Common Cause

I Samuel Chapter 11, the Strange and the Spectacular

Verses: 15

Is It Read At Synagogue?: No.

Famous Quotes/Phrases: In Verse 6, Saul is gripped with “רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים” (ruach Elohim), the spirit of God, which has numerous references throughout the Hebrew Bible.

Basic Plot: An Ammonite leader named Nahash attacks the Israelite town of Jabesh-gilead, planning to make their victory an embarrassment to all Israel (more on that in a bit). The residents of the town are willing to discuss terms of surrender, but Nahash is in no mood: he threatens to gouge out the right eye of every one of his captors. Saul is incensed and cuts one of his oxen into pieces, sending them throughout Israelite territories to coerce the Israelites to fight the Ammonites.

This, er, recruitment tactic works, and 300,000 men report for battle. The residents of Jabesh-gilead trick the Ammonites into thinking they will surrender, but instead, the Israelite soldiers pounce, killing many and causing the survivors to scatter.

Having defeated their attackers, some men encourage Saul to kill the Israelites who had cast doubt that he is fit to lead the people, but Saul declines. Samuel invites all of Israel to Gilgal to inaugurate Saul as king of Israel.

If you’re keeping track, yes, as I mentioned last week, this is the third different account of how Saul becomes king of Israel.

What’s Strange: The biblical writers often follow repeating tropes, and this chapter is no exception. Just as in the book of Judges, we have an example of a dead body cut into pieces and sent across the country in order to make a bold statement. Let’s just hope that this biblical trend isn’t revived anytime soon.

What’s Spectacular: Like so many of the stories we’ve covered in this newsletter, this chapter describes violence and aggression. But it also is a sign of just how far the Israelites have come. Peter R. Ackroyd explains in his commentary The First Book of Samuel that the Ammonites’ goal to hurt all of Israel “expresses the belief in the unity of the tribes and their responsibility for each other: disgrace to one place is disgrace to all.”

It’s as if the Ammonites are daring the Israelites to fight on behalf of one of their own — would they rally to defend Jabesh-gilead or leave them to their own devices. Thanks to Saul, the answer is a resounding yes. It’s been a long time since the Israelites have banded together in common purpose.

As I write this, we are concluding Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. As we will always mourn those who were mercilessly slaughtered by the Nazis, we must also not forget that an attack on any Jew is an attack on us all. This chapter may well be Saul’s finest moment, and his message of standing up for our brethren rings as true today as ever.

Shabbat Shalom … and Am Yisrael Chai!