Behold the Man! (9:17-27)
17 And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said to him, "There he is, the man of whom I spoke to you. This one shall reign over My people." 18 Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, "Please tell me, where is the seer's house?" 19 And Samuel answered Saul and said, "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. 20 "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?" 21 And Saul answered and 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?" 22 Now Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall, and had them sit in the place of honor among those who were invited; there were about thirty persons. 23 And Samuel said to the cook, "Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, 'Set it apart.' " 24 So the cook took up the thigh with its upper part and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, "Here it is, what was kept back. It was set apart for you. Eat; for until this time it has been kept for you, since I said I invited the people." So Saul ate with Samuel that day. 25 When they had come down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul on the top of the house. 26 They arose early; and it was about the dawning of the day that Samuel called to Saul on the top of the house, saying, "Get up, that I may send you on your way." And Saul arose, and both of them went outside, he and Samuel. 27 As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, "Tell the servant to go on ahead of us." And he went on. "But you stand here awhile, that I may announce to you the word of God."
Known First to the Lord
The Lord knew Israel’s first king and showed him to Samuel. The Lord was the king-maker, not Samuel, and not the people. Israel’s motives were sinful, but the Lord worked through their evil desires to accomplish his good purposes. Saul did not even know Samuel’s name. It is safely surmised that he was a non-religious Jew. The Lord’s ways and purposes are shocking to us. Samuel was grieved by the people’s rejection but was still dedicated to doing the Lord’s will. The Lord guided him at every step. The Lord was orchestrating these events, these people, these times. There is nothing that stabilizes us more than this reality – the Lord is the governor of the nations (Ps. 22:27). He raises up, and he brings down (Ps. 75:6-7). He is working all things according to the counsel of his will (Eph. 1:11). From eternity, he knows all his works (Acts 15:18). His movements seem strange to us, for his ways and thoughts are far above ours (Isa. 55:7-8). We would have to be his equal to understand his mind. At best, we see but the edge of his ways (Job 26:14). Therefore, our posture must be trusting reverence in his wise purposes and government of our lives and of the world. All that happens is according to his counsel. He is working good for us, not evil (Rom. 8:28). We must trust him, wait patiently for him, and never doubt his wisdom or his love for us. He has pledged to be our guide, even to the end (Ps. 48:14).
Seat of Honor and a Special Portion
After identifying himself to Saul as the seer he was seeking, Samuel invited Saul to the high feast. He told Saul that his lost donkeys were found. What Saul heard next astounded him: “On whom is the desire of all Israel? Is it not on you, and on all your father’s house?” Saul showed appropriate modesty – we are a small family in one of the lesser tribes. You must have the wrong man. Why are you talking to me like this? Very different first words than David’s – Saul thought nothing of Israel’s need but only of his lack of family prestige. David saw Israel’s need and depended upon the Lord’s power, that he had already seen demonstrated in his life as he attended to domestic chores no less humble than Saul’s. Yet, Saul evidently did not know the Lord.
Nevertheless, he attended the feast on the day following, and Samuel gave him an honorable portion that Samuel told the cook to set aside – a portion parallel to the high priest’s usual shoulder/breast. Samuel may have been grieved by Israel’s rejection, but he was not dominated by wounded pride. He was willing to honor Saul. It is no small mark of Samuel’s piety and character that despite changing seasons of his life and significant alterations of Israel’s national life, he never lost love for the Lord and for his people. He was always willing to serve and did not allow hurt feelings and personal slights to make him pout. He was truly a new man, for his will was submissive to the Lord.
