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111 lines
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<h2><a onclick="return mV('1Sa',10,'1-');">1Sa 10</a> - Saul Anointed and Proclaimed King</h2>
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<p>A. Saul is anointed as king over Israel.</p>
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<p class="c1">1. (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',10,1);">1</a>) Samuel anoints Saul.</p>
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<p class="c2">Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured <i>it</i> on his head, and kissed him and said: "<i>Is it</i> not because the <span class="c6">Lord</span> has anointed you commander over His inheritance?"</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head</span></b>: This was a literal <i>anointing</i> of Saul. The word "anoint" means <i>to rub or sprinkle on; apply an unguent, ointment, or oily liquid to</i>. When Samuel <b><span class="c3">poured it on his head</span></b>, Saul was <b><span class="c3">anointed</span></b> with oil.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. But the <i>idea</i> of anointing is much bigger. What happened to Saul's head and body was simply a picture of what God was doing in him spiritually. The Holy Spirit was being poured out on him, equipping him for the job of being king over Israel.</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. Priests were anointed for their special service to the <span class="c6">Lord</span> (<a onclick="return mV('Exd',28,41);">Exd 28:41</a>). Literal oil would be applied, but as a sign of the Holy Spirit upon their lives and service. The oil on the head was only the outward representation of the real, spiritual work going on inside them.</p>
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<p class="c5">iii. Sometimes anointing oil would be poured (<a onclick="return mV('Exd',29,7);">Exd 29:7</a>), sometimes it would be sprinkled (<a onclick="return mV('Exd',29,21);">Exd 29:21</a>). This shows that the Holy Spirit's equipping for service is poured out in different ways and in different measures at different times and on different persons.</p>
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<p class="c5">iv. <a onclick="return mV('Exd',30,'22-33');">Exd 30:22-33</a> tells us about the special anointing oil. It was regarded as a sacred compound that could not be imitated nor used as normal perfuming oil. Since oil is emblematic of the Holy Spirit, we see that the Holy Spirit is not poured out to enhance our flesh, but to glorify Himself. <a onclick="return mV('Exd',30,32);">Exd 30:32</a> says specifically: <i>it shall not be poured on man's flesh</i>. Also, the work of the Holy Spirit is never to be imitated: <i>nor shall you make any other like it...it is holy, and it shall be holy to you</i> (<a onclick="return mV('Exd',30,32);">Exd 30:32</a>). There is to be no place for encouraging a fleshly imitation of the gifts or operations of the Holy Spirit; this denies the holiness of the Holy Spirit, regarding His work as something we can do just as well on our own.</p>
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<p class="c5">v. "In 1988 archaeologists uncovered in the bottom of a three-foot-deep put near Qumran, at the northwestern end of the Dead Sea, a five-inch-diameter clay flask wrapped in a nest of palm fibers and containing a small amount of well-preserved reddish oil, probably distilled from balsam. Dating from the first century A.D., the oil may be the only surviving sample of its kind and may be similar to that use to anoint ancient Israelite kings." (Youngblood)</p>
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<p class="c5">vi. As Christians under the New Covenant, we also have an anointing: <i>But you have an anointing from the Holy One</i> (<a onclick="return mV('1Jo',2,20);">1Jo 2:20</a>). In the New Testament sense, <i>anointing</i> has the idea of being filled with, and blessed by, the Holy Spirit. This is something that is the common property of <i>all</i> Christians, but something we can and should become more submitted and responsive to. "As <i>oil</i> was used among the Asiatics for the inauguration of persons in important offices, and this oil was acknowledged to be an emblem of the <i>gifts</i> and <i>graces of the Holy Spirit</i>, without which the duties of those offices could not be discharged; so it is put here for the Spirit himself, who presided in the Church, and from which all gifts and graces flowed." (Clarke)</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">And kissed him</span></b>: This was not only a greeting, but it was a sign of Samuel's personal support of Saul. It was important that the first king of Israel feel the support of the man of God.</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <b><span class="c3">Is it not because of the <span class="c6">Lord</span> has anointed you</span></b>: God had anointed Saul, and there were many aspects to this anointing which were especially memorable to Saul.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. It was a <i>secret</i> anointing, because it was not yet the time to reveal Saul as king to the nation. As Christians, our anointing often comes in just such a private way, not in a flashy, public ceremony.</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. It was a <i>memorable</i> and <i>evident</i> anointing, because Saul's head was drenched with oil. <a onclick="return mV('Psa',133,2);">Psa 133:2</a> describes how messy an anointing could be: <i>It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down the beard...running down on the edge of his garments</i>. As Christians, our filling and empowering of the Holy Spirit should be memorable and evident. Saul could look back on this day, and this event, and know that God had called him to something special as the king of Israel.</p>
