when they heard what was going on was fear, but the Spirit of God came upon Saul and his anger was kindled greatly

This anger wasn’t unmerited but was a righteous indignation that such a thing would happen in Israel

Its interesting to note that Saul didn’t always show this righteous anger, think about when Goliath was mocking God, it wasn’t Saul with the righteous anger, but David.

We need some Christians who will get angry, not with a prideful anger, but with a righteous anger about the way the world mocks christianity

We should follow the example of Jesus who got angry in the temple because the religious people of the day had turned the temple into a house of merchandise

John 2:13–17 “13 And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, 14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; 16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. 17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.”

Saul took an Ox and hewed it into pieces and sent the pieces throughout all of Israel with a specific message

Look at the message he had for the people in verse 7

If they didn’t come with Saul and Samuel the same thing would happen to their oxen

The fear of the Lord fell on the people

They went from being scared of the enemy to reverencing a Holy God and because of that they were unified in mission

The word consent at the end of verse 7 means “to be of one mind, to agree”

When all of us fear the Lord, we will be unified in mission

The Lord worked on Saul’s behalf by putting fear in the hearts of the people so that 330,000 men gathered for battle.

Saul numbered the people of the battle and had 330,000 men ready to go to battle for the Lord

Look at Saul’s plan in verses 9-10

Saul was going to get the messengers to tell of Jabeshgilead that the next day, by the time the sun is going to be hot they would have help

The messengers told the men that reinforcements were on the way and the Bible says they were glad

They tel Nahash that tomorrow they will come out and they can do what seems good to them

I’m sure Nahash and the ammonites are making plans of what they will do with the city they are going to conquer and probably making plans to conquer more of the Israelites land, but they weren’t ready for what was about to come.

The day Saul separated the people into three companies and they came in the morning watch and utterly destroyed their enemy

The morning watch was from two to six a.m., so he caught the enemy by surprise and completely routed them. Saul succeeded because he was empowered by the Spirit of God who both used Saul’s natural gifts and gave him the wisdom and strength he needed. Being at the head of an inexperienced army of 330,000 men wouldn’t be an easy task, but God gave the victory.

The will of God will never lead us where the grace of God can’t keep us and use us.

The armies of the ammonites were destroyed and I love the detail the Bible gives us about the battle

Those who survived scattered so much that you couldn’t find two of them together.

The Victory belongs to the Lord vs. 12-15

In verse 12-13 we see a united Israel against those who were not on Saul’s side.

They went to Samuel to find out who had said “Shall Saul reign over us?” and they were going to kill them.

Saul continues with his disregard of the criticism and tells the zealous Israelites that no one is going to die today

Then he gives all the glory to God for the victory they had won that day.

God is still winning the victories over our enemies today, and we should be careful to give him all the glory and praise for the victory.

In verse 14-15 we find a renewal of the kingdom and a confirmation of Saul as king

Samuel seized the opportunity and called the nation together to give thanks to the Lord and to affirm the king and the kingdom.

They met at Gilgal, near the Jordan River, a place that had solemn associations for the Jews.

At the Mizpah assembly, they had accepted God’s king, but at Gilgal they confirmed Saul as king before the Lord.

Samuel had anointed Saul privately (10:1) and then presented him to the people (vv. 17–27), and now Samuel led the nation in an act of dedication to the Lord. It was a time of national rejoicing.

Conclusion

This battle, this moment in Israel’s history—it’s more than just a military victory. It’s a picture of what God still wants to do in the hearts of people today. Because sin is still surrounding people. The enemy still encamps around homes, hearts, and lives—offering deals, promising peace, but always aiming to destroy.

But friend, there is a King greater than Saul. One who didn't just come down from the field—but came down from heaven. Not just stirred by righteous anger—but moved by perfect love. And on the cross, Jesus didn’t just lead an army—He fought alone, and He won.

The Bible says in Romans 5:8,

“But God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

You don’t have to surrender to the enemy. You don’t have to live in fear. You don’t have to make peace with the things that are destroying you.

Jesus already won the victory—and He won it for you.

So let me ask you today:

Have you trusted in the King who never loses? Have you surrendered your life, not to the enemy, but to the Savior? Are you trying to fight your battles alone, or have you given your heart to the One who’s already defeated sin, death, and the grave?