Samuel’s Farewell Address (Part 2)

1 Samuel 12:12-25 NLT
¹² “But when you were afraid of Nahash, the king of Ammon, you came to me and said that you wanted a king to reign over you, even though the Lord your God was already your king. ¹³ All right, here is the king you have chosen. You asked for him, and the Lord has granted your request.
¹⁴ “Now if you fear and worship the Lord and listen to his voice, and if you do not rebel against the Lord’s commands, then both you and your king will show that you recognize the Lord as your God. ¹⁵ But if you rebel against the Lord’s commands and refuse to listen to him, then his hand will be as heavy upon you as it was upon your ancestors.
¹⁶ “Now stand here and see the great thing the Lord is about to do. ¹⁷ You know that it does not rain at this time of the year during the wheat harvest. I will ask the Lord to send thunder and rain today. Then you will realize how wicked you have been in asking the Lord for a king!”
¹⁸ So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day. And all the people were terrified of the Lord and of Samuel. ¹⁹ “Pray to the Lord your God for us, or we will die!” they all said to Samuel. “For now we have added to our sins by asking for a king.”²⁰ “Don’t be afraid,” Samuel reassured them. “You have certainly done wrong, but make sure now that you worship the Lord with all your heart, and don’t turn your back on him. ²¹ Don’t go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you—they are totally useless! ²² The Lord will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name. For it has pleased the Lord to make you his very own people.
²³ “As for me, I will certainly not sin against the Lord by ending my prayers for you. And I will continue to teach you what is good and right. ²⁴ But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you. ²⁵ But if you continue to sin, you and your king will be swept away.”

xamine the Scriptures
1 Samuel 12:12-25 NLT
Samuel’s Farewell Address (Part 2)

¹² “But when you were afraid of Nahash, the king of Ammon,

Review:

The Ammonites were a nomadic race descended from Lot’s youngest daughter.

• At this point in history, the Ammonites were a constant threat from the east to Israel, while the Philistines were a threat to Israel from the west. 

you came to me and said that you wanted a king to reign over you, even though the Lord your God was already your king. 

The Israelites wanted a human king to protect them from their enemies.

1 Samuel 8:5 NLT
⁵ “Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.”

1 Samuel 8:20 NLT
²⁰ “We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.”

Israel wanted a king for all of the wrong reasons.  Israel was rejecting God.

1 Samuel 8:7 NLT
⁷ “Do everything they say to you,” the Lord replied, “for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer. 

Man’s way

• Israel was turning away from God and was putting their trust in a king and his army.

God’s way:

Isaiah 41:10 NLT
¹⁰ Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. 

¹³ For I hold you by your right hand—
I, the Lord your God.
And I say to you,
‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you. 

¹³ All right, here is the king you have chosen. You asked for him, and the Lord has granted your request.

God granted the people’s request.

From previous lesson.

How did it go with Saul, David, and Solomon?

Saul and his sons were killed in battle.

David was a man after God’s own heart.

Solomon’s wives turned his heart to worship other gods.

After these three kings, the nation is divided into Israel and Judah.

The history of both kingdoms is a litany of ineffective, disobedient, and corrupt kings.

Judah – 20 kings – 8 good some or all of the time

Israel – 19 kings – all bad

Hosea the prophet talks about this:

Hosea 13:9-11 NLT
⁹ “You are about to be destroyed, O Israel—
yes, by me, your only helper.
¹⁰ Now where is your king?
Let him save you!
Where are all the leaders of the land,
the king and the officials you demanded of me?
¹¹ In my anger I gave you kings,
and in my fury I took them away. 

• God’s response: In my anger I gave you kings, and in my fury I took them away.

Two choices.

¹⁴ “Now if you fear and worship the Lord and listen to his voice, and if you do not rebel against the Lord’s commands, then both you and your king will show that you recognize the Lord as your God. 

Granting the people a king did not change God’s expectations of the people.

These were not new expectations for the Israelites.

Joshua 24:14 NLT
¹⁴ “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone.

Deuteronomy 10:12 NLT
¹² “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul.

• The correct response would be to fear and worship the Lord and listen to his voice, and do not rebel against the Lord’s commands.

¹⁵ But if you rebel against the Lord’s commands and refuse to listen to him, 

• • The wrong response would be to rebel against the Lord’s commands and refuse to listen to him.

Consequences.

then his hand will be as heavy upon you as it was upon your ancestors.

The Sinai covenant (conveyed to the people of Israel by Moses)

Exodus 19:5-6 NLT
⁵ Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. ⁶ And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.”

Deuteronomy 30:15-20 NLT
¹⁵ “Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. ¹⁶ For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy.
¹⁷ “But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, ¹⁸ then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.
¹⁹ “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! ²⁰ You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Joshua 24:20 NLT
²⁰ If you abandon the Lord and serve other gods, he will turn against you and destroy you, even though he has been so good to you.”

Leviticus 26: Blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience.

The Sinai covenant demanded obedience to God. 

• “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses.

This applies with or without a king!

• Samuel asks for a sign from the Lord.

¹⁶ “Now stand here and see the great thing the Lord is about to do. ¹⁷ You know that it does not rain at this time of the year during the wheat harvest.

The wheat harvest occurred in late spring or early summer, when little or no rain fell in Israel.

Leviticus 26:4 NLT
⁴ I will send you the seasonal rains. The land will then yield its crops, and the trees of the field will produce their fruit. 

I will give you rain at the proper time, CEB

I will send you rain in its season, NIV

then I will give you your rains in their season, ESV

Deuteronomy 11:13-14 NLT
¹³ “If you carefully obey the commands I am giving you today, and if you love the Lord your God and serve him with all your heart and soul, ¹⁴ then he will send the rains in their proper seasons—the early and late rains—so you can bring in your harvests of grain, new wine, and olive oil.

I will ask the Lord to send thunder and rain today. Then you will realize how wicked you have been in asking the Lord for a king!”

Rain and thunder at this time of year was unheard of.  It just did not happen.

Thunder and rain would demonstrate God’s power as a sign of the people’s wickedness in asking for a king.

¹⁸ So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day. And all the people were terrified of the Lord and of Samuel.  