Hear God’s Word
He asked Saul to remain behind from the feast. “I will show you the word of God.” Sudden changes in our circumstances, for good or bad, can bring out the sinful tendencies of our heart. What can subdue these tendencies in each of us and keep us steady amid the changing seasons of life? The word of the Lord. The rise of the school of the prophets under Samuel paralleled the beginning of the kingship in Israel. Civil rulers need to be constantly reminded of their duties to the exalted Messiah. Saul undoubtedly shared with Saul the last four centuries of the Lord’s goodness in delivering his people from Egypt, his power in settling his people in the promised land, Israel’s idolatry and compromise, the Lord’s faithfulness to raise up judges to deliver them from their enemies, and the present need to defend Israel from the Philistine threat.
Above all, he shared with Saul the need for a righteous king who followed the Lord wholly. Samuel told him that the Lord remained Israel’s King, and that Saul was a king under Yahweh to show the nation the way to love and serve the Lord. We are encouraged constantly in Scripture to hear the Lord’s word, abide in it, hide it in our hearts, love and trust his word, and to desire it as our constant food. Saul did not heed Samuel’s counsel. He listened, but he did not take in the lesson and obey it with his whole heart. Let us not harden our hearts and be like Saul, the hard, rocky soil in which the seed of God’s word was quickly stolen away by the wicked one. Let us instead plead with him for soft hearts made alive and willing by the Holy Spirit, so that the good word we hear will bear much fruit in us. And if we wonder why the lives of men and nations in our age manifest the Lord’s progressive judgment, let us not doubt the reason. He has given us his Word, but nations once blessed with it have institutionally rejected it. Replacing him with the idols of money, technocracy, and corporatism, they are falling into ruin. Idols are nothings. They cannot sustain the weight fools lay upon them. Jesus Christ, not man, is King, and before our wondering eyes and trembling hearts, he is exposing the folly of unbelief.
Anointed by the Lord (10:1)
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?
King by God’s Appointment
Saul’s anointing to be king was the first time the holy oil was used on another beside Israel’s high priests. This is also the first time that Israel possessed all the offices in human servants – prophet, priest, and king – that pointed to the Lord Jesus Christ and his mediatorial work. Samuel did not know what Saul would become. He could not talk much with him without learning something of his character – an empty suit? Nevertheless, Samuel obeyed the Lord and anointed him to be “captain over the Lord’s inheritance.” The first thing Saul’s anointing symbolized was that he was king by God’s appointment. The people were weary of having the Lord for their king and wanted to be like the nations. Nevertheless, the Lord anticipated and ordained that they would be ruled by a line of kings, culminating in the universal, mediatorial King, the Lord Jesus Christ. This change in Israel’s organization, therefore, was not of human determination but by his will. Israel was God’s holy nation and must be ruled by his will alone. The same is true in our Savior’s church, which is now God’s holy nation (1 Pet. 2:9). In our worship, government, doctrine, and practice, we must always endeavor to submit to our heavenly and enthroned Head and King, the Lord Jesus Christ, by submitting to his word and loving him by obeying him.
Holy Spirit’s Power and Personal Consecration Required
In Saul there was a great advance in God’s kingdom and redemptive purposes. The kingship in Israel was a type of the mediatorial work of the Son of God incarnate. Thus, the anointing oil symbolized the bestowal of the Holy Spirit, who is prominent in this affair (vv. 6,10). The oil that ran down Aaron’s beard (Ps. 133:2) and the “oil of gladness” with which the Messiah will be filled without measure (Ps. 45:7; Heb. 1:9), pointed to our Savior’s full bestowal with the Holy Spirit – and then to give from his fullness the Holy Spirit to be and abide with us forever (John 3:34). Saul could not be king in his own strength and wisdom. He must have the Spirit of God. Whatever his religious convictions and practices were before, he must now follow the Lord wholly. With grace comes responsibility, not casual discipleship and flippant faith. When the Lord gives us his precious Spirit, we must be stirred to faith and love, obedience and consecration to him. His goodness must lead us to repentance and faithfulness. Saul, however, was changed only for a little while, as we shall sadly see.
