The Reluctant Ruler
1 Samuel 10:1-27
Turn to 1 Samuel 10. Well, we left Samuel and Saul together last week at the end of chapter 9. Saul was searching for his father’s donkeys, and of course, providentially by God he ran into Samuel, who had been told by God in chapter 8 to give the people a king, a request that both Samuel and God knew was evil, yet God granted their request. So, let’s read through this story this morning and I make a few comments along the way.
“Then Samuel took the flask of oil, poured it on his [Saul’s] head, kissed him, and said, ‘Has not Yahweh anointed you a ruler over His inheritance?’”
1 Sam 10:1 (LSB)
The story begins with Samuel pouring oil on Saul and kissing him. Now I am not sure if I was Saul, if I would be all that excited about that. It might seem a little strange to say the least. I am sure Saul must have wondered what all this meant. Now Samuel had told him at the end of chapter 9 that Saul was going to hear the Word of the Lord. But it is unlikely that Saul knew that the elders of Israel had asked for a king. But fortunately, Samuel does not hold back any longer and says, “Has not Yahweh anointed you a ruler over His inheritance?” Interesting here that it is Samuel who is doing the action and yet he speaks as if God is doing the action as he says that Yahweh has anointed you. We also see the same kind of language here that we saw last week that Saul was being made ruler over His “the Lord’s” inheritance. Again, the reminder that God is not letting go of His people, as Saul would be the leader under the Lord’s leadership. Now all this would likely be hard for Saul to take in and fully realize. So, Samuel is going to give Saul some assurances here that this was from the Lord as the Lord will tell him of some events that will happen to him.
“When you go from me today, then you will find two men close to Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, ‘The donkeys which you went to search for have been found. Now behold, your father has ceased to be concerned about the donkeys and is anxious for you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?”’”
2 Sam 10:2 (LSB)
Remember last week Saul shared with his companion that he was concerned about his father worrying about him. Well this event, told by Samuel, says almost the same thing. Saul must be thinking at this point, Samuel, how can you be thinking the exact same thing that I was thinking?
“Then you will go on further from there, and you will come as far as the oak of Tabor, and 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 jug of wine; and they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread. And you will take them from their hand.”
2 Sam 10:3-4 (LSB)
Earlier Saul was concerned about food and here he is going to run into three guys with something to eat, and then verse 5:
“Afterward you will come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is.”
2 Sam 10:5a (LSB)
A Philistine garrison, I guess we could say it is a military station of men. Sort of surprising that this is so close to Israel as these were their enemies, telling us that the Philistines are still a serious threat to Israel. Now Samuel does not dwell on this point but goes on to say more in the middle of verse 5:
“and it shall be as soon as you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and a lyre before them, and they will be prophesying. Then the Spirit of Yahweh will come upon you mightily, and you shall prophesy with them and be changed into another man.”
2 Sam 10:5b-6 (LSB)
It would seem that in Old Testament times there were often those who went around and spoke about the Lord and they were often accompanied by music. But the main thrust here is that Saul would be filled with the Spirit of God, that he would prophesy and be changed into another man. Now it is good to remember at this point that Saul has not done anything yet, as he is still standing with Samuel and being told everything that will happen to him. Now, what would you be thinking? Wow! this is really exciting! God is going to use me in a great way! I can’t wait! Or, I hope that I am up for the task that the Lord is giving to me, Lord, I am a little apprehensive but I am willing. Or, Samuel, wouldn’t it be better if I just went home to Dad and you chose someone else. What would you be thinking? Well, I don’t know if I would be the rah-rah guy. I would hope that I would at least be the little apprehensive guy who would have to think about it, but I might be the third guy who just wants to go home.
Well, whatever Saul’s reaction was at this point, this is serious confirmation, isn’t it? Like you couldn’t get this mixed up: first two guys are going to tell you about your donkeys; then three guys are going give you some food; then you are going to see this Philistine stronghold; then a group of prophets are going to be playing not a bass guitar, keyboard, and drums, but a harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre, that’s specific; and then you are going to be changed into another man. I am wondering if Saul is thinking at this point, how will I know for sure Samuel?
I remember when I first started to think about going into full-time ministry, I didn’t tell anybody except Anne. And so, I would often share with Anne about this desire, until finally Anne likely got sick of listening to me and said, well, you need to do something about this, as nobody is just going to call you out of the blue while you are selling kitchen cabinets and say, do you want to be our pastor? And I remember saying to Anne, true, but if they did, that would be a sign. It would be like 1 Samuel 10 all over again! Now there is some mystery in this story.
Now it will be when these signs come to you, do for yourself whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.
