1 Samuel 10:1 – 16 “Then Samuel took a flask of oil, poured it out on Saul’s head, kissed him, and said, “Has not the LORD anointed you ruler over His inheritance? When you leave me today, you will find two men at Rachel’s tomb in Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you seek have been found, and now your father has stopped worrying about the donkeys and started worrying about you, asking, “What should I do about my son?”’
Then you will go on from there until you come to the Oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from their hands.
After that you will come to Gibeah of God, where the Philistines have an outpost. As you approach the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place, preceded by harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres, and they will be prophesying. Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be transformed into a different person.
When these signs have come, do as the occasion demands, for God is with you. And you shall go before me to Gilgal, and surely I will come to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you are to do.”
As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all the signs came to pass that day. When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met him. Then the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied along with them. All those who had formerly known Saul and saw him prophesying with the prophets asked one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” Then a man who lived there replied, “And who is their father?” So the saying became a proverb: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
And when Saul had finished prophesying, he went to the high place.
Now Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where did you go?” “To look for the donkeys,” Saul replied. “When we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.”
“Tell me,” Saul’s uncle asked, “what did Samuel say to you?”
And Saul replied, “He assured us that the donkeys had been found.” But Saul did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.”
Saul and his servant have eaten with Samuel and the invited guests. Now Samuel is anointing Saul as king; however, Samuel tells Saul that God will confirm this calling by three separate signs. First, two men will meet Saul at Rachel’s tomb, telling him that the donkeys have been found and now his father is concerned about Saul. The second sign will take place at a landmark known as the Oak of Tabor. In a land where there are very few trees, a large oak tree would definitely stand out. There, three men will give Saul two loaves of bread, a symbol of hospitality and acceptance. Then Saul will meet a group of prophets at Gibeah and the Spirit of the Lord will move Saul to prophesy. Finally, Saul is to wait seven days at Gilgal, where Samuel is scheduled to offer burnt offerings and peace offerings and where Samuel will give him further instructions. Samuel is quite specific about the numbers of people who will meet Saul and their actions so that when Saul encounters these men, he will recognize the truth of Samuel’s prophecy. All the signs come to pass that day, confirming Samuel’s word.
Saul’s uncle meets Saul and his servant, asking them what Samuel has said. Wisely, Saul merely informs his uncle that Samuel has confirmed that the donkeys have been found. Why doesn’t Saul mention that Samuel has anointed him? At this point, Saul is closely following Samuel’s commands and Samuel hasn’t said anything about informing others. Perhaps also, Saul is still struggling to accept the idea that Samuel has anointed him as king. At any rate, Samuel gives the minimum amount of information necessary to be truthful.
APPLICATION: Saul is a dunderhead! Samuel, the foremost leader in Israel, has anointed Saul and has even given him a holy kiss sanctifying him for kingship. As if that isn’t enough, Samuel gives Saul three signs by which Saul will know that this anointing is really from God. Notice the precise descriptions Samuel gives; if Saul meets two men at someplace other than Rachel’s tomb, that cancels the first sign. If Saul meets only one man who gives him one loaf of bread, then whether or not they meet at the Oak of Tabor, this sign also is cancelled. And if Saul does not meet the prophets coming down from the hill at Gibeah or does not come under the influence of the Holy Spirit and prophesy, the third sign will also be nullified. But all three signs are fulfilled, and Saul goes to the high place at Gilgal.
Saul is given three signs from the Lord, and each of those signs comes true. If even one prophecy were to be fulfilled, it would be miraculous, let alone three prophecies as specific as these. If Saul actually has regard for the Lord, by the time the third prophecy is fulfilled, Saul should be on his knees thanking God…..but he isn’t. Saul goes blithely on, taking Samuel’s anointing and his kiss of appointment for granted.
“As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all the signs came to pass that day.” Why did God have to change Saul’s heart? Because previously, Saul had little or no regard for God. Saul is not a believer. There is nothing to indicate that Saul is any more holy than any of the men from his town or his tribe. God has Samuel delay the sacrifices at Gilgal for a week to give Saul time to ponder the calling God has laid on him and hopefully to pray about it. God is calling Saul to come up to a higher spiritual plane, but Saul isn’t listening. Saul just goes to Gilgal and sits.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, the 19th century British poet, spoke about people like Saul when she observed, “Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God, but only he who sees takes off his shoes; The rest sit round and pluck blackberries. “In those terms, Saul is just plucking blackberries.
Saul is one of the most tragic figures in the Bible because he has every opportunity for greatness and he blows it! The problem with Saul is that he accepts a God – ordained opportunity as if he deserves it; meanwhile, he has done nothing to distinguish himself. Saul has an ego to match his size, but he has never humbled himself before the Lord.
Why would God choose Saul to become the first king of Israel? Perhaps God chose Saul so that the Israelites would learn the difference between someone who LOOKED good and someone who actually WAS good. God was not playing games when He called Saul; had Saul humbled himself and asked Samuel to help him seek God’s face, Samuel would have been glad to do so and Saul’s entire story would have been vastly different.
We can criticize Saul, but what are we doing with the calling that God has laid on our lives? Do we seriously ask God for guidance so that we will do His perfect Will or do we behave like Saul, taking things for granted and trusting in our own judgement? May all of us realize that we will only see heaven on earth if we will remove our shoes as a symbol of God’s holiness.
PRAYER: Father God, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives! Help us to seek Your guidance throughout all the common activities of our days. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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