God sent rain and thunder to authenticate Samuel’s words to the people.

God got their attention.

The people were terrified.  They recognized their sinful motives.

¹⁹ “Pray to the Lord your God for us,

The people turned to Samuel.

Samuel, you pray for us.

“your God”

or we will die!” they all said to Samuel. “For now we have added to our sins by asking for a king.”

Idol worship (verse 21)

Asked for a king with wrong motives.

Having a king is not necessarily wrong.  Asking for the wrong reasons was sinful.

Asking for a King – rejecting God

• The people realized that their sin could result in their death.

²⁰ “Don’t be afraid,” Samuel reassured them. “You have certainly done wrong,

Idol worship and asking for a king with wrong motives. 

but

Addressing the central issue in the controversy surrounding the establishment of a king.

make sure now that you worship the Lord with all your heart, and don’t turn your back on him. 

Deuteronomy 6:5 NLT
⁵ And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.

Deuteronomy 10:12 NLT
¹² “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. 

• Make sure that you worship the Lordwith all your heart. 

²¹ Don’t go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you—they are totally useless! 

Deuteronomy 4:28 NLT
²⁸ There, in a foreign land, you will worship idols made from wood and stone—gods that neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.

Jeremiah 10:3-5 NLT
³ Their ways are futile and foolish.
They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol.
⁴ They decorate it with gold and silver
and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails
so it won’t fall over.
⁵ Their gods are like
helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field!
They cannot speak,
and they need to be carried because they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of such gods,
for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.”

Psalm 135:15-17 NLT
¹⁵ The idols of the nations are merely things of silver and gold,
shaped by human hands.
¹⁶ They have mouths but cannot speak,
and eyes but cannot see.
¹⁷ They have ears but cannot hear,
and mouths but cannot breathe.

Hosea 4:12 NLT
¹² They ask a piece of wood for advice!
They think a stick can tell them the future!
Longing after idols
has made them foolish.
They have played the prostitute,
serving other gods and deserting their God.

• Idols are totally worthless. Israel was slow to learn this lesson. 

²² The Lord will not abandon his people,

because that would dishonor his great name. For it has pleased the Lord to make you his very own people.

Isaiah 43:25 NLTBR>²⁵ “I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake
and will never think of them again.

• God will always keep His covenant promises, even if His people do not. 

²³ “As for me, I will certainly not sin against the Lord by ending my prayers for you. 

1 Timothy 2:1 NLT
I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 

1 Thessalonians 5:17 NLT
Never stop praying. 

• Samuel was taking his role as a prophet to Israel very seriously. He will continue to instruct and pray for the Israelites. 

And I will continue to teach you what is good and right.

Samuel will continue to serve as a prophet, even though the people of Israel have a king. 

Samuel summarizes his instructions. 

 ²⁴ But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you. 

“I will continue to teach you what is good and right” quoting Samuel.

Fear the Lord.

Serve Him faithfully.

Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you.

Exodus 19:5 NLT (repeated from verse 15)
⁵ Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me.

(remember also the Deuteronomy passage referred to in verse 15)

• Fear the Lord. Serve Him faithfully.  Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you. 

²⁵ But if you continue to sin, you and your king will be swept away.”

Sin has consequences.

“Swept away” but a remnant will always remain.

Joshua’s challenge to the Israelites.

Joshua 24:14-15 NLT
¹⁴ “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. ¹⁵ But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

• Sin has consequences.

This was not an easy lesson for the Israelites to learn.

0

Samuel’s Farewell Address (Part 1)

1 Samuel 12:1-11 NLT
^12:1 Then Samuel addressed all Israel: “I have done as you asked and given you a king. ² Your king is now your leader. I stand here before you—an old, gray-haired man—and my sons serve you. I have served as your leader from the time I was a boy to this very day. ³ Now testify against me in the presence of the Lord and before his anointed one. Whose ox or donkey have I stolen? Have I ever cheated any of you? Have I ever oppressed you? Have I ever taken a bribe and perverted justice? Tell me and I will make right whatever I have done wrong.”
⁴ “No,” they replied, “you have never cheated or oppressed us, and you have never taken even a single bribe.”
⁵ “The Lord and his anointed one are my witnesses today,” Samuel declared, “that my hands are clean.”
“Yes, he is a witness,” they replied.
⁶ “It was the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron,” Samuel continued. “He brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt. ⁷ Now stand here quietly before the Lord as I remind you of all the great things the Lord has done for you and your ancestors.
⁸ “When the Israelites were in Egypt and cried out to the Lord, he sent Moses and Aaron to rescue them from Egypt and to bring them into this land. ⁹ But the people soon forgot about the Lord their God, so he handed them over to Sisera, the commander of Hazor’s army, and also to the Philistines and to the king of Moab, who fought against them.
¹⁰ “Then they cried to the Lord again and confessed, ‘We have sinned by turning away from the Lord and worshiping the images of Baal and Ashtoreth. But we will worship you and you alone if you will rescue us from our enemies.’ ¹¹ Then the Lord sent Gideon, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel  to save you, and you lived in safety.

Examine the Scriptures

1 Samuel 12:1-11 NLT
Samuel’s Farewell Address 

^12:1 Then Samuel addressed all Israel:

“I have done as you asked and given you a king. 

• With some personal reservations about a monarchy, Samuel, obeying the will of the Lord and the people, set the king of God’s choice over them.

1 Samuel 8:4-7 NLT
⁴ Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. ⁵ “Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.”
⁶ Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance. ⁷ “Do everything they say to you,” the Lord replied, “for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer. 

Application:

The people of Israel wanted a king.

“Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.” 

The people of Israel were rejecting the Lord.

Psalm 118:8 NLT
⁸ It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in people.

Isaiah 2:22 NLT
²² Don’t put your trust in mere humans.
They are as frail as breath.
What good are they?

Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT
⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
⁶ Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take. 

• Don’t put your trust in politicians (of either party). God might give you what you are asking for.

² Your king is now your leader.

The age of Kingship has begun in Israel.

Only three kings, Saul, David, and Solomon rule the entire nation of Israel.

Saul reigned 40 years.

Acts 13:21 LT
²¹ Then the people begged for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years.

David reigned 40 years.

