1S11-13: Why The Bible Is As Much A Manual Of War As It Is A Book Of Love

“To the messengers that had come they said, ‘Tell the men of Yavesh-Gil‘ad, ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will have been rescued.’  The messengers returned and told the men of Yavesh; they were overjoyed.  Then the men of Yavesh said [to Nachash], ‘Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do with us whatever you like.'”-1 Samuel 11:9-10

So Saul is preparing his men to battle against Nachash at a place called Bezek (a place believed to be located about 12 miles northeast of Shechem).

Recall, we were told “there were 300,000 from the people of Isra’el; the men of Y’hudah numbered 30,000”.

Next, Saul informs the messengers from Yavesh-Gilead they can return home with the happy news that military help would soon be on its way.

Once the leaders of Yavesh-Gilead caught wind of that joyous announcement, their response towards Nachash was interesting.

They told him “tomorrow we will come out unto you”.

Now, I deliberately quoted the King James version of verse 10 here.

Why?

Because every Bible version that says “we will surrender” is off the mark.

Let me explain.

The leaders of Yavesh-Gilead wanted to send a vague and ambiguous message to Nachash.

“To come out” can be interpreted in two ways.

It can mean “to surrender”…

But it can also mean “to come out to fight”.

So the leaders of Yavesh-Gilead didn’t lie to Nachash.

They just cleverly gave him a piece of information that could be interpreted however he wanted to interpret it.

And in this case, Nachash took their words to mean they would surrender to him.

Well, he was about to get the rudest awakening of his entire life.

Using a typical tactic we’ve seen many times before, Saul divided his soldiers into 3 groups and launched his attack before sunrise.

I don’t think words can describe the shock that Nachash and his men must’ve experienced.

They were expecting a weak and meek group of Hebrew men to show up and surrender…

Instead, they were met with the full frontal assault of Saul’s attacking army.

Verse 11 reveals all.

We’re told that Saul’s men “kept attacking until the heat of the day, until those who remained were so scattered that no two of them were left together”.

It was a stunning and decisive victory. 

So here’s the takeaway I’m getting for today.

And it all has to do with the importance of employing deception when battling your enemies.

Note the strategic selection of words the leaders of Yavesh-Gilead used to inform Nachash they would show up to meet him in the morning.

And note how Saul’s men launched their brutal attack in the wee hours of the early morning before Nachash and his men would even have a chance to gather themselves for battle.

There’s a lesson here.

Attack your enemy when his guard is down, and when he least expects it.

When you do that, your victory is practically assured.

A lot of people like to call the Bible a book of love.

But more than anything, it’s a reliable manual of war…

It’s a book the world’s greatest generals and military leaders for centuries have turned to for strategy and inspiration…

And it will help you win all of the wars you’re fighting in this life whether on a real physical battlefield or otherwise.

Ya feel me?