Previously in 1 Samuel, we saw that some time had passed since the revival that had taken place at Mizpah, and the spiritual fervor of the nation had waned. Samuel was now an old man, and he had appointed his sons as judges in Beersheba who did not judge with integrity as he did. The children of Israel became discontented, and they demanded Samuel appoint them a king that they would be like the other nations. The Lord told Samuel to warn them how a king would rule over them, but they wanted one anyway. This was not God’s will for them, but in this case, He would give them what they wanted because their minds were made up. This was a bad decision on the part of Israel, but the Lord would still seek to work with them and even provide some tremendous blessings through their monarchy. However, it would never be as good as it could have been if they would have accepted the Lord as their king. The chapter ended with Samuel telling the people to go back to their tents.
In chapter 9, the scene shifts to a man named Kish, who was a mighty man of wealth, and he was from the tribe of Benjamin. Kish had a son named Saul, meaning asked for. At first glance this may seem similar to the meaning of Samuel, but with some differences. Hannah had asked God for a son in accordance with the will of God, while the people had asked Samuel to give them a king contrary to the will of God. We are also told he was choice and handsome. In fact, there was not a better-looking guy in all Israel. He was also tall; he was head and shoulders above any of the people. According to some, he could have been upwards of seven feet tall. So, he had wealth, good looks, and he had an impressive physical stature, all desirable things in a king, right? However, there are a couple of things to take note of here: first, it had already been prophesied that the scepter and lawgiver would come through Judah (GEN 49:10). Second, the only thing that was not mentioned about Saul was his relationship with the Lord, meaning it was probably either nonexistent or not very important to him. Right away we can see this first king was destined to fail, but it was all a part of the purpose and will of God.
Now, Saul’s father’s donkeys were lost, so he asked Saul to take one of the servants and go look for them. Saul thought he was on a mission to find his father’s donkeys, but the Lord had a lot bigger things in store for him. God often works through those seemingly trivial circumstances in life. They searched the countryside, but could not find the donkeys. Finally, Saul told his servant that they should go back home before his father forgot about the donkeys and began worrying about them. His servant responded that in the city where they were, there was a man of God who was honorable, and whatever he says comes to pass. Maybe he could tell them which way to go. Saul responded that they did not have anything to bring the man of God, since their food was all gone and they had nothing else to give him. His servant stated he had ¼ of a shekel of silver, and that he would give it to him. To this, Saul agreed, and they set out for the city where the man of God lived. It was customary to bring a gift to a man of God, but Samuel never charged for his services. We see a similar thing in the book of Acts: many of the believers sold their properties and brought the money to the apostles, but the apostles never required it of them or even asked they do such a thing. It was done voluntarily rather than through compulsion. Prior to this point, when a person went to enquire of God, they would call the man a seer, but now they were called prophets. A seer refers to someone who would see super natural sites such as visions or dreams, while a prophet may also receive direct words from the Lord. A seer was always a prophet, but a prophet may not always be a seer. In the New Testament, the gift of prophecy can have a futuristic component to it, but its primary purpose is to forthtell the heart of God in a situation or circumstance.
As Saul and his servant approached the city, they saw women coming out to draw water, and according to Jewish legend, the women came out to see Saul because he was so good looking. This popularity that Saul had with the people could very well explain why he would have an ego problem that will show up a bit later. They asked the women if the seer was there, and they responded that he was just ahead of them. They stated that they should hurry to catch him in the city before he goes up to the high place to bless the sacrifice. If we recall, Samuel’s father was a Levite, of the sons of Kohath, the same tribe of which came Aaron and his sons who were priests. It is likely that Samuel fulfilled the role of priest after the death of Eli and his sons and the destruction of the tabernacle at Shiloh by the Philistines. This is further evidenced by the fact that the people would not eat of the sacrifice until Samuel had blessed it, as well as Samuel’s later direction to Saul not to sacrifice to the Lord until he was present. So, Saul and his servant went up to the city to find Samuel.
As they were coming into the city, Samuel was leaving to go up to the high place. Now, the Lord had told Samuel in his ear the day before, “Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him commander over My people Israel, that he may save My people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come to Me.” Notice, that although they had made a bad decision in demanding a king, the Lord was not leaving them to the mercy of the Philistines, but He was still listening to their cries. This is a reminder to us that the Lord is a good Father who loves his children. Notice also, the Lord spoke to Sameul in his ear, thus indicating Samuel’s close relationship with Him. When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said, “There he is, the man of whom I spoke to you. This one shall reign over My people.” As one commentator put it, “God’s speaking one day will be confirmed by His speaking another day.” When the Lord is speaking to us about something important, He will often confirm it somehow. The Lord does not want us to make decisions on a whim or in haste.
