The Celebration of Jabesh Gilead

The city celebrated. Men packed the streets. Trumpets blasted. Women wept for joy. Strangers embraced. They had been lost, but the king himself had fought for them!

King Saul strode the streets of the city, grasping the arms of the men who lived there, showing respect to the women, soaking in the well-deserved adulation. He looked around in wonder. Was this what it was like to truly be the king? To be adored like this? A smile crept onto his face as another man bowed before him.

And then another person entered the gates of the city: A stooped old man with a long white beard. Saul turned. He ran to the newcomer. He threw his arms around the old man.

And the old man grinned. “Saul, you have done the Lord’s work today,” he said.

And so the seer himself came to the liberated city. He was the prophet of the Lord, and he himself had anointed Saul. Samuel had arrived!

And as Saul and the prophet laughed together, one of the elders of the city approached. “Samuel. Who was it that asked, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’” The elder breathed deeply. His eyes flashed.

Saul remembered. When he’d been anointed, so many people had turned their backs on him. They’d mocked him. Even yesterday, when the messenger came from Jabesh Gilead, they’d thought there was no way he could liberate the city.

The elder continued, “Bring these men to us, and we will put them to death.”

Saul felt himself freeze. Put them to death?

For what? For not believing in a man who didn’t believe in himself? For not believing in a failure?

This elder wanted to honor Saul. This man thought that Saul had done a great wonder. But it wasn’t Saul at all, was it? He was still a nothing. He still had to fight to prove himself. No. This was the Lord’s doing.

Even if it was nice that the city praised him now.

Even though the elder spoke to Samuel, Saul answered. “No.” He glanced back at the prophet. He couldn’t read the expression there. It didn’t matter though, did it?

“No one shall be put to death today, for this day the Lord has rescued Israel.”

And that’s when Samuel spoke up. “Come. Let’s go to Gilgal and there reaffirm the kingship.”

And that’s what they did. Those who had doubted. Those who had been liberated. The army that had fought. Saul and the seer. They all went to Gilgal, and there Saul was once more named king.

And this time no one laughed.

The people offered fellowship offerings to the Lord. They thanked God for giving them such a king as this.

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Saul shook his head. They were thankful for him? For a nothing?

They must never know who he really was. That he wasn’t worth anything. He must do everything he could so they would never, ever guess.

But that night, there was such a celebration.

Saul was a good king.
He would be a good king.
That’s what he would do.

No matter what.

This story is based on I Samuel 11:12-15