v1 “Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said: “Is it not because the LORD has anointed you commander over His inheritance? “
This was no public ceremony; Samuel had told Saul to send his men on ahead, probably to get the donkeys. It appears that there was just Samuel and Saul together when Samuel anointed Saul as the first king of Israel. This would have been a truly momentous occasion, but it was simply done in the presence of God. He poured oil over his head. This was a sign of God equipping him. He kissed him which was sign of oneness and support for him. Samuel was grieved that the people wanted a king, but he was prepared to obey The LORD and go ahead and give his full support. He made it clear that it was The LORD who was appointing him to this high calling, and he would be helpless without The LORD’s anointing, and he must never forget that he was to be commander over The LORD’s people, His inheritance. It was an awesome task, and he needed Almighty God.
Samuel gave him a sign that this was The LORD’s doing (v2) – when he left Samuel, he would find two men by Rachel’s tomb at Zelzah in the territory of Benjamin. They will tell him that the donkeys have been found, but his father was now worried about Saul’s whereabouts.
If that sign wasn’t enough, Samuel gave him another (v3,4). He was to to the terebinth tree at Tabor. There would be three men going to worship God at Bethel. One would be carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread and another a skin of wine. They would greet him and give him two loaves of bread which he was to receive. What precise circumstances! They could have been doing all sorts of things, but this was God’s doing and nothing happens by chance. We might ask, why would a man carrying three loaves give Saul two of them. All this was to confirm the word of The LORD as to his anointing.
And there was more! When he reached the hill of God where there was a Philistine garrison, he would meet a group of prophets coming down the hill after worship, praising God with instruments and speaking God’s word. Amazingly The Spirit of The LORD would come upon Saul and change him from the man he was to the person God wants (v5-7). He would also be inspired to speak God’s words, true evidence of receiving The Holy Spirit. After this Saul was to go to Gilgal and wait seven days for Samuel to join him (v8) and receive further instructions.
When Saul left Samuel, God gave him a new heart, and all the signs came to pass. He met the prophets on his way to the house of God and he too, prophesied. He was changed, so much so that the people who previously knew him, realised that something had happened to him (v9-13).
The changing of a person’s heart is solely the work of God. We can point people to Him, we can tell them of the gospel but only God can change them. It is not a work of man, but of God. People were amazed at the change in Saul brought about by The Spirit of God, and this can happen to anyone who hears and responds to work of God through his Holy Spirit. We can only recognise the change in a person’s life by their fruits and only God can make the fruit grow.
Saul is later met by his uncle who asked him where he had been. Saul told him that they had been to look for the donkeys and they met Samuel, the man of God, who told them that they had been found. However, he didn’t tell him anything else about what Samuel had said (v14-16). Maybe it was wise not to say that he had been anointed king of Israel, or maybe, he was afraid to say it.
This is not unusual today as many of us are afraid to witness of what The Lord has done for us. The devil often persuades us that we would be boasting and causes us to be ashamed of speaking for The Lord. We must always be truthful and not be afraid of telling others and pointing them to Jesus.
In view of the following verses, the time wasn’t right to tell that he had been anointed as king because Samuel gathered the people together at Mizpah and made a proclamation (v17-19). He relayed The Word of The LORD that He had brought them out of bondage in Egypt and kept them against their enemies, but despite all this they had rejected God and asked for a king. The following verses (20,21) may seem a little confusing. Samuel called all the tribes to come together and from them the tribe of Benjamin was chosen, the family of Matri and from them Saul. Commentators suggest that this was God’s doing to confirm that He had chosen Saul and this confirmed by the people.
They evidently went to look for Saul but couldn’t find him (v21-24) and wisely brought the matter to The LORD, who told them where he was. He was hiding, he didn’t want the limelight. No doubt that this was true humility but sometimes we can be guilty of hiding when we should be serving. Saul didn’t want to be king. When they found him they brought him out to the people, and he was head and shoulders taller than the others. I believe that this shows their priorities. They wanted someone who stood out from the crowd. God uses those who are insignificant to confound the wise, the weak to confound the strong. Israel was looking to the outward appearance, but as we read when The LORD told Samuel, when he was to anoint Saul’s successor some years later, ‘The LORD does not look on the outward appearance but on the heart.’
Samuel told Saul and all people how royalty should behave, giving them written instructions (v25-27) we are not told what those instructions were, but I’m sure that they would be godly instructions. We read that he laid it up before The LORD. We have no record of it, but by giving it to The LORD, I’m sure it had His approval and would be basic biblical instructions as to behaviour, particularly the responsibilities of leaders. We have many of these listed throughout the Scriptures and especially by the Apostle Paul in his letters to Timothy and Titus, when appointing elders and even all of us, whether men, women, young and old, and children.
He had no palace to live in with his entourage, so he took his valiant men and went home to Gibeah. We live in a so-called democracy. I’ve argued many times that there is no such thing as absolute democracy. Even today when people are elected to positions it is usually by only around fifty per cent of the voters. Absolute democracy requires a one hundred per cent vote, so, often it is minority rule. In Saul’s case, he didn’t have a full backing of the people, for we are told that some despised him and didn’t really want him.
Saul wisely, held his peace. In my working life, I used what I would called, selective hearing syndrome. I listened but only took notice of certain things which I wanted to. It appears that Saul did just that. He didn’t allow the dissenters to worry him. Many would seek to silence those who opposed them, but wisdom ignores them unless any accusations are totally false, but wisdom is still needed to deal with them. Revenge must never come into it. He didn’t have complete support at that time, but I believe the word in Hebrew indicates that he pretended not to hear, and it takes a lot to ignore the taunts and arrows that may discourage us. We must trust in The Lord and rely upon Him.
Saul had God on his side, and he must obey Him. He could be really blessed if he followed God’s ways. He had all that he needed in God, but, sadly, we know that he started reasonably well but failed in the end by going his own way.
