The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Samuel 11:1-2,
"Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to him, 'Make a treaty with us, and we will be subject to you.' But Nahash the Ammonite replied, 'I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel.'
What a tight spot to be in! The Ammonites attacked the Jews in Jabesh Gilead with the intent of destroying it and killing all its people. Unable to withstand the attack, the men of that city sought to save their lives by surrendering to Nahash. Seeing an opportunity to bring disgrace on all of Israel, Nahash's terms were to put out the right eye of all the Jews in that town. I'll make you look it up to see how this turns our for the folks of Jabesh Gilead.
Israel had a long history with the Ammonites. The Ammonites were descendants from the incestuous pregnancy of Lot's younger daughter with Lot, Genesis 19:38. Years later after Lord freed the Israelites from Egypt to take them into Palestine, he told the Jews he was not going to give any of the Ammonites' land to them, Deuteronomy 2:19. However, Moses gave "half the Ammonite country as far as Aroer...." to the Jewish tribe of Gad, Joshua 13:25. As we read on in the history of Israel, we find the Israelites and the Ammonites at war with one another at various times, and, at times, at the instigation of God, see Judges 10:6-10.
What I note this morning is the conflict among nations. Here is an account of international conflict that took place over three millenia ago. As I keep abreast of today's news, I see nothing has changed. And, given mankind's sinful nature and God's agenda in drawing us to himself, conflict among nations will always be a reality in this age.
I can't help but think of the naivete of the anti-war movements we have seen over the years. In abject ignorance today, we have folks who fail to understand that this world is controlled by the aggressive use of force, whether instigated by God or sinful man.
Perhaps there are lessons here we can learn from the Israelites... after all, God has provided a history for us in his word to learn from. "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us..." Romans 15:4.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
"Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to him, 'Make a treaty with us, and we will be subject to you.' But Nahash the Ammonite replied, 'I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel.'
What a tight spot to be in! The Ammonites attacked the Jews in Jabesh Gilead with the intent of destroying it and killing all its people. Unable to withstand the attack, the men of that city sought to save their lives by surrendering to Nahash. Seeing an opportunity to bring disgrace on all of Israel, Nahash's terms were to put out the right eye of all the Jews in that town. I'll make you look it up to see how this turns our for the folks of Jabesh Gilead.
Israel had a long history with the Ammonites. The Ammonites were descendants from the incestuous pregnancy of Lot's younger daughter with Lot, Genesis 19:38. Years later after Lord freed the Israelites from Egypt to take them into Palestine, he told the Jews he was not going to give any of the Ammonites' land to them, Deuteronomy 2:19. However, Moses gave "half the Ammonite country as far as Aroer...." to the Jewish tribe of Gad, Joshua 13:25. As we read on in the history of Israel, we find the Israelites and the Ammonites at war with one another at various times, and, at times, at the instigation of God, see Judges 10:6-10.
What I note this morning is the conflict among nations. Here is an account of international conflict that took place over three millenia ago. As I keep abreast of today's news, I see nothing has changed. And, given mankind's sinful nature and God's agenda in drawing us to himself, conflict among nations will always be a reality in this age.
I can't help but think of the naivete of the anti-war movements we have seen over the years. In abject ignorance today, we have folks who fail to understand that this world is controlled by the aggressive use of force, whether instigated by God or sinful man.
Perhaps there are lessons here we can learn from the Israelites... after all, God has provided a history for us in his word to learn from. "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us..." Romans 15:4.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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