The Hidden King

1 Samuel 9:22-10:27

Welcome! Today we continue in our series on Samuel and Saul, and last week we were finally introduced to Saul. That account was given from the point of view of Saul. I want to give you a recap, but I am going to do so from the perspective of Samuel. To do this I need to go back to I Samuel 8. Samuel is now an old man, and so his sons are also full-grown. Samuel had appointed them as leaders, but unfortunately, they did not take God seriously or follow in the ways of their father. It says they turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

There is a sense of deja vu here, as Samuel grew up in the household of the priest Eli, whose own sons also did many wicked things. When Samuel was still a boy, God spoke to Samuel, and the message was about the sad fate of Eli’s sons, that they would die for their sins. And they did die, in a battle with the Philistines, a battle in which the Israelites were foolish and moved the Ark of the Covenant to the site of battle, hoping they could somehow force God to act. But that’s just not how a relationship with God works: we do what He wants us to do, not the other way around on, and so God allowed the Philistines not only to have a great victory but to capture the Ark! Now, an additional consequence of that battle was that Eli’s two sons were killed, and when the news was brought to Eli, he died as well, fulfilling words God had given Eli long ago. All of these events were indelibly written into young Samuel’s heart and mind, and so I am sure he was terribly pained to see his own sons, much like Eli’s, choose to live as if God didn’t exist, didn’t see, or didn’t care what they did.

Through miraculous means, God brought the Ark back to the Israelites, and they also were able to subdue the Philistines so that there was an extended era of peace. But again and again in Scripture we see that it only takes one generation for the people to forget God and turn away from following Him. We see this in Samuel’s own sons, and we also see it in the Israelites at this time. In I Samuel 9, we are told that the elders of the tribes gathered together and confronted Samuel. In what had to be a very awkward conversation, they pointed out that what was going on with the leadership of Samuel’s sons was just not working. And then, they asked for a king to lead them such as the other nations around them had.

At this point God spoke to Samuel. Now if you took the elders’ words at face value, it sure seemed as if the Israelites wanted this king because Samuel’s sons were so corrupt. But, in what to me is a strong sign of compassion on the part of God, God told Samuel that this was really a smokescreen. What the Israelites were really doing was rejecting God as king – Samuel’s sons were just an excuse. The Israelites saw a king as someone who would protect them from invasion, someone who would make their small nation look strong – in short, they didn’t really trust God to take care of them. They saw God as not strong enough, or not caring enough, or most likely, both. And so, at God’s direction, Samuel pointed out that if they had a king like the other nations, they would find this king was more of a curse than a blessing. He would take the best of everything, even their children – the sons marched off into battle and the daughters into the service of the king. It would become so bad they would cry out to God for help against their king, but that prayer, because of their rejection of Him, He warned them that He would not answer.

But the people were stubborn. They acted as if they hadn’t heard a word that was said. Instead they just repeated their mantra, “We want a king to be like the other nations!” Well, Samuel, led by God, agreed to their demands, and sent the people home.

This brings us to the passage from last week. We don’t know how much time elapsed, but on a certain day, God spoke to Samuel, saying that on the very next day a man would come from Benjamin – this would be the man who God had chosen to be king. God told Samuel to anoint him with oil. That next day, God orchestrated events so that Samuel saw this man, Saul the son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, and told him, “This is the man!” 

God proceeded to, well, blow Saul away. Samuel was led every step of the way. Now Saul was in the middle of an errand with a servant to find his father’s donkeys. Because they couldn’t find them, he was seeking the prophet to see if he could tell him where to look. But without being told any of this, Samuel announced to Saul that his donkeys were found. Not even giving him any time to process that, he told Saul, “And to whom is all the desire of Israel turned, if not to you and your whole family line?”

Saul responded with incredulity, saying, “But I am Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel.” This was true. The tribe was nearly completely decimated in civil war at the time of the Book of Judges. They were so small that, even later on, when, under the bad leadership of Solomon’s son, the Israelite nation split into two, the two pieces were called Israel and Judah, but Judah included Benjamin (and possibly Simeon). My point is that the tribe of Benjamin was so small compared to Judah that it wasn’t even worth mentioning – the combined land was called Judah, not “Judahmin.”  

