1 Samuel 11:12-15

1 Samuel 11:12-15

[12] And the people  said  unto Samuel,  Who is he that said,  Shall Saul  reign  over us? bring  that we may put them to death.  [13] And Saul  said,  There shall not a man  be put to death  this day:  the LORD  hath wrought  salvation  in Israel.  [14] Then said  Samuel  to the people,  to Gilgal,  and renew  the kingdom  [15] And all the people  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  of Israel  rejoiced  greatly. 

What does 1 Samuel 11:12-15 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Admirably, Saul sought no personal revenge on those who initially had failed to support him ( 1 Samuel 10:27; cf. Judges 20:13; Luke 19:27). Furthermore he gave God the glory for his victory (cf. Jonah 2:9; Psalm 20:7; Proverbs 21:31). He was not self-serving at this time.
What Samuel called for was a ceremony to renew the Mosaic Covenant. [1] It was to be similar to those that had taken place in Joshua"s day ( Joshua 8 , 24), in which the nation would dedicate itself afresh to Yahweh and His Law as a nation (cf. Deuteronomy 29). As mentioned earlier, it is not clear whether Gilgal refers to the Gilgal near Jericho or another Gilgal a few miles north of Bethel. [2] A Gilgal north of Bethel would have been closer since most of the activities recorded in these first chapters of1Samuel (at Ramah, Gibeah, Mizpah, etc.) were all on the Benjamin plateau near Bethel. Yet the Gilgal near Jericho was the Israelites" first camp after they entered the Promised Land, and the place where they first renewed the covenant in the land ( Joshua 4-5). For this reason, that site would have stimulated the people"s remembrance of God"s faithfulness to them and His plans for them as a united nation. Hopefully further discoveries will enable us solve the puzzle of which Gilgal this was.
The people now gave united support to Saul as their king at Gilgal. This is the first of three significant meetings of Samuel and Saul at Gilgal. The second was the time Saul failed to wait for the prophet, offered a sacrifice prematurely, and received the prophet"s rebuke ( 1 Samuel 13:7-14). The third meeting was when God rejected Saul as king for his disobedient pride following his victory over the Amalekites ( 1 Samuel 15:10-26).
Peace offerings expressed thanks to God for His goodness. This offering also emphasized the unity of the participants in the sacrifice ( Leviticus 3).
"Saul"s ascent to the throne was now complete, and the "great celebration" that accompanied the sacrificial ritual more than matched Israel"s earlier elation upon their receiving the messengers" report of the imminent doom of the Ammonites ( 1 Samuel 11:9)." [3]
In this incident Israel faced a very threatening situation physically and spiritually. The people"s reaction was to weep ( 1 Samuel 11:4). God went into action because He had made promises to protect His people (cf. Hebrews 13:5-6). He provided deliverance when His people thought there was no hope. The result was that God"s people rededicated themselves to following the Lord faithfully. Their weeping gave way to rejoicing.
In this incident we also see Saul humble and hardworking ( 1 Samuel 11:5). God"s Spirit empowered him ( 1 Samuel 11:6), and gave him wisdom ( 1 Samuel 11:7-8) and victory ( 1 Samuel 11:11). Saul gave God the glory for his success, and he was merciful and forgiving toward his critics ( 1 Samuel 11:13). God also gave him favor in the eyes of His people ( 1 Samuel 11:15; cf. 1 Samuel 2:30; Proverbs 16:7).