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<p class="c5">iii. It was a <i>prophetic</i> anointing, because just as Saul was anointed as king, so Jesus is anointed as the King of Kings. Jesus is the <i>Messiah</i> (the same word as "Christ"), which means <i>Anointed One</i>.</p>
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<p class="c4">d. <b><span class="c3">Commander over His inheritance</span></b>: Samuel reminds Saul that Israel belongs to the <span class="c6">Lord</span>, they are <b><span class="c3">His inheritance</span></b>. At the same time, Saul has an important job to do, because God has placed him as <b><span class="c3">commander over His inheritance</span></b>. Saul should have tried to be the best king he could be, because he was taking care of a people who belonged to the <span class="c6">Lord</span> God.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Poole on <b><span class="c3">His inheritance</span></b>: "Whereby he admonisheth Saul that this people were not so much his as God's; and that he was not to rule and manage them according to his own will and pleasure, but according to the will and mind of God."</p>
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<p class="c1">2. (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',10,2);">2</a>) Samuel tells Saul of a sign to confirm what God has done.</p>
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<p class="c2">"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?" '"</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">You will find two men by Rachel's tomb</span></b>: Samuel gives Saul a specific, prophetic word from God, by which Saul can have confidence that his anointing by Samuel was really from God. If there were no men <b><span class="c3">by Rachel's tomb</span></b>, or if there was only one man and not <b><span class="c3">two</span></b>, then Saul should know that Samuel was not really speaking from God.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. However, speaking purely theoretically, there could have been <i>three men</i> <b><span class="c3">by Rachel's tomb</span></b> and the prophecy could have been still exactly correct. You can say there are <b><span class="c3">two men</span></b> if there are three or four or five; but you cannot say there are <b><span class="c3">two men</span></b> if there is only one. When a word is from God, it is always fulfilled exactly as God says, but not always exactly as we were expecting it.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">They will say to you</span></b>: If the men by <b><span class="c3">Rachel's tomb</span></b> do not tell Saul about the finding of the lost donkeys, Saul will know Samuel is not a true prophet. God gave Saul this sign to make him confident in what the <span class="c6">Lord</span> was doing.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. We need to trust in God's <i>confirmation</i> along the way. God did not want Saul to doubt his calling later, so he gave him a lot of confirmation.</p>
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<p class="c1">3. (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',10,'3-4');">3-4</a>) Samuel tells Saul of another sign to confirm what God has done.</p>
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<p class="c2">"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. And they will greet you and give you two <i>loaves</i> of bread, which you shall receive from their hands."</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">The terebinth tree of Tabor...three men...three young goats...three loaves of bread...a skin of wine...they will greet you and give you</span></b>. Again, Samuel is giving Saul such specific predictions that they can be exactly verified. God may have a place for vague, broad words (such as saying to an audience of five hundred people, "There is someone here with a headache . . ."), but they are not remarkable evidence of prophecy.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">Which you shall receive</span></b>: It would be unusual for men to simply give a stranger like Saul <b><span class="c3">loaves of bread</span></b>. But as king, Saul will be often receiving gifts, so this was a good way to speak to confirm to him his position as king.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Wasn't <b><span class="c3">two loaves of bread</span></b> a strange present? "The more strange the present was, the more fit it was for a sign of God's extraordinary providence in Saul's affairs." (Poole)</p>
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<p class="c1">4. (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',10,'5-7');">5-7</a>) Samuel tells Saul of a third sign to confirm what God has done.</p>
