1 Samuel 9:1-10:27: Saul Anointed as King

1 Samuel 9:1-10:27: Saul Anointed as King

We’ve been working our way passage by passage through the book of 1 Samuel, and today the next passage we come to is 1 Samuel chapter 9 verse 1 through chapter 10 verse 27, so I’ll be reading a selection of verses from that passage. It says,

¹ There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth. ² And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people. ³ Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, “Take one of the young men with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys.” ⁴ And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them…. ¹⁴ So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the high place. ¹⁵ Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed to Samuel: ¹⁶ “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come to me.” ¹⁷ When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall restrain my people.”… ²² Then Samuel took Saul and his young man and brought them into the hall and gave them a place at the head of those who had been invited, who were about thirty persons. ²³ And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion I gave you, of which I said to you, ‘Put it aside.’ ” ²⁴ So the cook took up the leg and what was on it and set them before Saul. And Samuel said, “See, what was kept is set before you. Eat, because it was kept for you until the hour appointed, that you might eat with the guests.” So Saul ate with Samuel that day. ²⁵ And when they came down from the high place into the city, a bed was spread for Saul on the roof, and he lay down to sleep. ²⁶ Then at the break of dawn Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Up, that I may send you on your way.” So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out into the street. ²⁷ As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to pass on before us, and when he has passed on, stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the word of God.” ¹ Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, “Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the Lord has anointed you to be prince over his heritage…. ⁶ Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. ⁷ Now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you…. ¹⁷ Now Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah…. ²⁴ And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!” ²⁵ Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord….

May God bless the reading of his Word.

 Let’s pray: Father, we’re told that the one who delights in your Word is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in season and that has leaves that do not wither. We want to be that tree. So please, open up your Word to us this morning so that we can be rooted in your Word, nourished in your Word, and sustained by your Word. Holy Spirit, use the things taught in this passage to change us from within. It’s in Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

In an address given in 1880 at the Free University of Amsterdam, Abraham Kuyper famously stated that, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” In other words, Jesus isn’t merely Lord over one sphere of life but rather is Lord over every sphere of life. There isn’t one square inch of human existence over which Jesus doesn’t declare, “Mine!”

For example, Jesus is Lord over education. Proverbs 1:7 tells us that, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” This means that we have to think correctly about God before we can think correctly about anything else. In addition, Jesus is also Lord over science. Hebrews 1:3 teaches us that Jesus upholds this entire universe by his powerful word. This means that the laws of nature and the principles of science are true because Jesus is actively causing them to be true moment by moment. These natural laws and scientific principles are therefore a reflection of his power and wisdom. As a result, all scientific research should lead us into deeper reverence and greater worship of Jesus.

Moreover, Jesus is also Lord over artistic expression. The capacity that humans have to be creative is ultimately a gift from their Creator and should therefore be used in ways that bring glory to God. This mans that all forms of art—including music, literature, movies, paintings, and every other form of art—should reflect what the Bible says is true, beautiful, and good.

Jesus is also Lord over every legitimate vocation. Every worker in every vocation—whether it be healthcare, finance, plumbing, food service, or anything else—is instructed in Colossians 3:23 to engage in their work as a way of serving Jesus himself. This means that we should work not only in order to earn a paycheck but also to contribute to society and to promote human flourishing and, in these ways, to love our neighbor—which ultimately translates into loving Jesus. And when we have that mentality, our work becomes an act of worship to Jesus rather than merely a means of survival.

In addition, Jesus is also Lord of the family. He designed the loving relationship between a husband and wife to reflect the loving relationship between him and the church. This means that husbands and wives respectively should each strive to fulfill the unique role—tied to their gender—that God’s given them in that relationship. It also means that marriage is sacred and that the gift of sex should be enjoyed exclusively between a husband and wife. Jesus also instructs children to honor and obey their parents and parents to teach their children about God.

And we could go on and on, but one final example I’ll give is that Jesus is Lord over government and politics. Romans 13:1 tells us that human rulers have been instituted by God and therefore govern with authority that’s derived from God. And, as the subsequent verses make clear, God calls them to punish evil and reward good. So, whenever they fail to do that, they eventually have to answer to God himself, who is the King of Kings. Not only that, justice and righteousness are ultimately defined by God. It therefore follows that the laws of society should reflect what God says is just and right. It's also the responsibility of political leaders to lead according to what’s just and right and the responsibility of judges to judge according to what’s just and right.

So, all of this is what Kuyper means when he says that, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” We should approach every sphere of human existence in a way that recognizes the supreme Lordship of Jesus over that sphere.

And as I mentioned, that includes the sphere of government and politics. It turns out that the Bible has a lot to say about government and politics—including, as we’ll see this morning in 1 Samuel 9-10, how God desires political leaders to function in society and also what we should look for and expect in political leaders.

