https://youtu.be/orEgm9WVv-o
Have you ever wanted to get the prize and the recognition? Emptying the dishwasher
Nahash comes up and fights jabesh-gilead. Immediately they make concessions. Nahash- I’ll take your right eyes. Jabesh says 7 days to see if we can fight. People find out and they weep.Saul was in his field, wonders why the people are weeping. They tell him and he gets super mad. He cuts up a yoke of oxen and says anyone who doesn’t fight is going to get this treatment. The people come out as one even tho they are afraid. There is 300k of them. They tell them they are going to be saved tomorrow, and they are glad. Jabesh submits to Saul as king. Saul puts them in 3 companies. They rout the ammonites until mid afternoon. Then the people remember that some people said Saul couldn’t save them, lets kill those dudes. But Saul is the bigger man. He says, salvation is here. Lets renew the kingdom. The people finally submit to Saul and then they party.This is a great story. Great parts of the story Killing until the heat of the day. Salvation comes upon Israel! Death- mayhemSaul makes it happen, the people make it happen! Go to War- ammonites lose. Israel winsAt the end- some people want to go back and kill the haters who didn’t support SaulSaul sets them straight “The Lord Worked Salvation in Israel”
Saul knew it was God’s power- his purpose- it was HIM that did it. Not Saul. Not the People. Only God Such a great leader to give the glory to God and not himself.Who do you glorify for your wins? You, or God? “God Glorifying Death Machine”When people look at your life, are you a person that gives God glory, or yourself. Who did what? Do you take all the credit, or do you give God all the credit?
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;Because that’s what we’re supposed to be doing “proclaim the praises of Him”In this participation trophy, everyone is a winner society in which we live, people so desperately want to get the glory- when the goal is for GOD to be glorified- not US. Make HIM BIG us smallWhen you become a Christian- you relinquish any rights you may have to recognition or gloryYour job is now to give God glory- to help others praise HIS name. If you have demands, u wrong1 Chronicles 16:28-29 Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples, Give to the Lord glory and strength. 29 Give to the Lord the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!These are not the only ways to give God glory- but from this story- we have a good startHow to give God glory
Salvation brings glory to him
12 Then the people said to Samuel, “Who ishe who said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring the men, that we may put them to death.” 13 But Saul said, “Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the Lord has accomplished salvation in Israel.”This story of Saul with Israel is a pre-cursor to King Jesus- who will save Israel from their sinsSaul here is already displaying the heart of God- that salvation is possible only through himGod was able to save Israel from the Accuser- Nahash- the serpent- the one who was trying to bargain with Jabesh “Give me your eye and I will not destroy you”The Bible says the wages of sin is death- that deals with the Devil bring deathBut Jabesh did not submit to Nahash. They wanted to- but they resisted James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
God delivers Jabesh and the Ammonites are destroyed, only by the grace of God- had it not been for God, they would have become slaves to Nahash (no power w/o eye) but God saved!