1 Kings 2:11 NLT
¹¹ David had reigned over Israel for forty years, seven of them in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem.

Solomon reigned 40 years.

1 Kings 11:42 NLT
⁴² Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.

After these three kings, the nation is divided into Israel and Judah.

From this point on, there would be two kingdoms.

Israel in the north with their capitol in the city of Samaria

and Judah in the south keeping their capitol city of Jerusalem.

These kingdoms remained separate states for over two hundred years.

The history of both kingdoms is a litany of ineffective, disobedient, and corrupt kings.

Samuel will no longer serve as a judge in Israel, but he will continue to be a prophet, who gives the word of God to the king and people of Israel.

Later Samuel anoints David as the King of Israel.

 Samuel stands before the people of Israel.

I stand here before you—an old, gray-haired man—and my sons serve you. I have served as your leader from the time I was a boy to this very day. 

• Samuel stands up for himself.

³ Now testify against me in the presence of the Lord and before his anointed one (Saul). Whose ox or donkey have I stolen? Have I ever cheated any of you? Have I ever oppressed you? Have I ever taken a bribe and perverted justice?

Unlike his sons who did these things.

1 Samuel 8:3 NLT
³ But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice. 

Tell me and I will make right whatever I have done wrong.”

⁴ “No,” they replied, “you have never cheated or oppressed us, and you have never taken even a single bribe.”

⁵ “The Lord and his anointed one are my witnesses today,” Samuel declared, “that my hands are clean.”

Samuel’s life and leadership before Israel had been above reproach.

He never used his position for personal gain.

“Yes, he is a witness,” they replied.

Samuel is innocent.  The nation is guilty.

A Judge or Prophet can be a good leader.

Samuel could be trusted in the future.

This could be an example for Saul in his new role.

• There are times when it is o.k. to defend ourselves.

In the scriptures we read how Paul defends has apostleship for the sake of the Gospel.

Samuel shifts from talking about himself, to talking about the nation of Israel. 

⁶ “It was the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron,” Samuel continued. “He brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt. 

• When the “prophet” Samuel says “It was the Lord,” he is reminding the people of Israel to look to God for leadership rather than putting their hope and trust in an earthly king.

Psalm 121 expresses this well.

Psalm 121 NLT
¹ I look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there?
² My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!
³ He will not let you stumble;
the one who watches over you will not slumber.
⁴ Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.
⁵ The Lord himself watches over you!
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
⁶ The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon at night.
⁷ The Lord keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.
⁸ The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.

God is sovereign

Romans 13:1 NLT
Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. 

⁷ Now stand here quietly before the Lord as I remind you of all the great things the Lord has done for you and your ancestors.

Samuel rebuked the people foe ignoring and rejecting all that God had done for the Israelites during the time they had no king.

“Remember”

• Remember the great things the Lord has done for you and your ancestors.

Psalm 105:1-5 NLT
¹ Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.
Let the whole world know what he has done.
² Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.
Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
³ Exult in his holy name;
rejoice, you who worship the Lord.
⁴ Search for the Lord and for his strength;
continually seek him.
⁵ Remember the wonders he has performed,
his miracles, and the rulings he has given,

Teach

Psalm 78:1-7 NLT
¹ O my people, listen to my instructions.
Open your ears to what I am saying,
²     for I will speak to you in a parable.
I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—
³     stories we have heard and known,
stories our ancestors handed down to us.
⁴ We will not hide these truths from our children;
we will tell the next generation
about the glorious deeds of the Lord,
about his power and his mighty wonders.
⁵ For he issued his laws to Jacob;
he gave his instructions to Israel.
He commanded our ancestors
to teach them to their children,
⁶ so the next generation might know them—
even the children not yet born—
and they in turn will teach their own children.
⁷ So each generation should set its hope anew on God,
not forgetting his glorious miracles
and obeying his commands.

An example of what the Lord has done.

The cycle of Apostasy. 

⁸ “When the Israelites were in Egypt and cried out to the Lord, he sent Moses and Aaron to rescue them from Egypt and to bring them into this land. ⁹ But the people soon forgot about the Lord their God, so he handed them over to Sisera, the commander of Hazor’s army, and also to the Philistines and to the king of Moab, who fought against them.

(this is a partial list of enemies)

¹⁰ “Then they cried to the Lord again and confessed, ‘We have sinned by turning away from the Lord and worshiping the images of Baal and Ashtoreth.

1 Samuel 7:3-4 NLT
³ Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you want to return to the Lord with all your hearts, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Turn your hearts to the Lord and obey him alone; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.” ⁴ So the Israelites got rid of their images of Baal and Ashtoreth and worshiped only the Lord.

The cycle of Apostasy.

• In the book of Judges, the Israelites repeated the cycle of apostasy (turning to idols), oppression (being placed into slavery), repentance, and restoration at least seven times. 

But we will worship you and you alone if you will rescue us from our enemies.’ 

• God deserves obedience and worship because He is God, not because of favors He can perform.

Isaiah 43:7 NLT
⁷ Bring all who claim me as their God,
for I have made them for my glory.
It was I who created them.’”

Psalm 99:5 NLT
⁵ Exalt the Lord our God!
Bow low before his feet, for he is holy! 

1 Chronicles 16:29 NLT
²⁹ Give to the Lord the glory he deserves!
Bring your offering and come into his presence.
Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor. 

¹¹ Then the Lord sent Gideon, Bedan (this name is only found here. Possibly it is another form of the name Abdon or Barak), Jephthah, and Samuel to save you, and you lived in safety.

The Lord

“It was the Lord,” verse 6

• The Lord repeatedly used judges or prophets to deliver Israel from her enemies during the time they had no king.

Repeated deliverance (restoration). 

Without me you can do nothing.

John 15:5 NLT
⁵ “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 

Samuel’s farewell address is continued in the next lesson.