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<p class="c2">"After that you shall come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison <i>is</i>. 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. Then the Spirit of the <span class="c6">Lord</span> will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. And let it be, when these signs come to you, <i>that</i> you do as the occasion demands; for God <i>is</i> with you."</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">A group of prophets</span></b>: These prophets were apparently seeking the <span class="c6">Lord</span> and worshipping Him at the place of worship (<b><span class="c3">the high place</span></b>). <b><span class="c3">They will be prophesying</span></b> isn't necessarily that they were all predicting the future, but that they were all speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Prophets may speak by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, yet their words may not be predicting the future. <a onclick="return mV('1Cr',14,3);">1Cr 14:3</a> says, <i>he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men</i>. Also, people may speak <i>to</i> God under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. Poole on <b><span class="c3">a group of prophets</span></b>: "He understands persons that did wholly devote themselves to religious studies and exercises, such as preaching, praying, praising of God."</p>
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<p class="c5">iii. "Members of prophetic bands were often young (<a onclick="return mV('2Ki',5,22);">2Ki 5:22</a>; <a onclick="return mV('2Ki',9,4);">9:4</a>); they frequently lived together (<a onclick="return mV('2Ki',6,'1-2');">2Ki 6:1-2</a>), ate together (<a onclick="return mV('2Ki',4,38);">2Ki 4:38</a>), and were supported by the generosity of their fellow Israelites (<a onclick="return mV('2Ki',4,'42-43');">2Ki 4:42-43</a>)...Samuel provided guidance and direction for the movement in its early stages, as Elijah and Elisha did later." (Youngblood)</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">Then the Spirit of the <span class="c6">Lord</span> will come upon you</span></b>: This reception of the Holy Spirit was the real anointing. The oil poured out on Saul's head was just a picture of this. A gallon of oil could have been put on his head, but if <b><span class="c3">the Spirit of the <span class="c6">Lord</span></span></b> did not <b><span class="c3">come upon</span></b> him, it would have meant nothing!</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Poole writes that the literal Hebrew for <b><span class="c3">will come upon you</span></b> is "<i>will leap</i> or <i>rush upon thee</i>, to wit, for a season. So it may be opposed to the <i>Spirit's resting </i>upon a man, as in <a onclick="return mV('Num',11,25);">Num 11:25</a>; <a onclick="return mV('Isa',11,2);">Isa 11:2</a>."</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <b><span class="c3">And you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man</span></b>: Saul, before this time, never seems to have been a particularly spiritual man. So for him to <b><span class="c3">prophesy</span></b> - that is, speak as inspired from the <span class="c6">Lord</span>, whether predicting the future, exhorting others, or speaking unto God - was real evidence that he had been <b><span class="c3">turned into another man</span></b>.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. God picked Saul just as he was, even though he was not a particularly spiritual man. Yet, God did not want to leave Saul just as he was. For God to use Saul to the fullest, he had to be <b><span class="c3">turned into another man</span></b> by the filling of <b><span class="c3">the Spirit of the <span class="c6">Lord</span></span></b>.</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. God says His work will be done, <i>not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit</i> (<a onclick="return mV('Zec',4,6);">Zec 4:6</a>). When we let <b><span class="c3">the Spirit of the <span class="c6">Lord</span> </span></b>fill us and change us, then we can see the work of God really done.</p>
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<p class="c4">d. <b><span class="c3">When these signs come to you</span></b>: God arranged for each one of these three events to be a sign to Saul. God <i>always</i> confirms His anointing!</p>
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<p class="c1">5. (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',10,8);">8</a>) Saul is commanded to wait for Samuel at Gilgal.</p>
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<p class="c2">"You shall go down before me to Gilgal; and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings <i>and</i> make sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, till I come to you and show you what you should do."</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">Seven days you shall wait</span></b>: This is an important command. By the nature of their office, kings do not wait for anybody. Others wait for them. But Samuel commands Saul to wait for him, because the prophet of God had more real authority than this king over Israel! Saul had to show that even though he was a king, he was submitted to the <span class="c6">Lord</span>, and the <span class="c6">Lord</span>'s prophet. Failing to <b><span class="c3">wait</span></b> for Samuel will get Saul into trouble on a future occasion.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. Why <b><span class="c3">Gilgal</span></b>? "Gilgal was chosen for this purpose as a very fit place; partly because that place was famous for the solemn renewing of the covenant between God and Israel, <a onclick="return mV('Jos',4,'1-');">Jos 4</a>...and partly because it was a very convenient place for the tribes within and without Jordan to assemble, and consult, and unite their forces together upon such occasions." (Poole)</p>