Now, to remind you of the context here, chapter 8 has just told us how the Israelites desired a king so that they could be like the pagan nations around them. God interprets this as a rejection of him as their King, but he nevertheless tells Samuel to make sure the Israelites get the king they desire. And now, here in chapters 9-10, God instructs Samuel to anoint Saul as king of Israel. That’s the main idea of these two chapters. God instructs Samuel to anoint Saul as king of Israel.

So, let’s begin by looking at 1 Samuel 9:1-2. It says, ¹ There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth. ² And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people. So, right at the beginning here, take note of the fact that Saul is both rich and handsome. In fact, he’s more handsome and also taller than anyone else in Israel. So, he’s very impressive from a worldly perspective. And we’ll come back to that idea a little bit later.

Verse 3 then tells us, Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, “Take one of the young men with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys.” So, Saul does this and—as we see in verses 4-13—goes all over the place looking for his father’s donkeys. He eventually decides to consult the prophet Samuel about where the donkeys might be.

We then read in verses 14-17, ¹⁴ So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the high place. ¹⁵ Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed to Samuel: ¹⁶ “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come to me.” ¹⁷ When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall restrain my people.”

So, God chooses Saul as the first king of Israel. And we see that God expects him to do two things. These two things are actually what God expects not just of Saul but of every human ruler. First, God states in verse 16 that Saul “shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines.” So, God expects human rulers to provide military protection. I don’t think any of us are surprised by that. I imagine just about all of us understand that military protection is a very legitimate function of government and a very important responsibility of government leaders.

Yet there’s something else God expects of Saul as well. He says of Saul in verse 17, “He it is who shall restrain my people.” Now, we might wonder, “Restrain them from what?” And the answer, I believe, is restrain them from their sinful impulses. That’s also the interpretation most commentators suggest as well. The fact is that, because of our fallen nature, people have sinful impulses. And the role of government authorities is to restrain those sinful impulses.

As I alluded to earlier, Romans 13 teaches that government authorities have been appointed by God to give approval to those who do good but to punish—even with the sword, if necessary—those who do evil. Likewise, 1 Peter 2:13-14 states, ¹³ Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, ¹⁴ or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. And that’s a very important role in any society.

You know, a lot of people today seem to think that authority structures are bad. This is one aspect of a more general mentality of our day in which people simply distrust institutions, including the institution of government. Yet here we see how important it is to have governing authorities. If we didn’t have governing authorities, the result wouldn’t be some sort of utopia breaking out but rather unchecked oppression, brutality, and chaos—as we’ve seen, for example, in recent years in Haiti. When the threat of civil punishment is removed, the sinful nature that’s within every human heart is able to express itself unimpeded by government authorities. It reminds me of that book Lord of the Flies, where a bunch of kids are stranded on an island all by themselves. And what eventually happens? They become feral, right? They struggle for power and oppress one another even to the point of one of the kids being murdered.

So, in the words of 1 Samuel 9:17, that’s why it’s so important for earthly rulers to “restrain” the sinful impulses of those under their rule. We then read in verses 18-24 about Samuel informing Saul that his father’s donkeys have been found, inviting Saul to a community meal, and giving Saul a place of honor at that meal.

After that, verses 25-27 tell us, ²⁵ And when they came down from the high place into the city, a bed was spread for Saul on the roof, and he lay down to sleep. ²⁶ Then at the break of dawn Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Up, that I may send you on your way.” So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out into the street. ²⁷ As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to pass on before us, and when he has passed on, stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the word of God.”

Then, going into the next chapter, the first part of verse 1 states, ¹ Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, “Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies…. So, Samuel anoints Saul as the “prince” or ruler of the Israelites. The act of anointing involved pouring or rubbing sacred oil on someone’s head and symbolized that God had chosen that person for a special office or responsibility. The outward physical anointing with oil pictured the inward spiritual anointing of that person with the Holy Spirit, who would empower the person to do what God had called them to do. And of course, the ultimate anointing was upon the Messiah—a title which literally means “Anointed One.” So, here in 1 Samuel 10, Samuel anointing Saul signifies that God had set Saul apart to be king of Israel.

Samuel then explains to Saul the specific signs that Saul can look for as confirmation that this anointing of him as king was genuinely from the Lord. He mentions the final sign Saul can expect in verse 6: “Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.” That’s pretty notable. The Holy Spirit will come upon Saul, with the result that Saul will experience an inward transformation and thereby be “turned into another man.”

Samuel then says to Saul in verse 7, “Now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you.” So, that’s another reference to the Holy Spirit being with Saul from that point onward. Then, moving down to verse 9, it says that, “When he [Saul] turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day.” So, verse 6 has already predicted that Saul will be “turned into another man,” and we now see that happening in verse 9. “God gave him another heart,” it says.

