Then Samuel took the vial of oil, and poured it on his head, and kissed him, and said, “Hasn’t Yahweh anointed you to be prince over his inheritance? When you have departed from me today, then you will find two men by Rachel’s tomb, on the border of Benjamin at Zelzah. They will tell you, ‘The donkeys which you went to look for have been found; and behold, your father has stopped caring about the donkeys, and is anxious for you, saying, “What shall I do for my son?” ’
“Then you will go on forward from there, and you will come to the oak of Tabor. Three men will meet you there going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three young goats, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a container of wine. They will greet you, and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall receive from their hand.
“After that you will come to the hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is; and it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place with a lute, a tambourine, a pipe, and a harp before them; and they will be prophesying. Then Yahweh’s Spirit will come mightily on you, and you will prophesy with them, and will be turned into another man. Let it be, when these signs have come to you, that you do what is appropriate for the occasion; for God is with you.
“Go down ahead of me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings. Wait seven days, until I come to you, and show you what you are to do.” It was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart; and all those signs happened that day. When they came there to the hill, behold, a band of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came mightily on him, and he prophesied among them. When all who knew him before saw that, behold, he prophesied with the prophets, then the people said to one another, “What is this that has come to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”
One of the same place answered, “Who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place.
Saul’s uncle said to him and to his servant, “Where did you go?” He said, “To seek the donkeys. When we saw that they were not found, we came to Samuel.”
Saul’s uncle said, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.”
Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys were found.” But concerning the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel spoke, he didn’t tell him.
Samuel called the people together to Yahweh to Mizpah; and he said to the children of Israel, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, says ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’ But you have today rejected your God, who himself saves you out of all your calamities and your distresses; and you have said to him, ‘No! Set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before Yahweh by your tribes, and by your thousands.”
So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by their families; and the family of the Matrites was chosen. Then Saul the son of Kish was chosen; but when they looked for him, he could not be found. Therefore they asked of Yahweh further, “Is there yet a man to come here?” Yahweh answered, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.”
They ran and got him there. When he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward. Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom Yahweh has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?” All the people shouted, and said, “Long live the king!”
Then Samuel told the people the regulations of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before Yahweh. Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. Saul also went to his house to Gibeah; and the army went with him, whose hearts God had touched. But certain worthless fellows said, “How could this man save us?” They despised him, and brought him no present. But he held his peace.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 12, 17, 20, 22, 24, 25, 27 In the Law this anointing signified the gifts of…
In the Law this anointing signified the gifts of the holy Ghost, which were necessary for them that should rule.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv1–27 1Sa 10:1 Then Samuel took a vial of oil,…
1Sa 10:1 Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured [it] upon his head, and kissed him, and said, [Is it] not because the LORD hath anointed thee [to be] captain over his inheritance?
Ver. 1. Then Samuel took a vial of oil.] Not a horn, as when David and his posterity were anointed, but a vial made of earth, or glass; brittle matter, to signify, say some, the short continuance of his kingdom. He was anointed with oil, as to set forth his superiority and eminency above his subjects, - oil will ever be on the top of other liquors, - so to admonish him of lenity, clemency, and bounty - whereof oil is a symbol - to be exercised toward them.
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And kissed him.] In token of congratulation and subjection. {Gen 41:40 1Ki 19:18 Psa 2:12 Hos 13:2}
And said, Is it not because the Lord, &c.] What else is the import of these ceremonies used by me? Some render it, And said, Should I not do thus? for Jehovah hath anointed thee, &c., for it seemeth that Saul, in modesty, had used some resistance: refusing to be anointed, till Samuel persuaded and pacified him with these words: likens afterwards, when our Saviour came to be baptized of John, he flatly forbade him, {a} and kept him out of the water, till Christ said, "Suffer it so to be: for thus it behoveth us to fulfil all righteousness." {Mat 3:14-15}
{a} Consentaneum est iniecta manu Ioan. conatum vetare Iesum. - Erasm.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27 This was the usual rite in the designation, as…
This was the usual rite in the designation, as of priests and prophets, so also of kings, as 1Sa 16:1,13; 1Ki 1:39; 2Ki 9:1,3,6; whereby was signified the pouring forth of the gifts of God’s Spirit upon him, to enable him for the administration of his office, which he might expect, and should receive upon the discharge of his duty.
And kissed him; partly in token of that reverence which he did owe, and that subjection which he and all the people were shortly to perform to him, whereof kissing was a sign, as Gen 41:40; 1Ki 19:18; and partly as a testimony of his sincere friendship and affection to him, and how far he was from envying his successor in the supreme dignity.
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Over his inheritance, i.e. over his own peculiar people; 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.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On vv1, 9, 17 Samuel is here executing the office of a prophet,…
Samuel is here executing the office of a prophet, giving Saul full assurance from God that he should be king, as he was afterwards, according to these prophecies which went before of him.
I. He anointed him and kissed him, Sa1 10:1. This was not done in a solemn assembly, but it was done by divine appointment, which made up the want of all external solemnities, nor was it ever the less valid for its being done in private, under a hedge, or, as the Jews say, by a fountain. God's institutions are great and honourable, though the circumstances of their administration be ever so mean and despicable. 1. Samuel, by anointing Saul, assured him that it was God's act to make him king: Is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee? And, in token of that, the high priest was anointed to his office, to signify the conferring of those gifts upon him that were requisite for the discharge of its duties, and the same was intimated in the anointing of kings; for whom God calls he qualifies, and suitable qualifications furnish good proof of a commission. These sacred unctions, then used, pointed at the great Messiah, or anointed one, the king of the church, and high priest of our profession, who was anointed with the oil of the Spirit, not by measure, but without measure, and above all the priests and princes of the Jewish church. It was common oil, no doubt, which Samuel used, and we read not of his blessing it or praying over it. But it was only a vial of oil that he anointed him with, the vessel brittle, because his kingdom would soon be cracked and broken, and the quantity small, because he had but little of the Spirit conferred upon him to what David had, who was therefore anointed with a horn of oil, as were Solomon and Jehu with a box of oil. 2. By kissing him, he assured him of his own approbation of the choice, not only his consent to it, but his complacency in it, though it abridged his power and eclipsed his glory and the glory of his family. "God has anointed thee," says Samuel, "to be king, and I am satisfied and very well pleased, in pledge of which take this kiss." It was likewise a kiss of homage and allegiance; hereby he not only owns him to be king, but his king, and in this sense we are commanded to kiss the Son, Psa 2:12. God has anointed him, and therefore we must thus acknowledge him and do homage to him. In Samuel's explication of the ceremony, he reminds him, (1.) Of the nature of the government to which he is called. He was anointed to be a captain, a commander indeed, which bespeaks honour and power, but a commander in war, which bespeaks care, and toil, and danger. (2.) Of the origin of it: The Lord hath anointed thee. By him he ruled, and therefore must rule for him, in dependence on him, and with an eye to his glory. (3.) Of the end of it. It is over his inheritance, to take care of that, protect it, and order all the affairs of it for the best, as a steward whom a great man sets over his estate, to manage it for his service and give an account of it to him.
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II. For his further satisfaction he gives him some signs, which should come to pass immediately, this very day; and they were such as would not only confirm the word of Samuel in general, and prove him a true prophet, but would confirm this word to Saul in particular, that he should be king. 1. He should presently meet with some that would bring him intelligence from home of the care his father's house was in concerning him, Sa1 10:2. These he would meet hard by Rachel's sepulchre. The first place Samuel directed him to was a sepulchre, the sepulchre of one of his ancestors, for Rachel died in travail with Benjamin; there he must read a lecture of his own mortality, and now that he had a crown in his eye must think of his grave, in which all his honour would be laid in the dust. Here two men would meet him, perhaps sent on purpose to look after him, and would tell him the asses were found, and his father was in pain concerning him, saying, What shall I do for my son? He would reckon it happened well that he met with these messengers; and it is good to eye Providence in favourable conjunctures (though the matter be minute) and to be encouraged to trust it in greater matters. 2. He should next meet with others going to Bethel, where, it should seem, there was a high place for religious worship, and these men were bringing their sacrifices thither, Sa1 10:3, Sa1 10:4. It was a token for good to one that was designed for the government of Israel, wherever he came, to meet with people going to worship God. It is supposed that those kids and loaves, and the bottle of wine which the three men had with them, were designed for sacrifice, with the meat-offerings and drink-offerings that were to attend the sacrifice; yet Samuel tells Saul that they will give him two of their loaves, and he must take them. Such a present would look to us now like the relieving of a beggar. Saul must hereafter remember the time when he received alms, and must therefore be humble and charitable to the poor. But perhaps it would then be construed a fit present for a prince; and, as such, Saul must receive it, the first present that was brought to him, by such as knew not what they did, nor why they did it, but God put it into their hearts, which made it the more fit to be a sign to him. These two loaves, which were the first tribute paid to this newly-anointed king, might serve for an admonition to him not to spend the wealth of his crown in luxury, but still to be content with plain food. Bread is the staff of life. 3. The most remarkable sign of all would be his joining with a company of prophets that he should meet with, under the influence of a spirit of prophecy, which should at that time come upon him. What God works in us by his Spirit serves much more for the confirming of faith than any thing wrought for us by his providence. He here (Sa1 10:5, Sa1 10:6) tells him, (1.) Where this would happen: At the hill of God, where there was a garrison of the Philistines, which is supposed to be near Gibeah, his own city, for there was the Philistines' garrison, Sa1 13:3. Perhaps it was one of the articles of Samuel's agreement with them that they should have a garrison there, or, rather, after they were subdued in the beginning of his time they got ground again, so far as to force this garrison into that place, and thence God raised up the man that should chastise them. There was a place that was called the hill of God, because of one of the schools of the prophets built upon it; and such respect did even Philistines themselves pay to religion that a garrison of their soldiers suffered a school of God's prophets to live peaceably by them, and did not only not dislodge them, but not restrain nor disturb the public exercises of their devotion. (2.) Upon what occasion; he should meet a company of prophets with music before them, prophesying, and with them he should join himself. These prophets were not (as it should seem) divinely inspired to foretel things to come, nor did God reveal himself to them by dreams and visions, but they employed themselves in the study of the law, in instructing their neighbours, and in the acts of piety, especially in praising God, wherein they were wonderfully assisted and enlarged by the Spirit of God. It was happy for Israel that they had not only prophets, but companies of prophets, who gave them good instructions and set them good examples, and helped very much to keep up religion among them. Now the word of the Lord was not precious, as it had been when Samuel was first raised up, who had been instrumental in founding these colleges, or religious houses, whence, it is probable, the synagogues took their rise. What a pity was it that Israel should be weary of the government of such a man, who though he had not, as a man of war, expelled the Philistines, yet (which was a greater kindness to Israel) had, as a man of God, settled the schools of the prophets! Music was then used as a proper means to dispose the mind to receive the impressions of the good Spirit, as it did Elisha's, Kg2 3:15. But we have no reason to look for the same benefit by it now, unless we saw it as effectual as it was then in Saul's case, to drive away the evil spirit. These prophets had been at the high place, probably offering sacrifice, and now they came back singing psalms. We should come from holy ordinances with our hearts greatly enlarged in holy joy and praise. See Psa 138:5. Saul should find himself strongly moved to join with them, and should be turned thereby into another man from what he had been while he lived in a private capacity. The Spirit of God, by his ordinances, changes men, wonderfully transforms them; Saul, by praising God in the communion of saints, became another man, but whether a new man or no may be questioned.
III. He directs him to proceed in the administration of his government as Providence should lead him, and as Samuel should advise him. 1. He must follow Providence in ordinary cases (Sa1 10:7): "Do as occasion shall serve thee. Take such measures as thy own prudence shall direct thee." But, 2. In an extraordinary strait that would hereafter befal him at Gilgal, and would be the most critical juncture of all, when he would have special need of divine aids, he must wait for Samuel to come to him, and must tarry seven days in expectation of him, Sa1 10:8. How his failing in this matter proved his fall we find afterwards, Sa1 13:11. It was now a plain intimation to him that he was upon his good behaviour, and, though a king, must act under the direction of Samuel, and do as he should order him. The greatest of men must own themselves in subjection to God and his word.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv1–26 Then Samuel took a vial of oil,.... Out of…
Then Samuel took a vial of oil,.... Out of his pocket very probably, which he brought along with him on purpose for the use he made of it: this, as the Jews (y) say, was not the anointing oil that was in the tabernacle, which was at another and distant place, and with which only the kings of the house of David were anointed; but common oil, or, as they say, oil of balsam; and this was not an horn, but a vial, which held a small quantity, and was brittle; and they observe that Saul and Jehu, who were anointed with a vial, their reigns were short, whereas David and Solomon, who were anointed with a horn, their reigns were long; and as oil is a symbol of the gifts and graces of the Spirit, it may denote a smaller measure conferred on Saul than on David and Solomon:
and kissed him; congratulating him on the dignity he was raised to, and in reverence and respect to him, because of the high office he was arrived to; and as a token of subjection and homage, and to testify his well pleased in his being king, and that he readily, willingly, and with pleasure resigned the government to him:
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and said, is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance? the people of Israel, so called, Deu 32:9 and which is observed here to show, that though Saul was anointed king over them, they were the Lord's possession still, and he was accountable to him for his government and usage of them, over whom he was to be a captain, leader, and commander, to go before them, and fight their battles for them, of which his being anointed with oil was a token; and therefore it is said, "is it not?" or dost thou not see by this? or knowest thou not, as R. Isaiah supplies it, that this is of the Lord? for it was the Lord that anointed him, or Samuel by his orders; and such questions as these, as Kimchi observes, are for the greater confirmation of what is spoken; and if Saul had any doubt upon his mind, as perhaps he might because of his meanness, and the high honour designed hereby, not only this question is put, but three following signs are given him, whereby he might be assured of the truth of it.
(y) T. Bab. Horayot, fol. 11. 2. & 12. 1.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 19, 20, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27 The anointing of Saul, ver. 1. Samuel gives him…
The anointing of Saul, ver. 1. Samuel gives him signs and instruction, ver. 2-8. The signs accomplished, ver. 9-13. His return to his father's house, ver. 14-16. He is elected, solemnly inaugurated, and returns to his own city, ver. 17-27.
Poured it - Which Is was the usual rite in the designation, as of priests and prophets, so also of kings, whereby was signified the pouring forth of the gifts of God's spirit upon him, to fit him for the administration of his office. These sacred unctions then used, pointed at the great Messiah, or anointed One, the King of the church, and High-priest of our profession, who was anointed with the oil of the spirit without measure, above all the priests and princes of the Jewish church. Kissed - As a testimony of his sincere friendship and affection to him. His inheritance - That is, over his own peculiar people. Whereby he admonisheth Saul, that this people were not so much his, as God's; and that he was not to rule them according his own will, but according to the will of God.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27 Samuel anoints Saul captain of the Lord's inheritance, 1.
CHAPTER X
Samuel anoints Saul captain of the Lord's inheritance, 1.
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Instructs him concerning his return home, whom he should meet,
and what he should do, 2-8.
Saul meets a company of prophets, the Spirit of the Lord comes
on him, and he prophesies among them, 9-13.
He meets his uncle, and converses with him, 14-16.
Samuel calls the people together to Mizpeh, and upbraids them
for having rejected the Lord as their king, 17-19.
Lots are cast to find out the person proper to be appointed
king; Saul is chosen, 20-24.
Samuel shows the manner of the king, and writes it in a book,
25.
Saul goes to Gibeah; and certain persons refuse to acknowledge
him as king, 26, 27.
NOTES ON CHAP. X
Verse 1. Took a vial of oil] The reasons of this rite the reader will find largely stated in Clarke's note on "Ex 29:7". The anointing mentioned here took place in the open field. See the preceding chapter, 1Sa 9:26-27. How simple was the ancient ceremony of consecrating a king! A prophet or priest poured oil upon his head, and kissed him; and said, Thus the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance. This was the whole of the ceremony. Even in this anointing, Saul is not acknowledged as king, but simply נגיד nagpid, a captain - one who goes before and leads the people.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27 1Sa 10:1. And poured it upon his head —…
1Sa 10:1. And poured it upon his head — We do not read of any order of God, given for the anointing of kings. But it was the usual rite in the designation, as of prophets and priests, so also of kings, as appears from the parable of Jotham, recorded Jdg 9:8, and delivered two hundred years before this time. By using this ceremony Samuel signified the pouring forth of the gifts and graces of God’s Spirit upon Saul, to fit him for the administration of his office. These sacred unctions then used, pointed at the great Messiah, or anointed One, the King of the church, and High-Priest of our profession, who was anointed with the oil of the Spirit without measure, above all the priests and princes of the Jewish Church. Kissed — As a testimony of his sincere friendship and affection to him. His inheritance — That is, over his own peculiar people. Whereby he admonisheth Saul, that this people were not so much his, as God’s; and that he was not to rule them according to his own will, but according to the will of God. This sudden and unexpected elevation of Saul to the royal dignity was a thing not easy to be believed, and therefore Samuel gives him three or four signs in the following verses to assure him that God called him to this high office, and to confirm his faith in the divine appointment.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 12, 14, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27 Is it not because ... - Samuel answers Saul’s…
Is it not because ... - Samuel answers Saul’s tacit or expressed wonder, by telling him why he did as he did. (Compare 1Sa 9:21.)
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 17, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 Vial, in the form of a lentil. (Pliny, [Natural…
Vial, in the form of a lentil. (Pliny, [Natural History?] xviii. 12.) --- Oil. This anointing seems to have been peculiar to the kings, priests, and prophets of the Hebrews, who prefigured Jesus, the great anointed of God. (St. Augustine in Psalm xliv.) The custom was very ancient, Judges ix. 8. It is thought that those kings, who succeeded their fathers by their birth-right, and without opposition, did not receive any unction. (Calmet) --- But the silence of Scripture is no proof on this head; and the Fathers seem to be convinced that the custom subsisted till Christ appeared. (St. Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, etc.) (Haydock) --- The Rabbins pretend that the sacred ointment was used for the kings of Juda, but not for those of Israel. It is not probable that it was used for either, Exodus xxx. 32., and 3 Kings i. 39. We read that Jehu was anointed king of Israel; (4 Kings ix. 6,) and we may suppose that common oil was used, in his regard, as well as for the other kings. The perfume or balm of Judea, does not spot the garments on which it may fall. (Pliny, [Natural History?] xii. 25.) It was poured on the head; the Rabbins say in the from of a crown, (Calmet) or cross. (Haydock) --- But this is uncertain. The ceremony has been preserved, with respect to Christian kings, who, according to Innocent I, should be anointed on the shoulders and arms, while prelates receive the unction on the head. --- Kissed him, out of respect, Psalm ii. 12. (Calmet) --- Behold. Hebrew, "Is it not because?" &c. (Haydock) --- And thou....prince. All this is wanting in the Hebrew, &c. But it is conformable to the Vatican Septuagint; (Calmet) the Alexandrian has "to be prince over his people, over Israel? and thou shalt rule over the people of the Lord, and shalt save it from its enemies around;" as we have explained, chap. ix. 16. (Haydock) --- Saul was anointed with a small vessel, to signify that his kingdom should not subsist long; and with oil, to remind him of mercy, light, and health to his people. (St. Gregory) (Worthington)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures 1864 · Public Domain On v1 Saul’s Introduction into the Royal Office
SECOND SECTION
Saul’s Introduction into the Royal Office
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1Sa_10:1-27
I. Saul anointed by samuel. 1Sa_10:1
1Then [And] Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured1 it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not2 because the Lord [Jehovah] hath anointed thee to be captain [prince] over his inheritance?
II. The Signs of the Divine Confirmation given to Saul. 1Sa_10:2-16
2When thou art departed [goest] from me to-day, then [om. then] thou shalt [wilt] find two men by Rachel’s sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say unto [to] thee, The asses which thou wentest to seek are found; and lo, thy father hath left the care3 of the asses, and sorroweth for you, saying, 3What shall I do for my son? Then [And] thou shalt go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the plain [oak]4 of Tabor, and there [ins. three men] shall meet thee three men [om. three men] going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three5 loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of 4wine. And they will salute thee,6 and give thee two loaves of bread, which thou 5shalt receive of their hands. After that thou shalt [wilt] come to the hill of God7, where is the garrison of the Philistines;8 and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt [wilt] meet a company of prophets9 coming down from the high place, with [ins. and before them, om. with] a psaltery and a tabret and a pipe and a harp before them [om. before them], and they shall prophesy 6[prophesying]; And the Spirit of the Lord [Jehovah] will come upon thee, and thou shalt [wilt] prophesy with them, and shalt [wilt] be turned into another 7man. And let it be [om. let it be], when these signs are come unto thee, that [om. that] thou do [do thou] as occasion serve thee [what thy hand findeth]; for God10 8is with thee. And thou shalt go11 down before me to Gilgal, and behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt-offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace-offerings; seven days shalt thou tarry till I come to thee, and show thee what thou shalt do.
