There was one thing left for Saul to do and that was to prove his worth on the battlefield. The constant threat from the pagan nations surrounding Israel was part of what led to their demanding a king, and it was time to now put the regal power to the test. So in 1 Samuel 11 we see the latest threat emerge from the Ammonites and King Saul is quick to assemble the tribes and fight back. When he makes quick work of the Ammonites, we see his power solidified, as it is expressed in verse 12: "And the people said to Samuel: Who is he that said: Shall Saul reign over us? Bring the men, and we will kill them." So it seems, for now at least, that the murmuring at the end of Chapter 10 has been silenced. Saul has mightily proved that he can unify the Israelites and defeat their enemies. King Saul appears to be everything the people longed for when they said they wanted to be ruled by one powerful king rather than regional judges. So we see Samuel, again, ceremonialize the moment by making a spectacle of Saul's crowning. If there were any lingering doubts about whether or not Israel had truly become a monarchy, or over Saul being the monarch, they were laid to rest after the defeat of the Ammonites. Israel's kingdom has officially begun!
No comments:
Post a Comment