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Jack Hibbs: The enemy though attacks and his attack plan is always, listen, always to blind our vision, to cause us not to see.

David J: Welcome to Real Life Radio with Pastor Jack Hibbs. I'm David J, thanking you for joining us today as we listen, learn, and are challenged by God's word, the Bible.

Guest (Male): In a world growing darker by the day, will you stand firm or be swept away? Pastor Jack Hibbs' new book, *Called to Take a Bold Stand*, is a wake-up call for every believer. With biblical clarity and real-life conviction, Jack Hibbs shows you how to overcome fear, hold fast to truth, and make every moment count.

That's *Called to Take a Bold Stand* by Pastor Jack Hibbs. Get your copy for a gift of any amount at JackHibbs.com/RealRadio.

David J: On today's edition of Real Life Radio, Pastor Jack continues in his series now called 1 Samuel and a message titled, "O Say, Can You See?" part one. Samuel of the Old Testament was the last judge of Israel, and he was the first of its prophets. So here in chapter 11, we'll learn how Saul steps forward to defend Israel, even when his kingship was not yet fully established.

You see, when serious threats arise, real leadership requires taking responsibility. Samuel anointed Saul as king, but his position was not yet settled. Still, when Saul sees that what was happening would not only affect him but his people, it motivated him to act.

So today Pastor Jack teaches that just as the people of Israel came together under Saul's leadership to rescue and protect the vulnerable, we need to realize that seeing injustice or suffering is just not enough. We too must act with purpose and unity, even at the risk of failure. Now with his message called "O Say, Can You See?" part one, here's pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs.

Jack Hibbs: First Samuel 11:1. "Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh-gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash," (don't worry, we'll come back and talk about these people), "make a covenant with us, and we will serve you. And Nahash the Ammonite answered them and said, on this condition, I will make a covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes and bring reproach on all Israel."

Then the elders of Jabesh said to him, hold off for seven days that we may send messengers to all the territories of Israel, and then if there's no one to help us or save us, we will come out to you. So the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the news in the hearing of all the people, and all the people lifted up their voices and they began to weep. Now there was Saul coming behind the herd from the field, and Saul said, what troubles the people that they weep so? And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh.

Then the spirit of God came upon Saul when he had heard this news, and his anger was greatly aroused. So he took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all of the territories of Israel by the hands of messengers saying, whoever does not go out with Saul and Samuel to battle, so it shall be done to his oxen. And the fear of the Lord fell upon all the people, and they came out with one consent or having one mind.

And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were 300,000 and the children of Judah, 30,000. And they said to the messengers who came, thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh-gilead, tomorrow by the time the sun is hot, you shall have help. Then the messengers came and reported to the men of Jabesh, and they were glad. Therefore the men of Jabesh said, tomorrow we'll come out to you and you may do with us whatever seems good to you.

So it was on the next day that Saul put the people in three companies, and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch and killed the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And it happened that those who survived were scattered so that no two of them stood together. Then the people said to Samuel, who is he who said, shall Saul reign over us? Bring these men to us that we may put them to death.

But Saul said, not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the Lord has accomplished salvation in Israel. Then Samuel said to the people, come let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there. So all the people went to Gilgal and there they made Saul king before the Lord at Gilgal. There they made sacrifices of peace offerings before the Lord, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly. O say, can you see?

Listen carefully. Get the players down. It's important. If you're note-taking or if you have margins in your Bible, write them down. It's very important. Nahash, he's a bad guy. He's a king of a bunch of bad dudes. The Ammonites are bad people. This was not the only battle Israel would have with them. There would be other battles to come. But Nahash, mark it down. You Bible students, you're going to want to know this.

Nahash, his name in Hebrew means snake or snakelike. It can also be translated as one that is made of metal or steel, of copper or brass. Some of you are getting it already. One who is snakelike, one whose name can also be copper or brass? Remember when Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness made out of brass? A symbol of Jesus Christ on the cross, prophetically to the future. Yes, but what was judged at the cross? Our sin. And Satan was judged at the cross, wasn't he?

Nahash, snakelike, one who's made out of metal like copper or bronze or brass. What a name. What a story is before us. It's already interesting. We could stop right here and have a good time with this. It's amazing. Now, the Ammonite nations, they were followers of his. He was their king. They were completely a group of nomadic, despotic people. They were marauders. They were tyrants, renegades, rogue people. They dwelt in caves. They were hard to predict.