Saule came near to Samuel in the gate, and asked him where the seer’s house was. Samuel responded, “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. But as for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not be anxious about them, for they have been found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on you and on all your father’s house?” Not only had Saul found the seer on the first try, Samuel had told him about his donkeys (something he could not have known apart from the Lord) and also about he and his father’s house being desired by the whole nation. I’m sure Saul was impressed, but he was also not quite sure what to make of it all. He 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 like this to me?” Remember, his entire tribe was almost wiped out by the rest of the nation for their sin. It is reasonable to assume that Saul knew what Sameul was referring to, for the elders (probably from each tribe) had previously met together to demand a king. It was probably the talk of the nation, who would be appointed as king.
Samuel took Saul and his servant into the hall where they would eat, and had them sit in the place of honor, a seat next to the host. We are told there were about 30 people present. Although we are all equal in the Lord’s eyes regardless of our position or rank, it still is important to honor and show respect to those in prominent positions. Saul was going to be their first king, and he was chosen by God. Samuel told the cook to bring the portion he had previously said to set apart, and the cook brought the thigh and its upper part (the priestly portion) and set it before Saul. This was also customary for the host to honor someone with the special portion of the meal. Samuel told Saul to eat it, because he had kept it back for him.
After the meal, they came down from the high place and went to Samuel’s house where Saul and Samuel talked on the roof top for a while. We don’t know what they talked about, but we can speculate that, among other things, they talked about what it meant to be a godly leader of a nation. In the morning, Samuel called Saul down from the roof top, and told him it was time to get going.
As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel told Saul to have his servant pass on ahead of them while Saul stood still, and he would announce to him the word of God. Then Samuel poured a flask of oil over Saul’s head, kissed him, and said, “Is it not because the Lord has anointed you commander over His inheritance?” The anointing of oil is a common practice we see in the Scriptures. It is not some superstition or hocus pocus, but is symbolic of the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit upon a person for healing or an equipping for service. Samuel then gave Saul a series of signs that would come to pass as a confirmation this calling and anointing was from the Lord. First, when he left, he would encounter two men by Rachel’s tomb who would tell him that the donkeys had been found, and that his father was now worried about him. He was then to continue forward to the terebinth tree of Tabor, and three men would meet him on their way to Bethel. One would be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and the third a skin of wine. They would greet him and offer him two of the loaves, which he was to receive of their hands. After this, he would come to the hill of God (Gibeah) where the Philistine’s garrison was, and when he came to the city, he would meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with musical instruments and prophesying as they came. The Spirit of the Lord would then come upon him, and he would be turned into another man. Samuel then gave Saul somewhat of an exhortation or warning: “And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you.” Whenever the Lord warns us, we need to take note. He knows the future, and He knows us better than we know ourselves. This would be one of Saul’s greatest downfalls, he would often shrink away from God’s calling on his life, and at times out-right disobey the word of the Lord. Samuel told him to wait at Gilgal seven days, and then he would meet him there to offer burnt and peace offerings to the Lord and tell Saul what he should do.
When Saul turned his back to leave from Samuel, it states the Lord gave him another heart. Then all the signs that Samuel predicted came to pass. When Saul met the prophets, the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. Although believers in Old Testament times did not receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, this is a picture of what would later happen in the Church age. Despite man’s best efforts, he cannot make himself good. Sometimes we can clean up our act outwardly (or least give that appearance), but we cannot change our hearts. It is the work of Jesus Christ through the person of the Holy Spirit to change a man’s heart. For us who trust in Jesus Christ, He makes dead men and women alive, making us into a new creation. Saul was a changed man as he believed the word of the Lord through Samuel, and then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him to equip him for the calling of being king. So too, the Spirit of God will come upon believers in Jesus Christ to equip them for service. This surprised the people when they found out that Saul prophesied along with the other prophets, and they made a proverb, “Is Saul also among the prophets?
After this, Saul’s uncle questioned him and his servant where they had gone. Saul told him they had gone to look for the donkeys, and when they couldn’t find them, they went to Samuel. Saul’s uncle wanted to know what Samuel had told them, and Saul responded that Samuel told them plainly the donkeys were found, not mentioning anything about the kingdom. Saul’s public proclamation would come later, so it may have been a wise thing to keep it to himself at that moment.
Saul had a pretty spectacular calling to service, as well as a pretty spectacular confirmation of that calling. Not everyone that is called by the Lord to something will have this same experience, but when the Lord calls us, He will make it clear. With such an amazing calling, one would think Saul was destined for greatness, but unfortunately the opposite was true. This is a possible indicator that Saul received such a confirmation because he was weak in faith and hard-hearted to the things of the Lord. Now, we are all at this point prior to salvation, but how we respond to the Lord is what makes the difference. We can even be weak and immature Christians, but how do we respond to the Lord when He tries to get our attention? The Lord could have done even greater signs to confirm Saul’s calling, but He gave him enough for a reasonable person through the eyes of faith to respond. The Lord was very gracious to him, but unfortunately Saul would not rise to the occasion. Thus far, Saul was anointed king privately by Samuel, but next he will be presented as king to the entire nation.
No comments:
Post a Comment