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<p class="c1">6. (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',10,'9-13');">9-13</a>) The signs come to pass.</p>
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<p class="c2">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. 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. 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 <i>that</i> has come upon the son of Kish? <i>Is</i> Saul also among the prophets?" Then a man from there answered and said, "But who <i>is</i> their father?" Therefore it became a proverb: "<i>Is</i> Saul also among the prophets?" And when he had finished prophesying, he went to the high place.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">When he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart</span></b>. Samuel could not give Saul another heart. Only the Spirit of the <span class="c6">Lord</span> could do that. To demonstrate this, God did not grant this change of heart to Saul until he left the presence of Samuel. God wanted Saul to honor and respect Samuel, but to never look to Samuel in the place of the <span class="c6">Lord</span>.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. <b><span class="c3">God gave him another heart</span></b>: Samuel did not give it. Saul did not even give it to himself. The new <b><span class="c3">heart</span></b> was a gift from God. We can have <b><span class="c3">another heart</span></b> from the <span class="c6">Lord</span> also, but we must receive it from him. We can't receive a new heart from anyone from God, and we can never make a new heart in anyone else.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">Is Saul also among the prophets?</span></b> This phrase <b><span class="c3">became a proverb </span></b>describing astonishment that someone had become a religious fanatic. As some used to say of someone who was not a religious person who became very religious, "He got religion?" Saul was an unspiritual man who became very spiritual at the time when the Spirit of the <span class="c6">Lord</span> came upon him.</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <b><span class="c3">But who is their father?</span></b> This question asks, "Who is the source of the inspiration upon the prophets?" If God is their inspiration, then why should it be strange that God could inspire an unlikely man such as Saul? "Who is the father of all these prophets of whom you speak, and among whom Saul is now one? who is it that instructs and inspires them with this holy art, but God? They have it not from their natural parents...but by inspiration from God, who, when he pleaseth, can inspire Saul, or any other man, with the same skill. And therefore wonder not at this matter, but give God the glory of it." (Poole)</p>
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<p class="c4">d. <b><span class="c3">When he had finished prophesying</span></b>: Saul prophesied without ever really being called as a prophet. This shows us that someone can receive prophecy as a gift from the Holy Spirit without really being a "prophet" in the sense of having that office or title.</p>
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<p class="c1">7. (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',10,'14-16');">14-16</a>) Saul hides his experience from his family.</p>
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<p class="c2">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 <i>they were</i> nowhere <i>to be found</i>, we went to Samuel." And Saul's uncle said, "Tell me, please, what Samuel said to you." 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.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">Where did you go?</span></b> This may have been a simple, logical question. Or, <b><span class="c3">Saul's uncle</span></b> may be asking because he noticed that Saul had very, very oily hair!</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">About the matter of the kingdom, he did not tell him</span></b>: Of course, it seems strange that Saul would not tell of what he had experienced. Didn't he have a lot to tell about?</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Perhaps Saul was wise, knowing that the <span class="c6">Lord</span> had to reveal him as king over Israel. What point was there in saying, "I'm the king now!" until the <span class="c6">Lord</span> had declared him to be king?</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. Or, perhaps Saul is just experiencing what many experience after a powerful encounter with the <span class="c6">Lord</span>: an attack from the enemy, making us fearful and cowardly to tell others what God has done in our lives.</p>
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<p>B. Saul proclaimed as king.</p>
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<p class="c1">1. (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',10,'17-19');">17-19</a>) Samuel's speech to the nation before the appointment of a king.</p>
