Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life and the time it takes to get to work.

I'm Jensen Holt McNair.

My husband and I are currently watching the extended version of the Lord of the Rings films.

Now, I loved Lord of the Rings, and as I was reading the

opening paragraph of 1 Samuel chapter 11, I kept having flashbacks to the battles of Helmsdeep and

of Gondor. Now, you don't have to love Lord of the Rings to follow this, okay? Just trust me.

In both of these battles, man finds themselves trapped, vastly outnumbered by

the orcs and the forces of evil. But they've been told to look for help at the first light

on the third day, or something along those lines. In both of these battles, things seem really

bleak. It's not looking good for man man. And then, bam, in comes reinforcements to come to their rescue. And there's always a savior figure riding in at the head. At Helms Deep, it's Gandalf, the white wizard. But in the Battle of Gondor, it's Aragorn, the rightful king. He's returning to rescue his people

and take his place on the throne. The armies that he brings with him bring about a sweeping

defeat of evil. Man is saved by their true king's rescue. Now, if you're reading along and already read through today's

chapter, then you get why I made the connection. Chapter 11 begins by introducing an enemy of God's

people, Nahash the Ammonite. Interestingly, in Hebrew, Nehash means serpent. If you're familiar with Scripture, then you'll know that the devil first presents himself as a serpent in Genesis 3, when he introduced evil into the world by deceiving humanity and leading Adam into disobedience and distrust of God. The failure of Adam sends all of creation into darkness, put under a curse. God then curses

the serpent, and in the same breath, poetically lays out his plan for redemption of his creation

that has just been marred by sin. Genesis 3.15, And I will put enmity between you, the serpent,

and the woman, between your offspring and hers. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. So, from the very beginning,

we are told to expect that the forces of the devil would come up against God's people. There would be

enmity, until finally, one of Eve's offspring come up against God's people. There would be enmity, until finally,

one of Eve's offspring would come and defeat him. And so, as we read 1 Samuel 11, this isn't

just a story about an epic battle in Israelite history. There's something deeper and spiritual

happening. Nahash, this man who represents the serpent, the devil, and his schemes to crush the seed of

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