And the reason God did that, of course, was to prepare Saul for his role as king. God not only chose Saul as king and called Saul to that office. He also worked in Saul’s heart in order to prepare him and empower him for that role. And God does the same with us. When God calls us to a certain task or responsibility or ministry, he also provides everything we need in order to do it. God always equips us and empowers us in every way that’s necessary in order for us to do what he calls us to do.

You can see this principle even in nature. For example, God desires that birds glorify him by flying, so he gives them wings in order to do what he wants them to do. God desires that fish glorify him by swimming, so he gives them fins and gills in order to do what he wants them to do. And it’s no different with us. God not only calls us to do things in our lives but also equips and empowers us with everything we need—through the Holy Spirit—in order to do those things.

So, let me encourage you: don’t shrink back from doing anything God’s calling you to do. Maybe there’s a person in your life that you believe you need to share the gospel with. Or, just to get super-specific, maybe there’s someone you believe God would have you go through the Gospel of John with using The Word One to One resource that we train people to use at our church. Don’t shrink back from doing so, but, instead, move forward with confidence that the Holy Spirit will give you the words you need to say and guide your interactions with that person.

Or maybe there’s a particular ministry in the church you believe God’s calling you to do or even a difficult conversation you believe you need to have with a fellow Christian. Or maybe you’re a parent and understand the value of a family devotional time but feel inadequate to do that with your kids. Whatever it is that you believe God would have you do, don’t shrink back from doing it but instead boldly step forward into it with the confidence that God will provide everything you need in order to be obedient to his call.

Alternatively, you might also approach all of this from another direction as well. If you’re a Christian, God’s already given you the Holy Spirit. You have the Holy Spirit living within you. So, apparently, God must be calling you to do things in your life that require the Spirit’s power. He must want you to do something more than merely keep a chair warm on Sunday mornings. Instead, he must be calling you to engage in meaningful ministry to the people around you—whether they’re Christians or non-Christians. The Holy Spirit within you is evidence of that calling.

So, here in 1 Samuel, God not only calls Saul to be the first king of Israel but also equips and empowers him for that office. And we see more of the same in verses 10-16. The Holy Spirit comes upon Saul in a powerful way.

We then read in verses 17-19, ¹⁷ Now Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah. ¹⁸ And he said to the people of Israel, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ ¹⁹ But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, ‘Set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands.”

So, remember, God’s not very happy about Israel insisting on having a king. He even comes right out and tells them in verse 19 that they’ve effectively rejected him as their God. Yet God nevertheless gives the people what they desire and makes it clear to them in the subsequent verses that Saul will be their next king.

Interestingly, we see another reference in verse 23 to Saul’s impressive height. It says that “he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.” So, again, what’s most emphasized about Saul isn’t any godly character qualities but rather how outwardly impressive he is. That kind of gives us a clue about the kind of king Saul’s going to be in the subsequent chapters. Nevertheless, verse 24 tells us, And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

So, there’s great excitement, and things seem to be getting off to an okay start. However, as I mentioned, it won’t be long before Saul shows himself to be spiritually unqualified for being the king of Israel. Even though Saul’s wealthy and handsome and impressive in all sorts of ways from a worldly perspective, time will reveal that he’s not particularly godly nor suited for leading God’s people. And even already in this passage, we’ve seen some hints of that.

So, looking at this passage as a whole, you might say that the Israelites wanted to be like the world, so God gave them a worldly king. Again, the Israelites wanted to be like the world, so God gave them a worldly king. He gave them the kind of king he knew they wanted. In some ways, God appointing Saul as king is a form of God’s judgment on his people. He judges them, essentially, by giving them over to their worldly desires. It kind of reminds you of Romans 1, actually. And I believe God often acts in a similar way toward nations today. One of the ways God judges nations is by giving them ungodly rulers—the kinds of rulers he knows their hearts desire.

So, it might be a good idea for us to think about the kinds of qualities we should look for in our leaders—and especially in our political leaders. After all, we have a privilege that’s been nearly unheard of in history of actually electing our leaders, so it might be good for us to consider what’s desirable in a leader.

Now, of course, the world has its own idea of a desirable leader. The world tells us a desirable leader is someone who exudes charisma and who’s charming and eloquent and quick-witted. The world’s also very willing to have a leader who does what it takes to get things done or get elected even if it involves moral compromise—since results are what ultimately matter. And it also certainly doesn’t hurt if an aspiring leader is good-looking and wealthy and well-connected. That’s the way the world thinks and operates.

Yet the Bible paints a strikingly different picture of what a desirable leader looks like. Although there are numerous qualities I could mention, let me briefly give you eight qualities of a desirable leader that I believe are especially important.