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<p class="c2">Then Samuel called the people together to the <span class="c6">Lord</span> at Mizpah, and said to the children of Israel, "Thus says the <span class="c6">Lord</span> God of Israel: 'I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians <i>and</i> from the hand of all kingdoms and from those who oppressed you.' But you have today rejected your God, who Himself saved you from all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said to Him, 'No, set a king over us!' Now therefore, present yourselves before the <span class="c6">Lord</span> by your tribes and by your clans."</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">I brought Israel out of Egypt</span></b>: Before God appoints a king for Israel, God reminds Israel of all He has done for them. In a sense, God is reminding Israel that He was still more than qualified to be their king, and their rejection of Him was all because of them, and not because of the <span class="c6">Lord</span>.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">But you have rejected your God, who Himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations</span></b>: The <span class="c6">Lord</span>, speaking through Samuel, is showing Israel how their rejection of Him made so little sense. Why would anyone reject the one <b><span class="c3">who</span></b> <b><span class="c3">Himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations</span></b>?</p>
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<p class="c5">i. It is easy for us to think, "Wow, those Israelites were really stupid. How foolish to reject God like that!" But are we much different? Whenever we, even in the smallest way, reject God, we show the same lack of sense.</p>
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<p class="c1">2. (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',10,'20-21');">20-21a</a>) Saul is selected by lot.</p>
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<p class="c2">And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was chosen. And Saul the son of Kish was chosen.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">And Saul the son of Kish was chosen</span></b>: Why did God do it this way, when He had already anointed Saul as king over Israel? Because this would show the whole nation that Saul was the right man. It would show that God had chosen Saul, not that any man had chosen him.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. <b><span class="c3">They inquired of the <span class="c6">Lord</span></span></b>: "Either by Urim or Thummin, which was the usual way of inquiry...or by Samuel, who by his prayer procured an answer." (Poole)</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. "It appears that, in order to find out the proper person who should be made their king, they must determine by lot: 1. The <i>tribe</i>. 2. The <i>thousands</i> or <i>grand divisions</i> by families. 3. The <i>smaller divisions</i> by families. And, 4. The <i>individual</i>. When the lot was cast for the <i>tribe</i>, <i>Benjamin</i> was taken; when for the <i>thousand</i>, the division of <i>Matri</i> was taken; when for the <i>family</i>, the family of <i>Kish</i> was taken; when for the <i>individual</i>, <i>Saul</i>, the son of Kish, was taken." (Clarke)</p>
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<p class="c4">b. It is important to say that Saul did not become king because he was chosen by lot. Instead, he was chosen king because of God's word to the prophet Samuel. The choosing by lot simply confirmed the word of the <span class="c6">Lord</span> through Samuel.</p>
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<p class="c1">3. (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',10,'21-24');">21b-24</a>) Saul is revealed to be the king.</p>
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<p class="c2">But when they sought him, he could not be found. Therefore they inquired of the <span class="c6">Lord</span> further, "Has the man come here yet?" And the <span class="c6">Lord</span> answered, "There he is, hidden among the equipment." So they ran and brought him from there; and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. And Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom the <span class="c6">Lord</span> has chosen, that <i>there is</i> no one like him among all the people?" So all the people shouted and said, "Long live the king!"</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">Hidden among the equipment</span></b>: In fact, here Saul shows a healthy embarrassment and humility. He was not looking forward to being "center stage" in front of the nation; he seems to be dreading it. Saul was not made king because of his own personal ambition, or to gratify a desire for the limelight.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Spurgeon, in his sermon <i>Hiding Among the Stuff</i>, shows how both believers and unbelievers can be <b><span class="c3">hidden among the equipment</span></b>, avoiding the crown God has for them. "There may be some of you here present, who may be doing precisely what Saul did, only you are doing it more foolishly than he did. He did but hide away from an earthly crown, but you hide from a heavenly one." (Spurgeon)</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">He was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward</span></b>: The physical description of Saul shows he is exactly what the people wanted. Israel a king that would look good to the other nations, and God gave them "the king from central casting"!</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <b><span class="c3">Long live the king!</span></b> The people of Israel, in their desire for the image and pageantry of a human king had been longing to shout these words for a long time. They knew all the other nations got see royal ceremonies and functions. Now they get to also!</p>
