About 1 Samuel 10
1 Samuel 10
In chapter 9 we were introduced to Saul, whom God told Samuel will be Israel’s king.
In this chapter, we will witness the private anointing of Saul as Israel’s king by Samuel and the signs Saul will encounter on his journey home.
Chapter 10 commences with Samuel anointing Saul with oil and then giving him 3 signs that Saul will encounter on his way home that will serve as proof that God chose him.
“Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it over Saul’s head. He kissed Saul and said, “I am doing this because the Lord has appointed you to be the ruler over Israel, his special possession. When you leave me today, you will see two men beside Rachel’s tomb at Zelzah, on the border of Benjamin. They will tell you that the donkeys have been found and that your father has stopped worrying about them and is now worried about you. He is asking, ‘Have you seen my son?’ “When you get to the oak of Tabor, you will see three men coming toward you who are on their way to worship God at Bethel. One will be bringing three young goats, another will have three loaves of bread, and the third will be carrying a wineskin full of wine. They will greet you and offer you two of the loaves, which you are to accept. “When you arrive at Gibeah of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is located, you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the place of worship. They will be playing a harp, a tambourine, a flute, and a lyre, and they will be prophesying. At that time the Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them. You will be changed into a different person. After these signs take place, do what must be done, for God is with you. Then go down to Gilgal ahead of me. I will join you there to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. You must wait for seven days until I arrive and give you further instructions.””
God wants us to confirm His words.
He didn’t give Saul just one sign, He gave him three.
The first sign Saul will encounter is two men beside Rachel’s tomb at Zelzah at the border of Benjamin. In case you don’t know, Rachel was Jacob’s [aka Israel] wife and the mother of his youngest son Benjamin, whom the tribe of Benjamin is named after. These men that Saul will encounter will inform him that the donkeys have been found - which once more points back to his lack of leadership as his assistance was not needed to find the donkeys even though he was sent out for that purpose. The role of this first sign is to authenticate Samuel’s words in 1 Samuel 9:20, where he tells Saul:
don’t worry about those donkeys that were lost three days ago, for they have been found.
The second sign Saul will encounter on his journey back home will be at the oak of Tabor, where he will see three men, who are on their way to worship God at Bethel… they will greet Saul and offer him two loaves of bread. This confirms Samuel’s anointing as the men had intended for these loaves to be used by an anointed person (a priest). In accepting the loaves of bread, Saul is essentially accepting his kingly anointing.
The third and final sign come in a procession of prophets playing a harp, a tambourine, a flute, and a lyre, and they will be prophesying. This is to further confirm that Goad has selected Saul and has empowered him to fight against the Philistines for he meets this procession where the garrison of the Philistines is located.
But these signs were not to only things that took place.
“As Saul turned and started to leave, God gave him a new heart, and all Samuel’s signs were fulfilled that day. ”
The word in Hebrew used for heart here is LEB, which means: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
God wants to give a new heart, but it’s up to us to protect it. We must walk in God’s anointing, not be fearful of it.
God gave Saul a new heart, a new inner man, a new mind, a new will/desire, a new understanding… but Saul didn’t let it consume him. Instead of embracing this newness that was in him, Saul fell back into his old self and because of that he failed.
The first sign of this failure can be scene in verses 14 thru 16 when Saul encounters his uncle upon his arrival back home:
““Where have you been?” Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant. “We were looking for the donkeys,” Saul replied, “but we couldn’t find them. So we went to Samuel to ask him where they were.” “Oh? And what did he say?” his uncle asked. “He told us that the donkeys had already been found,” Saul replied. But Saul didn’t tell his uncle what Samuel said about the kingdom.”
Saul’s deceptive response to his uncle’s question about what Samuel told him gives a hint of Saul’s true character, and is just one part of the rest of Saul’s story, as he will continue to be portrayed as dishonest, reluctant and fearful - characteristics that were even showcased by him at his public anointing.
“So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel before the Lord , and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by lot. Then he brought each family of the tribe of Benjamin before the Lord , and the family of the Matrites was chosen. And finally Saul son of Kish was chosen from among them. But when they looked for him, he had disappeared! So they asked the Lord , “Where is he?” And the Lord replied, “He is hiding among the baggage.” So they found him and brought him out, and he stood head and shoulders above anyone else.”
Saul’s action here is a red flag since not only was he already aware of this news Samuel is sharing with everyone, but he had already been anointed by Samuel for the kingship.
El-Shaddai, God Almighty gave Saul a new opportunity to live life differently, but Saul couldn’t get over himself.
He had no reason to be fearful or reluctant, he should’ve boldly and confidently walked up to Samuel and seized the throne that God gave him. Yet he was.
Let’s not be like Saul. Embrace the person God is leading you to become. Clasp that new inner man, that new mind, the new will and the new understanding God has given you and allow Him to guide you. Walk in the power and the authority that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross gave you, for if God’s with you, nothing can be against you.