9And it was so [came to pass] that, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart; and all these signs came to pass that day. And 10when they came thither to the hill [to Gibeah],12 behold a company of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that behold [and behold] he prophesied among the prophets,13 then the people said one to another, What is this that is come [What has happened] unto [to] the son of Kish? Isaiah 12 Saul also among the prophets? And one of the same place answered and said, But [And] who is their14 father? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among 13the prophets? And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the 14high place.15 And Saul’s uncle said unto [to] him and to his servant, Whither went ye? And he said, To seek the asses; and when we saw that they were no 15where,16 we came [went] to Samuel. And Saul’s uncle said, Tell me, I pray thee, 16what Samuel said unto [to] you. And Saul said unto [to] his uncle, He told us plainly [om. plainly]17 that the asses were found. But of the matter of the kingdom, whereof Samuel spake, he told him not.
III. The Choice by Lot. 1Sa_10:17-21
17And Samuel called the people together unto the Lord [to Jehovah] to Mizpeh 18[Mizpah]. And [ins. he] said unto [to] the children of Israel, Thus saith the Lord [Jehovah] God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians,18 and out of the hand of all [ins. the] kingdoms and 19of them [om. and of them] that oppressed19 you. And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations, and ye [om. ye] have said unto him [om. unto him], Nay [Nay],20 but [ins. a king thou shalt] set a king [om. a king] over us. Now, therefore [And now], present 20yourselves before the Lord [Jehovah] by your tribes and by your thousands. And when [om. when] Samuel had [om. had] caused all the tribes of Israel to come 21near, [ins. and] the tribe of Benjamin was taken. [ins. And] When [om. when] he had [om. had] caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families [wis. and] the family of Matri [the Matrites] was taken.21 And Saul, the son of Kish, was taken; and when [om. when] they sought him, [ins. and] he could not be found.
IV. The Installation into the Royal Office. Proclamation. Greeting. Royal Right. Return To Quiet Life. 1Sa_10:22-27
22Therefore [And] they inquired of the Lord [Jehovah] further, if the man should [would] yet come thither.22 And the Lord answered [Jehovah said], Behold, he 23hath hid himself [is hidden] among the stuff [baggage]. And they ran and fetched him thence; and when [om. when] he stood23 among the people [ins. and] he was 24higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward. And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the Lord [Jehovah] hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, God save [Long live]24 the king.
25And Samuel told the people the manner25 of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book,25 and laid it up before the Lord [Jehovah]. And Samuel sent all the people away, 26every man to his house. And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went 27with him a band of men,26 whose hearts God had touched. But [And] the children of Belial [certain wicked men] said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace [And he was as though he were deaf].27
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
I. 1Sa_10:1. The anointing. It is performed without witnesses in secret (1Sa_9:27), and is the factual confirmation to Saul of what Samuel had before told him in God’s name of his call to the kingd om. The vial (פַּךְ, from פָּבָה, ” to drop, flow,” in Pi. only Eze_47:2) is a narrow-necked vessel, from which the oil flowed in drops. The oil, we must suppose, was not of the ordinary sort, but the holy anointing-oil (Exo_29:7; Exo_30:23-33) which, according to the Law, was used in the consecration of the sacred vessels and the priests. To this refers the expression “the vial of oil;” and it is supported by the analogy of the priest’s consecration with the consecrated oil (Lev_8:12), which, according to Exo_30:31, was to be a holy oil throughout all generations, and by the use here and 2Ki_9:3 of the word (יָצַק,) which is proper to the anointing of the high-priest. Besides, on account of the significance of the oil of priestly consecration, Samuel would have used no other in the consecration of the sacred person of the theocratic king. Anointing as a solemn usage in the consecration of a king is referred to as early as Jdg_9:8; Jdg_9:15, and, besides Saul here, is expressly mentioned as performed on other kings, on David (1Sa_16:3; 2Sa_2:4; 2Sa_5:3), Absalom (2Sa_19:11), Solomon (1Ki_1:39), Joash (2Ki_11:12), Jehoahaz (2Ki_23:30), and Jehu (2Ki_9:3). In case of regular succession the anointing was supposed to continue its effect [that is, the regular successor needed no new anointing—such is the view of the Rabbis—Tr.]; whence is explained the fact that only the above kings are mentioned as having been anointed [they being all founders of dynasties, or irregularly advanced to the throne—Tr.] (Oehl., Herz. R.-E. VIII. 10 sq.). On account of this anointing the theocratic king was called “the Anointed of the Lord.” Whence we see the general significance of the act: The Anointed was consecrated, sanctified to God; by the anointing the king is holy and unassailable (1Sa_24:7; 1Sa_26:9; 2Sa_19:22). It signifies, however, further in especial the equipment with the powers and gifts of the Spirit of God and the blessing of the salvation which is bestowed in them (comp. 1Sa_16:13). In accordance with the significance of the act of anointing it is narrated in 1Sa_10:9-10 how the Spirit of God came upon Saul. While the anointing thus set forth the divine consecration from above, the kiss, which Samuel then gave Saul, was the sign of the human recognition of his royal dignity, the expression of reverence and homage, as in Psa_2:12. The kiss, seldom on the mouth, generally on the hand, knee, or garment [among modern Beduins on the forehead—Tr.], has always been in the East the universal sign of subordination and subjection, and is so yet, as also among the Slavic nations. The kissing of idols (their feet) is mentioned as a religious usage (1Ki_19:18; Hos_13:2; Job_31:27). The word with which Samuel turns to Saul after the anointing: Is it not that the Lord hath anointed thee? is witness and confirmation to him that Samuel is only the instrument in God’s hand in the consecration, that it is God’s act. (The הֲלוֹא, with the following בִּי, signifies “ yea, surely.” Clericus: an interrogation, instead of an affirmation”). Prince over his inheritance. נָגִיד, “leader, prince.” “His inheritance” is Israel, not only because of the great deliverance out of Egypt, Deu_4:20 (Keil), but also on the ground of the divine choice of Israel out of the mass of the heathen nations to be His own people (Exo_21:5). The Sept. rendering in 1Sa_10:1-2 is as follows: “hath not the Lord anointed thee ruler over his people, over Israel? And thou shalt rule over the people of the Lord, and thou shalt save them out of the hand of their enemies. And this be to thee the sign that the Lord hath anointed thee ruler over his inheritance.” This last clause “ that......inheritance” is the literal translation of the Masoretic text. The Vulg. has these words in the first sentence: “behold, the Lord hath anointed thee prince over his inheritance;“ then follows the addition: “and thou shalt deliver his people out of the hands of their enemies round about. And this is the sign to thee that the Lord hath anointed thee prince.” These words of the Sept. and Vulg. are, however, not (with Then.) to be used to fill up a supposed gap in the text: We are rather to adopt Keil’s remark that the Alex. text is merely a gloss from 1Sa_9:16-17, introduced because the translator did not understand the “ is it not that?”, and especially because he did not see how Samuel could speak to Saul of signs [1Sa_10:7] without having before announced them as such. The gloss assumes that Samuel wished merely to give Saul a sign that the Lord had anointed him prince. On the contrary, as Keil points out, Samuel gave Saul not a sign (σημεῖον, אוֹת), but three signs, and declares (1Sa_10:7) their purpose to be, that, on their occurrence, Saul should know what he had to do, Jehovah being with him.
II. 1Sa_10:2-16. The divine signs. Three signs are given Saul by Samuel in his capacity of prophet, as a confirmation to him that he is now, according to the divine consecration, also really the king of Israel, and under the immediate guidance of the Lord (1Sa_10:2; 1 Samuel 3, 4; 1 Samuel 5, 6).
The first sign, 1Sa_10:2 : The meeting with two men of his native place, who will inform him that the asses are found, and his father anxious about him. According to these words, the sepulchre of Rachel must have been not far from Ramah, whence Saul started. With this agrees Jer_31:15 : “a voice is heard in Ramah,—Rachel weeping for her children.” The declaration in Mat_2:18, that the mourning of the women of Bethlehem for their slaughtered children is the fulfilment of this word of Jeremiah, does not affirm or suppose that Rachel’s grave was near Bethlehem, and therefore far from Ramah south of Jerusalem, for it is not a local, but a personal-real similarity, namely, between the mournings in the two cases, that is intended to be set forth. According to our passage, Rachel’s grave must have been north of Jerusalem on the road between Ramah and Gibeah; and thus the view prevalent since the Middle Ages, that Rachel’s tomb was near Bethlehem, and somewhat north of it, is shown to be incorrect. In support of this view are cited the passages Gen_35:16-20; Gen_48:7, where Rachel’s sepulchre is said to have been a kibrah of land “ as one goes to Ephrah,” and “ on the road to Ephrah,” and in respect to Ephrah the explanation is added: “which is now called Bethlehem” (comp. 1Sa_17:12; Mic_5:2); but these indefinite expressions (kibrah is merely tract, see 2Ki_5:19 sq.) may, as Winer correctly remarks (Bibl. R.-W. s. v. Rachel, II., 299), be so understood as to extend to Ramah. So Ewald: “ Here, as in Genesis, we may very well understand the northern boundary of Benjamin, beginning somewhat southeast from Ram-allah” (III. 31, Rem.). If, however, in Genesis Rachel’s grave be taken to be (as the narrator intends) not far from Ephrah, then, on account of the indubitable proximity of the grave to Ramah, this Ephrah cannot be the Bethlehem which lay in Judah six Roman miles south of Jerusalem, and the explanatory remark, “ which is now called Bethlehem,” must be regarded as a late, erroneous addition. Ephrah is, then, to be looked on as an otherwise unknown place, in the region in which Bethel, Ramah and Gibeah lay, perhaps the same with the city Ephraim, named in connection with Bethel in 2Ch_13:19 (Qeri עֶפְרַיִן Ephrain, Kethib עֶפְרוֹן Ephron) and Jos. B. J. 4, 9. 9, and mentioned in Joh_11:54, according to Jerome twenty Roman miles (Onom. s. v. Ephron) north of Jerusalem (comp. Jos_15:9), named Ephron, according to von Raumer’s conjecture (p. 216 A. 235 e) identical with Ophrah (comp. 1Sa_13:17).28 On this supposition the grave of Rachel was, according to Graf, “very near Rama (1Sa_10:2), at the intersection of the road from Bethel to the neighboring Ephrah (2Sa_13:23; 2Ch_13:19; see Then, and Bertheau in loco, Gen_35:16 sq.; Gen_48:7), and the road from Ramah to Gibeah” (Der Proph. Jer., p. 384, and Stud. u. Krit. 1854, p. 868, on the site of Bethel and Ramah). On the border of Benjamin. This agrees with the supposition that Rachel’s grave was near Bethel (so Kurtz, Gesch. d. A. B., I., 270 [Hist, of the Old Covenant]), which was on the border between Ephraim and Benjamin. At Zelzah. This word must at an early time have been uncertain, to judge from the variations of the versions (Sept.:ἁνδρας ἁλλομένους μεγάλα, whence Ewald renders “in great haste,” and Vulg.: in meridie). If we do not regard it as an unknown place, we may adopt Thenius’ conjecture, that the original text was: “at Zela” (בְּ ,בְּצֵלָעָה with ה local); Zela was the place of the sepulchre of Saul’s father (2Sa_21:14).—The statement of the two men that the asses were found was not only to be to Saul a confirmation of Samuel’s prophetic declarations, but also to detach his thoughts from lower earthly things, and direct his inner life to the higher calling, to which he had been privately elected and consecrated. Ewald: “ Thus happily disappears the burden of former lower cares, because henceforth something more important is to be thought of and cared for” (III. 31).
1Sa_10:3-4. The second sign. Three men on the way to the holy place at Bethel, to sacrifice there, will bestow on him two loaves of bread from their sacrificial gifts. The direction of the road, and the whole geographical situation here correspond very well with the statement in Gen_35:8 as to the oak (אַלּוֹן, Allon) near which, “beneath Bethel,” Deborah, the nurse of Rebekah, was buried, and with the statement in Jdg_4:5, that Deborah dispensed judgment “ between Ramah and Bethel in Mount Ephraim” under the palm-tree of Deborah. It is therefore a natural supposition (Then.) that, by error of hearing, Tabor was written instead of Deborah. But this hypothesis is somewhat bold, and against it is the fact that all the ancient translations have “Tabor.” That this is “ certainly a mere dialectic variation of Deborah” (Ew. III., 31 Rem. 2) is an equally hold opinion. Besides, Jdg_4:5 speaks of “the palm-tree of Deborah,” named, according to the narrator, from the Judge Deborah, and known in his time, therefore, to be distinguished from the oak of Deborah, the nurse of Rebekah, Gen_35:8. The place of the terebinth of Tabor, therefore, otherwise unknown, must be in any case on the road to Bethel, not far from Ramah. The three men are “going up to God to Bethel.” The things that they carry (three kids, three loaves of bread, and a vessel of wine) show that their purpose is to make an offering to God in Bethel. Bethel had been a consecrated place for the worship of God since the days of the Patriarchs, in consequence of the revelations which He had made to Abraham and Jacob; as to the former see Gen_12:8; Gen_13:3-4, as to the latter Gen_28:18; Gen_19:35; Gen_6:7; Gen_6:14-15. In Bethel, therefore, there was an altar; it was one of the places where the people sacrificed to the Lord, and where Samuel at this time held court. The “asking after welfare” signifies friendly salutation (1Sa_17:22; 2Ki_10:13; Exo_18:7; Jdg_18:15). The men will give him, an unknown person, two of their loaves. This divinely-ordained occurrence betokens the homage, which by the presentation of gifts pertains to him as the king of the people. “And that this surprising prelude to all future royal gifts is taken from bread of offering points to the fact, that in future some of the wealth of the land, which has hitherto gone undivided to the Sanctuary, will go to the king.” (Ew., Gesch. III., 32 [Hist, of Israel]).
1Sa_10:5-6. The third sign. Going thence to Gibeah he will meet a company of prophets, will, under the influence of prophetic inspiration, also prophesy, and be changed into another man. Gibeah Ha-Elo-him is in the immediate context distinguished from the “city.” What city is here meant is clear from the fact that all the people know him (1Sa_10:10 sqq.); it can, therefore, only be Gibeah of Benjamin, Saul’s native city. The “Gibeah of God” is thus, and especially because of the definition “ of God,” to be taken not as a proper name, but as an appellative, “ the hill of God,” that is, the height, Bamah [high-place] near the city, which was used as a place of sacrifice, and after which the city was called; afterwards, when Saul made it his royal residence, it was called Gibeah of Saul (1Sa_11:4; 1Sa_15:34; 2Sa_21:6). According to Josephus (B. J. 5, 2. 1) it was one hour [somewhat more than two Eng. miles; according to Mr. Grove, in Smith’s Dict, of Bib., four miles—Tr.] on the direct road north from Jerusalem, and, as appears from what follows, was probably the seat of a community of prophets, and, on that account, perhaps specially distinguished, along with Bethel, among the sacrificial places. The נְצִבֵי פ׳ [“garrison” in Eng. A. V.] are the military posts or camps established by the Philistines to keep the country under their sway, even though there were no more devastating incursions (see on 1Sa_7:14). For a similar procedure see 2Sa_8:6; 2Sa_8:14. The substitution of the Sing. (נְצִיב) for the Plu. is supported by the Sept., Vulg., Syr., Arab.; but it is going too far to suppose, on the authority of the Sept., that here, as well as in 1Sa_13:3-4, this Sing. denotes a pillar set up by the Philistines as a sign of their authority (Then, and Böttcher).29 Ewald’s opinion (Gesch. III., 43) that it refers to an officer who collected the tribute, is still less probable. Instead of a monument, we must regard it, according to 1Sa_13:3-4, and as in 2Sa_8:6; 2Sa_8:14, as a military colony stationed there.—A company of prophets (חֶבֶל “cord, line,” then like our “band, company”). From this description, and from the fact that they approach with music, it appears that they formed a society, an organized company. That they descended from the Bamah [high-place] is no proof that they dwelt on it, against which is the fact that the Bamah was especially consecrated to the service of Jehovah, and for this reason was called the “ hill of God,” not “because it was the abode of men of God” (Cleric). Since it is clear, from what follows, that this was a private solemn procession, it is probable that their residence was not far off, most likely in the city of Gibeah, whence they may have proceeded to the sacrifice and prayer on the high-place. This company of prophets belongs, no doubt, to the so-called Schools of the Prophets, which, however, would be better named prophetic Unions. They were founded by Samuel, and were under his direction, comp. 1Sa_19:20. The origin of these unions lies in the tendency to association given by the Spirit of God and by the new life which Samuel awakened, and their aim was to cherish and develop prophetic inspiration and the new life of faith by common holy exercises. In our passage we must distinguish the following facts: 1) The descent from the high-place in this solemn procession suggests that they had gathered there for common religious exercises, sacrifice, and prayer. 2) The music which went before them shows that, in these societies, religious feeling was nourished and heightened by sacred music, though music was also elsewhere cultivated. The four instruments which accompanied them indicate the rich variety and advanced culture of the music of that day. The psaltery (נֶבֶל, nebel) is a cithernlike stringed instrument, which, according to Jerome, Isidorus and Cassiodorus, had the form of an inverted Delta, and, according to Psa_33:2; Psa_144:9, had ten strings (Jos. Ant. 7, 10 says twelve strings), called by the Greeks νάβλα, nablium, psalterium; it was commonly used, as here, in sacred songs of praise (1Ki_10:12; 1Ch_15:16), but also on secular festive occasions (2Ch_20:28). The kinnor (כִּנוֹר [Eng. A. V. harp]) was another stringed instrument, apparently different from our harp (Luther), since it was played on in walking (comp. 2Sa_6:5), rather a sort of guitar, and with the nebel indicates complete string music (Psa_71:22; Psa_58:3 [2]; 1Sa_15:3). According to Josephus (Ant. 7, 12, 3) the kinnor was struck with the plectrum, the nablium with the finger. But David played the kinnor (1Sa_16:23; 1Sa_18:10; 1Sa_21:9) with the hand. The tabret (תּוק, toph) is the hand-drum, the tambourine; used by Miriam, Exo_15:20. The fourth instrument is the flute (חָלִיל), which was made of reed, wood, or horn, and was a favorite instrument in festive and mournful music. 3) The emphasis rests on the words “and they were prophesying;” they were in a condition of ecstatic inspiration, in which, singing or speaking, with accompaniment of music, they gave expression to the overflowing feeling with which their hearts were filled from above by the controlling Spirit. Cleric: “they will sing songs, which assuredly were composed to the honor of God.” The strains of the music were intended not only to awaken the heart to inspired praise of God, or to intensify the religious inspiration, but also to regulate the feeling. According to Pindar, it was “peacefully to bring law into the heart” that Apollo invented the cithern, which was played in the Delphic Apollo-worship (O. Müller, Dorier I., 346 [Dorians]). There was a similar outflow of religious inspiration to the praise of God in the case of the seventy elders, Num_11:25.
1Sa_10:6. Saul will not be able to withstand the mighty influence of this sight. Three things will happen to him: 1) the Spirit of the Lord, a divine power external to himself, will “come upon him;” that is, suddenly, immediately take possession of his soul. The words “Spirit of Jehovah” exclude every earthly, internal case of inspiration. It is, however, in this presupposed that the Spirit of the Lord must descend to produce this excitation and elevation, and does not dwell continually in him; 2) he will prophesy. (On the form הִתְנַבִּיתָ see Ew. § 198, 6.) He will, therefore, have a part in the religious inspiration and the prophetic utterance of the prophets. It is taken for granted that the fire of inspiration will pass immediately from them to him; 3) he will be turned into another man. The change relates to the inner life, which is renewed by the Spirit of God, and consists in the sanctification of heart and subordination of the will to the law of the Lord which the Spirit works. The prophecy [of Samuel], therefore, is: Thou wilt, through the Spirit of God which shall come upon thee, not only prophesy in inspired words, but also experience a change of the inner man, as accords with thy divine call to be king.