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<p class="c4">d. <b><span class="c3">Do you see him...there is no one like him among all the people</span></b>: What did Samuel mean by this? Probably, there was a note of sarcasm in his voice when he said this. He wanted the nation to <b><span class="c3">see</span></b> the king, and according to what they could <b><span class="c3">see</span></b>, he was a great king. But Samuel, from his long conversations with Saul (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',9,'25-26');">1Sa 9:25-26</a>), probably knew him well enough to mean something else when he said, <b><span class="c3">there is no one like him among all the people</span></b>.</p>
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<p class="c1">4. (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',10,'25-27');">25-27</a>) The monarchy established.</p>
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<p class="c2">Then Samuel explained to the people the behavior of royalty, and wrote <i>it</i> in a book and laid <i>it</i> up before the <span class="c6">Lord</span>. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and valiant <i>men</i> went with him, whose hearts God had touched. But some rebels said, "How can this man save us?" So they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">Samuel explained to the people the behavior of royalty</span></b>: Samuel taught them God's guidelines for both rulers and subjects, probably using <a onclick="return mV('Deu',17,'14-20');">Deu 17:14-20</a>. </p>
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<p class="c5">i. When it says <b><span class="c3">the behavior of royalty</span></b>, we can guess that Samuel was not explaining how a king should hold a teacup. Instead, Samuel was probably warning them about the wickedness and selfishness kings have, just as Jesus said: <i>You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them</i>. But Jesus added this word of instruction: <i>Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many</i> (<a onclick="return mV('Mar',10,'42-45');">Mar 10:42-45</a>). According to the way the kings of this world live, God never wants us to imitate <b><span class="c3">the behavior of royalty</span></b>.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">Wrote it in a book and laid it up before the <span class="c6">Lord</span></span></b>: It doesn't seem that this book Samuel wrote is any of the books of the Bible we have. This doesn't mean that there is something missing from our Bibles, it simply means that God did not want this book preserved in His eternal word.</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <b><span class="c3">Saul also went home to Gibeah</span></b>: At the time, there was no palace or capital. So, Saul simply walked home with his future leaders, the <b><span class="c3">valiant men</span></b> who <b><span class="c3">went with him</span></b>.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. God called Saul to be king and lead the nation. Yet, this was not something he could do himself. He needed <b><span class="c3">valiant men</span></b> around him, men <b><span class="c3">whose hearts God had touched</span></b>. </p>
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<p class="c4">d. <b><span class="c3">So they despised him...But he held his peace</span></b>: Not all of Israel was supportive of Saul yet. It was probable that because they had never had a king before, that it was unlikely they could choose any one man the whole nation could get behind. Yet, Saul should be recognized for his wise reaction (<b><span class="c3">he held his peace</span></b>). An insecure or unwise leader, at this point, might feel the need to "crush" anyone that opposed him, or simply regard them as enemies. Saul did neither, understanding that it might take him some time to win over the doubters.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. "The Hebrew, as suggested by the margin, is still more striking. 'He was as though he had been deaf' - he pretended not to hear. He did hear; every word had struck deep into his soul, but he made as though he were deaf. It is a great power when a man can act as though he were deaf to slander, deaf to detraction, deaf to unkind and uncharitable speeches, and treat them as though they had not been spoken, turning from man to God, leaving with God his vindication, believing God that sooner or later will give him a chance...of vindicating the true prowess and temper of his soul." (Meyer)</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. From this, we see that Saul started out with so much promise. He was chosen and anointed by God. He was filled with the Holy Spirit. He had the support of a man of God like Samuel. He had been given gifts appropriate to royalty. He had the enthusiastic support and goodwill of most all the nation. He had <b><span class="c3">valiant men</span></b> around him, men <b><span class="c3">whose hearts God had touched</span></b> to support him. And, he had the wisdom to not regard every doubter, or every critic, as an enemy. But despite all these great advantages, Saul can still blow it. Will he walk in the advantages God had given him so far, or will he go his own way? The rest of the book of 1 Samuel gives the answer to that question.</p>
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