Samuel had Saul come to a “high place” where God was worshiped. This brings us up to today’s passage. Starting in chapter 9, verse 22:

Then Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the hall and seated them at the head of those who were invited—about thirty in number. Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the piece of meat I gave you, the one I told you to lay aside.” So the cook took up the thigh with what was on it and set it in front of Saul. Samuel said, “Here is what has been kept for you. Eat, because it was set aside for you for this occasion from the time I said, ‘I have invited guests.’” And Saul dined with Samuel that day. – I Sam. 9:22-24

Who were these people that were invited? We are not told. But I think it is likely they were people whom Samuel was teaching about God, his disciples, so to speak. I Samuel 19 speaks of a company or school of prophets, likely Levites who served in roles related to the tabernacle and the sacrifices. It seems that Samuel may have had multiple groups of such people.

This banquet appears to have been a pre-planned sacrificial feast. Saul was placed at the head of the table, both a position of the highest honor and also, potentially, of leadership. This is a really big deal. Think about Jesus’ disciples later fighting among themselves over who got to sit on Jesus’ left and right. Here this complete stranger to the 30 is given that position!

This meat reserved for Samuel was also a big deal. This meat was likely of the sacrifice, from the priest’s own portion. Nobody ate from the priest’s personal portion. I am reminded of Jesus in the Last Supper, offering the bread and cup but saying that it was Himself of which they ate and drank.

Altogether, this is not just an example of Biblical hospitality. It is a message for the 30 select people and a message for Saul. Without coming out and naming him as king, it comes close. The 30 learn that here that Saul is an extremely important person that has a unique role to play in Israel. Saul learns that Samuel has something huge planned for him, and that God miraculously seems to be behind all of it.  

I also think this was a way for Samuel to see what kind of person Saul was. I think of even modern relationships when the parents invite their daughter’s boyfriend over for a meal. It’s a chance to see what he is like. Much like in modern relationships, the parent (Samuel) wasn’t really getting any say at all in who his daughter (Israel) was marrying (Saul). A tip to you parents (and to you young people hoping to get married): One way to really test to see what a person is like is to shower them with honor. Are they puffed up by it? Do they expect it? Or are they humble, gracious, thankful? Do they seek to serve? Samuel already knew his daughter (Israel) had poor taste in men (kings). This was a chance to hope (and see) that maybe this boyfriend (Saul) wasn’t so bad after all.

After they came down from the high place to the town, Samuel talked with Saul on the roof of his house. They rose about daybreak, and Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get ready, and I will send you on your way.” When Saul got ready, he and Samuel went outside together. As they were going down to the edge of the town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us”—and the servant did so—“but you stay here for a while, so that I may give you a message from God.” – I Samuel 9:25-27

We aren’t told the content of the evening discussion. But the servant was present for it, and apparently to stop rumors from spreading like crazy, Samuel had Saul send him away the next morning as they were walking out of town together.

Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over His inheritance? – I Sam. 10:1

This was an anointing. The word “anointing” means to apply a liquid to. Saul was anointed with oil. In Exodus 28, we see that priests were to be anointed in preparation for their priestly service. Previously only priests were anointed. This was something new. Israel had never had a king before, but this anointing implied that although the king was not a priest (being of the tribe of Benjamin), he was to be every bit as much dedicated to God, to be in the service of God, and he was every bit as much chosen by God for the role.

The kiss was not just a sign of greeting, but of acceptance. I go back to the wedding analogy – it was as if the father (Samuel) was giving the to-be-son-in-law (Saul) his blessing and sign of acceptance. And the way Samuel calls the people God’s inheritance is a lot like a father saying, “Take good care of MY daughter (if you know what’s good for you)!”

Why did Samuel wait until they were alone and out of town? Because it was meant to be private – the public announcement would be later. It’s kind of hard to hide the fact that you’ve been anointed. You have an oily mess dripping down onto your clothes. And oil stains don’t just evaporate away.