Thus Nahash, in his name even, being their leader, one who is like a snake. What is a snake like? It's very slippery and difficult to deal with, isn't it? Isn't it interesting? Israel is going to go to war, the nation of God is going to go to war against this one who is snakelike. It tells us the story in his name. I find that extremely interesting.

Jabesh-gilead is a place that is, in your mind's eye, it's north of Israel. It is across the Jordan River on today's Jordanian side. For those of you who have been to Israel, it's almost opposite Beth-shean on the other side of the Jordan River. And that's where these people were dwelling quietly, enjoying themselves. But Nahash surprises and comes against and attacks them.

But he first attacks them with words. We're going to march through this thing and hopefully glean a lot out of this, but note this: the attack first comes with words. Christian, write that down. The attack that will come first of all to us usually will take the form of words. In fact, I think almost always in some way or another the attack will come via words. It could be doctrine, it could be propaganda, whatever.

The enemy though attacks and his attack plan is always, listen, always to blind our vision, to cause us not to see. If the enemy, if Satan can get you and I to not see all of God's power for our lives, or all of God's power for our homes, or all of God's power for our nation, if Satan can get us to focus on one aspect of something, you run around putting out all the little fires while the building falls down. Satan loves to bother God's people with little fires, little nipping words, things like this.

Notice as we go through this study how much, though this story is thousands of years old, how much it applies to our lives, not only my life and your life, but our nation. Four points total. Jot down the number one point this evening. It's in verses 1, 2, and 3. One through three, and that is this: the enemy delights in compromise. O say, can you see? What? Whenever we compromise, we lose our sight. We can't see as well.

Whenever a man, a woman, a team for God is hot and pursuing God, what is Satan's plan? Get their vision blurred, just skew it a little bit. And so the question is, O say, can you see? And you might be here this evening saying, I can see fine. Are you sure? Because I tell you, as I went through this study, I'm asking my own heart, am I seeing things okay? God, am I seeing things through your eyes? Because I can be so easily distracted by my life.

So the first thing I realized in verses 1, 2, and 3 is the first point to our study is if Nahash, who's a former type of Satan, if he could get you to focus on something like fear and attack and hurt and get your mind and your eye off of what is just and right and holy and good, he's got you going. Look what happens here. I'm going to offer to you that the enemy delights in compromise. Number one because he loves to do this by wrapping us up in fear. Write it down.

Compromise often comes by tempting us to fear. Verse one, "Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against." He didn't even attack them. He just pulled his wagon train around the city, around their tents. That's so satanic. That's how Satan works in my life. He just brings in his wagons, circles around, and goes "Boo." And if I don't have my eyes on God, I'm going to jump.

David J: You're listening to Real Life with Pastor Jack Hibbs. To learn more about this ministry or to catch up on some previous episodes, go to JackHibbs.com. That's JackHibbs.com. And now let's get back to today's message. Once again, here's Pastor Jack.

Jack Hibbs: Interestingly enough, last night a couple of families came up to me. They didn't even want to talk about the Song of Solomon series. Independently, they came up and they wanted to talk about the demonic activity that's been going on in their Christian home. And I said, I've got to tell you that you should be rejoicing. I said it's been going on in my house too. Amazingly.

Last Sunday, third service, I'm always standing over here before the service or as the worship portion is concluding, before the word is to be taught. I'm usually standing over here. But on third service I didn't for some reason, and while you were singing "The Battle Belongs to the Lord," (I never would have remembered that normally), I came down the aisle, came up here and, to be honest with you, I was just trying to survive third service. I kid you not, I was doing all that I had within me to survive third service.

And I got done and you guys were closing in the song, and I walked out there and a gentleman came up and said, I want to be very careful about what I'm going to say to you. And I said, okay. And you've got to understand, by third service I'm fried. I've almost heard it all. And this precious man said, I don't know how to tell you this, but God gave me a vision. And as I saw you, you walked past me up the middle aisle in the vision. And he goes, I don't have these things. I haven't had these things. This blew my mind. I hesitate even telling you this.

He said the whole audience in the church was packed. He said the whole crowd turned into like a Madison Square Garden setting. It was a prize fight scene. And he said as you walked down the aisle, he said in the vision, the stage became a boxing ring. And he said Satan was sitting in the corner right over there with his gloves on, and you came up and he said the crowd began to roar and the two boxers, the opponents, began to approach each other.

And just as the bell rang for the first punch to be delivered, God's hand came in and knocked Satan right absolutely out of the ring. And the guy said, Jack, that had to be from God. And I just told him, I said, brother, if you've known the week that I've had, that was from God. That's exactly what I told him. If you knew the week that I've been having, that's exactly from God. And I was encouraged by that.