0

Saul Defeats the Ammonites

1 Samuel 10:27-11:15 NLT
²⁷ …
[Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had been grievously oppressing the people of Gad and Reuben who lived east of the Jordan River. He gouged out the right eye of each of the Israelites living there, and he didn’t allow anyone to come and rescue them. In fact, of all the Israelites east of the Jordan, there wasn’t a single one whose right eye Nahash had not gouged out. But there were 7,000 men who had escaped from the Ammonites, and they had settled in Jabesh-gilead.]
Saul Defeats the Ammonites
^11:1 About a month later, King Nahash of Ammon led his army against the Israelite town of Jabesh-gilead. But all the citizens of Jabesh asked for peace. “Make a treaty with us, and we will be your servants,” they pleaded.
² “All right,” Nahash said, “but only on one condition. I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you as a disgrace to all Israel!”
³ “Give us seven days to send messengers throughout Israel!” replied the elders of Jabesh. “If no one comes to save us, we will agree to your terms.”
⁴ When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the people about their plight, everyone broke into tears. ⁵ Saul had been plowing a field with his oxen, and when he returned to town, he asked, “What’s the matter? Why is everyone crying?” So they told him about the message from Jabesh.
⁶ Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he became very angry. ⁷ He took two oxen and cut them into pieces and sent the messengers to carry them throughout Israel with this message: “This is what will happen to the oxen of anyone who refuses to follow Saul and Samuel into battle!” And the Lord made the people afraid of Saul’s anger, and all of them came out together as one. ⁸ When Saul mobilized them at Bezek, he found that there were 300,000 men from Israel and 30,000 men from Judah.
⁹ So Saul sent the messengers back to Jabesh-gilead to say, “We will rescue you by noontime tomorrow!” There was great joy throughout the town when that message arrived!
¹⁰ The men of Jabesh then told their enemies, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you can do to us whatever you wish.” ¹¹ But before dawn the next morning, Saul arrived, having divided his army into three detachments. He launched a surprise attack against the Ammonites and slaughtered them the whole morning. The remnant of their army was so badly scattered that no two of them were left together.
¹² Then the people exclaimed to Samuel, “Now where are those men who said, ‘Why should Saul rule over us?’ Bring them here, and we will kill them!”
¹³ But Saul replied, “No one will be executed today, for today the Lord has rescued Israel!”
¹⁴ Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us all go to Gilgal to renew the kingdom.” ¹⁵ So they all went to Gilgal, and in a solemn ceremony before the Lord they made Saul king. Then they offered peace offerings to the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites were filled with joy.

Examine the Scriptures

Saul Defeats the Ammonites
1 Samuel 10:27-11:15 NLT
²⁷ … [Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had been grievously oppressing the people of Gad and Reuben who lived east of the Jordan River. He gouged out the right eye of each of the Israelites living there, and he didn’t allow anyone to come and rescue them. In fact, of all the Israelites east of the Jordan, there wasn’t a single one whose right eye Nahash had not gouged out. But there were 7,000 men who had escaped from the Ammonites, and they had settled in Jabesh-gilead.]

This paragraph, which is not included in the Masoretic Text, is found in Dead Sea Scroll 4QSam^a.

The Masoretic Text refers to the authoritative Hebrew manuscript of the Old Testament.

Whether it is part of the original text is uncertain.

Saul Defeats the Ammonites

^11:1  About a month later, 

In chapter 10 Samuel anoints Saul as king and Saul is acclaimed king by the people. 

King Nahash of Ammon

The Ammonites were a nomadic race descended from Lot’s youngest daughter.

At this point in history, the Ammonites were a constant threat from the east to Israel, while the Philistines were a treat to Israel from the west.

(King Nahash) led his army against the Israelite town of Jabesh-gilead.

 (The location of Jabesh-gilead) were located east of the Jordan River.

The Ammonites were nomads living east of Gad, Ruben, and Manasseh.

You may want to refer to a map. 

But all the citizens of Jabesh asked for peace. “Make a treaty with us, and we will be your servants,” they pleaded.

² “All right,” Nahash said, “but only on one condition. I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you as a disgrace to all Israel!”

Mutilation of captured soldiers was a common practice in the ancient Near East at this point in time.

These disfigured soldiers would have lost all depth perception and would be rendered useless in battle.

The people of Jabesh had to choose between mutilation if they surrendered or death if they refused to surrender. 

³ “Give us seven days to send messengers throughout Israel!” replied the elders of Jabesh. “If no one comes to save us, we will agree to your terms.”

⁴ When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul

Probably a two day’s journey.

Saul’s hometown, belonging to the tribe of Benjamin. (Remember its history of violence and perversion.) 

and told the people about their plight, everyone broke into tears. 

Why would the people of Gibeah care about the people of Jabesh?

It was highly likely that there were close family ties between Jabesh-gilead and the tribe of Benjamin, which would have prompted the inhabitants of Jabesh to seek help from the tribe of Benjamin.

Read Judges 19-21.

Judges 21:12-14 NLT
¹² Among the residents of Jabesh-gilead they found 400 young virgins who had never slept with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
¹³ The Israelite assembly sent a peace delegation to the remaining people of Benjamin who were living at the rock of Rimmon. ¹⁴ Then the men of Benjamin returned to their homes, and the 400 women of Jabesh-gilead who had been spared were given to them as wives. But there were not enough women for all of them. 

The people of Gibeah would be closely related to the people of Jabesh. 

⁵ Saul had been plowing a field with his oxen,

Saul was working as a farmer, not yet fulfilling his role as king of Israel. 

 and when he returned to town, he asked, “What’s the matter? Why is everyone crying?” So they told him about the message from Jabesh.

⁶ Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he became very angry. 

The Spirit of God had come on Saul previously. See 1 Samuel 10:10

1 Samuel 10:10 NLT
¹⁰ When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, they saw a group of prophets coming toward them. Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy.

Saul cared about the people from Jabesh. 

⁷ He took two oxen and cut them into pieces and sent the messengers to carry them throughout Israel with this message: “This is what will happen to the oxen of anyone who refuses to follow Saul and Samuel into battle!” And the Lord made the people afraid of Saul’s anger, and all of them came out together as one. 

Anyone not participating would be rejecting Saul as king and Samuel as prophet. 

⁸ When Saul mobilized them at Bezek,

West of the Jordan River, in striking distance of Jabesh-gilead.

Refer to a map.

he found that there were 300,000 men from Israel and 30,000 men from Judah.

The book was written after 931 B.C. when the kingdom had been divided. (?)