1Sa_10:7. The general significance of the occurrence of these signs. When these signs come to thee (read תְּבֹאֶינָה, Psa_45:16, “when all this happens to thee”), do what thy hand findeth—the same formula in 1Sa_25:8 and Jdg_9:33, not, what thou likest, what seems most proper, “ what seems good to thee,” (Cler.), but, what presents itself, “that to which this action leads,” (Ew. III., 41), do what circumstances suggest; for God is with thee, “thou needst not consult any one, for God will second thy counsels” (Cler.). These signs are to signify to him that, so surely as they happen to him will he happily, with God’s help, carry out his undertakings.—These words refer to Saul’s immediate task in his royal calling (of which these God-given signs were to assure him), namely, the deliverance of the people from the oppression of the Philistines.
1Sa_10:8. Saul next receives from the prophet a command in God’s name, which limits the unrestricted royal authority conferred on him under support of God; he is forbidden, in the exercise of the royal office, to perform independently priestly functions. Gilgal, situated between the Jordan and Jericho, formerly the camp of the people after the crossing of the Jordan, where were undertaken the wars against the Canaanites for the conquest of the land, the central point of Israel consecrated by the tabernacle and the sacrificial worship (Joshua 5.) was now “one of the holiest places in Israel, and the true middle-point of the whole people,—because the control of the Philistines extended so far westward [eastward?] that the centre of gravity of the realm was necessarily pushed back to the bank of the Jordan” (Ew. III., 42). Hither must Saul as king betake himself, when he would enter on the deliverance of Israel from the dominion of the Philistines. “This place seems to have been chosen, because it was remotest from the Philistine border” (Cler.). “There the people assembled in general political questions, and thence, after sacrifice and prayer, marched armed to war. Here, then, especially, in the nature of the case, would the mutual relation of the two independent powers of the realm come into question, be announced, and somehow permanently decided” (Ew. as above). Samuel, therefore, bids Saul wait seven days, when he goes to Gilgal, in order that he, Samuel, may direct the sacrifice, and impart to him the Lord’s commands as to what he shall do. Saul is not to make the offering in his own power—this pertains only to Samuel as priestly mediator between God and the people—nor is he to undertake independently anything in connection with the past struggle for freedom, but he must await the instructions which the prophet is to give him. The king must act only in dependence on the invisible King of his people. See further, on 1Sa_10:8 and its relation to 1Sa_8:8, the Introduction, pp. 11,12.
1Sa_10:9-12. The occurrence of the signs announced to Saul. 1Sa_10:9 refers to the fulfilment of the last, most important element of the third prophecy (1Sa_10:6): the change into another man. Not only the fact of this renewal, but also its innermost source is indicated in the words: God gave [lit. turned, changed] him another heart, two assertions being involved in this pregnant phrase: God turned him about, and gave him another heart. His departure from Samuel and turning to go back home, and his conversion are expressed, not without design, by the same word turn; for the place, from which he turned, was the means of this conversion; Samuel’s person and word was the instrument by which God began in him the process of inward renewal; the Spirit of God, that wrought and completed it, came in part mediately through Samuel, in part immediately to his heart I from above. According to the Biblical representation the heart denotes the centre of the whole inward life, the uniting-point of all the elements of the inner man. The thorough and complete change to another man can proceed only from the heart, which alone God in His judgments on man looks at (1Sa_16:7). The essential element, therefore, in the renewal of the heart is not only the production of a, as it were, new, hitherto latent side of his spiritual being—this is only its symptom—but in a real religious-ethical change and renewal of the innermost foundation of life. In this all special revelations of the divine spirit and will to Saul must culminate; all that has happened from 1 Samuel 9 on tends to this highest and innermost end, to the proper establishment of this religious-ethical relation of the innermost foundation of life to God, as the most essential condition of an administration of the theocratic office which should be well-pleasing to God.—And all those signs came to pass that day. From Ramah Saul could easily come to Gibeah the same day through the stations indicated. It is not mentioned in what order the signs occurred, but it is first summarily stated that they were all fulfilled, and then related how the third happened. If the summary statement did not precede, and the third sign were related immediately, one might suppose with Thenius “a possible omission by the redactor;” but, the context of 1Sa_10:2-4 being thus [summarily] dispatched, the narrator hastens to the third sign as the most important, in order to show how and under what circumstances it occurred, after having made the remark, which was sufficient for his purpose, that the first and second had been fulfilled according to Samuel’s words. It is worthy of note that none of the ancient translators has attempted to fill out the supposed gap. Thenius adopts the reading of the Sept. “from thence” (καὶ ἔρχεται ἐκεῖθεν), from which he infers the previous mention of another place; but even this reading would not prove an omission, but would refer to the place where Saul separated from Samuel, the journey being thus summarily described with omission of two stations. Further, the words “from thence” would be quite super-fluous.—The שָׁם of the text [Eng. A. V. “thither”] is not to be translated whither (Bunsen: to Gibeah), but expresses local rest: “they come there to Gibeah.”—The mention of the third sign only (there being nothing in narrative or language, as shown above, to necessitate the assumption of a historical or auctorial gap) is not to give importance to Gibeah, Saul’s home (Keil); rather this sign was the most important for Saul’s inner life, and for that on which depended the right exercise of the theocratic royal office, namely, the new heart and life called forth by the prophetic spirit, and it stands in causal connection with the preceding testimony (which is the principal thing) to the actual renewal of Saul’s heart, narrating how Saul was equipped with the Spirit of the Lord, and filled with the prophetic Spirit, which changed his heart.
1Sa_10:10. From the local statements here made, it is tolerably clear that this company of prophets dwelt in Gibeah. In order to understand the effect of their appearance on Saul, we must think of it as it is described in 1Sa_10:5. Suddenly, unannounced, overpoweringly the Spirit comes upon him, “falls upon” him. Involuntarily, therefore, he is seized by it, and drawn along into the lofty inspiration of the prophets. By the influence of the Lord’s Spirit, which Saul has hitherto experienced through Samuel, he is made capable of receiving the fullness of the prophetical Spirit, and of this sudden seizure by the prophetic inspiration, which thus manifested itself in music and song. He prophesied, that is, he united in their inspired song, or in the discourse in which their new life poured itself forth—in their midst, he attached himself to them, joined their solemn procession; meeting leads to uniting (the phrase, “in the midst,” answers to the “towards him”).
1Sa_10:11. Before time [lit. “from yesterday and the day before,” and so Erdmann has it.—Tr.]. This universal previous acquaintance with Saul and the talk of the people among themselves is proof that he was here at home. The surprise produced by Saul’s participation in the prophetic utterance is described with incomparable fidelity and liveliness. The two questions, which testify to surprise and amazement, presuppose two things: 1) the power and significance of the prophetic community in the public opinion, and 2) the fact that Saul’s life had hitherto been far therefrom, that it had not been in harmony, either externally or internally, with this society; we see him suddenly introduced into a sphere which had hitherto been outwardly and inwardly strange to him. Clericus: “This seems to show that Saul had led a life very different from those who associated with the prophets.”
1Sa_10:12. To the questions: “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” answer is given by “a man from there” (from Gibeah) in a counter-question, which, by its form (the “who is their father?” referring to the “son of Kish”), ingeniously and decisively repels the false conception of the nature of this prophetic inspiration which lay in these questions. The explanation: “who is their president?” has no support in the connection, and no bearing on the matter. The Sept. has “who is his father?” (adding also [Alex.]: “is it not Kish?”): but this is arbitrary and obviously adopted to get rid of the difficulty in the text. And to suppose that the words: “Who is their father? Is it not Kish?” indicate that recognition as a prophet was denied Saul because of his descent from so insignificant a man as Kish (Then.), or that they merely express the surprise of the people (Ew.), would introduce an intolerable tautology into the lively, pregnant description. As a simple question, these words would mean nothing in the mouth of the man of Gibeah, who necessarily knew the answer, and could learn it from the connection in which the question was asked. The question “who is then their father?” rather refers to the prophets, in whose midst was even now the object of the question of surprise: Is the son of Kish a prophet? As Bunsen rightly remarks, the their is to be emphasized: “And who is their father?” We may suppose (in accordance with the situation) that the words were accompanied by an indicative gesture, and with Oehler (Herz. R. E. XII. 612) explain: “Have these then the prophetic spirit by a privilege of birth?” Bodily paternity is here of no importance; the son of Kish may as well be a prophet as these sons of fathers, who are wholly unknown to us, or of whom we should not, according to human reckoning, suppose that their sons would be filled with the prophetic Spirit. So Bunsen’s admirable explanation: “The speaker declares, against the contemptuous remark about the son of Kish, that the prophets too owed their gift to no peculiarly lofty lineage. Saul also might, therefore, receive this gift, as a gift from God, not as a patrimony.” In this counter-question lies this truth: the impartation of the prophetic Spirit, as of its gifts and powers, pertains to the free, gracious will of God, and is altogether independent of natural-human relations. The expression of surprise at the unexpected change in Saul gives occasion to the proverb: Is Saul also among the prophets? According to its origin here given, this proverb does not merely express surprise at the sudden unexpected transition of a man to another calling in life (Then., Cler.: “another manner of life”), or to a high and honorable position (Münster). The personal and moral qualities of Saul, perhaps the religiousmoral character of his family, or at least the mean opinion that was entertained of Saul’s qualities and capacities, intellectually, religiously and morally, formed the ground of surprise at his sudden assumption of the prophetic character. The proverb, therefore, expresses astonishment at the unexpected appearance of a high spiritual endowment, and, still more, of a high religious-moral tone of life and soul, which has hitherto been foreign to, even (as it seems) opposed to, the person in question.
1Sa_10:13-16. A family-scene: Saul and his uncle. 1Sa_10:13. The cessation of the prophesying was the result either of a sudden removal of the ecstatic inspiration which had come suddenly on him, or of a separation from the prophesying company. Saul came to the Bamah [high-place]. Instead of Bamah (במה), Then. (so Ew.) reads after the Sept. “to Gibeah” (εἰς τὸν βουνόν, בְּגִבְעָה). But this reading came from the supposed inability to reconcile Saul’s going up to the high-place with the prophetic company’s coming down thence, and Saul’s return to his family in 1Sa_10:14, nor did it seem clear, why Saul went up thither. The last objection is removed by the simple suggestion, that Saul went up thither to pray and sacrifice in the holy place after his great experiences of the divine favor and goodness, and so after his return home first to give God the glory before he returned to his family-life. He joined the descending company of prophets in their solemn procession; but when his participation in the utterances of the prophetic inspiration was over, his look rested on the sacred height, whence the men had descended, and the impulse of the Spirit of the Lord forced him up thither, that, after the extraordinary offering he had made with the prophets, he might make the ordinary offering, and engage in worship. This was the aim, suggested by the connection of the whole history, of his ascent to the high-place.
1Sa_10:14. The uncle of Saul, here spoken of, was Ner (1Sa_14:51), who, like Kish (1Sa_9:1), was a son of Abiel, not Abner, as Ewald, with Josephus, supposes. Either Saul’s relations went up with him to the high-place, and the conversation with the uncle occurred there, or (as is natural in a summary statement, like this), we must suppose that Saul came down to his family. According to the narrative the former explanation is preferable. In the question and answer between Saul and his uncle, the history of the search after the asses is briefly recapitulated, 1Sa_10:14-16. Saul’s laconic answer to the question of his uncle, who very properly speaks of so important a domestic matter, shows that his heart is fixed on higher things than the asses of his father. To the curious and at the same time inquisitorial question: What said Samuel to you? which shows what importance was attached to knowing the man’s words exactly and fully, Saul answers shortly and to the point: He said that they were found. Thus the uncle, to whom this fact was long since known, was disposed of, and the long conversation he had laid out sharply broken off; thus Saul had done his duty to family-affairs. The further express statement that he said nothing to his uncle of the kingdom, of which Samuel had spoken to him, is to be referred, not to Saul’s unassuming humility (Keil), or modesty (Ewald), or prudence (Then)., or apprehension of his uncle’s incredulity and envy, but to the fact that Samuel, by his manner of imparting the divine revelation, had clearly and expressly given him to understand (1Sa_9:25-27) that it was meant in the first instance for him alone, and that it was not the divine will that he should share it with others. The public presentation of Saul as the king of Israel, whom God had chosen, was to take place only at the time appointed by God through Samuel, and at the place which the prophet should determine. Saul may have thought, too, that his uncle’s ears were not entitled to be the first recipients of so holy a message, he having got his rights on the question concerning the asses.
III. The choice of Saul by lot as public confirmation of the divine election already made in secret. 1Sa_10:17-21
1Sa_10:17. The popular assembly, called by Samuel at Mizpah, because this sacred place was connected in the people’s minds with the memory of the great victory, 1 Samuel 7, was intended, as is shown by the expression “to Jehovah” (see 1Sa_7:5), solemnly to confirm and ratify the divine choice of Saul to be king of Israel, and to consecrate him to this office. Nägelsbach (Herz. R.-E., XIII. 401), referring to 1Sa_10:8, objects that the next meeting was not in Gilgal, but in Mizpah, and that, according to 1Sa_11:14, Saul goes to Gilgal not before but with Samuel, and there could, therefore, be no question of waiting for him. The objection is, however, set aside by the remark that these two meetings in Mizpah and Gilgal have nothing to do with 1Sa_10:7-8, but are designed, as is expressly said, to announce Saul as the chosen of the Lord, and again to confirm him as king (1Sa_10:24; 1Sa_11:14), in order that, as universally recognized king, he might, from Gilgal, that ancient classic ground, take in hand the great work of delivering Israel from the Philistines, which, as his primary task, lay ready to his hand (1Sa_10:7 : “whatever thy hand findeth”).
1Sa_10:18-19. Samuel’s introductory discourse. The “thus saith the Lord,” answers to the “to the Lord” of 1Sa_10:17. The people were called to assemble before the Lord to hear His word through the mouth of Samuel, as the latter had received it directly from the Lord. Samuel’s discourse first sets before the people in curt, vigorous phrase the royal deeds of might which God the Lord had done for them: the conduction from Egypt, the deliverance out of the hand of the Egyptians (immediately after the exodus) and the deliverance out of the hand of all the kingdoms which had oppressed them. Cleric.: “The history of which last deliverances is contained in the Book of Judges.”30 This third period of the history embraces the whole time from the conquest of Canaan to the present, including the victory at Mizpah (1Sa_7:5), of which the stone before their eyes bore witness. The reference to the kingdoms, from which God had delivered Israel is noteworthy, because, after the pattern of these very kingdoms, the Israelites wished to have a king and an outward kingdom. There is in this a factual irony.
1Sa_10:19. The second part of the discourse: the charge of ingratitude and unfaithfulness, expressed in the demand of a king. Their fault consisted not in the simple desire for a king, but in the fact that, forgetting God’s royal achievements, they wished to have a visible mighty king like the heathen nations, and, not seeking help from oppressive enemies from the Lord, they desired a human king along with God, or instead of their invisible King as helper out of all need and oppression.—It is to be noted that the “and ye” at the beginning of the second part [1Sa_10:19] answers to the “I” at the beginning of the first part [1Sa_10:18], marking emphatically the contrast between the Lord’s powerful help and the people’s sinful conduct in this question of a king.—The contempt or rejection of Jehovah (comp. Expos, on 1Sa_8:7 sq.) consisted, in respect to God s gracious and mighty deliverances, in the demand: set a king over us.31 After this sharp rebuke, in which (as before in chap, viii.) the full significance of their desire from the religious-ethical point of view is held up before the people, follows thirdly the factual granting of the desire, according to the divine command, 1Sa_8:22, by ordering a choice by the sacred lot. The “and now,” in respect to the “I—ye” contrasted above, marks a division in the address. The manner of choice is enjoined with precision by Samuel. They are to appear “before Jehovah;” this refers not merely to the conception of God as everywhere present (Cleric.: “when invoked, He was present with the assembly”), but also to the holy place in which the Lord’s altar was erected (1Sa_7:9). hey were to appear by tribes and thousands, the latter here meaning the same thing as families (מִשְׁפָּחוֹת). To facilitate legal transactions Moses had divided the people into thousands, hundreds, etc., and appointed captains over all these divisions (Exo_18:25). This division probably followed as closely as possible the natural one, and so the designation thousands was used as synonymous with families (Num_1:16; Num_10:4; Jos_22:14, etc.), because the number of heads of houses in the several families of a tribe might easily reach a thousand (comp. 1Sa_10:21).
1Sa_10:20 sq. Execution and result of this mode of election. The representatives of the tribes being called, the lot fell on the tribe of Benjamin, (properly the tribe “was taken”). How the lots were cast is not said; commonly it was by throwing tablets (Jos_18:6; Jos_18:8; Jon_1:7; Eze_24:7), but sometimes by drawing from a vessel (Num_33:54; Lev_16:9). The latter seems to have been the method here employed. There is not the slightest ground for connecting this with the lot of the high-priestly Urim and Thummim (Vaihinger in Herz. R.-E. IV. 85).
1Sa_10:21. When the families of the tribe of Benjamin were called, the lot fell on the family of Matri,32 an otherwise unknown name (Ew. III. 33 conjectures that it is corrupted from Bikri†). In the families the lot was usually so conducted that the houses (בָּתִּים) were next called (Jos_7:14), then from the patrœce or father-house (בֵּית־אָב) thus chosen the individual heads of families (גְּבָרִים) came forward, that the family and the individual chosen by the Lord might be indicated (see Keil in loco, Rem. 1). Here the description of the election is abridged, the last steps being passed over (comp. what is said above on the three signs). The result is given at once: And Saul was taken. The insertion of the Sept. “and they present the family of Matri by men” is to be regarded (with Keil, against Then.) as an interpretation of the Alexandrian translators. According to the order above-stated (from Jos_7:14) it fills out the supposed gap in the text not completely, but only partially and erroneously.—They sought Saul, but found him not. The ground was his diffidence and shyness in respect to appearing publicly before the whole people. Nägelsbach rightly remarks (Herz., “Saul,” p. 433), that his hiding behind the baggage during the election is not in conflict with the account of his change of mind. “At so decisive a moment, which turns the eyes of all on one with the most diverse feelings, the heart of the most courageous man may well beat.” The situation, along with an element bordering on the comic, has a serious significance and a deep psychological truth.
IV. Saul declared king; the partial homage. 1Sa_10:22-27.
1Sa_10:22. Inquiry of the Lord and divine answer in respect to the failure to find Saul. To inquire of the Lord (1Sa_22:10; 1Sa_23:9 sq.; 1Sa_28:6; 1Sa_30:7 sq.; 2Sa_2:1; Num_27:21; Jdg_1:1; Jdg_20:27) is to ask for the divine decision in individual matters of private or (as here) public importance for the theocratic congregation, by Urim and Thummim. [For a case of personal inquiry in premosaic times, see Gen_25:22—Tr.]. Though the latter is not here expressly mentioned, its presence must be assumed according to Exo_28:30, it being inseparably connected with the high-priestly Ephod, in the Choshen of which (breastplate with twelve precious stones and the name of the twelve tribes) it was placed. The inquiry of Jehovah by this means was, it is true, according to Exodus 28 and Numbers 27, to be made by the high-priest. We cannot, however, suppose that this was done here, for the high-priest’s office was vacant; some other, not Samuel, who presided over the assembly and the election, but a priest, in the high-priestly robes, conducted the solemn inquiry, which was exclusively the privilege of the priests. It must be looked on as a different act from the preceding casting of lots.—The question was: Has any one else come hither? that is, besides those here present, among whom Saul was not to be found. The “one” (lit. “man”) refers to the one who could not be found; the oracle is to give information as to his presence or absence. The Sept. and Vulg. have: “will the man yet come hither?” and Then, alters the text accordingly, against which Keil rightly remarks: “it was unnecessary to inquire of God whether Saul would yet come; he might have been sent for without more ado.”—The answer is: Behold, he is there, hid among the baggage. The Pron. “he” (הוּא) does not require a preceding “the man” (Then.), but relates to the person referred to in, or giving occasion to the question, and to whom the procedure referred. “Stuff” (σκεύη, vasa), baggage, which must have been extensive in such an assembly. As Saul had the assurance that he was the king chosen by God, his behavior here could not signify that he wished to evade the acceptance of the kingdom, but must be referred to overpowering diffidence, in view of the grand preparations of the election and the divine decision which had laid so mighty a grasp on his life, and to “anxious consideration of the awfully important consequences of his appearance” (Ew.).—With this view the remark of Clericus may be considered to accord: “Saul, informed beforehand by Samuel of what would be done, seems to have hidden himself, that he might not appear to have solicited the royal dignity, and to have come to Mizpah to gain the popular vote for himself.”—In the beginning of 1Sa_10:23 the three consecutive verbs give a quick and lively coloring to the whole process of fetching Saul from his purposely sought-out hiding-place. His magnificent stature (1Sa_9:2), as outward-physical qualification for the kingdom, very imposing to the people, is here again expressly mentioned (εἶδος ἄξιον τυραννίδος, Eurip. in Grotius). In accordance with the people’s receptivity for so imposing and kingly an appearance, Samuel closes the solemn election with the words (1Sa_10:24): See ye him whom the Lord has chosen? by which he expressly declares the election by lot to be a confirmation of the previous divine choice, and completes the formal presentation of Saul as the divinely-appointed king, and then adds as proof: For there is none like him in all the people. There are two factors which, according to this account, co-operated to call forth the people’s cry of salutation and homage: May the king live! The testimony of Samuel: “This is the king chosen by the Lord,” granted in spite of the fact that their demand, proceeding from a vain, haughty, and unfaithful mind, was not well-pleasing to him, and the immediate impression made by Saul’s person, which was in keeping with the kingly dignity.