Words. The circle being drawn around your home or your life, and you feel like you're caving in. Where's my help? Where's my strength? God's your deliverance. He's your strength. And often, let me encourage you, often when you feel like he's not going to deliver you, he's going to deliver everybody else but you. Have you noticed every Christian feels like that? I know he's going to save you. I know he's going to deliver you. I know he's going to come to your rescue as I just fade away.

But that's my trial, and the same thing happens to you in your trial. Isn't that funny? We can laugh because we can relate to that. I don't have any problem believing God's promises for your life. But I find myself rarely applying his promises to my life. I have great faith for you that God's going to do wonderful things in your life, but I don't have that faith for my life. Why? Because Satan is personal and he has a network of demons.

And their first line of propaganda is, are you ready? You're going to be surprised. Their first line of propaganda is don't believe in me and us. If you sit here tonight and say, I'm a Christian, but I don't believe in a personal devil, the Barna Poll, George Barna, his poll, he gave the statistics of how many Americans believe that Jesus is personal and God can be known personally. It was huge. And how many Christians or how many people claim that the Bible is the word of God?

And then he asked the question, do you believe in a personal devil? And half of those people who say they believe in the Bible said that there was a personal devil, which half of the people polled said that they believed in the Bible, in reality, do not believe in the Bible because Jesus said Satan's real and personal. He's not omnipresent. He doesn't know your thoughts, but he's been around enough to know the tendencies of mankind. And he's got a lot of little demons who work for him.

Should we be afraid? No. Should we respect his power? Of course. But know this: greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world. We've got to be careful. We've got to be prayerful. Satan is moving and don't get caught up into his scheme, be in God's plan. The people of Israel are panicking. There's an attack coming on, and fear is the first thing to wrap us up. And the enemy delights.

And we don't often, listen, we're guilty. We need to repent of this. We don't often equate fear and doubt with compromise. And my friend, the Lord has shown me today in just preparing for this that that's the first place that my compromise begins is in fear and in doubt. When I am doubting the Bible, I get myself in trouble. When I'm doubting the Bible, I get fearful. Compromise comes in and I make a bad call, bad judgment.

It happens, I believe, to every one of us. We have to be on guard. We have to be walking in the spirit that we do not fulfill the lust of the flesh. And I don't mean the lust of the flesh in all the normal type of stimulants, not that. The lust of the flesh for revenge. The lust of the flesh for us to do this or that. Or you know what, Israel? I tell you what we're going to do. No way.

Let's wait upon the Lord and do it God's way in our lives, with our kids, in our homes, and in our nation. Let's do it God's way. Thank God. And so listen, we need to be careful about the fact that the enemy will try to get us to compromise. And he's going to try it through Nahash against the children of Israel. Not only will the enemy try to wrap us up in fear, verse one, look at verse two. He will try to disable us. He will try to disable us in our ability to fight back.

Satan is against you. He's wanting to disable you so that you don't fight back. You say, Jack, are we really supposed to fight back? Listen, when Satan comes attacking you, the Bible demands that you pick up the sword of the spirit. Do you remember, we just quoted it in one of the services recently, that the weapons of our warfare are not earthly? Look at verse two. He delights in getting us to compromise if he can get us to be disabled, and that is unable to fight back.

"And Nahash and the Ammonites answered them and said, on this condition, I will make a covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes and bring reproach on all Israel." What? Yeah. At the end of verse two, when the invaders came, "Hey, we're going to get you guys." "Oh, wait, let's make a deal."

And it's amazing because in verse one they say, "Let's make a deal, let's draw up a covenant." And listen, the word in Hebrew means, "Let's draw up a covenant of cutting." Seriously, literally, cutting. You remember the old blood brothers deal? Let's cut our fingers and mix our blood, and brother to brother yours in life and death. Guys did that stuff. And so okay, we'll have an agreement, a covenant by cutting.

First of all, God said in his law, no cutting, Leviticus. Did you know that? Don't cut your flesh. To the nation of Israel, don't cut your skin. He says it's my skin. You think it's your skin? It's my skin. You're my people. I own you, I made you. Don't cut my skin. So God says no cutting. They say, we'll make a covenant with you. Hang on, give us time to think about it.

And so arrogant was Nahash that when these people said, give us seven days, we're going to think about it, he was so confident with his Ammonite troops that they were just going to sit in the circle, circle around about them and wait for seven days, so confident that nobody would come to the help of this poor group of people that these people succumbing to the attack and the compromise, the fear, were just...