⁹ So Saul sent the messengers back to Jabesh-gilead to say, “We will rescue you by noontime tomorrow!” There was great joy throughout the town when that message arrived!

¹⁰ The men of Jabesh then told their enemies, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you can do to us whatever you wish.” 

A setup for a surprise attack? 

¹¹ But before dawn the next morning, Saul arrived, having divided his army into three detachments.

Good thinking on Saul’s part. 

He launched a surprise attack against the Ammonites and slaughtered them the whole morning. The remnant of their army was so badly scattered that no two of them were left together.

¹² Then the people exclaimed to Samuel, “Now where are those men who said, ‘Why should Saul rule over us?’ Bring them here, and we will kill them!”

 Saul’s military victory made him look good to the people. 

¹³ But Saul replied, “No one will be executed today, for today the Lord has rescued Israel!”

This was a time for celebration, not revenge.

Saul recognized that the Lord has rescued Israel 

¹⁴ Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us all go to Gilgal to renew the kingdom.” 

Israel was now going to be ruled by a king.

But

Samuel most likely saw this as the appropriate time for the people to renew their allegiance to the Lord and to restore the covenant relationship between God and His people. 

¹⁵ So they all went to Gilgal, and in a solemn ceremony before the Lord they made Saul king. Then they offered peace offerings to the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites were filled with joy.

Refer to a map.

The peace offerings were a form of celebration.

A recognition of God’s role in this event.

Saul is recognized as God’s chosen king and formally assumes the privileges and responsibilities of this office.

Saul’s kingship was confirmed through a military victory, the very reason the people wanted a king.

1 Samuel 8:20 NLT
²⁰ “We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.” 

0

Introduction

Isaiah 55:8 NLT
⁸ “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.

 Samuel 10 NLT
Samuel Anoints Saul as King

10 Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it over Saul’s head. He kissed Saul and said, “I am doing this because the Lord has appointed you to be the ruler over Israel, his special possession. ² When you leave me today, you will see two men beside Rachel’s tomb at Zelzah, on the border of Benjamin. They will tell you that the donkeys have been found and that your father has stopped worrying about them and is now worried about you. He is asking, ‘Have you seen my son?’
³ “When you get to the oak of Tabor, you will see three men coming toward you who are on their way to worship God at Bethel. One will be bringing three young goats, another will have three loaves of bread, and the third will be carrying a wineskin full of wine. ⁴ They will greet you and offer you two of the loaves, which you are to accept.
⁵ “When you arrive at Gibeah of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is located, you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the place of worship. They will be playing a harp, a tambourine, a flute, and a lyre, and they will be prophesying. ⁶ At that time the Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them. You will be changed into a different person. ⁷ After these signs take place, do what must be done, for God is with you. ⁸ Then go down to Gilgal ahead of me. I will join you there to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. You must wait for seven days until I arrive and give you further instructions.”

Samuel’s Signs Are Fulfilled
⁹ As Saul turned and started to leave, God gave him a new heart, and all Samuel’s signs were fulfilled that day. ¹⁰ When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, they saw a group of prophets coming toward them. Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy. ¹¹ When those who knew Saul heard about it, they exclaimed, “What? Is even Saul a prophet? How did the son of Kish become a prophet?”
¹² And one of those standing there said, “Can anyone become a prophet, no matter who his father is?”  So that is the origin of the saying “Is even Saul a prophet?”
¹³ When Saul had finished prophesying, he went up to the place of worship. ¹⁴ “Where have you been?” Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant.
“We were looking for the donkeys,” Saul replied, “but we couldn’t find them. So we went to Samuel to ask him where they were.”
¹⁵ “Oh? And what did he say?” his uncle asked.
¹⁶ “He told us that the donkeys had already been found,” Saul replied. But Saul didn’t tell his uncle what Samuel said about the kingdom.

Saul Is Acclaimed King
¹⁷ Later Samuel called all the people of Israel to meet before the Lord at Mizpah. ¹⁸ And he said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has declared: I brought you from Egypt and rescued you from the Egyptians and from all of the nations that were oppressing you. ¹⁹ But though I have rescued you from your misery and distress, you have rejected your God today and have said, ‘No, we want a king instead!’ Now, therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by tribes and clans.”
²⁰ So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel before the Lord, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by lot. ²¹ Then he brought each family of the tribe of Benjamin before the Lord, and the family of the Matrites was chosen. And finally Saul son of Kish was chosen from among them. But when they looked for him, he had disappeared! ²² So they asked the Lord, “Where is he?”
And the Lord replied, “He is hiding among the baggage.” ²³ So they found him and brought him out, and he stood head and shoulders above anyone else.
²⁴ Then Samuel said to all the people, “This is the man the Lord has chosen as your king. No one in all Israel is like him!”
And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
²⁵ Then Samuel told the people what the rights and duties of a king were. He wrote them down on a scroll and placed it before the Lord. Then Samuel sent the people home again.
²⁶ When Saul returned to his home at Gibeah, a group of men whose hearts God had touched went with him. ²⁷ But there were some scoundrels who complained, “How can this man save us?” And they scorned him and refused to bring him gifts. But Saul ignored them.

Examine the Scriptures

1 Samuel 10 NLT

Samuel Anoints Saul as King 

^10:1 Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it over Saul’s head. 

Samuel anoints Saul in a private ceremony.

Signifying a setting aside for God’s choice for God’s service.

He kissed Saul and said, “I am doing this because the Lord has appointed you to be the ruler over Israel, his  (The Lord’s) special possession.

Note: The people of Israel belong to God, not to Saul.

Deuteronomy 4:20 NLT
²⁰ Remember that the Lord rescued you (Israel) from the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt in order to make you his very own people and his special possession, which is what you are today.

The King of Israel is to act as a manager, not an owner.

• God appointed Saul to be ruler over Israel.

• Israel was God’s special possession.

² When you leave me today,

• Saul was told that he would experience three signs.

The first sign:

you will see two men beside Rachel’s tomb at Zelzah, on the border of Benjamin.

Saul is told what will happen and where this will take place.

The precise location is unknown to us.

They will tell you that the donkeys have been found and that your father has stopped worrying about them and is now worried about you. He is asking, ‘Have you seen my son?’

