Victories Must Not Define Us
Saul's anger doesn't take long to expose itself on the pages of scripture. He's made king in 1 Samuel 10 and the text notes that worthless fellows derided him but he kept silent. Evidently, Saul was waiting to channel that anger in the right direction. So when Nahash comes against Israel and embarrasses them with humiliating terms of peace Saul finds his outlet: 1 Samuel 11:6–7 (ESV) And the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled. 7 He took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hand of the messengers, saying, “Whoever does not come out after Saul and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen!” Then the dread of the LORD fell upon the people, and they came out as one man. There are a few things to note about this action in comparison to the king who will follow Saul. It would appear that Saul relies on fear to motivate the nation. He cuts up oxen and sends th...