Samuel continues to speak to Saul:

When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb, at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried about you. He is asking, “What shall I do about my son?”’ – I Sam. 10:2

This is actually kind of funny. Saul had previously joked with his servant about the fact that they needed to go home or his father would start to worry about him instead of the donkeys. Again, in another sign of God’s awareness of all that is going on and even of His orchestration of it, the same phrase comes out of Samuel’s mouth.

This is also a prophetic proof that God is really involved in everything going on. Samuel is not just some crazy old prophet. Here will be proof: will Saul meet two men near Rachel’s tomb or not? (He will.)

“Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to worship God at Bethel will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them. – I Sam. 10:3-4

This is a second proof, even more specific and, frankly, weird, than the first one. Have you ever had a stranger come up to you and give you a loaf of bread? Two? We know that these things are all fulfilled, but the Scripture doesn’t give us details. I picture this old man looking at Saul and saying “You are so tall, and so skinny! You need to eat more! Here – take this bread! No, take two loaves! No, take all three! Wait, no, I need one for the sacrifice. Take two! Here!”

In seriousness, I think this is more a continuation of what happened in the meal with Samuel. The bread, along with the rest of the items, was likely meant for sacrifice. The men Saul meets are religious, devout men. To give Saul something meant for the sacrifice means that God is prompting their hearts to do this. Beyond the fulfillment of the prophecy, it is a sign that to be king is to be leader of God’s people, and that God will be actively watching what happens.

“After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, timbrels, pipes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying. The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you. – I Sam. 10:5-7

These people will be prophesying. This could mean that they were divinely telling the future, or, I think more likely, it could mean that they were having a kind of ecstatic religious experience, moved by the Spirit of God to praise Him through singing. And then it says Saul will join them. He will be overtaken by the Spirit of God, so much so that it says he will be “a different person.” And after this, it seems to say that God will bless his actions. Now that’s not an unlimited “do whatever you want” kind of thing – it’s more like the Spirit will guide him, and to the degree he humbly yields to the Spirit, he will be led by God.

“Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do.” – I Sam. 10:8

Notice that it is still Samuel who will sacrifice to God, not Saul. The role of King does not replace the role of Priest. It is interesting to me how Samuel says “surely” he will come down. Does he have a premonition of Saul’s future disobedience? (We’ll read chapter 13 in a few weeks for more on that.)

 

As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day. When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying. When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” A man who lived there answered, “And who is their father?” So it became a saying: “Is Saul also among the prophets?” After Saul stopped prophesying, he went to the high place. – I Sam. 10:9-13

It’s hard to know the spirit in which the people who knew Saul use this saying, but I think it was not used respectfully. I think Saul was not known as a religious person at all, so it was shocking to see this change. I think that Saul’s friends maybe thought very little of prophets, and to the degree this kind of thinking was widespread in Israel we see another sign that the Israelites as a whole really had forsaken God.

I am reminded of the other Saul, the one in the New Testament. Basically the Spirit came on him as well, causing him to be blind for a time. But when God restored his sight and he went suddenly from being a persecutor of God’s people to one seeking to share the gospel, people were amazed then, too. They might have well has said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” The transformations of both Sauls were shocking events.

This saying gets mentioned again in chapter 19. At this time, God has removed Saul as king because of his disobedience, but Saul has remained king in defiance of God, and is trying to kill David. Ironically, Saul is stopped from doing so by having another experience where the Spirit of God comes upon him and causes him to prophesy. Again, the people are shocked – this time, though, likely because Saul had become so opposed to God. It’s ironic that God would stop someone by making them prophesy.

Now Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where have you been?” “Looking for the donkeys,” he said. “But when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.” Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.” Saul replied, “He assured us that the donkeys had been found.” But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship. – I Sam. 10:14-16

Now the burning question is why didn’t Saul talk about the kingship? I mean this was historic news! God’s message through Samuel to Saul was as big as God’s message to Moses or Joshua. Now word about something going on is probably already getting out. Lots of people have seen Saul prophesying. The uncle maybe has hints of this and is probing – but Saul says nothing. Why?

