Saul is Chosen as King

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(1 Samuel 9:1) Now there was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.

In the last chapter, the Israelites decided they wanted a king to rule over them instead of God and His judges.  God told Samuel to go ahead and find the people a king even though He did not approve.  Meanwhile, we learn of a Benjamite named Kish who came from a long line of Benjamites.  He was a man of great strength.

(2) And he had a son whose name was Saul, a choice young man and goodly, and not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he, from his shoulders and upward higher than any of the people.    

Kish had a son named Saul who was a fine man probably in stature and looks, and a good man, as good a man to be found among the Israelites.  He was a very tall man, as well, taller than any other.

(3) And the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, "Take now one of the servants with you, and arise, go look for the donkeys."

Kish's donkeys were lost, and he told his son Saul to take a servant and to go look for them.

(4) And he passed through Mount Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalisha, but they did not find them. Then they passed through the land of Shaalim, and not there, and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they did not find them. (5) When they had come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, "Come and let us return lest my father cease caring for the donkeys and take thought for us."

Saul and his servant passed through Mount Ephraim, Shalisha, Shaalim, and all through the land of the Benjamites, but they did not find the donkeys.  When they came to the land of Zuph (where Ramah was), Saul told his servant that they should go back before his father started worrying about them.

(6) And he said to him, "Behold now, in this city there is a man of God, and an honorable man; all that he says comes surely to pass. Now let us go there; perhaps he can show us our way that we should go."

Saul's servant told him that there was a man of God there in that city in Zuph.  He was an honorable man and a prophet whose words always came to pass.  He suggested that they go to him and see if he could tell them which way they should go.  With that city being Ramah, the honorable prophet was, of course, Samuel.

(7) Then Saul said to his servant, "But behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? For the bread is spent in our vessels, and no present to bring to the man of God. What have we?" (8) And the servant answered Saul again, and said, "Behold, I have here at hand one fourth of a shekel of silver; I will give that to the man of God to tell us our way."

However, Saul told his servant that they had nothing to give the man.  It was a custom that if one asked a great man for a favor, he should bring a gift for him.  Or perhaps, as a prophet, he expected the man to charge for his prophecy.  But they had no bread nor any money nor anything of value to give such a man.  However, his servant said that he did have a quarter of a shekel of silver, and he would give that to the man of God in exchange for telling them how they should go.

(9) (Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, he spoke thus, "Come and let us go to the seer," for he now called a prophet was beforetime called a seer.)

As this is a parenthetical statement, I believe it is made to explain how people might seek seers and perhaps it was customary to pay them.  It also explains why Saul and his servant ask for a seer in verse 11.

(10) Then Saul said to his servant, "Well said, come let us go." So they went to the city where the man of God was.

Saul agreed with his servant that that was a good plan, and they went to the city, Ramah, where the man of God, Samuel, was.

(11) As they went up the hill to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said to them, "Is the seer here?" (12) And they answered them, and said, "He is, behold, he is before you. Make haste now for he came today to the city for a sacrifice of the people today in the high place."

As they went up the hill to the city, they saw some young maidens going down the hill to fetch some water, and they asked them if the seer was there.  They answered that indeed he was, and he was ahead of them also going up to the city for a sacrifice of the people that day in the high place at the top of the hill.

(13) "As soon as you come into the city, you shall straightway find him before he goes up to the high place to eat, for the people will not eat until he comes because he blesses the sacrifice; afterwards, they eat who are invited. Now therefore, get up, for about this time you shall find him."

The maidens went on to tell Saul and his servant that the seer had gone up to the high place to eat, but they would find him before he went to the feast to bless the sacrifice, if they hurried and went straight there.

(14) And they went up into the city. When they were coming into the city, behold, Samuel came out opposite them to go up to the high place.

Indeed, when Saul and his servant went up into the city, they saw Samuel coming toward them from his place into the high place in the city.

(15) Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying, (16) "Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man out of the land of Benjamin and you shall anoint him captain over My people Israel that he may save My people out of the hand of the Philistines, because their cry has come to Me."

The Lord had told Samuel the day before that He would send to him the next day a man out of Benjamin whom He wanted Samuel to anoint as captain over His people Israel.  He had heard the cries of His people, and He wanted that man to save His people out of the hand of the Philistines.

(17) And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, "Behold the man of whom I spoke to you. This same shall reign over My people."

When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord spoke to him again and told him that Saul was the one He had spoken of the day before, the one He chose to reign over His people Israel.

(18) Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, "Tell me, I pray you, where is the seer's house?" (19) And Samuel answered Saul, and said, "I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today, and tomorrow I will let you go and will tell you all that is in your heart."

Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate and asked him where he might find the seer.  Samuel told him that he was the seer he sought.  He told him to go on up to the high place and participate in the feast, for Samuel would have Saul eat with him that day.  Then he could depart the next day when and after Samuel would answer all his questions for which he had sought the seer in the first place.

(20) "And as for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on you and all your father's house?"

Samuel went on to tell Saul not to worry about his donkeys, for they had been found.  He also rhetorically asked on whom was the desire of all Israel, meaning the king they wanted.  Was it not on him and his father's house, indicating Saul was the one to be king.

(21) And Saul answered and said, "Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? And my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak to me so?"

Saul answered Samuel, pointing out he was from the smallest tribe in Israel, and from a family that was least among the families in that tribe.  Therefore, he asked why Samuel would talk to him in that manner.

(22) And Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the parlor and made them sit in the chiefest place among them who were invited, which were about thirty persons.

Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the parlor which was the dining room of the house of the high place.  He placed them in the most honored places at the table among the thirty people who had been invited.

(23) And Samuel said to the cook, "Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, 'Set it by you.'"

Samuel told the cook to bring the portion which he had given the cook earlier, instructing him to set it aside by him, not serving it to anyone else.

(24) And the cook took up the shoulder and what was on it and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, "Behold that which is left, set before you, eat! For until this time has it been kept for you since I said, 'I have invited the people.'" So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

The cook took up the shoulder and the meat attached to it, which some Biblical scholars think meant the breast, and he set it before Saul.  The right shoulder and breast in peace offerings were given to the priest.  In this case, it was Samuel's portion, and he gave it to Saul as a token of the highest honor.  Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, wrote that "it was an emblem of the government to which he was now called."  He referred to prophecy in Isaiah 9:6, which said a child would be born, and the government would be upon His shoulder.  That of course, referred to Jesus Christ.  However, the government would now be upon the shoulder of Israel's king.  Samuel told Saul that he had set back that portion ever since he had invited the people to the feast.  So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

(25) And when they had come down from the high place into the city, Samuel communed with Saul on the top of the house. (26) And they arose early, and it came to pass about the spring of the day that Samuel called Saul to the top of the house, saying, "Up, that I may send you away." And Saul arose, and they went out, both of them, he and Samuel, outside.

After the feast at the high place, Samuel and Saul went back to Samuel's house where they communed on the roof of Samuel's house.  The houses back then were all flat allowing people to sit, commune, and sometimes even sleep in the fresh air.  The next morning about daybreak, Samuel called Saul again to the roof from where he apparently wanted to send Saul on his way.  They both went outside on the roof.

(27) As they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, "Tell the servant to pass on before us" (and he passed on), "but stand here awhile that I may show you the word of God."

It seems going out on the roof took them outside where they walked together to the end of the city.  Samuel told Saul to send his servant on ahead, which he did, but asked him to stay behind while Samuel shared with him the word of God.

(1 Samuel 10:1) Then Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it upon his head and kissed him, and said, "Is it not because the Lord has anointed you captain over His inheritance?"

Then Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it on Saul's head.  He kissed him in reverence and respect to him, asking him rhetorically if that was not because the Lord Himself had anointed Saul captain over His inheritance, His people Israel.

(2) "When you have departed from me today, then you shall find two men by Rachel's sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah, and they will say to you, 'The donkeys which you went to seek are found, and lo, your father has left the care of the donkeys and sorrows for you, saying, "What shall I do for my son?"'"

Samuel, the seer, the prophet of God, told Saul when he had departed from him, he would come to two men at the tomb of Rachel which was on the border of Benjamin and Judah, at a place called Zelzah.  They would tell him that his donkeys had been found, but now his father had ceased worrying about the donkeys, and was worried and sorrowful for him, Saul, wondering what had happened to his son.

(3) "Then shall you go on forward from there and you shall come to the plain of Tabor, and there shall meet you three men going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine. (4) And they will salute you and give you two loaves of bread which you shall receive of their hands."

Samuel continued prophesying, telling Saul that after he left Zelzah, he would come to the plain of Tabor (not the foot of Mount Tabor, but a different place).  There he would meet three men going up to Bethel to worship God, probably at Jacob's altar (Genesis 28:19).  One man would be carrying three kid goats, another three loaves of bread, and the other a bottle of wine.  The men would greet Saul and give him two loaves of bread which Saul was to accept.  

(5) "After that you shall come to the hill of God where the garrison of the Philistines is, and it shall come to pass, when you have come there to the city, that you shall meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them, and they shall prophesy; (6) And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you shall prophesy with them and shall be turned into another man."

