Boy, ancient times were violent. I can’t imagine agreeing to have my eye gouged out. I would hope that I would go down fighting before allowing that to happen or at least wait, and hope for someone to save the day. The elders of Jabesh seem to be cowards to me. Why didn’t they stand up and fight? At least they bargained for seven days for someone to save the day. Luckily for them, God was working in Saul. The Spirit burned in him almost as if God Himself showed his anger towards Nahash through Saul. This allowed Saul to step up as a leader and rally the troops. They defeated the enemy—crushed them so that no two were placed together. The psalmist cried to the Lord for protection and the defeat of his enemy whom doesn’t know or understand the power of the Lord. He trusted God, praised him and asked for justice. 

 

Trying to put this event into modern terms I thought of September 11, 2001. How can anyone forget what they were doing and where they were when the planes crashed? Our troops rallied behind the President to defend us and defeat our enemies. The feeling of patriotism soared in our country probably the same way that Saul’s troops felt when they were victorious. I’m sure that God used this tragedy to wake up the country to remind us of how precious our freedom is and to wake up individuals to rely on Him. Church attendance also soared for a while in the States as this event reminded all of us that we need God to deliver us from some things that are overwhelming to us. Why do we only turn to him when we need help? 

 

We must remember that God wants our attention all the time not just when we feel overwhelmed by events. He is always present for us, and we always have his word at hand in the Bible. God can use an individual or a group in specific situations to stand up and take the lead for His purpose, but He wants us to rely on Him personally at all times. He has promised us protection and guidance. I hope that we all can look and listen for His guidance all the time and recognize and follow His will for us. There may be times when God wants to use us to stand up for His glory. It might be something small like showing his kindness to those around us, or it might be something huge like Saul and the president were called to do. Through our faith, we must trust him and follow His will when that happens. 

 

Your fellow traveler, 

 

Rhonda