1 Samuel 9-10

Intro: Here Comes the King

As we get to 1 Sam 9 we are transitioning out of the age of the Judges and entering into the age of the kings

Israel sees this as their golden age

They long for the kingdom of David and Solomon again

They are convinced that the Messiah will come in this fashion

Unfortunately, there is very little success during the age of the kings

Most kings are corrupt and lead Israel astray

What is amazing is how faithful God is during this age

Samuel is getting old, his boys aren’t good, the Elders are thinking they aren’t going to repeat Eli again, so they ask for a king

God had promised a king way back in Deuteronomy so you would think this is good, except it ain’t

Their motive for a King was to be like other nations

That was sin #1 in God’s book

He is a jealous God and doesn’t want his children following other gods and idols

God tells Samuel to give Israel a king

Chapter 9-10 are about Saul becoming the first king of Israel

Read 1 Samuel 9:1-5

I. vs. 1-14 Seen My Donkeys?

vs. 1-2

Saul came from the tribe of Benjamin

This was the smallest of all the tribes of Israel

His father was Kish, and he was wealthy

Saul was head and shoulders above the rest of the Jewish men

He was handsome and tall

He stood out amongst the crowd and was the picture perfect king

Saul was the epitome of the phrase, “looks can be deceiving.”

He had everything that would be perceived as being Kingly

The problem was that he has some character flaws that would disqualify him from being king

vs. 3-10

Saul’s dad, Kish, was a wealthy farmer

Saul lived in Gibeah, about six miles north of Jerusalem.

The hill country of Ephraim was about fifteen miles northwest of his home.

Kish’s donkeys vanished

We don’t know how many, but this seems like it was a common occurence

He sends Saul and a servant to go look for him

We don’t know how old Saul is at this point but he took a young man, so this indicates he was a grown man

They searched all over, to the point that Saul started worrying about being gone so long

This is where you need to insert God’s sovereignty

This wasn’t about Kish’s donkeys

This was about getting Saul close enough to Samuel so he could be anointed as king

vs. 6 There is a man of God in this city

The servant suggested they go to Samuel and inquire about the donkeys

Samuel’s reputation.

It is intriguing that Saul, who lives only a stone’s throw away from Samuel’s hometown and within the circuit of Samuel’s territory, appears ignorant of this nationally renowned figure.

It likely indicates the spiritual and political naivete of Saul.

Saul replied they had no gift

Before Samuel, prophets were called seer’s and they would tell you what God was saying for a price

Three terms are used in this passage: man of God, seer and prophet.

The first is a general term that could apply to either of the others.

The seer and the prophet were engaged in basically the same activity

Samuel had a national reputation, to the local people among whom he had lived all his life he was like a village holy man.

These holy men were supported by the gifts of the villages they served and would have been consulted on any number of minor personal matters

Pretty sure this wasn’t God’s system, but during the period of Judges anything went

The servant had a quarter of a shekel

gift of silver.

A quarter of a shekel of silver would have been the equivalent of a week or so of wages for the ordinary working man.

vs. 11-14

The final part of their journey was to find Samuel

They encountered the women coming out to draw water

Towns and villages had wells outside of the city

This was their source of water, which necessitated they draw it in the morning and evening

The women usually did this when it was cool

Samaritan woman at the well at noon

They ask the women if the seer is in town

Samuel is just ahead and he is headed to a sacrifice

The people are waiting for him to get there

As they enter the city Samuel is walking towards them

See how God works?

When it is His will things fall into place

II. vs. 15-24 The Appointed Hour

vs. 15-17

Before Saul came God had spoken to Samuel

He had told Samuel that he would send him a man from Benjamin

Anoint him to be the king

When Samuel saw Saul God tells him “Here is the man who will reign over my people

vs. 18-21

Saul approaches Samuel looking for the seer

He doesn’t have any clue that his life is about to change

Samuel replies that he is the seer and invites him to the feast and to stay the night

He then tells him the donkeys have been found, without asking and then proceeds to slip in “And on who is all the desire of Israel” in there

Saul has no clue what he is talking about, but quickly replies he is from the most humble house in the smallest tribe

That was his way of saying he wasn’t qualified

In Saul’s mind size mattered

vs. 22-27

Samuel ignores him and sits him in the place of honor at the banquet

Put a special portion of meat in front of him

The thigh was considered one of the prime pieces of meat and was usually reserved for the officiating priest.

Here Samuel yields it to his guest of honor.

Then Samuel puts Saul up in the rooftop accomodations

This was preferred because it was often the coolest area to sleep

Samuel was treating Saul like a king even thought he wasn’t happy about it

Can you imagine how Saul’s mind is spinning at this point?

III. vs. 1-8 Saul Anointed as King

vs. 1 Anointed with Oil

This was a literal anointing of Saul.

The word “anoint” means to rub or sprinkle on; apply an ointment or oily liquid to.

When Samuel poured it on his head, Saul was anointed with oil.

But the idea of anointing is much bigger.

What happened to Saul’s head and body was a picture of what God did in him spiritually.

The Holy Spirit was poured out on him, equipping him for the job of ruling as king over Israel.

As Christians under the New Covenant we also have an anointing: But you have an anointing from the Holy One (1 John 2:20).

In the New Testament sense, anointing has the idea of being filled with and blessed by the Holy Spirit.

This is something that is the common property of all Christians, but something we can and should become more submitted to and responsive to.

vs. 2-8 Encounter 3 groups

Saul encounters these groups to show God’s sovereignty and provision

This prophetic word was confirm his anointing as a king

It is meant to establish trust in Saul

He doesn’t get it

1st group: Men from Father’s house

Donkeys found

2nd group: 3 Men going to Bethel

Given two loaves of bread

3rd group: a Group of Prophets

Spirit will come upon you and your will prophesy

Seven days you shall wait:

This was an important command.

By the nature of their office, kings do not wait for anybody – others wait for them.

But Samuel commanded Saul to wait for him, because the prophet of God had more real authority than this king over Israel.

Saul had to show that even though he was a king he was submitted to the LORD and the LORD’s prophet.

Failing to wait for Samuel will get Saul into trouble on a future occasion.

IV. vs. 9-16 Another Heart

vs.9 Saul given a new heart

God gave Saul another heart

Samuel couldn’t do this

Saul had to leave Samuel to get the heart

He was to respect Samuel but put his trust in the Lord

vs. 10-13

Saul meets the third group and begins to prophecy

This produced astonishment and a proverb

vs. 14-16

V. vs. 17-27 Long Live the King

vs. 17-19 Rejected Your God

vs. 20-24 Hiding from responsibility

vs. 25-27