After leaving the three men, Saul would come to "the hill of God."  The word translated as "hill" is "gibah" and is the same word as Gibeah, the place.  There was a high place in Gibeah, probably hence the name, and this was closer to Saul's home, and it makes good sense he would have reached there by that time.  Apparently, there was a garrison of the Philistines there.  It being a hill, the Philistines probably kept a watch on the top of the hill, with a company of soldiers to keep the Israelites in check.  When he came into the city, Saul would meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with several musical instruments, and they would prophesy.  The Spirit of the Lord would come upon Saul, and he would prophesy with them.  And he would be turned into another man.  Perhaps a "new man" as one becomes after accepting Christ, "renewed in knowledge after the image of Him who created him" (Colossians 3:10).

(7) "And let it be, when these signs are come to you, you do as occasion serves you, for God is with you."

When those signs had all come to Saul, he was to do as the occasion required, for he would then be furnished with the wisdom to undertake what was necessary for his office, and God would be with him.  How incredibly detailed was Samuel's prophecy!  There could be no doubt he was a true prophet of God, and Saul could have great confidence to trust everything Samuel had said.

(8) "And you shall go down before me to Gilgal, and behold, I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings, to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings; seven days shall you tarry till I come to you and show you what you shall do."

Samuel then told Saul that he was to go before him to Gilgal, wait there seven days, and Samuel would come to him and offer burnt offerings and sacrifices and then show Saul what to do, surely as shown him by inspiration of God.  However, this was not to be immediately, as we will see in the forthcoming scriptures.  Most Biblical scholars agree that "it may be this was a general rule to be observed by Saul, that whenever anything turned up of importance to the children of Israel, and was a difficulty with him, he should go to Gilgal, and there wait seven days for Samuel, from the time he gave him notice of it, who would come at the appointed time, and would give him what advice and instructions were necessary" (Dr. John Gill); thus he would be guided by God through Samuel.

(9) And it was so that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart, and all those signs came to pass that day.

Interestingly, the Biblical scholars whom I study who chose to comment on this, made it a point to say that this new heart was not the new heart and new spirit as in conversion, but rather another heart and wisdom fit for government.  This was probably due to the fact we may later discover by his actions, that Saul was not a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), or I should say in His Holy Spirit, as the person of Christ was not available to Saul at that time.  All of Samuel's prophesies for that day came to pass.

(10) And when they came there to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.

"They" came to the hill or Gibeah.  I'm not sure if Samuel had rejoined Saul at this point, or if this was Saul and his servant, but when they came to that place, indeed a company of prophets met Saul, and the Spirit of God came upon him so that he prophesied among the prophets.

(11) And it came to pass, when all who knew him beforetime saw that behold, he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another, "What is this come to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?"

When the people who knew Saul before then saw him prophesying, they wondered among themselves how the son of Kish had come to be among the prophets.  They had known Saul to be a herdsman who took care of his father's farm and flock, and now he was among the prophets performing as well as any of them.

(12) And one of the same place answered and said, "But who is their father?" Therefore it became a proverb, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

Some other people asked rhetorically who the father of the prophets was.  It was God who inspired them and instructed them; their gift did not come from their parents.  God inspired and used whom He wished so He could just as easily have inspired Saul as anyone else.  Therefore it became a saying among the people, "Isn't Saul also among the prophets?"  That saying could be used as encouragement that even Saul was among the prophets, so anyone could be.  However, it could also be used to diminish the father or leader who would admit such a person as Saul into his company.  I can't help but relate this to the people during Jesus's time who were offended by Him because they knew Him only as the carpenter's son (Matthew 13:54-57).  Jesus had said then that a prophet did not have honor in his own home among his own people, and that is because they did know him so well as an ordinary person that they could not comprehend that he had become a prophet of God.

(13) And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place.

Saul made an end of prophesying.  His place was not to be a prophet of God.  One can only truly prophesy when inspired by God's Holy Spirit.  Saul was given the gift for a short time to make him respectable among the people because God had honored him with a special gift, and when he was chosen as king, the people would more readily receive him.  When he had stopped prophesying, Saul went to the high place where the prophets had come from (verse 5), probably to thank and praise God for the honor He had bestowed on him.

(14) And Saul's uncle said to him and to his servant, "Where did you go?" And he said, "To seek the donkeys and when we saw they were nowhere, we went to Samuel."

It would seem that Saul's uncle was at the high place, as well.  He asked Saul where he and his servant had gone as they had been gone for so long.  Saul told him that they had gone to look for his father's donkeys, but when they could find them nowhere, they went to Samuel.

(15) And Saul's uncle said, "Tell me, I pray you, what Samuel said to you." (16) And Saul said to his uncle, "He told us plainly that the donkeys were found." But of the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel spoke, he did not tell him.