1Sa_10:25. The manner of the kingdom. Samuel is said to have done three things in connection with this constitution: 1) he set it before the people; 2) he wrote it in a book; 3) he laid it up before the Lord.—The “law of the kingdom,” which Samuel presented to the people, is, as appears from the context, one which has not yet been written. It is to be distinguished from the “manner of the king” (1Sa_8:11 sqq.) in which Samuel set before the people the usurpation of an unrestricted arbitrary rule, such as existed among the heathen nations whose monarchical constitution Israel envied. In content it was no doubt essentially the same with the law of the king in Deu_17:14-20, especially 1Sa_10:19-20, and therefore related to the divinely established rights and duties of the theocratic king, the fulfilment of which the people were authorized to demand from him. God’s purpose is to rule the people through Him as His organ. The “right [or manner] of the kingdom” is therefore, this being its theocratic ground and aim, not a capitulation (Michaelis) between the king (that is, here Samuel) and the people or the first example of a constitutional monarchy (Then.); for the restraints, which are here set on the kingly power, are not imposed by the demands of the people, or by a partition of power between king and people, and not by a contract or agreement between the two as parties, but are given in the divine Law, in the already existing theocratic right of the theocracy, in which the absolute monarchy of the divine will is to rule and reign over king and people, both together.—Samuel wrote this law of the kingdom in a book. We find here the first trace, after the written records of Moses, of writing among the prophets, long before the literary activity to which we owe what we now have, and essentially also the spoken prophecies with the historical notices pertaining to them—the beginning of a literature, which was exclusively in the service of the theocratic spirit, and, when it appeared soon after this in the so-called Schools of the Prophets, made its first task the theocratic writing of history.—He laid it up before the Lord. Where and how? The supposition that it was deposited in the Tabernacle at Shiloh contradicts the context, from which it appears that the deposition was made in the place where the announcement took place. The expression “before the Lord” leaves the manner undetermined, and indicates merely the solemn and formal deposition and preservation of the writing, as sacred original documentary record of the establishment and regulation of the theocratic kingdom, in a safe place before the Lord, whose presence was symbolically represented partly by the holy priestly vestment, partly by the altar to which the people approached, and in connection therewith had here its local representation even without tabernacle and ark, though we know not in what manner.—Notwithstanding this public and solemn investment of Saul with the royal dignity and authority, Samuel continues to be the highest director of the affairs of the people; the now established kingdom retires passively into the background before Samuel’s Prophetic-Judicial Office, which retains its full activity and authority. This is indicated by the fact that it is not Saul, but Samuel that finally dismisses the people, an act which involves the formal closing by him of the assembly.
1Sa_10:26-27. Saul’s behavior after his installation as king, and the behavior of the people towards him. And Saul also went home to Gibeah. Clericus hence infers that the Philistines had no military post at Gibeah, since they would not have permitted Israel to have a king in opposition to their authority; but the objection vanishes when we reflect that, the Philistines being few in number and at a distance from the place of election, the meaning of the event might easily have been concealed from them, at least for the short time till the battle of 1 Samuel 11 during which Saul remained quietly at home, especially as such great religious assemblies at Samuel’s instance were not infrequent and could not appear strange to the Philistines, and Saul had returned to his ordinary occupations in the field.—The conduct of the people towards Saul as king is twofold. On one side he receives friendly recognition with willingness to serve him [and there went with him the company of valiant men]. The Sept. and Then, read: “There went sons of strength, whose hearts God had touched, with Saul;” but this is suspicious as being apparently a conformity to the following “sons of wickedness,” interpreting the somewhat strange word “valiant company” (חַיִל) by the ordinary periphrasis “sons of strength” (בְּנֵיחַיִל), as in 1Ki_1:52. The word (חיל) is found alone with similar meaning “host” (in Pharaoh’s retinue) in Exo_14:28; here it means “valiant company,” but with allusion to the “power” which Saul as king might build up from such valiant men as those who now formed the escort of honor. Whose hearts God had touched; that is, to show themselves so faithful and willing in service and obedience. This faithfulness and willingness to serve, shown in their escorting Saul, sprang from their hearts, the deepest base and centre of their inner life; but it was in this case an effect of the immediate influence of the Spirit of God, who sanctifies and rules the heart even in respect to moral deportment towards His constituted authorities. But not irresistibly. In 1Sa_10:27 we find an organized opposition to God’s established kingdom, whose representative Saul was. Whether envy and jealousy produced it (Then.) is not said. The opposition are called “worthless people” (בְּנֵי בְלִיַּעַל). They are people who 1) haughtily and contemptuously nullified beforehand the whole-someness and utility of Saul’s royal government for the people in their depressed condition,—the question “What will the man help us?” expresses hostility to and contempt for Saul’s kingship as a completely aimless and useless institution; 2) they exhibited decided “contempt” for his fitness for the office, and attacked his personal honor; 3) they did not show submission to his rule, “brought him no present” as sign of reverence, obedience, and obligation to provide for his maintenance; for freewill-gifts from the people were a part of the regular revenue of princes.—Clericus: “Therefore others, who thought better of his election, brought him gifts, that he might maintain the royal dignity without disgrace.” Saul’s conduct towards these enemies: he was as a deaf man; that is, he acted as if he heard nothing; “he left those men’s contempt unnoticed” (Cler.). This shows self-control and self-denial, but also great foresight and prudence; for though Saul had had the right, notwithstanding his and Samuel’s purpose that he should remain in private life awhile, to proceed vigorously against this mean insult to his person and office, yet such a course might have prejudiced his position among and towards the people; and all the more, if the open opposers, as Nägelsbach conjectures (Herz. XIII. 433), belonged “to the princes of the larger and hitherto controlling tribes of Judah and Ephraim, who were dissatisfied with the election of an obscure Benjaminite,” in which case, still more imbittered by Saul’s resolution to punish them, they could have made their influence still more widely felt against him.—As to the construction it is to be remarked with Keil on וַיֵּלְכוּ (1Sa_10:26) and וַיְהִי (1Sa_10:27) that in both cases “the Imperf. with Waw Consec. forms the apodosis to a preceding adjective-clause as protasis,” and the sequence of clauses in German [and English, Tr.] would be: “When Saul also went home… .there went with him… ., and when worthless people said… .he was as a deaf person.”
HISTORICAL AND THEOLOGICAL
See the remarks in the Exegetical exposition. In addition to these:
1. Anointing with oil as a sacred, theocratic usage is the symbol of introduction into the fellowship and service of the Spirit of God, as is clear from 1Sa_16:13 sq.; Isa_60:1 sq. It was employed 1) in connection with the tabernacle and “all that was in it,” that is, its furniture (Exo_29:36; Exo_30:26-30; Exo_40:9-13; Lev_8:10-12; Num_7:1), and in these lifeless objects (which are said to be “sanctified”) denotes their separation from everything unclean and unholy, and their consecration to the holy end for which they were designed, namely, to be instruments of God’s Holy Spirit for acting on His people. So it is said especially of the altar of burnt-offering, Exo_40:10 : “and it shall be most holy,” because as the place of expiation, it was the holiest object in the court; 2) in connection with persons, who are called to theocratical service and office, anointing is the symbol of the impartation of God’s Spirit, and the equipment with His gifts and powers as indispensable condition of the right theocratic exercise of the office. Hitherto confined to sanctuary and priests, it now appears as the consecration to the theocratic office of king, and denotes here the impartation of the powers of light and life from the Spirit of God, as possessor of which the king is henceforth called by excellence the Anointed of the Lord, and is alone authorized to exercise the theocratic rule in the name of the Lord, the invisible King. The “coming of the Spirit of God” on Saul and David is the consequence of their anointing, or answers to the significance of its symbolism. The natural basis for this symbolism of oil is its power to dispense light and life, joy and healing, by which it sets forth the Spirit’s dispensation of light and life and the therein-contained gifts and powers (Bähr, Symb. ii. 173). And in the historical development of the theocracy and of the divine revelations which point to the perfecting and fulfilment of the theocracy in the New Covenant, the symbolic anointing of theocratic kings, priests, and prophets (comp. 1Ki_19:15-16) as sign of the impartation of the Spirit of God and its powers is the type, that is, the historical foretokening and prefiguring of the anointing with the Spirit without measure (Joh_3:34) and with the spirit of might (Act_10:38), by which Jesus was “the Christ,” the Anointed of God for the New-Testamental kingdom of God, first as King of His kingdom, and then as chief Prophet and Priest. Samuel’s word: “The Lord hath anointed thee,” signifies that God Himself, of His free grace, dispenses the powers and gifts of His Spirit, when He calls to an office in His kingdom and service.
2. The greatness and glory of the royal office consisted essentially in the fact that he who filled it was “Prince over the inheritance or possession of Jehovah.” The foundation for this view is the inward life-fellowship into which God has so entered with Israel by His self-revelation, that they have Him as their God, as their highest good and possession; Exo_20:2 : “I am the Lord, thy God.” God is thus the possession of His people, and of every individual godly man, Psa_16:5; Psa_142:6; Psa_119:57; Jer_10:16; Jer_51:19. Conversely the people of Israel is the property (סְגֻלָּה) of its God, or His inheritance (נַחֲלָה), 1) by reason of its election out of all other peoples, Exo_19:5; Exodus 2) by reason of the wonderful deliverance out of Egypt, Exo_19:4; Deu_4:20; Deu_9:29; Deuteronomy 3) by reason of the covenant at Sinai, Exo_19:5; Exodus 4) by reason of the constant manifestations of grace and salvation (Psa_28:9; 2Sa_14:16; 2Sa_21:3), among which the forgiveness of sins is the greatest, Exo_34:9. The New Covenant presents the fulfillment and completion of this relation in the λᾶος περιούσιος [“peculiar people,” that is, God’s own property] Tit_2:14 : 1Pe_2:9.
3. The three signs which, in accordance with Samuel’s prophetic announcement, were given to Saul, signify in the first place in general the assurance given him (by events apparently accidental, yet ordered to this end by God) of His divine appointment to the royal office and his qualification for it, and of the fact that the Lord would therein be with him. In the lives of those who desire to serve God in faithful obedience, even the simplest and apparently most accidental events must go to confirm the assurance that all things work together for good to them that serve God, and to confirm their confidence in His providence that works in detached, seemingly insignificant circumstances, and His faithfulness that lasts through life.—Severally, however, these three signs indicate so many principal stations in the development of Saul’s inner life, and in an advancing line from the ass-driver to the “prince of the inheritance of God.” These are divinely-ordered facts, each of which has two meanings for Saul; first a factual revelation or instruction from God for the present moment, and then a prefigurative relation to the future administration of his royal office. The first occurrence, the meeting with two men who inform him that the asses are found, frees his heart from the pressure of little, earthly, everyday cares, and instructs him henceforth, free from the concerns of the lower, material life, to direct his inner life to the lofty aims and duties of his theocratic calling. Once for all the petty earthly is to find for him its quietus. Inwardly free and consecrated to the Lord alone, he is to pursue his way upward. The second sign: three men going up to Bethel offer him two of the three sacrificial loaves. This gift is the factual homage paid him by a royal offering, and betokens for the future his royal position in which to him, along with sanctuary and priests, the wealth of the land will be offered as tribute. The third event directs Saul’s look from this kingly power to the highest conditions of a right theocratic administration, which he receives through impartation of the Spirit of God and His gifts. In the company of prophets by the Spirit which comes on him, he receives the gift of prophecy and that equipment of his inner life with the powers of the divine Spirit by which he becomes another man and receives a new heart. In this there is also for the future the warning that it is only under the guidance of God’s Spirit, in the absolute obedience of his will to the divine will, rooted in a heart new-created, changed by the Holy Ghost and sanctified, that he can fulfil his calling so as to secure the welfare of God’s inheritance and the approbation of the Lord. So, while outwardly wandering from place to place, and coming home at last, Saul rises inwardly from the cares of a lower earthly calling to the lofty tasks of the highest office of the theocracy in which he is to gain for his people the holiest possessions—from a low and common sphere of life to a free broad view that embraces all Israel—from a soul entangled in the natural and earthly to the experience of thorough renewal of heart and change of mind—from a low and narrow wealth, wherein he seeks satisfaction, to the possession of the highest and holiest gift, the Spirit of God—from a profane, godless life, to the most intimate fellowship with God through the mediation of the Spirit. This career and leading of Saul is a type of the Lord’s leadings which all experience who give themselves up to His guidance that they may be called by Him for His kingdom and its service. The change of the natural man, the renewal of the inner life from the heart out showed itself, indeed, in the Old-Testamental point of view, partially and sporadically; but at the same time it was also only a thing postulated, desiderated, promised, and as such is most clearly expressed in Psa_51:12-14; Jeremiah 31; Ezekiel 36; the complete fulfillment was possible only in the New-Testamental kingdom of God through the new birth by the Spirit of God which in all its fulness was first imparted by Christ and went out from Christ, John 3. [Because of the difference in force and extent of the expression “new heart” in the Old and New Testaments, we must guard against supposing in Saul so radical a change as Dr. Erdmann seems disposed to assume. In the Old Test, conception any endowment, spiritual, mental or physical, which connects itself with faith in God, is regarded as the product of the Spirit of God (see the history of Samson and the Judges generally, and Balaam), and a divine influence which leads a man to sing the praises of God, as Saul did here, is not necessarily the creative touch which regenerates the soul. In an important sense Saul was a changed man, and received a new heart, in the elevation of his aims and his upward striving to God; but his after-life shows that this impulse towards the divine, given in mercy by the divine Spirit, was damped and finally destroyed by the opposing force of his worldliness and self-seeking. His heart, so we must conclude from the teachings of Scripture, was touched and roused, but not new-created.—Tr.]
4. It is noteworthy for the significance of this crisis in the life of Saul as well as in the history of the kingdom of God in Israel, that these three facts, so important for the establishment of the kingdom and the calling of Saul, occur at or not far from holy places, which were of great importance for the history of Israel. Rachel’s grave must have reminded Saul how here, by the birth of Benjamin, which cost his ancestress her life, was laid the foundation of the greatness to which this smallest tribe was raised by his election as king. The ancient Bethel carried him back to the time when God’s revelation to Jacob strengthened the foundation of the theocracy which was laid in Abraham’s call and the promises given him, and renewed the promise made to the patriarchs; in the sanctuary there Saul sees the sign of the covenant-faithfulness of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Gibeah and its neighboring height was a place consecrated to sacrifice and prayer, and especially important because the dwelling-place or pilgrimage-shrine of a community of prophets. Here flourishes prophecy, which in Samuel prepares the way for the kingdom, and guides it on the way; here rules the mighty prophetic spirit, which lays hold on Saul, and which he receives with its gifts. The holy places, in and near which Saul receives the three signs, are, in respect to their significance for his calling to the royal office, the historically holy ground. “This is as little accidental as the belief, so often expressed in the Psalter, that help comes from the holy place; and the central country; the tribes of Benjamin and Ephraim, whither Saul’s steps now lead him, is especially rich in such holy places” (Ew. III. 30).
5. For the development of prophecy in the time just before the rise of the theocratic kingdom the history in this section is important in several respects. We here meet for the first time a prophetic fraternity, which is not an accidental assemblage, but a connected, united community. Its members are called “prophets;” to their designation Nebiim (נְבִיאִים) [“prophets,” taken to be from a verb meaning “to gush forth”]) answers the inspired outstreaming of praise to God in testimony of His deeds of grace; the bond that unites them is the Spirit of God, who fills them and impels them to such inspired utterances; their inner unity and fellowship shows itself, it is probable, already in a common abode and like manner of life. It is an association of prophetical men, representing both the prophetic calling and office (munus), and the prophetic gift (donum), that is, prophecy not of the nature of a calling and office. Whatever may have been the numerical strength of this prophetic element in the people, it is certain from this narrative that the Spirit of the Lord showed itself alive in individual circles of the national life, and freely and mightily unfolded its powers and gifts. A preindication of this is found in the incident recorded in Num_11:26 sq., where the Spirit of the Lord freely and independently of institutions exhibited its awakening and vitalizing power, outside of the circle of Elders gathered around Moses at the Tabernacle, in the camp of the people, and when Joshua contended that Moses’ official authority was the only proper medium of the divine Spirit, Moses rebuked him with the words: “Enviest thou for my sake? I would that all Jehovah’s people were prophets, that Jehovah would put his Spirit upon them!” In the rise of the prophets of Samuel’s time we see a fulfillment of the promise contained in Moses’ exclamation, a sign of the new spiritual life of faith aroused in the people, a type of the outpouring of the Spirit on all flesh, which is prophesied of in Joel 3. [1Sa_2:28], and is set forth in the New Covenant as factual condition of the universal priesthood, limited only by the working of God’s Spirit, and as final revelation of the living God. Further, in these prophetic communities, whether they were from the beginning firmly organized or free associations, we see the unifying, associative power of the prophetic spirit over against the disruption of the theocratic and religious life which was the legacy of the time of the Judges. The company descending from the high-place at Gibeah, which Saul joined, shows that in these bodies there were common religious exercises. However these associations arose through the associative impulse of the awakened higher life—whether Samuel founded them or not is uncertain, the latter is more probable; but after their establishment he took them under his care, and later gave them a firmer form and government (see 1 Samuel 19. and what is there said at greater length of the schools of the prophets)—they were, by their concentrated power of religious life, light and salt for the popular life, and diffused around them the influences of the Spirit that filled them. An indication of this is the power of the Spirit by which Saul was laid hold of (in his third sign) after his meeting with those men. But this new Spirit-born life has its contrast always in a lower, sensuous life, disinclined to the joyous abandon and the holy uprising towards God. The wondering question: “Is Saul also among the prophets?” points to such a contrast, in which the worldly-minded, strangers to the life in the Spirit of the Lord, stand opposed to the members of the prophetic Union, just as to-day the children of the world, despising the guidance of the Spirit from above, set themselves with contempt or reviling over against living Christians, the “pietists and godly.”
The prophetic inspiration is characteristically delineated in these occurrences. Its essence consists in such an entrance of the Spirit of God into the inner life of the prophet, that the latter is thereby mightily laid hold of and lifted up into the condition of ecstatic ravishment. As a vehicle of this spiritual excitation appears here instrumental and vocal music which, on the physical-psychical side, gives freer play to the feelings aroused by the divine Spirit. The prophetic inspiration takes the musical art into its service. If 1Sa_10:5 says nothing special as to the relation of music to the prophetic utterance, it yet shows that music was practiced in the prophetic communities. In its origin the prophetic inspiration shows itself as a sudden thing which gets the mastery of the man’s subjective state; the Spirit of God “comes upon” Saul; we trace it as a controlling power in 1Sa_10:6; 1Sa_10:10; 1Sa_19:20; Mic_3:8. The utterance of this inspiration, the “prophesying,” is impassioned address or inspired song, and has an enkindling, sweeping power. It is, however, only a momentary, not a continuous thing. As the seventy-two elders prophesied once, and not again, so also Saul here among the prophets. The spring of the Spirit is an intermitting one, because, according to the nature of the Old Covenant, though there might be various grades of individual powerful inworkings, there could not be a permanent indwelling of the Spirit of God in the heart of man.33 The indispensable condition of the prophetic inspiration and of prophesying as a genuine life-utterance of the Spirit from above is a mind directed to the living God, the religious-ethical disposition of heart well-pleasing to him, such as Saul had received by the Lord’s leadings, he going obediently and humbly in the ways appointed him. Comp. 1Sa_10:9 : “God gave him another heart,” with 1Sa_10:10 : “the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied in their midst.”
