1 Samuel 11:1–12:25
A month had passed since Saul was anointed king. In the meantime, the Ammonites attacked Israel at Jabesh. The news spread, and Israel wept. Saul heard the weeping as he worked with his oxen. “What’s the matter?” he asked. “Why are people crying?” Saul was told of the attack at Jabesh.
When Saul heard this, God’s Spirit came on him. Anger burned in him like fire. Quickly, he cut his oxen into pieces and sent them around Israel. This was Saul’s message: “Join me to fight the Ammonites. If you don’t, this will happen to your oxen.”
Over 300,000 soldiers joined Saul to scatter the Ammonites. Samuel saw Saul’s victory. “Let’s go to Gilgal,” Samuel told the people. “There we can set up the kingdom again.” Gilgal was where Joshua had first camped in Canaan.
There Samuel gave the kingdom to Saul. He offered sacrifices to God and said farewell to the people and recounted their history. “I’ll always pray for you,” Samuel said. “Serve the Lord faithfully. Don’t be wicked again. If you are, you and your king will be swept away.
Questions: What was Saul doing when he heard of the Ammonite attack? What did Samuel say he would always do for Israel?