Confirming Signs and Saul a New Man? (10:2-16)
2 "When you have departed from me today, you will find two men by Rachel's tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, 'The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. And now your father has ceased caring about the donkeys and is worrying about you, saying, "What shall I do about my son?" ' 3 "Then you shall go on forward from there and come to the terebinth tree of Tabor. There three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. 4 "And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall receive from their hands. 5 "After that you shall come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is. And it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them; and they will be prophesying. 6 "Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. 7 "And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you. 8 "You shall go down before me to Gilgal; and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, till I come to you and show you what you should do." 9 So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day. 10 When they came there to the hill, there was a group of prophets to meet him; then the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11 And it happened, when all who knew him formerly saw that he indeed prophesied among the prophets, that the people said to one another, "What is this that has come upon the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?" 12 Then a man from there answered and said, "But who is their father?" Therefore it became a proverb: "Is Saul also among the prophets?" 13 And when he had finished prophesying, he went to the high place. 14 Then Saul's uncle said to him and his servant, "Where did you go?" So he said, "To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they were nowhere to be found, we went to Samuel." 15 And Saul's uncle said, "Tell me, please, what Samuel said to you." 16 So Saul said to his uncle, "He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found." But about the matter of the kingdom, he did not tell him what Samuel had said.
Three Signs to Confirm Saul as the Lord’s Choice
Samuel’s kiss and the anointing stunned Saul. In a few days, he went from looking for lost donkeys to being anointed king of Israel! Samuel gave him three signs to confirm God’s calling. They happened exactly as Samuel said they would. When Saul was traveling home, two men told him that the donkeys had been located and that his father was sorrowing for him. Moving forward, three men met Saul and gave him two of their loaves of bread. Then, a company of prophets met Saul, and the Spirit of the Lord fell upon Saul. He began prophesying with them and was “turned into another man.” After these three signs, Samuel told Saul to go down to Gilgal and wait for him to arrive. He would offer sacrifices, and Saul’s kingship confirmed. The signs occurred exactly as Samuel said they would. When Saul began prophesying, it was said among the locals – “Is Saul also among the prophets?” “But who is their father” is another way of saying that Saul had no connection to the school of the prophets, yet he was prophesying. The Lord was marking out Saul to be king and confirming that call in his heart.
Turned into Another Man by the Holy Spirit
It is said that Saul was turned into “another man” (v. 6) and that God “gave him another heart” (v. 9). This was not regeneration, for Saul’s true heart is progressively revealed as intensely self-willed and a stranger to holy things. He was not submissive to God’s word, which is one mark of a deceived and dead heart: “it receives not the love of the truth that it might be saved” (2 Thess. 2:10). It is best to think of this change in Saul as strengthening him to function as Israel’s king. He needed courage to fight God’s enemies, wisdom to be just in his administration, and royal bearing to command respect and inspire obedience. The Lord gave him sufficient gifts to become king. But there is one thing Saul clearly lacked – he did not have a will to obey the Lord. This is the clear mark of a quickened heart – that the love of self is broken, that willfulness is changed into teachableness, and that God and his word are loved. This is the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, and Saul did not have this. It was the reason his reign was doomed from the outset. He was not a man after God’s own heart. He was not the righteous king who loved to do the will of the Lord. This was the tragic lesson of Saul’s reign – to teach God’s people that looking the part means nothing without a right heart.
The Lord gives men and women common grace change to fulfill his purposes for their lives and even to move his kingdom forward and protect his church. This does not mean that they are his children. The kingdom of God casts a wide net and catches many fish of differing qualities (Matt. 13:47). Some, in the end, are thrown away. Saul was such a fish, and such a king. Since even the bad fish are in the Lord’s hands, we can have peace when the seas of chaos are roaring. The Lord is at the helm of the universe and directs the heart of every king (Prov. 21:1). Fear and anger should not be our response when we see ungodly men elevated to power, as Saul was. The Lord has his purposes in elevating them – whether to chasten his true people, humble his enemies, or to give them no excuse for their rebellion on the day of judgment. Whatever his purposes, we must learn to trust him and know that he is guiding the course of human affairs. Knowing that God can gift his enemies for specific tasks, we must not confuse his gifts with his saving grace. Because a man is articulate, this does not mean he knows the Lord – or intelligent, charismatic, wealthy, sympathetic, or any other notable mark that sets him apart from others. We must have a new heart, or all the gifts in the world will only result in our judgment.
