And the next day Saul put the people in three companies. And they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together. (I Samuel 11:10,11 ESV)
Simple Tactics
Saul was not an experienced battle leader. But here, in his first major military campaign, he chooses his plan wisely.
Dividing an attacking force into three ‘wings’ is common in history.
Unrelenting pressure on the enemy is common in history.
Follow-through, after the battle is done, is common in history.
And Saul’s tactics should not surprise us.
Earlier in the chapter, we read that the Spirit of God came upon Saul. God was with Saul. And when Saul humbly followed that guidance, success resulted. The fact that the Spirit led Saul to commonly used, and successful, tactics is exactly what we might expect.
Because God’s ways of accomplishing His goals are not always outlandish, unusual, shocking, unnatural, or surprising.
Sometimes God asks His people to do what is normal.
In this battle, God used normal means, but it was still God at work.
God works through miracle AND mundane. God works through Faith AND Reason. God works through oddity AND common sense. God works through the unorthodox AND the orthodox.
What matters is God’s Spirit.