Samuel was a Levite and fulfilled the roles of a priest, prophet and judge. He was a religious and civil leader. He was also one of the noblest and purest characters in Israel’s history. His main mission will be the organisation of the united kingdom – starting with Saul. The people of Israel – The peoples’ actions in asking for a human ruler were actually a turning away from faith in the invisible God to confidence in a visible leader. (A king). See Colossians 1:15-16 “He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities- – all things were created through him and for him.” See 1 Timothy 1:17 “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, (be) honour and glory forever and ever. Amen.” See Hebrews 11:27 “By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king; for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.”

1 – Saul the man (1 Samuel 9:1-2)

Saul had some impressive qualities:-

• Pedigree (vs. 1) – To have a genealogy at all confers a certain distinction, even in modern times. People like to know where their leaders come from. Saul’s pedigree was beyond reproach and he looked just right for the part.
• Appearance (vs. 2) – It is a fact of life that physical size and beauty are always impressive. In fairy tales, the princes have to be handsome and the damsels in distress of matchless beauty! Saul was every inch a king. He fulfilled all the popular expectation in a king. See 1 Samuel 16:7.

Of noble and dignified bearing, in the prime of life, comely and tall, he appeared to be born to command. BUT “The handsome flower is not the sweetest”. Despite these external attractions, Saul was destitute of those higher inner qualities that constitute true greatness. He had not in youth learned to control his rash, impetuous passions and most importantly he had never felt the renewing power of divine grace.

“It is not easy to straighten in the oak the crook that grew in the sapling”.

2 – A wild goose chase (1 Samuel 9:3-4)

Seemingly insignificant events often lead to God’s almighty acts. Something commonplace can lead to a decisive turning point in life:-

• Isaac – He went for an evening walk in the field to mediate and met his future wife, Rebecca.
• David – He got up from his bed and took a stroll on the palace roof. There he spied Bathsheba and set in motion a chain of events leading to adultery and murder (2 Samuel 11:2).

Saul’s search for stray donkeys seemed to be a “wild goose chase”, but its real purpose was to show Israel her king! Saul started out looking for stray donkeys and ended up finding the kingship of Israel.

3 – Saul “happens” upon Samuel (1 Samuel 9:5-25)

Consider the events that just “happened” to Saul and his servant:-

• They just happened to be approaching Ramah where Samuel was dwelling. They decide to ask him for assistance to find the stray donkeys.
• The needed a gift to give to the seer. The servant just happened to have a silver coin to give as a present.
• They had no idea where the seer was in the town. They met some girls who directed them to Samuel.

To call these things “lucky” is simply to deny the sovereignty of God. We will never know what a day will bring forth, but God knows the end from the beginning! Proverbs 27:1 “Boast not to yourself of tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth” How true! “God gives every bird food, but He does not throw it into a nest”.

4 – The coronation of Saul (1 Samuel 10)

Without the anointing of the Holy Spirit, Saul would be unable to serve the Lord and the people. The signs were secondary to this divine enablement.

Saul started off showing great humility and gentleness of spirit. Saul was told to go to Gigal and wait seven days for Samuel to come and sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. This was a test that Saul would fail on a later occasion (See 1 Samuel 13:7-15) There was a tree of knowledge in Saul’s Eden! Saul passed the first test but failed the repeat.

Categories: 1 Samuel