This brings us to the necessity of the new birth. The Lord turned Saul from nobody into Israel’s first king. He had no heart for the Lord and no heart for the Lord’s people. He had no qualifications for the office. The Lord had to make him a king. This is vivid picture of our utter inability and need of the promised new heart (Ezek. 11:19; 36:26). We might be gifted in earthly matters, but his gifts without saving grace never really give us peace and joy. How can we be made new men and women? How can we be born again? We cannot control the Spirit of God in this, for like the wind, he blows and works wherever he wishes (John 3:3-8). We can, however, face the evil of our sins, believe the Lord’s promise, and ask him for mercy. By his grace, we can turn to Jesus Christ and ask him to change us. “As many as were ordained unto eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48). Therefore, we must ask, “Have I received and rested upon Jesus Christ alone for salvation, as he is freely offered in the gospel?” “For as many as received him, to them he gave the authority to become the children of God” (John 1:12). We cannot believe in the name of the Son of God without a quickened heart, but there has never been a quickened heart without faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, heed his call – “Come unto me.”
“Ask of me, and I will give you the living water.”
Saul teaches us not to rest in outward attainments and to beware of the temptations of sudden elevation or bitter disappointments. We should never equate God’s favor with improved circumstances, wealth, or influence. Nor should we think he is angry with us because our situation changes for the worse. It is compelling to compare him and Samuel at this point. Samuel was but recently rejected by the people, but because his heart was new and right with the Lord, he continued to serve God’s people without accolade or demanding right of position. Imagine a true prophet and priest of the Lord yielding his place at a feast and portion of the meal to a nobody, somebody that would soon reveal himself as utterly unfit to be king. Samuel did not question the Lord’s judgment in this matter. He followed the Lord’s word. And this is what marks a new heart and new man or woman more than anything else – they follow the Lord. Their will is held captive to his word – not perfectly in this life, but the bent of the new heart is toward the Lord. However great or small our attainments may be, good or bad our circumstances, we must be unified in seeking from the Lord a heart that loves him and desires above all to walk worthy of him. Then, whether we are recognized or rejected, praised or condemned, we have the Lord’s approbation. He knows each of his sheep by name. They hear his voice, and they follow him. Saul did not. The fruits were bitter and deadly.
God Is with You – To be King of His People
Because we know the end of Saul’s story, it is tempting to read the beginning too much by the end. Yet, knowing the end, we should marvel at the Lord’s promise to be with Saul (v. 7). With someone who was not really God’s child and would turn out to be a rascal? Yes, the Lord was with Saul to help him to be king. Saul accomplished some good during his reign. This was due to the Lord’s condescension, which is beyond our capacity to fathom. We should bow our hearts in wonder. If the Lord was with Saul, he will certainly be with us (Matt. 28:20)! Whatever happens to us, however much trouble we experience, if you wonder how you will eat tomorrow, the Lord is with you. He cannot leave you. He has bound you to himself. Saul did not believe, and the Lord left him. If you are a believer in his Son, he cannot leave you. Loving his Son, he loves you. He will care for you, guide you, correct your faults, humble your pride, and throw your faith into the fire to test and refine you. But he will never leave you. He cannot leave you for he would have to deny himself, which he cannot and will not do. He is faithful. He will guide us with his counsel, and then receive us unto glory. Bless the Lord, O my soul. And may his name be praised for his amazing grace to vile sinners. Trust in him. Love him. Come to the Savior. He will never cast out any who come to him for healing and salvation.
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