The second sign:

³ “When you get to the oak of Tabor, you will see three men coming toward you who are on their way to worship God at Bethel. One will be bringing three young goats, another will have three loaves of bread, and the third will be carrying a wineskin full of wine. 

Most likely the items they were bring were intended for the sacrificial meal.

⁴ They will greet you and offer you two of the loaves, which you are to accept.

Giving a portion of this food to Saul symbolizes a recognition of Saul’s divine appointment as king.

Again, Saul is told what will happen and where this will take place.

The third sign:

⁵ “When you arrive at Gibeah of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is located,
you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the place of worship. They will be playing a harp, a tambourine, a flute, and a lyre, and they will be prophesying. 

Again, Saul is told what will happen and where this will take place.

Praising God.

Declaring the Word of the Lord.

⁶ At that time the Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them. You will be changed into a different person. 

Saul will be changed into a different person.

God can change lives.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT
¹⁷ This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

See verse 9

Saul was being equipped to carry out a new role.

• For each of the three signs, Saul was told what would happen and where this event would take place.

• These three signs were to convince Saul that he in fact had been chosen to be Israel’s king.

Again, God’s sovereignty is clearly seen throughout this story.

FYI (some interesting details about Gibeah)

Gibeah:

Gibeah “of God” (this city belongs to God even if it is occupied by the Philistines.)

Also called: Gibeah, Gibeah of Benjamin, Gibeah of Saul.

Gibeah is located in the land given to the tribe of Benjamin.

Gibeah was Saul’s birthplace and continued to be his residence until he became king.

Gibeah had a history of being a perverted and lawless city according to Judges 19-21.

A man, his concubine, and his servant decided to spend the night in Gibeah.

Judges 19:22 NLT
²² While they were enjoying themselves, a crowd of troublemakers from the town surrounded the house. They began beating at the door and shouting to the old man, “Bring out the man who is staying with you so we can have sex with him.” 

Unbelievable perversion and violence takers place.

The story ends with:
Judges 20:48 NLT
⁴⁸ And the Israelites returned and slaughtered every living thing in all the towns—the people, the livestock, and everything they found. They also burned down all the towns they came to.

Later in the narrative Saul’s sons and grandsons were executed by the Gibeonites.

2 Samuel 21:6 NLT
⁶ So let seven of Saul’s sons be handed over to us, and we will execute them before the Lord at Gibeon, on the mountain of the Lord.”

Gibeah was occupied by the Philistines. 

⁷ After these signs take place, do what must be done, for God is with you. 

This is directed to Saul but is also a message for each of us.

Take the appropriate action.  God’s presence in your life will enable you to do the right thing.

Isaiah 41:10 NLT
¹⁰ Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Philippians 4:13 NLT
¹³ For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. 

⁸ Then go down to Gilgal ahead of me. I will join you there to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. 

You must wait for seven days until I arrive and give you further instructions.”

Samuel’s Signs Are Fulfilled
⁹ As Saul turned and started to leave, God gave him a new heart, and all Samuel’s signs were fulfilled that day. 

As prophesied in verse 6:

⁶ At that time the Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them. You will be changed into a different person. 

God changes hearts.

1 Samuel 16:13 NLT
¹³ So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.

All of Samuel’s signs were fulfilled that day. 

• God gave Saul a new heart 

¹⁰ When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, they saw a group of prophets coming toward them. 

Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy. 

A big change was taking place in Saul. 

¹¹ When those who knew Saul heard about it, they exclaimed, “What? Is even Saul a prophet? How did the son of Kish become a prophet?”

The people were surprised to see Saul acting like a prophet.

¹² And one of those standing there said, “Can anyone become a prophet, no matter who his father is?”  So that is the origin of the saying “Is even Saul a prophet?”

Just a reminder:

Jeremiah 32:17 NLT
¹⁷ “O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!

• Nothing is too hard for God!

¹³ When Saul had finished prophesying, he went up to the place of worship. ¹⁴ “Where have you been?” Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant.
“We were looking for the donkeys,” Saul replied, “but we couldn’t find them. So we went to Samuel to ask him where they were.”
¹⁵ “Oh? And what did he say?” his uncle asked.
¹⁶ “He told us that the donkeys had already been found,” Saul replied. But Saul didn’t tell his uncle what Samuel said about the kingdom.

Saul Is Publicly Acclaimed King

¹⁷ Later Samuel called all the people of Israel to meet before the Lord at Mizpah. 

Previously at Mizpah

Judges 21:1 NLT
^21:1 The Israelites had vowed at Mizpah, “We will never give our daughters in marriage to a man from the tribe of Benjamin.” 

¹⁸ And he said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has declared: I brought you from Egypt and rescued you from the Egyptians and from all of the nations that were oppressing you. ¹⁹ But though I have rescued you from your misery and distress, you have rejected your God today and have said, ‘No, we want a king instead!’

Israel was rejecting God’s ability to protect and save them. 

Now, therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by tribes and clans.” 

²⁰ So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel before the Lord, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by lot. 

²¹ Then he brought each family of the tribe of Benjamin before the Lord, and the family of the Matrites was chosen. And finally Saul son of Kish was chosen from among them.

In spite of this process of casting lots, we know that Saul was chosen by God.  God simply used the process of casting lots to fulfill his will.

(Not all translations say “by lot”.)

But when they looked for him, he had disappeared! ²² So they asked the Lord, “Where is he?”
And the Lord replied, “He is hiding among the baggage.” ²³ So they found him and brought him out, and he stood head and shoulders above anyone else.
²⁴ Then Samuel said to all the people, “This is the man the Lord has chosen as your king. No one in all Israel is like him!”

• Samuel tells the people that the Lord has chosen Saul to be their king. 

And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

Here the people are accepting Saul as their king.

However, in the eyes of God Saul was disqualified.  Remember the passages from our previous lesson:

Genesis 49:10 NLT
¹⁰ The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants,
until the coming of the one to whom it belongs,
the one whom all nations will honor. 

A long line of kings from Judah would retain the scepter. 

1 Chronicles 5:2 NLT
² The descendants of Judah became the most powerful tribe and provided a ruler for the nation,

²⁵ Then Samuel told the people what the rights and duties of a king were.