The first is righteousness. Proverbs 29:2 states that “When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.” The Bible’s clear that character is exponentially more important than charisma. A second desirable quality is honesty. Proverbs 16:13 states that “Righteous lips are the delight of a king, and he loves him who speaks what is right.” A good leader is one who values honesty and truth-telling.

A third quality is integrity. In Exodus 18:21, Moses is told to “look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people.” Fourth, a desirable leader has humility. In Matthew 23:11, Jesus says that “The greatest among you shall be your servant.” True greatness is seen in a leader’s desire and willingness to serve the people he or she is leading.

Moreover, a fifth desirable quality is justice. 2 Samuel 23:3-4 states that, “When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.” That’s the kind of leader who’s a blessing to a nation—one who “rules justly.” That means actively advocating for what’s fair and defending the rights of the poor and vulnerable.

Sixth is wisdom. In Proverbs 8:15-16, wisdom is personified. And wisdom says, “By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly.” So, a desirable leader makes decisions based on wisdom rather than impulse. Also, a seventh quality is courage. In Joshua 1:6, God commands Joshua, “Be strong and courageous.” A good leader will courageously stand up for what’s right even if it’s not popular.

And finally, we might say the desirable quality in a leader that’s most foundational is the fear of God. Remember again 2 Samuel 23:3, where we’re told that “When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, he dawns on them like the morning light.” The basis of someone ruling justly is the fear of God. It’s ultimately a reverence for God that leads someone to exhibit justice and all of the other desirable character qualities.

So, as we consider these qualities—righteousness, honesty, integrity, humility, justice, wisdom, courage, and the fear of God—let me encourage you not to be swept up in the avalanche of what the world all around us looks for in political leaders. Instead, make sure you’re valuing what God says is most important in a leader. And remember that there’s a big difference between having a political leader who’s merely the lesser of two evils and having a political leader who’s truly righteous and who loves the Lord and is devoted to the Lord. Don’t mistake the former for the latter.

And by the way, these qualities are also highly relevant for anyone who may aspire to any kind of leadership, whether it be in the home, the workplace, the church, the government, or in any other context. Although there’s certainly value in various skills and techniques, character is even more important for a leader to have.

Yet, as we consider political leaders specifically—since that’s the focus of 1 Samuel 9-10—I think the greatest way we can apply this passage to our lives—outside of an election season—is to pray for our nation, and to pray for the leaders of our nation. In 1 Timothy 2:1-2, as Paul’s giving instructions about praying for various people, the very first people on Paul’s list are “kings and all who are in high positions.” So, maybe that’s something we should make it a point to do.

In addition, it’s also important to recognize that every human ruler is going to fall short in various ways of what God says a leader should be. This is especially true of those who serve at the very highest levels of leadership. I imagine we’ve all heard Lord Acton’s famous adage that “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” He then goes on to say that, “Great men are almost always bad men….”

Now, regardless of whether you’d go quite as far as Lord Acton does in that final statement, I hope we all understand that human rulers will inevitably fall lamentably short of what the Bible says a leader should be. Many of them will be the exact opposite of the godly leadership qualities I’ve listed, but even the best of leaders will fall short of those qualities. This is apparent even in 1 Samuel. Not only did Saul eventually show himself to be spiritually unqualified for leadership, even his successor—King David—godly though he was—“a man after God’s own heart”—still fell short in some very serious ways of the character that was expected of him.  

Thankfully, though, there’s one Ruler who epitomizes all of the leadership qualities I’ve listed. In fact, he’s the very foundation of those qualities and the one from whom they all derive. His name, of course, is Jesus. Unlike so many human rulers, who seem willing to do just about anything in order acquire greater power and prestige, Jesus says in Matthew 20:28 that he came “not to be served but to serve.” We looked at that last week. Also, in contrast to earthly rulers who are often corrupt, immoral, and dishonest, Jesus rules with perfect justice and righteousness. Isaiah 9:7 says of him, “Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.”

In fact, not only is Jesus the epitome of righteousness, he’s even able to do something no other ruler can do and actually impart his righteousness to us. You see, the Bible teaches that each one of us has sinned against God and that our sins cry out for God’s punishment. Yet, Jesus died on the cross in order to suffer that punishment in our place. Essentially, our sins were placed on his shoulders so that he suffered the punishment for them on the cross instead of us having to suffer the punishment for them in hell. Jesus was then raised from the dead so that those of us who have put our trust in him can be forgiven of our sins and be adopted into God’s family and spend eternity with God.

Paul says it well in 2 Corinthians 5:21: “For our sake he [God] made him [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Jesus suffers the punishment for our sin, while we get the credit for his righteousness. So, Jesus is the only King who not only governs in perfect righteousness but also is able to impart his righteousness to us. And as sinners, that’s exactly the kind of King we so desperately need.