Chapter 10
Samuel anoints Saul Prince of Israel, the first King. Then, so Saul will believe him, Samuel tells him of three things that will occur on the way home that day. He'll be given bread by strangers, told that the donkeys are found and his father is worried about him, and then this third one:
6 Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. [1Sa 10:6 ESV]
I wonder if this change was permanent? Looking forward to all that will occur to Saul and then to Saul and David, one has to wonder why God would turn him into a man that does those things. So maybe this change is temporary, so he can prophesy for a bit. (MSB says that like Gideon, Saul was equipped at this time to be a military leader).
Second time - it does not say that this change is permanent. It says that Saul will be another man while he is in the company of these prophets. This is one of the three signs, rather than a "mantle" that will fall to Saul. However, given the idea in chapter 9 that the office of king is going to replace the inspired role of the judges, perhaps it is at least in some sense a permanent thing. Definitely something to keep in mind as we go forward. If Saul did indeed receive such a gift permanently, how much more guilty is he of the things he will do in the future that prevent his descendants from remaining on the throne. This would mean his sins are not mistakes, and not even poor understanding, but since he had this gift, he knew each time just how wrong he was, yet he proceeded anyway.
Interestingly, Saul meets these other prophets in Gibeah. The very same city where the last three chapters of Judges center. This horrible town that led to so much unrest.
In vs 8, Samuel tells Saul to go to Gilgal, when Samuel is heading, and to wait for him there. To wait until Samuel can tell comes to "show him what you shall do".
Then a few verses later:
9 When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day. [1Sa 10:9 ESV]. MSB says of this verse that he was changed so he could perform the duties of kingship.
Don't like to argue with MacArthur, but recall that God had Samuel try to talk Israel out of having a king because of the kind of man the king would be. This implies to me that God turned Saul into the man he warned them about. As of today (second time) I believe he was given the ability to perform the duties of a judge.
Samuel calls the people to Mizpah (2022 - Mizpah again...Samuel tells the people that they have rejected their God - so this is not really a happy time. Nevertheless, if they want a King, one will be appointed by God. So Mizpah is again a negative place.) to tell them what God says. God says that despite his bringing them out of Egypt and delivering them from their enemies, they have rejected God and asked for a King to be over them. (They don't want any more of this "every man did what was right in his own eyes" stuff.)
2021 - 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." [1Sa 10:19 ESV]
It bothers me that even though things had gotten as low as they had those last three chapters of Judges, that God considers the people's desire for a king as a rejection of Him. They had seers and prophets, yet they strayed further and further. They were having long periods where they were slaves to nearby kingdoms, followed by wars of independence, and then when the leader passed, they'd go right back to the old ways. It seems that God was ok with doing things this way. In fact, God preferred that to setting up a king to rule over them. This seems like the wrong plan as we look at it today, but I don't see any doubt that in God's eyes, having a King was a worse state than what was going on in Judges. Perhaps Samuel had turned a lot of the nation back to God, they were on the right path, and then despite how much things had improved under Samuel, they still asked for a king. Maybe that is the insult, that is the sin. They spurned the good path they were on, even when it was going the right direction, and preferred to choose their own way.
Possible FB post.
Each tribe comes near, and Samuel casts lots. Benjamin is chosen by lot. The Matrites are chosen by lot. Then Saul, son of Kish is chosen by lot. Saul is hiding though. He really doesn't want any part of being King. Maybe because he had been given the ability to prophesy. Maybe he had some insight into where this would lead.
The people find him, and Samuel points out that because of his height, there is no one like him in all Israel. The people shout "Long live the king".
I hadn't noticed this verse before:
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. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. [1Sa 10:25 ESV]
So no excuses for getting it wrong. God sent instructions, in writing, through Samuel to Saul.
As Saul returns home, some "valiant" men go with him, apparently led by God to protect him. But the chapter ends like this:
27 But some worthless fellows said, "How can this man save us?" And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace. [1Sa 10:27 ESV]
So Saul is not fully supported, from the very first day he is king. He has no "honeymoon" with this people.
2021 - Saul returned to Gibeah, the place in those last three chapters of Judges. He was from that same town, which makes him a descendant of the homosexuals who filled that town at one time, who ran to the hills to escape annihilation, and who stole their wives to preserve their tribe. Surely there is not a worse place from which a King of Israel could have been chosen. This is God's prescription for dealing with arrogance. This is very likely also the reason that not all support Saul as King. Some are disturbed by his heritage from the very beginning. Added to that is the fact that Saul knew the lot was going to land on him that day. Samuel had told him and anointed him, and he'd seen signs. So he hid among the baggage. Not exactly the sign of a great leader. This was not going anywhere good.