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Saul, the First King of Israel
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King Revealed to Samuel
Saul was met by the prophet himself at the gate of the city. God
revealed to Samuel that at that time the chosen king of Israel would
appear before him. As they now stood face to face, the Lord said to
Samuel, “There he is, the man of whom I spoke to you. This one
shall reign over My people.”
Assuring Saul that the lost animals had been found, Samuel
urged him to stay and attend the feast, at the same time giving some
hint of the great destiny before him. “On whom is all the desire
of Israel? Is it not on you, and on all your father’s house?” The
demand for a king had become a matter of absorbing interest to the
whole nation, yet with simple modesty, Saul replied, “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 like this to me?”
Samuel took the stranger to the place of assembly. At the
prophet’s direction, the place of honor was given to Saul, and at the
feast the best portion was set before him. When the services were
over, Samuel took his guest to his own home and talked with him
there, explaining the great principles on which the government of
Israel had been established, and in this way seeking to prepare him
for his high position.
When Saul left the next morning, the prophet went with him.
After they had passed through the town, he directed the servant to go
forward. Then he told Saul to stand still to receive a message sent to
him from God. “Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on
his head, and kissed him and said, ‘Is it not because the Lord has
anointed you commander over His inheritance?’” He assured Saul
that he would be qualified by the Spirit of God for the role awaiting
him. “The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will ... be
turned into another man. And let it be ... that you do as the occasion
demands; for God is with you.”
As Saul went on his way, everything happened as the prophet
had said. At Gibeah, his own city, a group of prophets returning
from “the high place” were singing the praise of God to the music
of the flute and the harp, a stringed instrument and a tambourine.
As Saul pproached them, the Spirit of the Lord came over him also,
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