6. “God gave him another heart,” comp. 1Sa_10:9 with 1Sa_10:6 and Deu_5:26 [29]: “O that they had such a heart to fear me.” “Therefore the working of revelation is directed to renewing man from the heart, and its aim is, by a divine salvation, to destroy the unreceptiveness (the stupidity in which the soul’s centre labors, as Roos expresses it, Fund. psychol. ex sacr. script., 1769, p. 153) and the opposition of the heart (the circumcision of the heart, Deu_30:6), to put the fear of God into the heart (Jer_32:40), and so make the law an inward thing (Jer_31:33). This is effected by the divine Spirit which, even under the Old Covenant, making prophets by change of heart into other men (1Sa_10:6; 1Sa_10:9), and causing the pious to experience His power, that purifies the heart and brings it into accord with God’s law (Psa_51:12-14), thus points to the new creation of the heart on the plane of completed salvation, Eze_36:26 sq.; Eze_11:19.” Oehler s. v. Herz, Herzog, R. E.
7. The two elections of king; 1Sa_9:1 to 1Sa_10:16 and 1Sa_10:17-27. Saul’s call to the royal office consists in two consecutive acts: 1) in the section 1Sa_9:1 to 1Sa_10:16 is related how Saul is personally called in secret, consecrated by anointing, and by the three signs assured that he is the king of Israel called by the Lord. Here the divine factor, as the only effective one, appears in the foreground; 2) in 1Sa_10:17-27 is related the public election of Saul by lot by a popular assembly called for that purpose by Samuel “to the Lord.” Here the human factor appears in co-operation with the divine, and Samuel is their intermediator. There is no conflict between these two narratives. “Is then the divine instruction to Samuel to grant the people’s demand and give them a king (1 Samuel 8) and the revelation that Saul was the man selected by Jehovah, together with the anointing of Saul (1Sa_9:1 to 1Sa_10:16) irreconcilable with his choice by lot?—That a prophet carries out unconditionally the will of God, even when it does not accord with his own views, and leaves the decision of the lot to the control of God, involves neither a tempting of God nor a piece of jugglery” (Keil, Introd. I., 235; the latter part against Thenius). By the lot, as means of direct divine decision, Saul, already in secret called to be king, was as such openly before the whole people to receive solemn divine legitimation. Similarly in Aaron’s case, Numbers 17. Besides the two principal stations of the road on which Saul is led by God through Samuel into the kingdom, Ramah and Mizpah, between which Rachel’s grave, Deborah’s oak and Gibeah are important intermediate stations, there is yet a third, Gilgal, chap. 11. Here the kingdom is renewed to him, here he first finds undivided, universal recognition as king of Israel, having once more received the divine legitimation by a victory over the enemy. We find here a gradation in the occurrences, each of which contains a new moment, and none of which has anything that excludes or contradicts the others.
8. The twofold law of the king, 1Sa_8:11-18 and 1Sa_10:25. These two are mutually exclusive. The former (8) is that which is historically necessary from the heathen point of view, the consequence of the demand to have a king like the kings of the nations; the latter (10) is the ideal theocratic law of the king, which corresponds to the call of the covenant-people, and, as an outflow from the holy will of the covenant God, is the limit and norm of the royal government. The former sprang from the sinful self-will of men, the latter is the absolute dominion of the divine will. Saul’s call and election was to be completed in his attestation after the norm of this law of the kingdom.
9. The position of prophecy towards the newly-established kingdom is a controlling, regulating, norm-giving one. Samuel’s conduct towards Saul on his entrance upon the theocratic royal calling prefigures the position which prophecy was henceforth to occupy alongside of the kingdom. “That the law of the king should not be a dead letter, that royal self-will should be kept within bounds, was to be the care not of a representative popular assembly, but of prophecy, which stood as theocratic watchman by the side of royalty.” Oehler, s. v. König in Herz. R. E. VI. 12.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
1Sa_9:27; 1Sa_10:1. How the Lord fits His chosen ones for the kingly calling in His kingdom : 1) By quiet instruction by means of His word He brings them into a right knowledge of the tasks He assigns; 2) By the anointing of His Spirit He imparts to them the needful power and strength therefor; 3) By the production of infallible signs He gives them a just certainty and joyous confidence. [1Sa_10:2, latter part, Scott: A superior care, in common life, swallows up an inferior one; and the tender parent ceases from anxiety about his property, when solicitous for the welfare of his son… . And so, a due concern about eternal things would moderate our care about the interests of this life.—Tr.].
1Sa_10:2-9. The signs of divine guidance along the paths of human life on earth, how they 1) Pointing backwards, remind us of the manifestations of grace in past times (the holy places); 2) Pointing upwards, admonish us to lift up the heart from worthless, earthly things to higher good; 3) Pointing forwards, demand a new life in the Spirit, and 4) call on us to look into our own heart, while for the work of renewal of the whole man they promise the gifts and powers of the Spirit from above.
The appearance of special divine signs in human life: 1) Whence coming? a) Ordered in time by God’s wise Providence, not springing from chance, not aimless; b) Decreed in his eternal purpose, not accidental, not groundless; c) Sent as messengers of His holy and gracious will, not meaningless. 2) To whom applying? a) To him who lets himself be guided by God; b) To him who holds still when God is guiding him, and c) To him who lets God speak to Him by His word. 3) What signifying? a) Reminding of the saving and gracious presence of God (partly in the past, partly in the present: “God is with thee”); b) Pointing to our tasks, which under the guidance of the Lord are to be fulfilled (1Sa_10:7-8); c) Exhorting to a renewal of the whole inner life through the power of the Holy Ghost (comp. 1Sa_10:6; 1Sa_10:9). [1Sa_10:5. Music as a means of religious exaltation. Comp. 2Ki_3:15; 1Co_14:26-33; Eph_5:18.—Tr.].
1Sa_10:6-9. The transforming effects of the Spirit of God. 1) Out of the old heart He creates a new man. 2) Out of dumb people He makes prophets. 3) To the weak He lends power and strength for a great work. 4) Remoteness from God He changes into the most intimate communion with God.
1Sa_10:6; 1Sa_10:9. The Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee! 1) A great word of promise, which applies to every one that is called to the kingdom of God. 2) A wonderful event of the inner life, which occurs and is experienced only under definite conditions. 3) The beginning of a new life, which takes place by the change of the heart. [1Sa_10:6. Prophesying not a certain proof of piety. Comp. Balaam, Caiaphas (Joh_11:51), and the “many” in Mat_7:22—Tr.].
1Sa_10:7. The great word, “God is with thee!” 1) The infallible signs, which assure us of it. 2) The consoling strength, which the heart thereby receives. 3) The mighty impulse to do according to God’s good pleasure, which lies therein. 4.) The earnest exhortation which is thereby given, in all the occurrences of human life, to mark the will of the Lord therein made known.
1Sa_10:9. The new heart a gift of God. 1) Through human proclamations of the divine word the renewal of the heart is only prepared for. 2) But through the divine act of the Holy Spirit working through the word it is effected, and 3) It is accompanied by infallible signs of the manifestations of divine grace. [Henry: He has no longer the heart of a husbandman, …concerned only about his corn and cattle; but the heart of a statesman, a general, a prince. Whom God calls to service He will make fit for it. If He advance to another station, He will give another heart, to those who sincerely desire to serve Him with their power.—Tr.].
1Sa_10:10. The power of communion in the Lord: 1) Inwardly it unites the members closely together, a) into an inward confederacy of love in the Lord, b) into harmonious praise of the Lord; 2) Outwardly it exercises a controlling and contagious influence: a) so that a way is made for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of others, and b) so that like effects of the Spirit are manifested in others also.
1Sa_10:7-12. The beginning of a new life in the Spirit: 1) Naturally prepared for and indicated beforehand through signs given by God (1Sa_10:7; 1Sa_10:9); 2) Supernaturally effected through the power of the Holy Spirit (1Sa_10:10); 3) Inwardly consisting in the renewal of the heart (1Sa_10:9); 4) Outwardly manifesting itself in the fruits (effects) of the Spirit (willing obedience to the Lord’s command, patient waiting for the Lord’s direction; joyful testimony to the Lord’s grace). [It is not safe to treat this history as a case of true and thorough spiritual renewal, in any sense approaching the New Test, use of similar expressions. Comp. note of Tr. above in “Historical.”—Tr.].
1Sa_10:11-12. The question, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 1) A cry of astonishment by the world estranged from God, in which it speaks its own sentence; 2) A reliable attestation and confirmation of the miracle of the awaking to a new life for him in whom it has occurred; 3) A. factual proclamation of the honor of the Lord, who by His Spirit creates such a transformation in man. [Henry: Let not the worst be despaired of, yet let not an external show of devotion, and a sudden change for the present, be too much relied on; for Saul among the prophets, was Saul still.—Tr.].
1Sa_10:13-16. The art of testifying and being silent at the right time about the things of the kingdom of God: 1) How it is to be learned in the school of the Holy Spirit (after Saul’s example); 2) How it is to be exercised according to the company in which one finds himself (the inspired host of prophets—the profane uncle of Saul).
1Sa_10:17-19. The mightiest means employed by the word of God to awaken true repentance: 1) It humbles by reminding us of the manifestations of grace which without merit or worthiness we have experienced, in which the Lord has shown Himself our compassionate father (1Sa_10:18). 2) It rebukes by setting before us our ingratitude and unfaithfulness, with which we have rewarded Him (1Sa_10:19, “over us”), and 3) It shames us by pointing to the grace and faithfulness of God, which notwithstanding do not depart from us, in which He patiently condescends even to our sinful wishes and demands (“And now present yourselves before the Lord”—).
1Sa_10:21-22. [He could not be found—hidden among the baggage. Henry: So little fond was he now of that power, which yet, when he was in possession of, he could not without the utmost indignation think of parting with.… We may suppose he was at this time really averse to take upon him the government, 1. Because he was conscious to himself of unfitness for so great a trust. He had not been bred up to books, or arms, or courts, and feared he should be guilty of some fatal blunder. 2. Because it would expose him to the envy of his neighbors that were ill-affected towards him. 3. Because he understood by what Samuel had said, that the people sinned in asking a king, and it was in anger that God granted their request. 4. Because the affairs of Israel were at this time in a bad posture: the Philistines were strong, the Ammonites threatening, and he must be bold indeed, that will set sail in a storm.—Tr.].
1Sa_10:20-27. True humility and modesty: 1) How it roots itself in a human heart touched by the Spirit of God; 2) How it shows itself, a) before God in the confession of unworthiness and unfitness for service in His kingdom, b) before men in reserve and silence; 3) How it is crowned, a) before God, with the calling to His service, b) before men, with the approbation of men’s hearts which is wrought by God the Lord.
1Sa_10:24-27. The divine choice and calling of a man to service in God’s kingdom: 1) It makes itself known in outward signs (“see ye,” 1Sa_10:24); 2) It is conditional by the requisite natural gifts and properties (“that there is none like him,” &c., 1Sa_10:24); 3) It carries itself forward by preparation from above, a) with the gifts and powers of the Spirit, b) through instruction in the will of God (1Sa_10:25); 4) It rises up above the favor and disfavor of parties, in that it teaches us, a) to value human approbation as a gift of God (1Sa_10:26), and b) over against the hate and contempt of opposers to observe an humble silence before God.
J. Disselhoff, 1Sa_10:1-11. The anointing to the office of king: 1) On those who hold still before their God this anointing is wrought, really and truly, though at first in hope; 2) And although it is wrought only in hope, yet it is attested by divine signs following. The same: 1Sa_10:7-8; 1Sa_10:13-27. What the royal anointing gives, and what it demands: 1) It makes the anointed one fit for all that his office lays upon him; 2) It demands that the anointed one should now do nothing more according to his own choice, but every thing according to the direction and will of God.
[1Sa_10:27. “And he was as though he were deaf.” Notwithstanding they 1) questioned his capacity, 2) despised his power, 3) refused him homage and help (see Exegetical Notes), he was as though he were deaf, thereby showing 1) self-control, 2) prudence, 3) humility. Apply this to 1) public officers, 2) employers of servants or other subordinates, 3) persons in society, 4) church officials. There is a high sense in which God acts thus, and bad men imagine that He really is deaf (Psa_73:11; Psa_94:7; Job_22:13.—Tr.]
Footnotes:
[1][1Sa_10:1. יִצֹּק. Qal. Impf. of יצק—Tr.]
[2][1Sa_10:1. On the Sept. insertion here see Expos.—Tr.]
[3][1Sa_10:2. Lit. “hath put aside the affair.”—Tr.]
[4][1Sa_10:3. אֵלוֹן, rendered “oak” by all the ancient versions except Chald. The Eng. A. V. always translates it “plain” (though it gives the similar words אַלּוֹן ,אַלָּה ,אֵלָה always by “oak” or some other name of a tree), apparently following Targ., Raschi, Kimchi. The origin of this Jewish rendering is perhaps to be sought in or connected with the Syriac—alune—“places abounding in gardens”—a “plain” or “place abounding m trees” being regarded as more appropriate than an “oak.” Others make it here a proper name, Elon-Tabor.—Tr.]
[5][1Sa_10:3. Note the form of the Heb. numeral, masc. though the subst. is fem. (Wellh.).—Tr.]
[6][1Sa_10:4. Lit. “ask after thy peace (or welfare).”—Tr.]
[7][1Sa_10:5. Chald.: “the hill on which is the ark of Jehovah.”—Tr.]
[8][1Sa_10:5. Wellhausen takes this clause as subst., not adj.; that is, not as describing the hill (or, as some read, Gibeah) of God, but as indicating a particular spot on or near the hill. The rendering “Gibeah of God” (Bib. Comm.) is very unusual and hard, and it is no objection to the appellative rendering here that the same word (Gibeah) is a proper name elsewhere in this chapter (1Sa_10:10; 1Sa_10:26).—Tr.]
[9][1Sa_10:5. Chald.: Sopherim “scribes.”—Tr.]
[10][1Sa_10:7. The Chald. renders: “the word of Jehovah”—an appellation which is usually compared with the Logos of the New Test.—Tr.]
[11][1Sa_10:8. Erdmann makes this a general relative clause: “and when thou goest.” See his discussion in the Expos. and Introd.—Tr.]
[12][1Sa_10:10. The place here mentioned is almost certainly Gibeah, Saul’s place of residence, and may or may not be the same with the “hill of God” in 1Sa_10:5.—Tr.]
[13][1Sa_10:11. Erdmann takes this clause to be a quotation, but the Heb. does not favor this. Here the verb rendered “prophesy” is Niphal, while in 1Sa_10:10; 1Sa_10:5-6 it is Hithpael. According to Dr. R. Payne Smith, the former indicates true prophetical utterance, the latter merely acting the part of a prophet (Bampton Lectures for 1869, pp. 53–58); but this distinction must not be pressed too far.—Tr.]
[14][1Sa_10:12. Sept., Syr., Arab. have “his father;” see Erdmann’s discussion in Expos. Chald has “their master (Rab).”—Tr.]
[15][1Sa_10:13. For “high place” (במה) Wellhausen would read unnecessarily “house” (ביתה).—Tr.]
[16][1Sa_10:14. “That they were not” (comp. Gen_42:30); that is, not to be found.—Tr.]
[17][1Sa_10:16. The Inf. Absol., for which this adverb is too definite.—Tr.]
[18][1Sa_10:18. Sept.: “The hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt,”—a variation for the sake of distinctness or accuracy.—Tr.]
[19][1Sa_10:18. Constructio ad sensum: the kingdoms representing their inhabitants. The Partcp. is made masc.—Tr.]
[20][1Sa_10:19. The text has לוֹ, “to him,” and so Erdmann reads. Sept., Vulg., Syr., Arab. read לֹא, “nay,”—and this is required by the following כּי. Eng. A. V. reads “to him,” and then inserts the “nay,”—thus combining the two readings. So, too, the Chald., which, however, here paraphrases: instead of “ rejected God,” it has “rejected the service of God” (to avoid apparent irreverence), and makes the people say: “We are not saved, but thou shalt set,” etc.—Tr.]
[21][1Sa_10:21. On the insertion of the Sept.: “and they cause the family of Mattari to come near by individuals,” see Erdmann in the Expos.—Tr.]
[22][1Sa_10:22. The Heb. reads literally: “has any other man come hither?” and so Erdmann translates; but it was unnecessary to ask Jehovah this, nor does Jehovah’s answer correspond to it. The Syr., conforming the question to the answer, reads “where is this man?” which, however, cannot be gotten from the Heb. The Eng. A. V. represents the text of the Sept. and Vulg., the word “man” having the Article, and this reading is approved by Thenius, Bib. Comm., and others, and opposed by Keil and Erdmann. See the Expos.—Tr.]
[23][1Sa_10:23. Lit. “placed or presented himself.”—Tr.]
[24][1Sa_10:24. Lit. “may the king live.”—Tr.]
[25][1Sa_10:25. מִשְפָּט is rendered by Erdmann “right or privilege” (recht); see on 1Sa_8:11. The Heb. Art. in הַסֵּפֶר (“the book”) is correctly represented in Eng. by the Indef. Art., since the defining circumstances are left wholly unmentioned.—Tr.]
[26][1Sa_10:26. Erdmann: “the band of valiant (or honest, braver männer) men.” Philippson: die tapferen, “the valiant men.” Cahen: les gens de guerre, “the men of war.” The Heb. word (הַחַיִל) is a military one, “the host.” But it can hardly mean that the army went with Saul, and so the Vulg. renders “a part of the army.” The Chald. paraphrase does not help us: “a part of the people who feared sin;” the Syriac renders literally by the same word as the Heb. The Sept. reading, “sons of might,” that is, “the better class of men,” “the men of honor and reputation,” is more satisfactory, on which see Expos.—Tr.]
[27][1Sa_10:27. Heb. “as a deaf man,” or, “as one that did not observe.” The Eng. A. V. omits the particle “as.”—Tr.
[28][This is to cut the knot rather than to solve the geographical difficulties connected with Saul’s journey. See 1Sa_1:1 and 1Sa_9:6, Expos. and Translator’s notes.—Tr.]
[29]On וִיהִי Böttcher remarks: “as Jussive it can only mean ‘and be it = and when,’ so that וּפָּגַעְתָּ belongs to the protasis, and the apodosis begins with וְצָלְחָה [1Sa_10:6].” So 1Ki_14:5, where וְיהִי, “and be it” = “even if.”
[30]The masc. Partcp. הַלֹּחֲצִים [“which oppressed”] forms with the fem. subst. הַמַּמְלָכוֹת [“the kingdoms”] a constructio ad sensum, the warriors of the heathen nations being had in mind.
[31]The כִּי is “used to introduce direct discourse, even in a contradictory clause, like our ‘no, but,’ as in Rth_1:10” (Keil). It is therefore not necessary to read לֹא with the ancient vers. for לוֹ, which reading is obviously imitated from 1Sa_8:19 and 1Sa_12:12.
[32][Properly: Matrites and Bikrites.—Tr.]
[33][The author seems here to confound the special and the ordinary influence of the Holy Spirit. Then, as now, there were differences of spiritual power at different times; but there seems to be no good reason for not believing that the Holy Spirit dwelt just as really and permanently, though not so distinctly, in all God’s people under the Old Covenant as under the New.—Tr.]
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures (Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical), ed. John Peter Lange, English translation edited by Philip Schaff (1864–1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 17, 26, 27 When thou art departed from me to-day--The design of…
When thou art departed from me to-day--The design of these specific predictions of what should be met with on the way, and the number and minuteness of which would arrest attention, was to confirm Saul's reliance on the prophetic character of Samuel, and lead him to give full credence to what had been revealed to him as the word of God.
Rachel's sepulchre--near Beth-lehem (see on Gen 35:16).