The scripture doesn’t tell us explicitly. But I think I know, because I experienced something similar when I first put my faith in Christ while a grad student at the University of Illinois. Actually the first person I told was Lisa! And this was outside at a meeting in her home, because I didn’t have the guts to say it to more than one person. She of course asked if she could tell people inside, and the way she asked I felt like it would be really weird to say “no.” But I wanted to. Actually I felt like wanting to go hide somewhere! (But that’s getting ahead of the story…) Lisa did tell everyone inside and they all congratulated me, but I felt strange. Even though I had put my trust in Christ, I felt like it was too soon, like I was somehow being led somewhere not of my own will, that I didn’t have any say in where I was going.

What I went through had to be nothing compared to what Saul was going through. He didn’t choose any of this. In a real way, he didn’t even get to choose to believe. He didn’t have a choice; it was all thrust on him. The poor guy’s just out wandering around looking for some lost donkeys, and wham! The next thing he knows he’s the guest of honor of some old prophet, oil is being poured on his head, things told about the future are all coming true in front of his very eyes, and then he is possessed or something by this Spirit of God, and now he literally doesn’t know who he is. Everything about his life has changed instantly, and he feels completely out of control.

I understand this. It took me months to tell my closest graduate school friends when I came to Christ. A few months after I was saved, I once met Mike Bergen for lunch in a room in my building, and one of my professors walked in. (Mike Bergen was the pastor who led the home group that I was a part of with Lisa when I first came to Christ.) I was mortified when this professor started asking Mike lots of questions and Mike proceeded to say we were having lunch to talk about the Bible together. Mike then started asking the professor if he had read the Bible, what he thought of it, etc. Talk about wanting to hide! The professor said he had read a little but didn’t think much of it. I think I was too traumatized to remember much of the rest of the conversation, but I remember that Mike very humbly explained that the more he read the Bible the more he was convinced of its being true and truly God’s Word to us. I was shocked that this professor who all of us grad students saw as “scary brilliant” (and he was) really had nothing to say to this and left us on a friendly note. After he left, Mike was like, “Well, that was neat.” I did not tell him, but I did not share that sentiment.

What was going on was my faith was weak. I wanted my faith to be just in my head. I didn’t want it to spill out into the world around me. I didn’t yet have trust in God to lead me through real life. I think Saul was the same way. His faith was still very small.    

Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the Lord at Mizpah and said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’ But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, ‘No, appoint a king over us.’ So now present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans.” – I Sam. 10:17-19

You know, prophets tell it like it is. But this is painful to even read. This is not the way to build unity and confidence in your new king. I don’t know if Saul was there to hear that, but that sure wouldn’t help him! This has to go down as the most awkward coronation ceremony in history. But everything Samuel said was true.

When Samuel had all Israel come forward by tribes, the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri’s clan was taken. Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. So they inquired further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?” And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.” – I Sam. 10:20-22

They did this by lot, so that nobody could claim favoritism, or some other kind of unfairness.  But there was nothing random about this – God used their “random” method to bring about the name He had already chosen, our man Saul.

We don’t know exactly how they inquired of the Lord about where Saul was, but they may have used the Urim and Thummim, a method of inquiring of the Lord based on stones in the breastplate of the high priest. In any case, they learned that Saul, their new king, was hiding among the supplies.

Why? Again, I think it was because Saul’s faith was small, because he was overwhelmed, because he was trying to do this in his own strength. He was not yet ready to surrender his life to God.

Again, as a young believer, this was me. And I confess it has been me at many other times as well. I have always been slow to lead. I felt God’s leading me to “lead” the worship team (as an organizer, not a singer) for a long time before I finally agreed. When I felt God calling me to be a pastor, again I hesitated. I too like to hide among the supplies.

What about you? Do you sense that God has called you to do something, but you have shied away? I think we all do this sometimes. I think the Holy Spirit is eager to lead us to talk to someone about Him, or to help someone, and we miss that moment. It isn’t that we didn’t hear Him – we heard Him, but rather than obeying immediately, we hid among the stuff.

Why do we do that? Again, I think it is because we need to grow in faith. If we “hide” out of fear, there are so many verses that speak to this. Here are 3 of my favorites:

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. – Is. 41:10

When I am afraid, I put my trust in You. – Ps. 56:3

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. – 2 Tim. 1:7

In a way, like Saul, we are also kings and queens. God says so. From I Peter:

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. – I Peter 2:9

Are you ready to declare the praises of Him into the world? You are called and equipped to do this. Don’t hide among the stuff!