• Samuel told the people what the rights and duties of a king were.

The people had a wrong understanding of what the king’s role and function should be.

Israel’s king would not be like the kings of the other nations.

He wrote them down on a scroll and placed it before the Lord.

Presumably in the Tabernacle.

Deuteronomy 17:16-20 NLT
Guidelines for a King
¹⁵ … be sure to select as king the man the Lord your God chooses. You must appoint a fellow Israelite; he may not be a foreigner.
¹⁶ “The king must not build up a large stable of horses for himself or send his people to Egypt to buy horses, for the Lord has told you, ‘You must never return to Egypt.’ ¹⁷ The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will turn his heart away from the Lord. And he must not accumulate large amounts of wealth in silver and gold for himself.
¹⁸ “When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy for himself this body of instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. ¹⁹ He must always keep that copy with him and read it daily as long as he lives. That way he will learn to fear the Lord his God by obeying all the terms of these instructions and decrees. ²⁰ This regular reading will prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens. It will also prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way. And it will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel. 

Then Samuel sent the people home again.

²⁶ When Saul returned to his home at Gibeah, a group of men whose hearts God had touched went with him. 

God changes hearts.

²⁷ But there were some scoundrels who complained, “How can this man save us?”

They wrongly believed that their national security would come from a human being.

 And they scorned him and refused to bring him gifts.

These men were scoundrels because they scorned God’s chosen king.

But Saul ignored them. 

• Many of the people accepted Saul as their king, some did not.

0

Introduction:

Don’t miss the subtleties in this passage. *

Once again, notice God’s sovereignty.

1 Samuel 9 NLT
Saul Meets Samuel
^9:1 There was a wealthy, influential man named Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. He was the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, of the tribe of Benjamin. ² His son Saul was the most handsome man in Israel—head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land.
³ One day Kish’s donkeys strayed away, and he told Saul, “Take a servant with you, and go look for the donkeys.” ⁴ So Saul took one of the servants and traveled through the hill country of Ephraim, the land of Shalishah, the Shaalim area, and the entire land of Benjamin, but they couldn’t find the donkeys anywhere.
⁵ Finally, they entered the region of Zuph, and Saul said to his servant, “Let’s go home. By now my father will be more worried about us than about the donkeys!”
⁶ But the servant said, “I’ve just thought of something! There is a man of God who lives here in this town. He is held in high honor by all the people because everything he says comes true. Let’s go find him. Perhaps he can tell us which way to go.”
⁷ “But we don’t have anything to offer him,” Saul replied. “Even our food is gone, and we don’t have a thing to give him.”
⁸ “Well,” the servant said, “I have one small silver piece. We can at least offer it to the man of God and see what happens!” ⁹ (In those days if people wanted a message from God, they would say, “Let’s go and ask the seer,” for prophets used to be called seers.)
¹⁰ “All right,” Saul agreed, “let’s try it!” So they started into the town where the man of God lived.
¹¹ As they were climbing the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to draw water. So Saul and his servant asked, “Is the seer here today?”
¹² “Yes,” they replied. “Stay right on this road. He is at the town gates. He has just arrived to take part in a public sacrifice up at the place of worship. ¹³ Hurry and catch him before he goes up there to eat. The guests won’t begin eating until he arrives to bless the food.”
¹⁴ So they entered the town, and as they passed through the gates, Samuel was coming out toward them to go up to the place of worship.
¹⁵ Now the Lord had told Samuel the previous day, ¹⁶ “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him to be the leader of my people, Israel. He will rescue them from the Philistines, for I have looked down on my people in mercy and have heard their cry.”
¹⁷ When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said, “That’s the man I told you about! He will rule my people.”
¹⁸ Just then Saul approached Samuel at the gateway and asked, “Can you please tell me where the seer’s house is?”
¹⁹ “I am the seer!” Samuel replied. “Go up to the place of worship ahead of me. We will eat there together, and in the morning I’ll tell you what you want to know and send you on your way. ²⁰ And don’t worry about those donkeys that were lost three days ago, for they have been found. And I am here to tell you that you and your family are the focus of all Israel’s hopes.”
²¹ Saul replied, “But I’m only from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel, and my family is the least important of all the families of that tribe! Why are you talking like this to me?”
²² Then Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the hall and placed them at the head of the table, honoring them above the thirty special guests. ²³ Samuel then instructed the cook to bring Saul the finest cut of meat, the piece that had been set aside for the guest of honor. ²⁴ So the cook brought in the meat and placed it before Saul. “Go ahead and eat it,” Samuel said. “I was saving it for you even before I invited these others!” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.
²⁵ When they came down from the place of worship and returned to town, Samuel took Saul up to the roof of the house and prepared a bed for him there. ²⁶ At daybreak the next morning, Samuel called to Saul, “Get up! It’s time you were on your way.” So Saul got ready, and he and Samuel left the house together. ²⁷ When they reached the edge of town, Samuel told Saul to send his servant on ahead. After the servant was gone, Samuel said, “Stay here, for I have received a special message for you from God.”

Examine the Scriptures
1 Samuel 9 NLT

Saul Meets Samuel

^9:1 There was a wealthy, influential man named Kish from the tribe of Benjamin.

• Kish, Saul’s father, was a wealthy influential man from the Tribe of Benjamin.*

The first subtlety.

Genesis 49:10 NLT
¹⁰ The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants,
until the coming of the one to whom it belongs,
the one whom all nations will honor. 

• A long line of kings from Judah would retain the scepter. 

1 Chronicles 5:2 NLT
² The descendants of Judah became the most powerful tribe and provided a ruler for the nation,

Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin.

The promised Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah. 

He was the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, of the tribe of Benjamin. ² His son Saul was the most handsome man in Israel—head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land. 

The second subtlety.

• Saul’s qualifications listed here in the scriptures: (all external appearance)*

Handsome
Tall

Compared to David’s qualifications.

1 Samuel 16:18 NLT
¹⁸ One of the servants said to Saul, “One of Jesse’s sons from Bethlehem is a talented harp player. Not only that—he is a brave warrior, a man of war, and has good judgment. He is also a fine-looking young man, and the Lord is with him.”