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Zelzah--or Zelah, now Bet-jalah, in the neighborhood of that town.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27 1. A vial of oil — The Hebrew is…
1. A vial of oil — The Hebrew is emphatic — the flask of the oil; probably the holy anointing oil described Exo_30:23-33, which Samuel had prepared for this express purpose.
Poured it upon his head — Among the Hebrews this solemn ceremony had hitherto been used only on the priests, and the holy places and vessels of the sanctuary. Its application to the king would, therefore, serve to show that he was a sacred personage, and that the monarchy, like the priesthood, was a divine institution. Hence “the Lord’s anointed” became the common designation of the kings of Israel. Chap. 1Sa_12:3; 1Sa_12:5; 1Sa_24:6; 2Sa_1:14; 2Sa_1:16; Psa_105:15. From
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Psa_133:2. we would naturally infer that the precious ointment was very copiously poured out.
Kissed him — In token both of friendly congratulation and of homage. Compare Psa_2:12.
Captain over his inheritance — נגיד, prefect; overseer; prince. Solemn and responsible office. Compare the term משׁיח נגיב, Messiah Prince, or, the Anointed Prince. Dan_9:25.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27 1Sa_10:1. a vial of oil] Rather, “the vial of…
1Sa_10:1. a vial of oil] Rather, “the vial of oil.” The word rendered vial (i.e. phial or flask) occurs again only in the account of the coronation of Jehu, in 2Ki_9:1; 2Ki_9:3 (E. V. box). The definite article in the original may perhaps indicate the holy anointing oil used for the consecration of priests (Exo_30:23-33).
and kissed him] In token of reverence and homage to his royal dignity. Cp. Psa_2:12.
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Is it not because the Lord] Lit., “Is it not the case that Jehovah” = Surely Jehovah, &c.
hath anointed thee] The rite of anointing (a) signified the consecration of the king to the service of God; (b) was the outward sign of the gift of the Spirit to qualify him for his office (1Sa_10:9-10, 1Sa_16:13, cp. Act_10:38); (c) marked his person as sacred and inviolable (ch. 1Sa_26:9; 2Sa_1:14).
The title “the Lord’s anointed” (Sept. Χριστὸς Κυρίου, cp. Luk_2:26), designating the theocratic King as the Vicegerent of Jehovah, is characteristic of the books of Samuel and the Psalms. It never occurs in Kings, when the true idea of the kingdom had been lost.
Priests (Exo_40:15; Lev_8:12), prophets in some cases (1Ki_19:16), and kings, were consecrated by anointing, and formed partial types and foreshadowings of The Messiah (derived from the Hebrew word Mâshîach = anointed, through the Greek form Μεσσίας), i.e. the Anointed one, the Christ, who united in Himself all three offices of Prophet, Priest, and King.
According to Jewish tradition, anointing was only necessary when a new dynasty came to the throne or the succession was disputed. Hence we only find mention of it in the case of Saul; David (ch. 1Sa_16:3; 2Sa_2:4; 2Sa_5:3); Absalom (2Sa_19:10); Solomon (1Ki_1:39); Joash (2Ki_11:12); Jehoahaz, who was not the eldest son of Josiah (2Ki_23:30); Jehu (2Ki_9:3).
The ceremonies of this first recorded coronation are still observed in England. The anointing is performed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the kiss of homage is given by the Archbishop, bishops, and premier peer of each rank for the rest of his order.
The Sept. reads “Hath not the Lord anointed thee to be ruler over his people Israel? And thou shalt rule the people of the Lord, and thou shalt save them out of the hand of their enemies. And this shall be the sign unto thee that the Lord hath anointed thee to be ruler over his inheritance. When, &c.” The Vulgate also contains the greater part of this addition, which seems to be required to connect 1Sa_10:1-2. Its omission in the Hebrew may be accounted for by what is called Homoeoteleuton. When two sentences end with the same words, the scribe’s eye is liable to catch the second instead of the first, so that he omits the intervening words.
his inheritance] Cp. Deu_32:9; Psa_78:71, &c.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27 (1) Then-Samuel took a vial of oil.—The vial was…
(1) Then-Samuel took a vial of oil.—The vial was a narrow-necked vessel, from which the oil flowed in drops. It was, of course, no common oil which the prophet used on this momentous occasion, but the oil of holy ointment, the sacred anointing oil which was used at the consecration of the priests, and also of the Tabernacle and the sacred vessels. (See Exo_29:7; Exo_30:23-33, &c.) The solemn anointing took place in the ceremony of consecration in the case of some, but not of all, the Hebrew sovereigns. We hear of it at the accession of David, Absalom, Solomon, Joash, Jehoahaz, And Jehu. In cases of regular succession the anointing was supposed to continue its effect—that is, the regular succession needed no new anointing. Hence it is that only the above named kings are mentioned as having been anointed, all founders of dynasties or irregularly advanced to the throne. (See Erdman in Lange here.)
And kissed him.—Rather as a customary sign of reverential homage than as a mark of affection, which at that early date of their acquaintance it was hardly possible to assume that the old man felt for the younger. (Compare Psa_2:12 : “Kiss the son, lest he be angry”: that is, “Do homage, O ye kings of the earth, to Him who is your anointed King.”)
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The Lord hath anointed thee.—Samuel replies to the look and gesture of extreme astonishment with which the young Saul received the anointing and the kiss with these words: “Do you mutely ask me why I pay you this formal homage? why I salute you with such deep respect? Is it not because you are the chosen of the Eternal? Are you still incredulous respecting your high destiny? See now, as you go on your way home, you will meet with three signs; they will prove to you that what I do, I do not of myself, but in obedience to a higher power.”
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 SAUL ANOINTED TO BE KING, AND SIGNS GIVEN HIM…
SAUL ANOINTED TO BE KING, AND SIGNS GIVEN HIM CONVINCING HIM OF THE TRUTH OF HIS APPOINTMENT (vers. 1-16).
A vial of oil. Hebrew, "the vial of oil," because it was that same holy oil with which the priests were anointed. (Exo_29:7) Throughout Holy Scripture the office of king appears as one most sacred, and it is the king, and not the priest, who is especially called Messiah, Jehovah s anointed, (1Sa_2:10, 35 12:3, 5 16:6, etc.) because he represented the authority and power of God. And kissed him. Ie. did homage to him, and gave him the symbol and token of allegiance. (see Psa_2:12) Is it not?.... A strong affirmation often takes the form of a question, especially when, as probably was the case here, surprise is manifested. Saul, on whom the occurrences of the previous day must have come as strange and unintelligible marvels, was no doubt still more embarrassed when one so old and venerable, both in person and office, as Samuel solemnly consecrated him to be Israel"s prince, (see 1Sa_9:16) and gave him the kiss of fealty and allegiance. Samuel, therefore, answers Saul"s inquiring looks with this question, and, further, gives him three signs to quiet his doubts, and convince him that his appointment is from God.
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HOMILETICS.
Vers. 1-8.
Supports to faith and duty.
The facts are
1. Samuel privately anoints Saul as the chosen of God.
1. He gives him four signs of the Divine sanction of the act of anointing.
1. The safety of the asses, and his father"s sorrow.
2. The spontaneous gift of sacrificial bread near Bethel.
3. A welcome by the prophets at Gibeah.
4. An inspiration from God to prophesy.
5. He instructs him on the completion of the signs to act on his ownjudgment, with the assurance that God is his helper.
6. He finally directs him to wait at Gilgal for himself, there to receive further guidance. The course taken by Samuel was the natural completion of his protracted intercourse with Saul. The hour had come in which the symbolism of the recent feast and the foreshadowings of suggestive language must receive definite form in word and deed. As one chosen of God to high office in his government of Israel, Saul is anointed with oil; and Samuel voluntarily gives him what he must have valued above all price, the kiss of homage and of congratulation, thus indicating his perfect readiness to fall in with the new order, and his tender interest in the king s prosperity. A new era of responsibility opened up to Saul. He had to go forth, believing himself to be God"s chosen servant, ready for the onerous duties attaching to great honours. But a man could not thus have his faith taxed without craving for encouragement. There were, in the circumstances of Israel and of Saul, obvious reasons for this private announcement and anointing. The deliberate act of such a man as Samuel must go far to banish doubt. But still human nature needs many supports, and God is very considerate of our frame. The day might come when difficulties and disappointments would recall the primary misgivings of the reality of the Divine call. Hence the provision made by Samuel for the encouragement of Saul.
I THERE IS ALWAYS IN GOD"S SERVICE A NEED OF SUPPORT TO FAITH AND DUTY. Others have been summoned to a life requiring strong faith and unfailing courage in duty.
1. There is a call to special service. Abraham was called to be a pilgrim in a strange land, and to thereby secure a seed in whom all should be blessed. Moses was called to surrender the wealth of Egypt, and to lead God"s people to freedom. The apostles were bidden to leave house and business for Christ"s sake. Every true pastor and Christian worker recognises a voice which, in commanding separation to his service, puts honour on the servant. The instrument by which each is called may be human, as truly as it was a human hand and voice that set apart Saul. The evidence of the call may be clear. But tedious toils have to be borne. Events will not realise the expectations of a too sanguine temperament. Abraham needed the support of occasional manifestations, as well as of fulfilled predictions. Moses could not go without "signs." Christ promised proofs that he was sending forth his disciples.
2. There is a call to Christian life. This is the most blessed summons to privilege, honour, and obligation. The call to Christian life is endless in its form and manner and seasons. It may come in infancy, when we are unconsciously made new creatures in Christ; or in mature years, by the preacher"s voice, the written word, the loss of friends, and the adversities of life, or the still small voice in the heart. There may be instances in which it is as clear as was Samuel"s voice and hand to Saul; and a wonder and sense of unworthiness may arise as sincere and deep as was his. But times will come when a horror of great darkness falls on the spirit; the difficulties of one"s path will raise the question as to the reality of that call which once seemed so clear, and the possibility of maintaining the distinct line of duty once entered on. A man cannot find support simply in retrospect of what was a marked change in his life; he needs something else to convince him that all is right, that the past change was not an illusion.
II The SUPPORT GIVEN IS VARIED ADAPTED TO THE ENTIRE NEED. Saul needed to be assured of the fact that it was God, and not merely man, who appointed him; he had it in the fourfold fulfilled prediction (vers. 2, 3, 5, 6). He needed the sympathy and concurrence of the religious portion of Israel; he was assured of it symbolically by the worshippers spontaneously offering him nourishment. He needed the cooperation of the most important educators of the age; he was assured of it in the symbolical welcome given to him by the company of prophets, the then rising power, which in years hence was to exert so great an influence on the national life. He needed, moreover, a power and wisdom in excess of that inherited from his father, and acquired during years of private life; he had it given when the spirit of the Lord made him another man. Wisely, therefore, were these arrangements made for the servant of God. They are beautifully congruous with the position of Saul, and the age in which he was called to act. An examination of the lives of Abraham, Moses, and the apostles will show that an equally wise arrangement was made for the support of their faith and duty. So modern servants of God can point to promises fulfilled, in a blessing on their toil, as evidence that they were not mistaken in the call to work; and their once distrustful heart becomes strong in the consciousness of a power not their own. In a different, though not less real, way the individual Christian finds varied support to his belief that God has called him into the kingdom, and made him a "king and a priest;" as also to his discharge of the duties appropriate to his high and holy calling.
III The REALISATION OF THE PROVIDED SUPPORT ENSUES ON THE EFFORT TO EXERCISE THE FAITH AND TO DISCHARGE THE DUTY. When Saul acted on the belief that Samuel was a true prophet speaking and acting for God, he found all to turn out as he had been promised. The exercise of such faith as he had, in the first instance, put him in possession of the supports to faith for future times; and the discharge of duty, so far as made clear, led to a discovery of the supports to duty that would be his in the more conspicuous acts of life. So was it with Abraham, and Moses, and the apostles. Every true servant gets encouragement, not by waiting, but while "going on his way," and doing the deeds appointed. The Saviour said to the palsied, "Put forth thy hand." In the attempting of the impossible act the faith came and grew. Faith finds nourishment for itself, and waxes strong in proportion as it is exercised.
General lessons:
1. We may render valuable service by timely sympathy and cooperation with those called to occupy difficult positions.
2. The most unassailable Christian evidence is that to be gained in a life ofentire devotion to Christ.
3. Full confirmation of our hopes and beliefs will come in so far as we arefaithful to carry into action what confidence we already have.
Another man.
The mind of Saul was evidently overcharged with the great things which had so unexpectedly been brought before his attention. His imagination must have been filled with those pictures of royal state and lofty duties which are over in Eastern minds associated with kingship. But he was scarcely able to frame an adequate conception of what Samuel meant by saying, "Thou shalt be turned into another man." There are several grades of transformation brought before us by ordinary life and by Scripture.
I "ANOTHER MAN" IS SOMETIMES MADE BY TOTAL CHANGE OF CIRCUMSTANCES. We all are partly subject to our surroundings; but some natures happen to be in circumstances which appear to be quite alien to the development of what is in them. They are repressed; the strong forces of their life refuse to come forth; they are comparative nonentities; if no change occurs in their relative position they will pass away from life unknown and almost useless. There are in some persons mental faculties which, being predominant, but not drawn out by appropriate nutriment and exercise, give to the individual an appearance of stupidity and vacuity. A poet"s soul encompassed by everything antagonistic to its development will be miserable as a lark that cannot rise. But when the unnatural restraints are removed, and the dispositions and faculties of individuals are placed amidst circumstances favourable to their proper development, there comes a change as rapid, as fresh, and striking as when the light and rain of spring call forth the bulb from under the dull earth into a form of beauty and sweetness. An observer of life cannot but have met with many cases of this.
II "ANOTHER MAN" IS SOMETIMES MADE BY SPECIAL ENDOWMENTS FOR OFFICIAL DUTIES. This was the case with Saul. It is the teaching of Scripture that "every good and perfect gift" cometh from God. He gave wisdom and cunning to the men who framed the choice work of the tabernacle. (Exo_31:2-6) Reason is his gift, though too often used against him. The Old Testament speaks of special gifts for men called to lead on the people of God. The endowment of Saul was in harmony with that of Moses and Joshua. The contrast of the men as not endowed and endowed is striking. The figure of Moses after he went forth in the name of Jehovah dwarfs the Moses feeding Jethro"s sheep. The timid, questioning, spiritually ignorant men who followed Christ as long as they dared, and "thought" that he "would have redeemed Israel," can scarcely be recognised as the men who, when endowed with power from on high, stood forth on the day of Pentecost, and, with calmness and fearlessness, expounded the spiritual nature of his kingdom who was crucified. Spiritual power works marvels in men.
III "ANOTHER MAN" IS MADE WHEN THE SOUL IS RENEWED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD. This is the most radical of all changes; it is more than an enlargement of the ordinary powers, more than the gift of discrimination by which ordinary duties can be discharged; it is the renovation of that deep, subtle spring of feeling and willing which determines the character of the entire life. The will of a man is supposed to be the key to his destiny; but the change wrought by the Holy Spirit seems even to penetrate into the mysterious rear of the will, and insure that it shall issue in acts of repentance; of faith in Christ, of supreme love for God, of delight in holiness. The reality of the transformation is seen in the new aims, the new joys, the new acts of the soul, the new outward form of life, the new spiritual discernment of the spiritual and unseen, the new hidden secret which no words can reveal, the new absorption in Christ.
IV "ANOTHER MAN" IS MADE WHEN WE ATTAIN TO THE COMPLETE REDEMPTION FOR WHICH CHRIST DIED. Relatively to a life of sin, the regenerate life of the Christian on earth is a new creation, he is "another man;" and likewise, relatively to the imperfect, struggling life we spend on earth, that which awaits us beyond is a new creation. When the full stature of a man in Christ is attained, and becomes clothed upon with a body "like unto his own glorious body," then may it be most truly said of each, he is "turned into a new man." How unlike our former selves will be that perfectly holy, tearless, strong, joyous, unwearied life, exercised in a "spiritual body," created in special adaptation for the new activities and joys of the kingdom of heaven.
General considerations:
1. Reflect on what the world may lose by careless disregard in our social life of the adaptation of circumstances to aptitudes and abilities.
2. There is room forevery man to examine himself and see whether his religion is really the product of a radical renewal by the Holy Spirit.
3. With so lofty a destiny before us as Christians, the inquiry should arise,how it is that we are so little affected by the prospect, and by what means we can more fully live under the inspiring "powers of the world to come.
Limitations of prerogative.
Saul was told that when the promised "signs" came upon him he might do as occasion required, and for the assigned reason that God was with him (ver. 7). This great freedom immediately receives a limitation in the command to wait at Gilgal till Samuel came and offered sacrifice, and gave further instructions. The royal prerogative was to be exercised under limitations. Here the question of civil and spiritual power is brought into distinct concrete form as the natural outcome of Israel"s history. The analogy between Israel and all other nations cannot be established in detail with respect to this question; but, nevertheless, there are a few truths of general application illustrated in the restrictions put by the prophet of God on the actions of Israel"s king.
I The ULTIMATE ENDS FOR WHICH GOVERNMENTS EXIST ARE SPIRITUAL. There is a difference between the immediate concern of a government namely, with protection of life and property, the repression of crime; scope for the free action of citizens, and for the development of national resources and the ultimate end for which Providence designs it and all other institutions. Man"s body exists for his spirit. Society, in the mind of God, exists for the spiritual welfare of individuals. There is an evolution progressing towards a worldwide righteousness, and governments are one of the agencies which are to subserve this issue. Attention to the material and intellectual interests of a people may be to rulers an end in itself, but not to God. Governments may subserve this spiritual end without consciously entering into questions pertaining to its nature and varied means for securing it. A faithful discharge of definite functions, on approved principles, cannot but help on the purpose for which God is himself governing mankind.
II The CHURCH OF GOD IS THE TRUE WITNESS BEARER AND THE MEANS OF ACCOMPLISHING THESE SPIRITUAL ENDS. Samuel was the representative of the spiritual power. He had authority to assert the Messianic truth, to educate the people in harmony with that truth, and to demand that the king should govern in such a way as to allow free scope to the spiritual work. He and the religious community were one in this respect. And the living Church of Christ is the assertor of Messianic truth claiming to hold what Christ has given, pointing to the spiritual reign of Christ over every heart and home as the goal of all effort and the hope of the world; and the witness bearer, calling upon rulers to observe in their administration the principles of righteousness, truth, and benevolent regard, which God alone will honour with his blessing.
III CIVIL RULERS ARE BOUND TO ACT IN HARMONY WITH THE WITNESS BEARING OF THE CHURCH. Saul was bound, morally, and as a condition of stability to his throne, to recognise Samuel in his capacity as prophet of God, working, with all the devout, for Messianic purposes. He must not ignore the spiritual power, and thus dishonour God (ver. 8; cf.; 1Sa_13:8-10) nor must be arrogate its functions. His duty lay in administering government on the principles of righteousness, and so as not to bar the way to the realisation of the Messianic purpose. And knowing as we do that in the truth given by Christ, and borne witness to by the living Church, there are all the sound principles of human progress as well as of personal salvation, every government is morally bound to act on them, and is guilty of fearful presumption if it professes to supplant them by creations of its own. As surely as decay at the root of a tree will issue in its fall, so surely will every government perish which acts on other principles than those asserted by the living Church of God. No government can successfully wage war with the one living Church, which, by example, word, and deed, preaches righteousness, and claims the right to do so.
IV The CHURCH IS BOUND TO CONFINE ATTENTION TO HER OWN PROPER FUNCTIONS. Samuel left Saul to "do as occasion" might "serve" (ver. 7). He simply claimed that there was another power in the development of Israel"s life beside the civil, and that Saul must recognise this. The exercise of the power had reference to general principles of conduct, and the securing of Messianic purposes. The Church of Christ is bound to avoid everything that would be inharmonious with her spiritual nature and uses. To be the educator of the state conscience, to assert her own independence as a spiritual community for spiritual purposes, this is the function of the Church in relation to the civil power, as illustrated in the conduct of Samuel, involved in the spiritual nature of Christ"s body, and confirmed by the adversities and prosperities of history.
General considerations:
1. How far the controversies connected with spiritual supremacy are the result of a deviation from the simplicity of purpose characteristic of apostolic times.
2. To what extent calamities have befallen the world by the professingChurch being more concerned for the assertion of power than for the preaching and practising of righteousness.
