11:11
In the meantime Saul was on his way and on arriving organised his troops into three divisions. In the morning he attacked the Ammonite camp and slaughtered them. Very few were left alive, and they were widely scattered. In military terms it is a lot easier to attack an army that is out in the open, which is what the Ammonites were, than to attack an army that is holed up in a town (which is what happened at Stalingrad).
11:12,13
When Saul had been publically anointed as king there were some who had refused to give allegiance to Saul. Those who had honoured Saul, now offered to kill the renegades. Saul, however, declared that no one was to be executed, for the Lord had delivered His people. While Saul had many faults, he was not totally bad. Here he is being magnanimous in victory.
11:14,15
Samuel then seizes the moment and calls on the people to go up to Gilgal and “renew the kingship there”. If Saul had allowed the renegades to be killed it could have allowed division to take root in the nation. Instead Samuel can engender unity in the land. So Saul was made king (again) and there was unity and rejoicing. Offerings were also made to the Lord.
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