Saul's uncle asked Saul to tell him what Samuel had said to him.  He told him that he had told them that the donkeys had been found.  However, he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about his being made king.

(17) And Samuel called the people together to the Lord to Mizpeh, (18) And said to the children of Israel, "Thus says the Lord God of Israel, 'I brought up Israel out of Egypt and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all kingdoms, of them who oppressed you.' (19) And you have this day rejected your God, who Himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations, and you have said to Him, 'No, but set a king over us.' Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands."

Samuel called all the people together at Mizpeh, the one in the tribe of Benjamin, where he had called the people to pray for them in 1 Samuel 7:5.  He told all the people the words of the Lord, that He had brought them out of Egypt and delivered them from the Egyptians and had continued to deliver them out of the hands of all kingdoms that had oppressed them.  Yet they had rejected their Lord who had always saved them from their adversities and had decided they now needed a king to save them.  Samuel told the people to present themselves before the Lord in groups by their tribes and by the rulers of the thousands into which their tribes were divided.

(20) And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken.

When Samuel had brought all the tribes together before him, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by Urim and Thummim, or by casting lots to reveal the will of God.

(21) When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken, and when they sought him, he could not be found.

The tribe of Benjamin came forward by their families, and the family of Matri was chosen.  Nowhere else in the Bible is the name Matri mentioned, but he was undoubtedly head of a family within the tribe of Benjamin, of which Kish and his son Saul were a part.  The lot eventually came down to Saul, but when the people looked for him, they could not find him.

(22) Therefore they enquired of the Lord further, if the man should yet come there. And the Lord answered, "Behold, he has hidden himself among the stuff."

The people inquired of the Lord again, probably through the same means He had been showing them who their king should be.  They wondered if their king was there or if they should expect him to come.  The Lord answered that he was hiding behind some stuff, household tools, equipment, arms, baggage the people may have brought, whatever stuff was there.  I don't know if Saul felt unworthy, unwilling, or embarrassed, but I can't help but think about the people's rejection of their Lord as their king to have this man in hiding be their king.

(23) And they ran and fetched him from there, and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.

The people ran to him and brought him among them.  He was a very tall man, head and shoulders above the rest of the people.  The people probably thought him very majestic.  I still can't rid myself of the image of their tall majestic king in hiding.  They wanted that instead of their Lord God who was greater than all (Exodus 18:11, John 10:29).

(24) And Samuel said to all the people, "See him whom the Lord has chosen, that there is none like him among all the people?" And all the people shouted and said, "God save the king!"

Samuel pointed out to the people that the Lord had chosen Saul, and they could see that there was none like him among all the people.  In stature and appearance, that was true, but I wonder if there wasn't a part of Samuel that thought, "See what you have chosen above the Lord?"  After all, he had been most displeased that the people wanted a king.  Whether he was thinking it or not, I believe it is a perfect illustration of what people get when they choose anyone or anything over God.  Even though he was the best among men, their desired king was a sniveling coward compared to Almighty God.

(25) Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom and wrote it in a book and laid it up before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.

Samuel told the people the laws and rules by which the kingly government was to operate, and he wrote it down in a book and laid it before the Lord, which probably meant before the ark of the covenant.  Then Samuel sent the people back to their homes.

(26) And Saul also went home to Gibeah, and there went with him a band of men whose hearts God had touched.

Saul also went back to his home in Gibeah, not yet to any grand palace.  A group of men went with him, men whose hearts God had touched and made them inclined to show honor and respect to their king.

(27) But the children of Belial said, "How shall this man save us?" And they despised him and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.

The children of wickedness, which is what Belial means, despised Saul and did not think him able to save them.  Without God, he would not be able to, that is true, but we are told these were wicked men, so their reasoning was not because they preferred God to man, but they had no faith in God's choice.  They brought him no presents as others did, but Saul took no notice, or at least he acted as if it did not matter to him.

The Israelites wanted to be as the other nations and have a king to rule over them, and God provided one, although He saw it as a rejection of Him.  How patient and good is our Lord!  This shows how people do not know what is best for them.  I think about this with regard to prayer all the time.  I don't know what is best; only God does.  I may think I know what is best, but my desire may just get in the way of a more perfect plan of God.  If only we could just trust in God's will, that it be done, and let go, and let God.  However, God still acts in love for us, sometimes giving us what we want, and letting us learn for ourselves why it is not always best.  Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, pointed out that those who knew the scriptures back then would be able to foresee that the family of Saul would not succeed for long.  It was the tribe of Judah that would rule as a lion, and "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes" (Genesis 49:10); Benjamin was just a ravenous wolf (Genesis 49:27).