3. Whether history does not show that an earnest Church, solely bent onpreaching the gospel, and enforcing it by example, exercises more real power over the destinies of nations than a Church ever watchful to limit the powers of civil rulers.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv1, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27 Then Samuel took a vial of oil.
1Sa_10:1-13
Then Samuel took a vial of oil.
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The discipline of a promoted life
Men are not usually taken from the valley of ordinary toil, and instantaneously placed, as by the flight of an angel, upon the cloud-wrapped peak of national greatness. There must be a climbing process; its accomplishment may be tedious, its progress slow, its experiences sorrowful, but such discipline is necessary. And as we climb the rugged path, exhilarating breezes refresh, sweeping prospects gladden; and the soul thrilled by such beauty, achieves fitness for the higher sphere of duty. Summer does not suddenly come around us with its grandeur, touching nature into fragrance, but advances gently through the frozen portals of winter and the uncalculated possibilities of spring. So with the promotions of human life. God descends unknown to the busy multitude, appropriates the Saul, and brings into contact with the spiritual, that under its tuition he may be fitted for kingship. This promoted life was--
I. Unostentatious is its commencement. It might be accepted as an axiom that all great results issue from small beginnings. Throughout this coronation the greatest simplicity prevails. Only two are present--a ruddy youth, an aged man--both in the great temple of nature, with God for witness. Consider the disciplinary nature of this coronation.
1. Its simplicity would appear contradictory. It would seem unlikely that the highest office of life should be introduced in such poor attire.
2. It would appear unauthenticated. There was no human witness besides the two interested parties. They were alone. The only guarantee he had was the reputation of the prophet; and if that failed, he had no refuge, for his own word would not be sufficient to establish anything so unlikely. He would, like Joseph, have been designated the Dreamer. This consideration would impose silence even if disappointed.
3. Then the suggestion of promotion was interrogative. Is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance? (1Sa_10:1). Thus we can easily imagine how this coronation scene would test the character, try the patience, exercise the thought, and discipline the soul of this incipient king. This promoted life was--
II. Confirmatory in its progress. Moral discipline does not retain its darkness. Night clears away, and in the bright shining of morning, fear is dispelled and hope realised. So with Saul, he has passed the midnight of preparation, and now departing from the prophet, his claim to kingship will be vindicated by foretold events. Confirmed:--
1. By the restoration of lost property. The most trivial incidents may prove confirmatory to the reality of Divine promotion. A shining star authenticates the power of God as much as the solar system. So the finding of asses on our homeward journey may stamp our elevation with truth, as much as the mightiest catastrophe of history. Here also is seen the beneficence and considerateness of the Divine plan. In that the missions of life are attested by measures adapted to condition and want. Saul had been in search of the asses; their restoration was used as the Divine indenture. Saul had to pass the sepulchre of Rachel on his way home. Why? Was it not to solemnise him in his transition to kingship? To remind him of his future destiny? The journey of life is full of tombs, to hush the mirth of the traveller by the reflections of another world. Here we see the wisdom of the Divine plan in that he makes the monitors of life confirm its elevation. He was confirmed:--
2. By the manifestation of hospitality. These people were no doubt going to worship, to sacrifice to God; and, being prompted by the Divine Spirit, paid homage to their unknown but future king. Men often unconsciously outstrip themselves. In ministering to the necessities of a man they sometimes minister to a king. This scene in connection with Rachels tomb shows the contrasts of life; that, while death is near, there is sufficient to keep in life and comfort; that while there are tombs on our life road there is also a sanctuary. The former representing the power of evil, the latter the power of good. Past both the promoted one must walk, that, filled with sadness at the grave, joy may come with stronger impulse at the sanctuary. Lastly, he was confirmed:--
3. By the sympathetic power of prophecy. And thou shalt prophesy with them (1Sa_10:6). The young king was now to meet a band of students from the college of the prophets. This is a typal of all life; it is full of the educational, and that educational is spiritual in its nature. This company of prophets had instruments of music. So a ministers life, like a peal of bells, should give forth the choicest music at the lightest touch. Who ought to carry the harp, the tabrets of life, if a teacher of the highest music, the divinest harmony, does not?
III. Preparatory in its issue. Saul seems now to have reached the level of prophetic character; from henceforth he is fit for the regal. He is prepared:--
1. By the impartation of a new nature. God gave him another heart (1Sa_10:9). What does this mean, but that Saul was converted? Are we told that it was a mere external fitness; an intellectual foresight, or heroic courage, necessary for his office? Was it merely the creation of a taste for the new sphere of duty? If so, it should have said that God gave him another inclination. No! God gave him another heart, swept of the past, filled with the seeds of a larger manhood.
2. By the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit of God came upon him (1Sa_10:10). Surely no king commenced his rule with greater blessing or deeper fitness. But we shall yet have to witness the tempestuous sunset of this great life. If kings now were selected by God, and qualified by his Spirit, what a glory would enshrine our national constitution! Lessons:--
(1) Learn that the Spiritual ought to be the Supreme Power of national life.
(2) That when God calls to the higher duties of life he qualifies for them.
(3) That on the road to the sanctuary you are likely to meet the newly-made king.
(4) That life is capable of the highest development. (Joseph S. Exell, M. A.)
Saul anointed by Samuel
There is a remarkable minuteness of detail in this and other narratives in Samuel, suggesting the authenticity of the narrative, and the authorship of one who was personally connected with the transactions. Everything was planned to impress on Saul that his elevation to the royal dignity was not to be viewed by him as a mere piece of good fortune. Both Saul and the people must see the hand of God very plainly in Sauls elevation, and the king must enter on his duties with a profound sense of the supernatural influences through which he had been elevated, and his obligation to rule the people in the fear, and according to the will, of God. To be thus anointed by Gods recognised servant, was to receive the approval of God Himself. Saul now became Gods messiah--the Lords anointed. For the term messiah, as applied to Christ, belongs to His kingly office. Though the priests likewise were anointed, the title derived from that act was not appropriated by them, but by the kings. It was counted a high and solemn dignity, making the kings person sacred, in the eyes of every God-fearing man. Yet this was not an indelible character; it might be forfeited by unfaithfulness and transgression. The only Messiah, the only Anointed One, who was incapable of being set aside, was He whom the kings of Israel typified. It is evident that Saul was surprised at the acts of Samuel. It was reasonable that Saul should be supplied with tangible proofs that in anointing him as king Samuel had complied with the will of God. These tangible proofs Samuel proceeded to give. We must try, first, to form some idea of Sauls state of mind in the midst of these strange events. The thought of being king of Israel must have set his whole being vibrating with high emotion. He was like a cloud surcharged with electricity; he was in that state of nervous excitement which craves a physical outlet, whether in singing, or shouting, or leaping,--anything to relieve the brain and nervous system, which seem to tremble and struggle under the extraordinary pressure. But mingling with these, there must have been another, and perhaps deeper, emotion at work in Sauls bosom. He had been brought into near contact with the Supernatural. The thought of the Infinite Power that ordains and governs all had been stirred very vividly within him. The three tokens of Divine ordination met with in succession at Rachels tomb, in the plain of Tabor, and in the neighbourhood of Gibeah, must have impressed him very profoundly. Probably he had never had any very distinct impression of the great Supernatural Being before. It is always a solemn thing to feel in the presence of God, and to remember that He is searching us. At such times the sense of our guilt, feebleness, dependence, usually comes to us, full and strong. Must it not have been so with Saul? The whole susceptibilities of Saul were in a state of high excitement; the sense of the Divine presence was on him, and for the moment a desire, to render to God some acknowledgment of all the mercy which had come upon him. When therefore he met the company of prophets coming down the hill, he was impelled by the surge of his feelings to join their company and take part in their song. But it was an employment very different from what had hitherto been his custom. That utter worldliness of mind which we have referred to us his natural disposition would have made him scorn any such employment in his ordinary mood as utterly alien to his feelings. Too often we see that worldly-minded men not only have no relish for spiritual exercises, but feel bitterly and scornfully towards those who affect them. The reason is not far to seek. They know that religious men count them guilty of sin, of great sin, in so neglecting the service of God. To be condemned, whether openly or not, galls their pride, and sets them to disparage those who have so low an opinion of them. It is not said that Saul had felt bitterly towards religious men previous to this time. But whether he did so or not, he appears to have kept aloof from them quite as much as if he had. And now in his own city he appears among the prophets, as if sharing their inspiration, and joining with them openly in the praises of God. It is so strange a sight that every one is astonished. Saul among the prophets! people exclaim, Shall wonders ever cease? And yet Saul was not in his right place among the prophets. Saul was like the stony ground seed in the parable of the sower. He had no depth of root. His enthusiasm on this occasion was the result of forces which did not work at the heart of his nature. It was the result of the new and most remarkable situation in which he found himself, not of any new principle of life, any principle that would involve a radical change. Ordination to the ministry, or to any other spiritual office, solemnises one at first, even though one may not, be truly converted, and nerves one with strength and resolution to throw off many an evil habit. But the solemn impression wanes with time, and the carnal nature asserts its claims. How earnest and how particular men ought ever to be in examining themselves whether their serious impressions are the effect of a true change of nature, or whether they are not mere temporary experiences, the casual result of external circumstances. Alas, Saul was like the young man also in the particular that made all the rest of little effect--One thing thou lackest. (W. G. Blaikie, D. D.)
The appointment, of Saul
A sovereign Lord has already determined the destination of the crown. The royalty is to light on the head of Saul. Forthwith a wakeful Providence works onward to this end. Let us mark its mysterious movements. See in this transaction Gods absolute sovereignty. See also how its end is reached by the confluence of two providential currents. An ordinary incident of rural life summons Saul from his home--his wanderings lead him to the neighbourhood of Samuels dwelling--his servant knows this--Saul consents to an interview. This is one stream. The other meets it. Samuel is forewarned. It was a fair morning this to a hopeful day. By this series of events, most powerful provision was made for attaching the newly-appointed monarch to the service of God. His selection was manifestly the result of a heavenly grace, which reposed on no ground but its own sovereign will. And the manner in which the way to it had been smoothed was well fitted to impress him with the nearness, penetrating knowledge, and controlling power of God. But this great lesson is not yet finished. Signs from heaven are granted. Sauls excitement grows with the occurrence of each new incident. And thus, no doubt, his mind was prepared for that mysterious operation of the Spirit by which he joined the company of prophets in their ardent utterances of sacred truth. His heart was not renewed. But inspiration is different from regeneration. And if a Balaams worldly heart were made a consecrated vehicle of truth, why might not, Sauls? Elevated conceptions and ardent enthusiasm of feeling on sacred subjects may dwell in the neighbourhood of an icy heart, that has never returned in love the smile of a forgiving God. Most direful anomaly! Our maimed and dislocated nature has lost the power of interior transmission. Sunlight may glare on the understanding, while chilly darkness nestles in the heart. But Sauls true character was not discerned. The first step has now been taken. But the appointment must be made public. How rich was this opening period in manifestations of an overruling Providence! The new and strong emotions, the strange salutes and offerings of passing travellers, and the sacred welcome of a company of prophets--the disposing of the lot to make it fall on him--the divine disclosure of his hiding place--all these made up a crowded region of miraculous interposition in which God treasured up mighty impulses to mould and guide his future life. He is placed in the centre of scenes most touching, solemn, and memorable. In this small spot lie powers enough to move a lifetime. These basement facts, like those of the national history, are fruitful of mighty and lasting impulses. The vessel is launched, the anchor is weighed, the breeze has filled her sails. If she founder at sea, we shall know where the blame lies. (P. Richardson, B. A.)
King making
1. The lines of Providence are convergent and divergent. They come from different points of the compass towards one centre, and radiate outwards from unity into diversity. The chief events of four thousand years of human history all tended to one grand consummation, and when God became incarnate realised their end. From that event the lines of Providence have been diverging ever since, and are designed to embrace in their benignant influences the wide world and the various races of men. The Old Testament history all coiled into Jesus of Nazareth; the New Testament history unrolls from him. Chronology is all comprised in Before Christ and After Christ. This arrangement is common to the providence of God. One series of events conspires to develop another. The same Providence is seen in many periods of Hebrew history, and in none more strikingly than in the influences which brought Saul and Samuel together, and the issues that resulted from a monarchy in Israel. The outward circumstance was striking, but the diversified providences had been divinely arranged to further it. Infallible wisdom had guided these two men, and in their meeting prepared for kingly rule in Israel. In the appearance of Saul at the time appointed, Samuel had full testimony to the word of God. The event proved the prediction and strengthened his faith in God. Every new evidence works conviction in the believer, and does much to conform his mind to God. But there was another person to be convinced of the Divine arrangement--Saul. The evidence was vouchsafed in a manner fitted to impress, and so cumulative and varied as to work conviction. Samuels conduct towards him, and the circumstances that transpired on his way home, after he left the prophet, were unmistakable signs that God was preparing some dignity for him among his people. These three signs were designed to warrant his faith in the announcement, to encourage his hope, and to prepare him to conform to the arrangement of God for the government of His people, and to certain special directions given by Samuel with reference to his coronation.
2. Whom God calls to any service He will make fit for it. If He advance to another station, He will give another heart to those who sincerely desire to serve Him with their power. Just as of old God endowed Bezaleel and Aholiab with skill to design, and build, and carve the work of the tabernacle of the wilderness, so did he endow Saul with the qualities of a kingly mind. These were apart from the moral qualities that relate to the right service of God. The latter are not so much endowments attached to a man, as the necessary fruits of a thorough conversion and a new heart. Saul had the one, but he had not the other. He had another heart, but, not a new heart. He gave evidence of possessing the gifts of kingship, but none of the grace of holy living. While he could henceforth command armies and practice diplomacy, he cared not for keeping a conscience void of offence toward God and man. His heart was not right with God. It is not enough to have natural endowments, or learned attainments of skill or wisdom. What are the wit of Voltaire, the poetry of Byron, the science of Halley, the philosophy of Hobbes, the command of Napoleon, the statesmanship of Pitt, the eloquence of Sheridan, the taste of Beckford, the learning of Michaelis, the common sense of Franklin, the mechanical skill of Stephenson, the business talents of a Rothschild, if you have not the grace of God to transform your heart and to make you holy? Gifts may make you illustrious, and useful, and powerful among men, but they do not make you fit for the fellowship of God, or prepare you for the holiness of heaven. They are of value. Sanctified by grace, the highest gifts have their place and their usefulness in the Church, Saul had striking evidences presented to his mind of the prospect which Samuel opened up to his hope. The clear fulfilment of all that had been foretold must have convinced him that he was designed for dignity. He weighed it well, was persuaded of it, and waited for its accomplishment.
3. The manner of the kingdom was written in a book for his study and observance (1Sa_10:25). This was their constitution--the covenant between monarch and subjects. The rights of the king were specified therein, and so were the rights of the people. The government of Israel was to be no absolute monarchy, nor was it to be a democracy. This was also the case when David was made king of Israel (2Sa_5:3), and when Joash was proclaimed in Judah, after the despotic usurpation of Athaliah (2Ki_11:17). It was as sinful in the one to break the covenant as in the other. In the word of God there is a clear recognition of the rights of the ruled as well as of the ruler. No man is at liberty to tyrannise over another. The model people of the ancient world had rules for kings such as no constitution has ever yet continued. The engagement between God, king, and people, was laid up before the Lord, to be kept under his eye, and to be a witness against monarch and subject should they break their engagements. It is a solemn thought that all our engagements are laid up before the Lord. They are held in all their integrity by him, and be never fails to fulfil his part. Once entered into by us, we become bound, and are responsible, and must render an account for the manner in which we bays kept them. Your signature to a bill, given by impulse, cannot be nullified before a court of law, it is binding, and you can be distrained for payment. In like manner all solemn resolutions and spiritual pledges are binding, and are laid up before the Lord. Under these mutual obligations Samuel sent king and people to their several homes.
4. That was a happy day in Israel. Samuel had reason to be glad, and king and people had abundant cause for joy. The monarchy had been established. God had smiled on the first royal act of Saul. The nation had united in a public service of gratitude. On a theatre so full of historic interest, they all rejoiced greatly. Their difficulties now seemed ended, and their hearts flowed over in exuberant joy. If they abode in the love and obedience of God, joy would possess their souls. (R. Steel.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Expositor's Bible 1887 · Public Domain On vv1, 17
CHAPTER X I I I.
SAUL ANOINTED BY SAMUEL.
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1Sa_10:1-16.
THERE is a remarkable minuteness of detail in this and other narratives in Samuel, suggesting the authenticity of the narrative, and the authorship of one who was personally connected with the transactions. The historical style of Scripture is very characteristic; sometimes great periods of time are passed over with hardly a word, and sometimes events of little apparent importance are recorded with what might be thought needless minuteness. In Genesis, the whole history of the world before the flood is dispatched in seven chapters, less than is occupied with the history of Joseph. Enoch's biography is in one little verse, while a whole chapter is taken up with the funeral of Sarah, and another chapter of unusual length with the marrying of Isaac. Yet we can be at no loss to discover good reasons for this arrangement. It combines two forms of history - annals, and dramatic story. Annals are short, and necessarily somewhat dry; but they have the advantage of embracing much in comparatively short compass. The dramatic story is necessarily diffuse; it occupies a large amount of space; but it has the advantage of presenting a living picture - of bringing past events before the reader as they happened at the time. If the whole history of the Bible had been in the form of annals, it would have been very useful, but it would have wanted human interest. If it had been all in the dramatic form, it would have occupied too much space. By the combination of the two methods, we secure the compact precision of the one, and the living interest of the other. In the verses that are to form the subject of the present lecture, we have a lively dramatic picture of what took place in connection with the anointing of Saul by Samuel as king of Israel. The event was a very important one, as showing the pains that were taken to impress him with the solemnity of the office, and his obligation to undertake it in full accord with God's sacred purpose in connection with His people Israel. Everything was planned to impress on Saul that his elevation to the royal dignity was not to be viewed by him as a mere piece of good fortune, and to induce him to enter on the office with a solemn sense of responsibility, and in a spirit entirely different from that of the neighbouring kings, who thought only of their royal position as enabling them to gratify the desires of their own hearts. Both Saul and the people must see the hand of God very plainly in Saul's elevation, and the king must enter on his duties with a profound sense of the supernatural influences through which he has been elevated, and his obligation to rule the people in the fear, and according to the will, of God.
Though the servant that accompanied Saul seems to have been as much a companion and adviser as a servant, and to have been present as yet in all Samuel's intercourse with Saul, yet the act of anointing which the prophet was now to perform was more suitable to be done in private than in the presence of another; consequently the servant was sent on before (1Sa_9:27). It would seem to have been Samuel's intention, while paying honour to Saul as one to whom honour was due, and thus hinting at his coming elevation, not to make it public, not to anticipate the public selection which would follow soon in an orderly way. It was right that Saul himself should know what was coming, and that his mind should be prepared for it; but it was not right at this stage that others should know^ it, for that would have seemed an interference with the choice of the people. It must have been in some quiet corner of the road that Samuel took out his vial of sacred oil, and poured it on Saul to anoint him king of Israel. The kiss which he gave him was the kiss of homage, a very old way of recognizing sovereignty (Psa_2:12), and still kept up in the custom of kissing the sovereign's hand after elevation to office or dignity. To be thus anointed by God's recognized servant, was to receive the approval of God Himself. Saul now became God's messiah - the Lord's anointed. For the term messiah, as applied to Christ, belongs to His kingly office. Though the priests likewise were anointed, the title derived from that act was not appropriated by them, but by the kings. It was counted a high and solemn dignity, making the king's person sacred, in the eyes of every God-fearing man. Yet this was not an indelible character; it might be forfeited by unfaithfulness and transgression. The only Messiah, the only Anointed One, who was incapable of being set aside, was He whom the kings of Israel typified. Of Him Isaiah foretold: "Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth even forever." And in announcing the birth of Jesus, the angel foretold: "He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end."
It is evident that Saul was surprised at the acts of Samuel. We can readily fancy his look of astonishment after the venerable prophet had given him the kiss of homage, - the searching gaze that asked, ''What do you mean by that?" Samuel was ready with his answer: "Is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over His heritage?" But in so momentous a matter, involving a supernatural communication of the will of God, an assurance even from Samuel was hardly sufficient. It was reasonable that Saul should be supplied with tangible proofs that in anointing him as king Samuel had complied with the will of God. These tangible proofs Samuel proceeded to give. They consisted of predictions of certain events that were about to happen - events that it was not within the range of ordinary sagacity to foresee, and which were therefore fitted to convince Saul that Samuel was in possession of supernatural authority, and that the act of consecration which he had just performed was agreeable to the will of God.