2 Sam 10:7 (LSB)
What is Samuel talking about here? We certainly know that God is going to empower Saul with the Spirit of God and that the presence of God will be with him. And being an Israelite, he certainly would be familiar with stories from the days of the judges where the Spirit of God filled a man and he saved them from their enemies. He has been told back in (vs 6) that he was going to be changed into another man, and now he is told to do whatever his hands find to do. Now that term “do whatever your hands find to do” does not seem like a command for Saul to do whatever he wants, but more that he is to do what he should, in other words, Saul, there is a task for you. And it is interesting that Saul was going to be shown a Philistine garrison. And certainly, the pattern here in the Scriptures thus far was that when someone was filled with the Spirit of the Lord, they would immediately fight against their enemies when they saw them.
“Now when Yahweh raised up judges for them, Yahweh was with the judge and saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge.”
Judg 2:18a (LSB)
And we read many times that when the Spirit of the Lord came upon a judge, that he would go out and deliver Israel from the Philistines. So, Samuel instructs Saul to wait for seven days until Samuel tells Saul what he should do. And when Samuel left Saul it tells us (vs 9) that God changed his heart as God had said. It is important that all this responsibility that has been placed upon Saul is always with the understanding that God is still Israel’s leader, as Israel’s leader, Saul must be obedient to Israel’s God. In fact, we get the idea from the chapter that Saul is under the direction of even Samuel, because it is Samuel who is speaking to him about the Word of God. Therefore, Samuel actually represents the authority of God.
Now we read, end of verse 9, all those signs came about on that day. So, verse 10, tells us about Saul being met by a group of prophets, and that the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily, to the shock of those who knew him as they said (vs 11), “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” And (vs 12) we read that this became a proverb. This saying, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” Like suggesting that this was something that they would have never expected from Saul.
“Now Saul’s uncle said to him and his young man, ‘Where did you go?’ And he said, ‘To look for the donkeys. And we saw that they were not anywhere, so we went to Samuel.’ And Saul’s uncle said, ‘Please tell me what Samuel said to you.’ So Saul said to his uncle, ‘He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.’ But [Saul] did not tell him about the matter of the kingdom which Samuel had said.”
2 Sam 10:14-16 (LSB)
What does Saul think of all this? Interesting that we have not heard a word yet from Saul other than his somewhat deception to his uncle. In fact, the last time Saul spoke in our narrative was back in chapter 9:
“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 to me in this way?’”
1 Sam 9:21 (LSB)
Now we do see the Lord getting a hold of Saul and he is prophesying, and he also experiences everything that the Lord told him would happen. Yet there are a couple of things here that could be an indication of a weakness in Saul or maybe even a stubbornness in Saul, difficult to know. What is a little perplexing in this story are two things. The first is that the Lord had told him to do whatever your hands find to do and that the Lord told him that he would run into this Philistine garrison, but no mention of it when the events happened. Now we know he must have seen this military group of men because Samuel said he would and because we have been told (vs 9) that all those signs came about on that day. So, he must have seen the Philistine enemies, but nothing is recorded that he did anything.
The second perplexing thing is the mention by the narrator here that when Saul was confronted by his uncle and asked about Samuel it says, “But he did not tell him about the matter of the kingdom which Samuel had said,” yet he is quick to tell his uncle about the donkeys that were found. We might chalk this up to a few things, maybe Saul was just really humble and did not want to put himself out there, or maybe he was being disobedient and was trying to run from God. But I would suggest it might be that Saul was not quite ready or willing, in other words, the responsibility of the task had not yet sunk in. Or if it had he was somewhat overwhelmed by the thought of it. Well, at this point the truth that Saul had been called to be king was still a secret only known by Samuel and Saul, especially since Saul did not seem willing to tell anybody until the big announcement.
Then Samuel called the people together to Yahweh at Mizpah; and he said to the sons of Israel, ‘Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, “I brought Israel up from Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.” But you have today rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses; yet you have said, “No, but set a king over us!” So now, take your stand before Yahweh by your tribes and by your clans.’”
2 Sam 10:17-19 (LSB)
Now if you were in Israel on this day and the Lord through Samuel says that they have rejected God and that they are to take their stand, and we are going to start going through the clans. What does that remind you of? You might think that this was one of those times when the ground was going to open up and swallow you. But not this time as Samuel picks out the tribe of Benjamin. The Matrite family, Saul’s dad Kish, and then he announces his son Saul. And guess what? They couldn’t find Saul. I think we are pretty safe here now to say either Saul does not want the job or he definitely is not ready for the job. So, they find Saul hiding in the baggage. Now this alone would remind the people that this might not have been the best idea, in other words, they have rejected God and this is who they get. Now to the people’s credit, they must have a high regard for Samuel, for we do not see them saying, no Samuel, we want someone else.
“And Samuel said to all the people, ‘Do you see him whom Yahweh has chosen? Surely there is no one like him among all the people.’ So all the people shouted and said, ‘Long live the king!’”