They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” Then the people shouted, “Long live the king!” Samuel explained to the people the rights and duties of kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed the people to go to their own homes. – I Sam. 10:23-25

Again and again we have been told how tall Saul is, as if that is the primary thing that matters in a king. I think it was Samuel’s backhanded way of saying to Israel, “You wanted a guy who looked the part – well, you got him.” I again go back to the marriage analogy – it’s like the father who asks why his daughter wants to marry this guy, and all she can keep saying is “Look at him! Tall, dark, and handsome!” In Israel’s case, they don’t care about the dark and handsome part. Remember that fear of the nations around them is a big part of their motivation. They want a king who looks like the proverbial knight in shining armor – they want a bold, imposing hero. Or they want a guy who is like one of those professional wrestling champions. But what did they get? A guy who looks the part but is so afraid of being a king that he is hiding among the supplies!

This whole thing had to be extremely difficult for Samuel, much like the father who comes to his daughter’s wedding all the while thinking this is the worst decision she has made in her life. Yet the father is supposed to smile and be happy while everyone is looking at him. Samuel has been given clear commands by God to see this “wedding” through, but with every fiber in his being he wants to shout, “Stop!”  This is what I see in Samuel – and here and there his true feelings “leak out.” 

But now it’s over. Israel has really done it – rejected the King of kings for a man who was tall. Saul is king. By the way this has to be one of the most unique and bizarre ways of choosing a king in history. Normally kings first come into power by conquest, and then their children do so by bloodline. Whoever heard of choosing a king by seeing who got the shortest (or more likely tallest) straw?

By the way, what did you think of Saul’s rousing, inspiring first speech as king? Oh, yeah – there wasn’t one. He didn’t even dismiss the people – Samuel did that! We’re off to a great start, aren’t we?

Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched. But some scoundrels said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent. – I Sam. 10:26-27

So much like today, you have one group of guys who love the new administration, and you have another group that hates it. But Saul remains silent – no late night Twitter messages from him! Some commentaries say this displayed wisdom – I agree, although I don’t know Saul’s motivation – he may have simply been afraid to say or do anything. But it was a good action, whatever the motivation was. To take action would have only further hardened the hearts of those who already didn’t like him. I try to avoid politics in my messages, but the application to our current president is so obvious, well, I’ll stop there except to say that I can totally picture these guys who hate Saul going around in protests and interviews saying, “Not my king!”  

Well, we’ve reached the end of the passage. I do want to talk about one application – and it’s a big one. Is there anything in your life you are in danger of desiring more than God? This is the sin of the Israelites. They didn’t so much want a king for the sake of having a king, but they wanted a king because they saw it as a way to have security without having to rely on God. Their desire for security and safety wasn’t a bad thing in itself – the problem was that they didn’t want to do it God’s way.

Christians, even those who have followed Christ for many years, can do the same thing. Just like having a the king wasn’t the end goal of the Israelites, it is often the case that the stated goal is not the real reason Christians do something – there is something behind it that is the real issue. A common area this happens is in the area of finances and careers, where in order to make a few extra bucks we choose a life that precludes us from ministry or even family. What’s the real reason? Maybe it is security, in part because the person grew up in a household where it was uncertain if there would be food on the table. Or maybe it is to provide a nice middle- or upper-class life, because when the person was young, something happened that turned the family from middle-class to poor.

It can happen to a young lady desperately wanting to be married. What’s the real reason? Maybe she has experienced loneliness and wants to avoid loneliness at all costs. Or maybe she didn’t experience the love of her father growing up, and she desperately just wants to hear someone say they love her. My point here is that usually when a Christian struggles with something like this, there is something deeper behind it all. Sometimes we don’t initially understand ourselves at all, but if you can find the root issue or issues, often that makes it easier to put our desires back on the altar, on the cross, and recommit, by God’s power, to do things His way, to trust Him to satisfy that root need that we have. I encourage you to prayerfully ask God if anything like this is going on in your life. Or if you already know that it is, I encourage you to trust Him more.