Please read the whole chapter and feel free to post a reply even before you read my thoughts. If you don't have a Bible with you, you can follow this link to the passage: 1 Samuel 11
Verse 7 "Then the dread of the LORD fell upon the people, and they came out as one man." There is of course a lot we could say about this chapter. This verse struck me as odd though. The Hebrew language does this a lot. Rather than saying they were unified it says they came out as one man, and the translation captures this well. What's sad is that they didn't stay as one man. They immediately began to point fingers at one another, "Who opposed Saul before? Let's put them to death." This is our current problem as God's people. We are not able to work in unity, so we squabble with each other over details and easily forget about the One who gives us life. We find fault with each other even in the midst of our (or rather God's) victories.
Yet, and there is always a "yet" with our Father, verse 7 doesn't just point to our constant return to disunity. "They came out as one man" has a deeper meaning for us. We know that Israel could not and would not fulfill their role as God's chosen son. But it was in Jesus as Israel reduced to one, that the law is fulfilled and the disobedience of God's people is punished. And so even as we continue to suffer the sin of disunity we know that we are found and united in the one man Jesus Christ. This is our reality in Baptism, and our reminder in the Lord's Supper. And it is part of our final hope in Christ's return.
In Samuel 11:15 the Israelites sacrificed peace offerings to God as they made Saul their first king. The peace offering was a sign of gratitude and thanksgiving to God, symbolizing the peace that comes to those that know Him and live in accordance with the commands. Although God did not want His people to have a human king, the people were demonstrating through their peace offerings that God was still their true King. Unfortunately, this attitude did not last.
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