- Samuel 10:24 (LSB)
So, at least we get a little excitement in Israel for the king which God chose for them, though we do not see any strong motivation yet from Saul. And there are some naysayers.
“But certain vile men said, ‘How can this one save us?’ And they despised him and did not bring him any present. But he kept silent.”
2 Sam 10:27 (LSB)
Again, I trust that I would be in the accepting crowd with Samuel and Saul as opposed to the “How can this one save us?” crowd. That would seem to be the easier crowd to join, wouldn’t it? After all, Saul has not done anything yet with his hands. He seemed pretty timid with his uncle, and he obviously doesn’t really want the job, as they find him hiding in the baggage.
So, what do we make of this story? Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10 that “these things happened to them [Old Testament stories] as an example, and they were written for our instruction.” And I believe there are some lessons we can learn from this chapter which I want to give you, but after that a little more to help us understand the Lord’s work in our lives today. As I do not want these Old Testament stories to leave us sitting here and walk out the door thinking, I need to try harder, or I need to put myself out there more, or I need to be a good Saul and not a bad Saul. But there is something deeper here. So, first let’s look at some lessons quickly and then some deeper thoughts:
- God calls people for His
We cannot read this story and place the emphasis on Saul. God is the One calling here. Why? Because God has a purpose to fulfill and He simply chooses Saul. Saul is a failure, as it will become more apparent as the story goes on. Yet the focus is that God has a plan to accomplish something and he uses Saul. Now He could have used anyone, but He chose Saul. And that Saul was somewhat of a failure (he will have a few highs, but more lows as we go along) does not mean that God’s plan has failed. In fact, God will use the failures of Saul to build into the life of David later on in the story. As you know the story, Saul chases David all over the countryside. Why? Well, it will make David more dependent upon God and it is all part of God’s plan to have the ultimate King come from the line of David. And I have emphasized that God calls people for His plan because it is all about God’s plan, not us. Now to be used by God is a great privilege, but it doesn’t mean you have to be spiritual. As everybody that God uses is not spiritual. A verse we have been looking at on Sunday evenings:
“Yahweh has made everything for its own purpose,
Even the wicked for the day of evil.”
Prov 16:4 (LSB)
So, how good do you have to be for God to use you for His purposes? Well, at least you have to be wicked or better. And I don’t want to be casual about this as it should strike us that God may use us. But the question is, how do we want to be used? To bring about some failure? To be someone who has a minimal spiritual impact on others? Someone who may waste much of their life doing little? Someone who is so self-focused like we will see later in Saul, that they become no spiritual benefit to anyone. Or to be a fit vessel for the Lord’s use. That is something that each of us must consider.
- We are under God’s authority.
This goes along with lesson one, that whether we wish to acknowledge God or not, it does not change the fact that God is in charge. That you might be sinning in some way. That you might be dead in your spiritual walk. That you might be getting away with some kind of secret sin. It is no detriment to God, the detriment is to you. God is not dependent upon you. He desires that you would follow Him, and yes, He loves you! But you are dependent upon God, whether you choose to honour God in your life or choose to believe in God, does not change the authority of God. For you are under God’s authority whether you acknowledge Him, whether you believe in Him or not.
- Think deeply about your calling.
The psalmist wrote:
“As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years,
Or if due to might, eighty years,
So teach us to number our days …
That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.”
Ps 90:10a, 12 (LSB)
Again, this is about how we are going to use the resources God grants to you. What did Tolkien write? “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” The seventy or eighty years, unless you are Derrick and you are fourscore and eight. That we have been placed upon this earth for a time for God’s glory. See, this is why the Bible teaches at the end of our lives, that by the grace of God, He is able to say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” So, how do we do that? How do we get to that place where we long, we desire, we are willing to follow Christ? It is by taking hold of God and His strength, and using the strength in your hands He has given you. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. That we might be strengthened by the truth of His Word and empowered by His Spirit.
I frustrate myself sometimes by watching sports. I don’t often enjoy it as I get so wrapped in one team winning. I was watching some of the Canadian Junior tournament over the holidays and watching our Canadian boys get beat by Czechia was draining. I didn’t enjoy any of the game. I was nervous and even if we had won, I would have only enjoyed it when the final buzzer went. I am awful that way as there is a built-in “win” in me. I get that from my Mom. My Mom could watch any sport and quickly pick a side. “Mom, why are you rooting for the green team” (watching some College football game that you don’t even know the teams or have any attachment to either team). And Mom would say, “Well, nobody likes that blue team!” Maybe Mom’s natural dislike for the blue and white Maple Leafs. And I don’t usually like to be critical, but I was not excited about the Canadian coach, as he just looked mad all the time. I was dying to get behind that bench and say boys, we can do this. But he just seemed to stand with his grouchy face hanging out! Well, folks, God has called us. He has given us life for so many years. So, let’s do this. Let’s be faithful. Let’s be a spiritual benefit to others. And think deeply about your calling. So, don’t hide in the baggage.