A talented harp player.
A brave warrior.
A man of war.
He has good judgment.
Also, He a fine-looking young man.
The Lord is with him. 

³ One day Kish’s donkeys strayed away, and he told Saul, “Take a servant with you, and go look for the donkeys.” ⁴ So Saul took one of the servants and traveled through the hill country of Ephraim, the land of Shalishah, the Shaalim area, and the entire land of Benjamin, but they couldn’t find the donkeys anywhere.

• Saul was sent on a mission to find some lost donkeys belonging to his father.

Lost donkeys meant lost wealth.  Saul was chosen to oversee the task of finding these lost donkeys.

Lost donkeys straying from home.  Perhaps symbolizing the Israelites straying from God.*

Saul looking for his dad’s lost donkeys.

David, a shepherd, caring for his fathers’ sheep.

⁵ Finally, they entered the region of Zuph, and Saul said to his servant, “Let’s go home. By now my father will be more worried about us than about the donkeys!” 

⁶ But the servant said, “I’ve just thought of something! There is a man of God who lives here in this town. He is held in high honor by all the people because everything he says comes true.

In the O.T. a messenger of God was referred to as “a man of God”.  This phrase is use over 70 times in the O.T.  This title would be used for a prophet of God.

To be a true prophet means “everything he says comes true”. 

• When they were Unable to find the donkeys, Saul’s servant suggested that they get some help from a prophet of God.

Let’s go find him. Perhaps he can tell us which way to go.”

This suggestion came from Saul’s servant, not from Saul. *

Saul’s servant appears to be more perceptive than Saul. 

⁷ “But we don’t have anything to offer him,” Saul replied. “Even our food is gone, and we don’t have a thing to give him.” 

It was a common practice to give a gift to a prophet for his service.

Saul must have been under the impression that the prophet (Samuel) would not help them if they didn’t give him something.

Saul may have been thinking that advice from a prophet of God could be purchased. 

⁸ “Well,” the servant said, “I have one small silver piece. We can at least offer it to the man of God and see what happens!” ⁹ (In those days if people wanted a message from God, they would say, “Let’s go and ask the seer,” for prophets used to be called seers.)

• Saul’s servant was seeking guidance from God. *

¹⁰ “All right,” Saul agreed, “let’s try it!” So they started into the town where the man of God lived. 

¹¹ As they were climbing the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to draw water. So Saul and his servant asked, “Is the seer here today?”

¹² “Yes,” they replied. “Stay right on this road. He is at the town gates. He has just arrived to take part in a public sacrifice up at the place of worship. ¹³ Hurry and catch him before he goes up there to eat. The guests won’t begin eating until he arrives to bless the food.”

The role of the prophet (bless the sacrificial meal). *

¹⁴ So they entered the town, and as they passed through the gates, Samuel was coming out toward them to go up to the place of worship.

The worship of the Lord at “high places” was acceptable at this point in time. 

¹⁵ Now the Lord had told Samuel the previous day, ¹⁶ “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him to be the leader of my people, Israel. He will rescue them from the Philistines, for I have looked down on my people in mercy and have heard their cry.”

God’s sovereignty.

• God instructed Samuel to anoint Saul to be the leader of His people, Israel.

God is going to give the people what they are asking for. *

Remember: Be careful what you ask for.

¹⁷ When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said, “That’s the man I told you about! He will rule my people.” 

• The Lord revealed to Samuel that Saul was the divine choice for king of Israel.

¹⁸ Just then Saul approached Samuel at the gateway and asked, “Can you please tell me where the seer’s house is?”

¹⁹ “I am the seer!” Samuel replied.

God’s sovereignty.

“Go up to the place of worship ahead of me.

For “a public sacrifice up at the place of worship” (verse 12). 

We will eat there together, and in the morning I’ll tell you what you want to know and send you on your way.  

• Saul met Samuel and Samuel invited Saul to eat with him at the place of worship. 

²⁰ And don’t worry about those donkeys that were lost three days ago, for they have been found. And I am here to tell you that you and your family are the focus of all Israel’s hopes.” 

Not particularly a good thing. 

1 Samuel 8:19-20 NLT
¹⁹ But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said. ²⁰ “We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.” 

• The hope of Israel was that someone would rescue them from the Philistines. *

He will rescue them from the Philistines. (Verse 15)

²¹ Saul replied, “But I’m only from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel, and my family is the least important of all the families of that tribe! Why are you talking like this to me?”

At this point in the story Saul is being humble. 

²² Then Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the hall and placed them at the head of the table, honoring them above the thirty special guests. ²³ Samuel then instructed the cook to bring Saul the finest cut of meat, the piece that had been set aside for the guest of honor. 

This took place at the place of worship where public sacrifices were offered.  (verses 12, 19, 25)

This piece of meat was frequently intended to be used as an offering and would have been eaten by the priest. (Samuel?) *

This indicates a distinct honor and the sacredness of Saul’s kingship.

Exodus 29:27 NLT
²⁷ “Set aside the portions of the ordination ram that belong to Aaron and his sons. This includes the breast and the thigh that were lifted up before the Lord as a special offering.

Numbers 18:8 NLT
⁸ The Lord gave these further instructions to Aaron: “I myself have put you in charge of all the holy offerings that are brought to me by the people of Israel. I have given all these consecrated offerings to you and your sons as your permanent share.

²⁴ So the cook brought in the meat and placed it before Saul. “Go ahead and eat it,” Samuel said. “I was saving it for you even before I invited these others!” So Saul ate with Samuel that day. 

• Saul was given the finest cut of meat that had been set aside for the guest of honor.

 ²⁵ When they came down from the place of worship and returned to town, Samuel took Saul up to the roof of the house and prepared a bed for him there. 

Saul spent the night at Samuel’s house.

²⁶ At daybreak the next morning, Samuel called to Saul, “Get up! It’s time you were on your way.” So Saul got ready, and he and Samuel left the house together. ²⁷ When they reached the edge of town, 

Samuel told Saul to send his servant on ahead. After the servant was gone, Samuel said, “Stay here, for I have received a special message for you from God.”

Special revelation from God, given to Samuel and intended for Saul.

At this point in time, revelations from God were rare.

• Samuel received a special message from God for Saul. (Next lesson)

0