Gospel Reflections #904: He promises to lead us back to Himself

1 Samuel 11:1 "Now Nahash the Ammonite came up and besieged Jabesh-gilead."

The Ammonites were Israel's traditional adversaries, dwelling east of the Jordan River.

Their leader Nahash (meaning "snake") was known for his cruelty.

 This town was located in the Gilead region east of the Jordan River, in an isolated position.

Their offer to "make a treaty and serve" without fighting shows they had given up on solving the problem themselves and had become so despondent they could not even expect help from their fellow Israelites nearby.

The fact that the people of Jabesh offered surrender to their enemies as a compromise before crying out to God for help is pointed out as an example of relying on human solutions in times of crisis.

This passage sets the stage for Saul to be filled with God's Spirit and rise as Israel's savior.

Yet it also reveals God's condemnation of our foolishness—how we rush to human solutions rather than relying on Him in crises. God does not condemn us for hasty conclusions; instead, He promises to lead us back to Himself no matter what we do.

Let us not hide our weakness, but acknowledge it and offer it to God.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.