Old Dog I
Back to: Armies of God 2 – Gideon’s Company
[Site Curator’s note: This teaching did not appear in Thomas Gibson’s Old Dog I collection. He was unable to find it. However, I was to find it on a website prepared by a brother in Christ which has a fairly extensive collection of Bob Neumann’s prophecies and teachings: Profeetallista. Therefore, I am inserting Armies of God 1-3 in the Old Dog I collection as they are intended to be read together.]
Armies of God 3 – Saul’s Call…
Bob Neumann
August 23, 1998
The average Christian has been given many narrow views of scripture. Sometimes we miss important truths because we literally throw the baby out with the bath water. So is it when we think about one Saul, first King of Israel. . An image of GOD’S anointed. Ouch!
Tragically we follow Shakespeare as easily as we might GOD. “THE EVIL THAT MEN DO LIVES AFTER THEM, AND THE GOOD IS OFT INTERRED WITH THEIR BONES’’. from Julius Caesar. But we have done it to Saul also. There is a great TRUTH to dig up here so let’s go to the WORD.
1 Samuel 11:1-15
1 Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabeshgilead: and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee.
2 And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, On this condition will I make a covenant with you, that I may thrust out all your right eyes, and lay it for a reproach upon all Israel.
3 And the elders of Jabesh said unto him, Give us seven days’ respite, that we may send messengers unto all the coasts of Israel: and then, if there be no man to save us, we will come out to thee.
The enemy here is Nahash, King of the Ammonites, who has decided to take a Hebrew city. The people are intimidated and willing to surrender for Israel has no standing army. Samuel had just been snubbed and Saul anointed. To them then as it is now the term “anointed” really meant nothing until people get shown “SIGNS AND WONDERS”. So the elders petition Nahash and the real battle plays out. Ol’ Nahash does not want to sack the town. He wants to humiliate Israel and Israel’s GOD. This is a spiritual battle that Nahash has assured himself of a complete victory because Israel had dissed GOD and demanded a king. So give them seven days before he acts. It makes his victory even sweeter for all the Hebrews will know the shame of being both impotent and defenseless before him.
Only one problem. He did not know YHVH…ADONAI TZ’ABAOTH. .
4 then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and told the tidings in the ears of the people: and all the people lifted up their voices, and wept.
5 And, behold, Saul came after the herd out of the field; and Saul said, What aileth the people that they weep? And they told him the tidings of the men of Jabesh.
Please understand the situation…Saul, the ANOINTED KING OF ISRAEL was out in his daddy’s fields plowing with the oxen. Being king hadn’t gotten to his head just yet. . But it will. The report of Nahash’s assault has them mourning for what is about to take place. Obviously the men of Israel knew no more than Nahash about their GOD.
6 And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly.
Please understand that this is the same language used by a prophet 300 years later named Isaiah in his 61st chapter. “THE SPIRIT OF THE SOVEREIGN LORD IS UPON ME, FOR HE HAS ANOINTED ME…” anointing is not a state of being. But a “mark” of GOD’S PURPOSE. In this case it arises with HOLY ANGER. . And more.
7 And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out with one consent.
Just imagine Saul drawing his short sword and hewing an ox in two. It got everyone’s attention. Then came the threat. Take a chunk of extremely bloody oxen meat and show it to every ‘man’ of Israel as an object lesson. Those that do not follow GOD’S ANOINTED will be dead meat. Now this can be taken one of two ways. Either Saul will come after you. Or failure to stand against ‘the enemy’ today will only assure that one day he will come after you on the day the ‘enemy’ chooses, something we should understand today.
8 and when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
Remember WHAT GOD DID WITH 300 MEN WHO FOLLOWED A JUDGE NAMED GIDEON? When GOD killed the 120,000 only 300 men were needed. But the story has changed. Remember Israel didn’t want GOD to fight their battles anymore. So what GOD did against at least three kings with 300 men. Saul who is anointed and covered will need 300,000 men!!! And for only one little bitty king. .
9 And they said unto the messengers that came, Thus shall ye say unto the men of Jabeshgilead, To morrow, by that time the sun be hot, ye shall have help. And the messengers came and shewed it to the men of Jabesh; and they were glad.
10 Therefore the men of Jabesh said, To morrow we will come out unto you, and ye shall do with us all that seemeth good unto you.
Now there is a set up being made here. Nahash is anticipating the town to simply role over and die for him. . Instead he has a problem. An anointed king and 300,000 warriors with incentive. .
11 And it was so on the morrow, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the host in the morning watch, and slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day: and it came to pass, that they which remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left together.
Even with 300,000 men Saul is using the DIVINE PATTERN of 3 that Gideon was instructed to use. And again ‘the enemy’ is decimated.
12 And the people said unto Samuel, Who is he that said, Shall Saul reign over us? bring the men, that we may put them to death.
13 And Saul said, There shall not a man be put to death this day: for to day the LORD hath wrought salvation in Israel.
Having signs and wonders, and positive public opinion, does wonders for an ‘anointed one’s’ self esteem. When it comes to Saul it quickly turns into pride and a fear of losing that public opinion. That is where his sin sprouted and his fall began.
14 then said Samuel to the people, Come, and let us go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there.
15 And all the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal; and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly. (KJV)
This was one victory. There were probably heavy casualties because Israel fought it’s own battle. When GOD fought the battle all 300 returned to their homes and families. And Israel had no army. Just a bunch of men. Some veteran warriors and many ‘citizens’ aware of an impending danger. A standing army is a whole lot different than a ragtag militia that gets together only when the enemy is at the gate.
The church is writing books and singing songs about ‘prayer warriors’ and the like. That is because we have refused GOD’S rule and HIS DISCIPLINE. So now THE LORD OF HOSTS PLANS TO RAISE AN ARMY. .
Have you gotten a ‘draft notice’ yet?
Selah
Bob In Miami