1 Samuel 11 - Saul's Victory over the Ammonites | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

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In this video listen to 1 Samuel Chapter 11, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.
In 1 Samuel Chapter 11 is Saul’s first battle as king. In this battle he wins the hearts of the people of Israel and they accept him.
Jabesh Gilead is threatened by Nahash of Ammon. The citizens plead peace, but Nahash wants to gouge out their right eyes. Apparently the name Nahash means “snake” or serpent. So we may be dealing with a symbol of Satan in this narrative. His name may also mean “oracle” according to Lockyer (cited in Coffman)
According to Josephus this brutal eye-gouging act was so that they were unable to fight. Effectively it meant they couldn’t shoot a bow properly with only one eye, and make them subject permanently.
In the Dead Sea Scrolls in 4QSam - an extra verse was found in the Samuel Scroll - “Now Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had been grievously oppressing the Gadites and the Reubenites. He would gouge out the right eye of each of them and would not grant Israel a deliverer. No one was left of the Israelites across the Jordan whose right eye Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had not gouged out. But there were seven thousand men who had escaped from the Ammonites and had entered Jabesh-gilead.”
Very interestingly in Matt 5:29 Jesus said if your “right eye” causes you to sin, pluck it out.
In the early period of Saul’s kingship he was moved by God and served in the power of the Lord, but his hard heart and disobedience later grieved the Spirit. Saul struck in the morning watch, the middle of the night. The ammonites were unsuspecting, and defeated. Much later when Saul was killed by the Philistines on Mt Gilboa, it was the brave men of Jabesh Gilead who took down his body from the wall at Beth Shan and buried it. This city retained a sense of affection towards Saul all of his life after this event.