Learning from 1 Samuel 11 - Nahash and Spiritual Blindness

1 Samuel 11:2 – “But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel…”

“Nahash” literally means “serpent.” He was the enemy of Israel. He lived in or near the city that is called Amman, Jordan in modern times. This was not part of the Promised Land, but was next door to it. The Enemy of our souls has no place in the Inheritance, but he lurks nearby seeking our destruction. (See Genesis 4:7).

Here, he attacks Israelites living on the east side of the Jordan River. They had not wanted to enter the Promised Land generations before. They represent Christians who try to live in compromise, who try to live as close to the world as they can. These are believers trying to see how much they can get away with and still be saved. They are on the periphery of the church, not part of the core group of the church that really serves the Lord. The people of Jabesh Gilead also had a practical disadvantage (which was a big advantage for their enemy Nahash) - they were geographically isolated from most of the tribes of Israel. Christians today who isolate themselves from the Body of Christ, instead of being integrated into the heart of it, make themselves vulnerable to the Enemy.

Nahash is our archenemy, the father of lies, the deceiver. Here again we find the result of the serpent’s tracks, his plan to deceive. He proposes a false truce.

Our Enemy’s desire is always to enslave man to himself through sin and deception, spiritual blindness. His plan continues to be to kill, to steal and to destroy.

Not only he wanted to disable the soldiers of Jabesh Gilead, he also wanted to deprive them of their dignity. To put out the right eye was to reduce in 50% their ability to see. That would bring them discomfort, insecurity, and inability to fight in battle. How could a soldier fight without his right eye, with his seeing ability compromised? How could he use the shield? He would certainly be defeated.

The right eye put out speaks of the spiritual inability to see, to understand, to discern things as they really are - the perception of depth is gone. The Enemy seeks to remove the REVELATION from those who are isolated and uncommitted. Once revelation is missing, the person cannot fight or resist. The Enemy of our souls is not concerned about keeping us from books, human ideas, showy or pretentious church activities, etc. His goal is to eliminate revelation, our spiritual sight.

The people seek deliverance from the rest of Israel, the place where the king regins, where the Ark and the Tabernacle is located, and the Prophet Samuel guides and judges. This is the solution for us when we are threatened with the loss of revelation – the BODY. There we can find deliverance. That is how we can continue to have Light.

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