Where I wish to close this morning to help us better understand Old Testament narrative, as we need to understand the disadvantages that Old Testament saints had versus the advantages that we have. It is interesting that when we study Old Testament characters, we can become a little negative about their lives, as in most cases we see a downward trend in their spiritual growth. We are studying Saul and as the chapters go on he will not do well. And we might think, well that is Saul. But David too. For when we are introduced to David, most of the spiritual highs will come early in his life, and many of his struggles will come later in life. Moses, who is God’s great leader ends up being left behind from going into the Promised Land. Solomon asks for wisdom and we get excited about his love for God and commitment, and then things seem to go downhill. Abraham, the man of faith, lies about Sarah. Jacob, as he gets older sort of flounders around. Jonah in his last days, pouts about his situation.
Yet when we turn to the New Testament we see men like Peter who grow in their walk. And many of the disciples become courageous as they grow in their faith. And the whole New Testament addresses so much about spiritual growth, more than we ever read in the Old Testament. Now there are a few exceptions like Judah who seems to become a man of faith later in life. Manasseh turns to the Lord in his old age. And certainly, men like Joseph and Daniel seem to thrive throughout. But generally, it is not the same as in the New Testament. Why is that? Well, I wish to share with you some verses that I trust will be an encouragement. We speak about the term “sanctification.” And I suppose we would describe that as that Christ-like growing in our lives. But I wish to speak about “sanctification” for us and how it relates or does not relate to someone like Saul.
“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Thess 5:23 (LSB)
This “sanctification,” when is it done? It is at the coming of the Lord. Now I realize that we might often refer to this as glorification, but Paul uses the term here “sanctification.” So, we are not talking about a progression here. We are talking about a perfected sanctification, in your notes, entire sanctification like Christ, at the coming of Christ. Next:
“To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called as saints.”
- Cor 1:2a (LSB)
How would we describe this “sanctification”? This is a sanctification at salvation. This is similar to what the writer of Hebrews told the believers, “[W]e have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” So, this too is part of our sanctification but it refers to a finished sanctification. That upon faith in Christ, we are sanctified. So, in one sense part of our sanctification is a perfected sanctification in eternity. Yet in this sense, we might call it a positional sanctification. This is who we are in Christ. Again, we might call this “justification.” But justification is more of a legal term to mean that God has justified me through Christ. Yet this adds to that, as we have been sanctified through Christ. And sanctified means holy or set apart. In other words, upon salvation, we become a clean vessel set apart by God. It is proper to think of yourself this way. And that is an interesting thought in itself, that when a person believes in Christ and is saved, they are set apart by God for His use. Next:
“For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, leading to further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, leading to sanctification.”
Rom 6:19b (LSB)
Paul uses the same Greek word when he says in 2Corithians 7:1, “[L]et us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” What are we seeing here, what kind of sanctification? Describe it. Yes, a working towards sanctification. In one sense it is positional, we are sanctified at salvation. In another sense, it is perfected in eternity. And in this sense, we could call it a progressive sanctification, that we are growing in Christ. So, we could say that sanctification is how God views us, positional sanctification upon salvation. It is also what we will be in eternity, perfected sanctification. And the process we are in now, progressive sanctification.
So, how does this relate to Saul and other Old Testament characters? Well, we need to understand what happens in the Bible as we are introduced to the New Testament, Christ appears, God appears in the flesh. No one had ever seen God and now He walks with us. And He firsthand shows people how to live, as He was perfectly obedient to the Father. And this had such a tremendous impact on the men He chose, as they saw Him live. Robert Coleman wrote that the disciples didn’t have to be smart, but boy, they had to be loyal and very observant! And they were, for they followed Christ. They were willing to learn, willing to be obedient, by simply following Him. And then Jesus leaves them and so what does He do?
“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.”
John 16:7 (LSB)
And you and I live as believers with that Holy Spirit. And yes, the Holy Spirit came upon Saul, but He left him. Saul never saw God in the Person of Jesus Christ. He never lived with the indwelling Holy Spirit, who is working in us in our sanctification.
“So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
Phil 2:12-13 (LSB)
We have much to be thankful for and much that we are responsible for. Know that you have been set apart for God’s purposes and use your hands for whatever God has called you to do as you progress in your sanctification. Finally, the Apostle John wrote, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not been manifested as yet what we will be. We know that when He is manifested, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.” Perfection! Let’s pray. Lord, for what we know not, teach us. For what we have not, give us. And for what we are not yet, make us. And all God’s people said, amen.