The first of these proofs was, that when he had proceeded on his journey as far as Rachel's tomb, he would meet with two men who would tell him that the lost asses had been found, and that his father's anxiety was now about his son. It must be owned that the localities here are very puzzling. If the meeting with Samuel was near Ramah of Benjamin, Saul, in returning to Gibeah, would not have occasion to go near Rachel's tomb. We can only say he may have had some reason for taking this route unknown to us. Here he would find a confirmation of what Samuel had told him on the day before; and his mind being thus relieved of anxiety, he would have more freedom to ponder the marvellous things of which Samuel had spoken to him.
The next token was to be found in the plain of Tabor, but this Tabor can have no connection with the well-known mountain of that name in the plain of Esdraelon. Some have conjectured that this Tabor is derived from Deborah, Rachel's nurse, who was buried in the neighbourhood of Bethel (Gen_35:8), but there is no probability in this conjecture. Here three men, going up to Bethel to a religious festival were to meet Saul; and they were to present him, as an act of homage, with two of their three loaves. This was another evidence that God was filling men's hearts with a rare feeling towards him.
The third token was to be the most remarkable of any. It was to occur at what is called ''the hill of God." Literally this is "Gibeah of God" - God's Gibeah. It seems to have been Saul's own city, but the name Gibeah may have been given to the whole hill where the city lay. The precise spot where the occurrence was to take place was at the garrison of the Philistines. (Thus it appears incidentally that the old enemy were again harassing the country.) Gibeah, which is elsewhere called Gibeah of Saul, is here called God's Gibeah, because of the sacred services of which it was the seat. Here Saul would meet a company of prophets coming down from the holy place, with psaltery, and tabret, and pipe, and harp, and here his mind would undergo a change, and he would be impelled to join the prophets' company. This was a strange token, with a strange result.
We must try, first, to form some idea of Saul's state of mind in the midst of these strange events.
The thought of his being king of Israel must have set his whole being vibrating with high emotion. No mind can take in at first all that is involved in such a stroke of fortune. A tumult of feeling surges through the mind. It is intoxicated with the prospect. Glimpses of this pleasure and of that, now brought within reach, flit before the fancy. The whole pulses of Saul's nature must have been quickened. A susceptibility of impression formerly unknown must have come to him. He was like a cloud surcharged with electricity; he was in that state of nervous excitement which craves a physical outlet, whether in singing, or shouting, or leaping, - anything to relieve the brain and nervous system, which seem to tremble and struggle under the extraordinary pressure.
But mingling with this, there must have been another, and perhaps deeper, emotion at work in Saul's bosom. He had been brought into near contact with the Supernatural. The thought of the Infinite Power that ordains and governs all had been stirred very vividly within him. The three tokens of Divine ordination met with in succession at Rachel's tomb, in the plain of Tabor, and in the neighbourhood of Gibeah, must have impressed him very profoundly. Probably he had never had any very distinct impression of the great Supernatural Being before. The worldly turn of mind which was natural to him would not occupy itself with any such thoughts. But now it was made clear to him not only that there was a Supernatural Being, but that He was dealing very closely with him. It is always a solemn thing to feel in the presence of God, and to remember that He is searching us and knowing us, knowing our sitting down and our rising up, and comprehending all our thoughts afar off. At such times the sense of our guilt, feebleness, dependence, usually comes on us, full and strong. Must it not have been so with Saul? If the prospect of kingly power was fitted to puff him up, the sense of God's nearness to him was fitted to cast him down. What was he before God? An insignificant worm, a guilty sinner, unworthy to be called God's son.
The whole susceptibilities of Saul were in a state of high excitement; the sense of the Divine presence was on him, and for the moment a desire to render to God some acknowledgment of all the mercy which had come upon him. When the company of prophets met him coming down the hill, the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied with them." When in the Old Testament the Spirit of God is said to come on one, the meaning is not always that He comes in regenerating and sanctifying grace. The Spirit of God in Bezaleel, the son of Uri, made him cunning in all manner of workmanship, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass. The Spirit of God, when He came upon Samson, magnified his physical strength, and fitted him for the most wonderful feats. So the Spirit of God, when He came on Saul, did not necessarily regenerate his being; alas 1 in Saul's future life, there is only too much evidence of an unchanged heart! Still it might be said of Saul that he was changed into another man. Elevated by the prospect before him, but awed at the same time by a sense of God's nearness, he had no heart for the pursuits in which he would have engaged on his return home had no such change occurred. In the mood of mind in which he was now, he could not look at anything frivolous: his mind soared to higher things. When therefore he met the company of prophets coming down the hill, he was impelled by the surge of his feelings to join their company and take part in their song. They were returning from the high place where they had been engaged in worship, and now they seem to have been continuing the service, sounding out the high praises of God, and thankfully remembering His mercies. It was the same God who had so wonderfully drawn near to Saul, and conferred on him privileges which were as exalted as they were undeserved. No wonder the heart of Saul caught the infection, and threw itself for the time into the service of praise! No young man could well have resisted the impulse. Had he not been chosen out of all the ten thousands of Israel for an honour and a function higher than any Israelite had ever yet enjoyed? Ought he not, must he not, in all the enthusiasm of profoundest wonder, extol the name of Him from whom so suddenly, so unexpectedly, yet so assuredly, this marvelous favour had come?
But it was an employment very different from what had hitherto been his custom. That utter worldliness of mind which we have referred to as his natural disposition would have made him scorn any such employment in his ordinary mood as utterly alien to his feelings. Too often we see that worldly-minded men not only have no relish for spiritual exercises, but feel bitterly and scornfully toward those who affect them. The reason is not far to seek. They know that religious men count them guilty of sin, of great sin, in so neglecting the service of God. To be condemned, whether openly or not, galls their pride, and sets them to disparage those who have so low an opinion of them. It is not said that Saul had felt bitterly toward religious men previous to this time. But whether he did so or not, he appears to have kept aloof from them quite as much as if he had. And now in his own city he appears among the prophets, as if sharing their inspiration, and joining with them openly in the praises of God. It is so strange a sight that everyone is astonished. "Saul among the prophets!" people exclaim. "Shall wonders ever cease?" And yet Saul was not in his right place among the prophets. Saul was like the stony ground seed in the parable of the sower. He had no depth of root. His enthusiasm on this occasion was the result of forces that did not work at the heart of his nature. It was the result of the new and most remarkable situation in which he found himself, not of any new principle of life, any principle that would involve a radical change. It is a solemn fact that men may be worked on by outer forces so as to do many things that seem to be acts of Divine service, but are not so really. A man suddenly raised to a high and influential position feels the influence of the change, - feels himself sobered and solemnized by it, and for a time appears to live and act under higher considerations than he used to acknowledge before. But when he gets used to his new position, when the surprise has abated, and everything around him has become normal to him, his old principles of action return. A young man called suddenly to take the place of a most worthy and honoured father feels the responsibility of wearing such a mantle, and struggles for a time to fulfill his father's ideal. But ere long the novelty of his position wears away, the thought of his father recurs less frequently, and his old views and feelings resume their sway. Admission to the fellowship of a Church which sustains a high repute may have at first not only a restraining, but a stimulating and elevating effect, until, the position becoming familiar to one, the emotions it first excited die away. This risk is peculiarly incident to those who bear office in the Church. Ordination to the ministry, or to any other spiritual office, solemnizes one at first, even though one may not be truly converted, and nerves one with strength and resolution to throw off many an evil habit. But the solemn impression wanes with time, and the carnal nature asserts its claims. How earnest and how particular men ought ever to be in examining themselves whether their serious impressions are the effect of a true change of nature, or whether they are not mere temporary experiences, the casual result of external circumstances.
But how is this to be ascertained? Let us recall the test with which our Lord has furnished us. "Not everyone that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say unto Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name, and in Thy name have cast out devils, and in Thy name have done many wonderful works? Then will I say unto them, I never knew you; depart from Me, ye that work iniquity." The real test is a changed will; a will no longer demanding that self be pleased, but that God be pleased; a will yielding up everything to the will of God; a will continually asking what is right and what is true, not what will please me, or what will be a gain to me; a will over-powered by the sense of what is due in nature to the Lord and Judge of all, and of what is due in grace to Him that loved us and washed us from our sirs in His own blood. Have you thus surrendered yourselves to God? At the heart and root of your nature is there the profound desire to do what is well-pleasing in His sight? If so, then, even amid abounding infirmities, you may hold that you are the child of God. But if still the principle-silent, perhaps, and unavowed, but real - that moves you and regulates your life be that of self-pleasing, any change that may have occurred otherwise must have sprung only from outward conditions, and the prayer needs to go out from you on the wings of irrepressible desire, "Create in me a clean heart, O Lord, and renew a right spirit within me."
Two things in this part of the chapter have yet to be adverted to. The first is that somewhat mysterious question (1Sa_10:12) which someone asked on seeing Saul among the prophets - "But who is their father?" Various explanations have been given of this question; but the most :natural seems to be, that it was designed to meet a reason for the surprise felt at Saul being among the prophets - viz. that his father Kish was a godless man. That consideration is irrelevant; for who, asks this person, is the father of the prophets? The prophetic gift does not depend on fatherhood. It is not by connection with their fathers that the prophetic band enjoy their privileges. Why should not Saul be among the prophets as well as any of them? Such men are born not of blood, nor of the will of man, nor of the will of the flesh, but of God.
The other point remaining to be noticed is Saul's concealment from his uncle of all that Samuel had said about the kingdom. It appears from this both that Saul was yet of a modest, humble spirit, and perhaps that his uncle would have made an unwise use of the information if he had got it. It would be time enough for that to be known when God's way of bringing it to pass should come. There is a time to speak and a time to keep silence. Saul told enough to the uncle to establish belief in the supernatural power of Samuel, but nothing to gratify mere curiosity. Thus in many ways Saul commends himself to us in this chapter, and in no way does he provoke our blame. He was like the young man in the Gospel in whom our Lord found so much that was favourable. Alas, he was like the young man also in the particular that made all the rest of little effect - "One thing thou lackest."
William Robertson Nicoll, ed., The Expositor's Bible (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1887–1910) — public domain. 65 of 66 books (1 Corinthians is not separately keyed, as that volume carries no machine-parseable verse references); section-level commentary keyed to the opening verse. Introductory and overview sections not keyed to a specific passage are excluded.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On vv1, 11, 13, 17, 21 1Sa_10:1. “Then Samuel took a vial of oil,” etc.…
CRITICAL AND EXPOSITORY NOTES—
1Sa_10:1. “Then Samuel took a vial of oil,” etc. “The vial is a narrow-necked vessel, from which the oil flowed in drops. The oil, we must suppose, was not of the ordinary sort, but the holy anointing oil (Exo_29:7; Exo_30:23-33; Exo_37:29), which, according to the law, was used in the consecration of the sacred vessels and the priests.… On account of the significance of the oil in priestly consecration, Samuel would have used no other in the consecration of the sacred person of the theocratic king. Anointing as a solemn usage in the consecration of a king is referred to as early as Jdg_9:8-15, and (besides Saul here) is expressly mentioned as performed on David, Absalom, Solomon, Joash, Jehoahaz, and Jehu. In case of regular succession the anointing was supposed to continue its effect, whence is explained the fact that only the above kings are mentioned as having been anointed.… The anointed was consecrated, sanctified to God; … it signifies, further, the equipment with the powers and gifts of the Spirit of God.” (Erdmann). “And kissed him.” “Subjects of rank were wont to kiss a new king in token of homage and subjection—just as among us the hand of a sovereign is kissed now. There was, no doubt, something of this in the kiss of Samuel; but, under the peculiar circumstances, there must have been something more. It was also the kiss of congratulation upon the dignity to which he had been raised; and while it indicated the dignified respect of Samuel to the man appointed to reign over the house of Israel, it also testified his cheerful acquiescence in the appointment.” (Kitto).
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1Sa_10:2. “Rachel’s sepulchre” near Bethlehem (Gen_35:16). “After the allotment of the country to the several tribes, the territory of the Benjamites was extended by a long strip far into the south, to include the sepulcher of their beloved ancestress.” (Stanley).
1Sa_10:3. “The plain of Tabor,” rather, the oak, or terebinth of Tabor. The site is unknown. “Three men going up to Bethel.” Evidently to make an offering to God. “Bethel had been a consecrated place for the worship of God since the days of the patriarchs, in consequence of the revelations He had made to Abraham and Jacob (see Gen_12:8; Gen_13:3-4; Gen_28:18, etc.). In Bethel, therefore, there was an altar; it was one of the places where the people sacrificed to the Lord, and where Samuel at this time held court.” (Erdmann).
1Sa_10:4. “And give the two loaves.” “That this surprising prelude to all future royal gifts is taken from bread of offering points to the fact, that in future some of the wealth of the land, which has hitherto gone undivided to the sanctuary, will go to the king.” (Ewald). “An omen that God Himself would feed and sustain him, if he would only obey Him.” (Wordsworth).
1Sa_10:5. “Hill of God,” rather, Gibeah of God, Saul’s home. “Two things are clear; one, that Saul had got home when he got to Gibeah of God, for no further journeying is so much as hinted at, and the same word describes his home at 1Sa_10:26 : the other, that there was a high place at Gibeah just above the city.” (Biblical Commentary). “A company of prophets.” “Here is the first mention of an influential institution which owes its origin to this period, viz., the schools of the prophets.… Even if the schools of the prophets had begun to form themselves before the time of Samuel, which we have the less reason to doubt, since the book of Judges bears adequate testimony to the existence of prophets, and since it lay in the nature of the thing that individuals bound themselves together as closely as possible and joined in a common activity against the spirit of the time, yet we cannot suppose that there was any great extension and formal organisation of the institution previous to Samuel, from what is said in 1Sa_3:1. Add to this the sporadic character of the activity of the prophets, which we learn from the Book of Judges. Finally, in favour of Samuel having virtually established the schools of the prophets, we have the fact that we no longer meet with them except in the kingdom of Israel. This circumstance cannot be attributed to lack of information. The fact of our not meeting with them in the kingdom of Judah leads us to infer that they did not exist, and if this were the case, it is impossible to suppose that the schools of the prophets had taken deep root before Samuel. They appear as an institution established by him for a temporary object, and only continued, where necessity demanded it, in the kingdom of Israel, whose relations were, in many respects, similar to those in Samuel’s time, where the prophethood occupied quite another position than in the kingdom of Judah, not being a mere supplement to the activity of the Levitical priesthood, but possessing the entire responsibility of maintaining the Kingdom of God in Israel. The principal passages referring to the schools of the prophets, besides this one, are 1Ki_19:20-21; 2Ki_2:5; 2Ki_4:38; 2Ki_6:1. The designation is an awkward one, liable to cause misunderstanding. No instruction, was given in the schools of the prophets, they were regular and organised societies. Taking all these passages together it becomes evident that they were in many respects a kind of monkish institution. Those who were educated there had a kind of common dwelling and a common table; the most distinguished of the prophets standing at its head as spiritual fathers. Music was employed as a principal means of edification, and of awakening prophetic inspiration. But what distinguishes the schools of the prophets from the cloisters, or at least from a great number of them, is their thorough practical tendency. They were hearths of spiritual life to Israel. Their aim was not to encourage a contemplative life, but to rouse the nation to activity; every prophetic disciple was a missionary.” (Hengstenberg), “With a psaltery,” etc. The psaltery was a kind of lyre with ten or twelve strings, triangular in form. The tabret, or tabourine, or timbrel (Exo_15:21) was a species of hand drum. The pipe was a kind of flute, and the harp another stringed instrument resembling the psaltery. “They shall prophesy,” The emphasis rests on the words “and they were prophesying,” they were in a condition of ecstatic inspiration in which, singing or speaking, with accompaniment of music, they gave expression to the overflowing feeling with which their hearts were filled from above by the controlling Spirit.” (Erdmann).
1Sa_10:6. “The spirit of the Lord will come upon thee,” lit., rush upon thee. “This phrase is used of those who, under the influence of Divine inspiration, uttered truths supernaturally revealed to them, in a lofty, poetic style, or who celebrated in exalted strains of praise the glorious deeds of Jehovah to His church. In this latter sense it is applied to Miriam (Exo_15:20-21), to the seventy elders (Num_11:29), and to the choir of young prophets, to which Saul joined himself, and in whose sacred employment he participated” (cf. Luk_1:65, end). (Jamieson). “Shalt be turned into another man.” “This expression is a remarkable one, and occurs nowhere else. Doubtless it describes the change in point of mental power and energy which would result from the influx of the Spirit of the Lord. In the case of Samson it was a supernatural bodily strength, in the case of Saul a capacity for ruling and leading the people, of which before he was destitute, which the Spirit wrought in him. The change in the mental power of the apostles, as described in Act_1:8, is analogous. The change is described in 1Sa_10:9, by saying that “God gave him another heart.” The heart in the Hebrew acceptation points more to intellect and courage than to the affections and conscience.” (Biblical Commentary), “Ecstatic states,” says Tholuck, “have something infectious about them. The excitement spreads involuntarily, as in the American revivals and the preaching mania in Sweden, even to persons in whose state of mind there is no affinity to anything of the kind. But in the instance before us there was something more than psychical infection. The Spirit of Jehovah, which manifested itself in the prophesying of the prophets, was to pass over to Saul, so that he would prophesy along with them, and was entirely to transform him. This transformation is not, indeed, to be regarded as regeneration in the Christian sense, but as a change resembling regeneration, which affected the entire disposition of mind, and by which Saul was lifted out of his former modes of thought and feeling, which were confined within a narrow earthly sphere, into the far higher sphere of his new royal calling, was filled with kingly thoughts in relation to the service of God, and received another heart.” (Kiel).
1Sa_10:7. “Do as occasion serve thee.” “For God is with thee, and I will not intrude upon thee with imperious dictations on each several occasion, but I will leave thee to the free exercise of thy royal authority.” (Wordsworth).
1Sa_10:8. “Thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal,” etc. “This, according to Josephus, was to be a standing rule for the observance of Saul while the prophet and he lived—that in every great crisis, as a hostile incursion into the country, he should repair to Gilgal, where he was to remain seven days, to afford time for the tribes on both sides of Jordan to assemble, and Samuel to reach it.” (Jamieson). “Considering that at least two years elapsed between this time and that referred to in 1Sa_13:8-13; considering that Saul and Samuel had met at Gilgal, and offered peace-offerings to the Lord on one occasion between the times referred to in the two passages, it seems quite impossible that this verse can refer to the meeting spoken of in 1Sa_13:8-10.” (Biblical Commentary).
1Sa_10:9-10. See on 1Sa_10:6.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH—1Sa_10:1-10
THE PRIVATE CONSECRATION OF SAUL, AND THE MIRACULOUS ATTESTATION TO HIS CALL
I. The most eventful forces of human life often begin in secret. The great forces in nature begin in secret. The mightiest cedar of Lebanon put forth its first tiny germ beneath the earth, and while men slept showed itself above ground, and received its first anointing of the dew when no human eye was there to look on. And the great men who have become mighty forces in the world have had their characters moulded and the direction of their lives determined by incidents unnoticed by the world. They became kings among their fellows, but their anointing took place in secret. They began their career buried in obscurity, and their first coming to the light was a circumstance unnoticed by any. It was not till God publicly called them to His service by the voice of His providence that men recognised who and what they were. So the anointing of the first king of Israel was witnessed by no one except those engaged in the transaction. The consecration of this man, whose name has ever since had a place in human history, was performed in the most private manner. The first act in the establishment of this kingdom, like that of many others, came not with observation. Our Lord teaches that this is an especial characteristic of the gospel kingdom, both in the world and in the heart. He, its king, made His first appearance upon the earth in a stable in the presence of one or two humble peasants, and received His first adoration from shepherds as He lay in a manger. “The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field; which, indeed, is the least of all seeds; but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs” (Mat_13:31-32). And the beginning of Christ’s kingdom in the individual heart is marked by the same characteristic. The anointing of the Spirit which seals a human soul to God takes place unobserved by others—the ordination to be a king unto God (Rev_1:6) is a private transaction between the soul and Him who has called it out of darkness to light—it is like the hiding of the leaven—an unnoticed act—only known to others by its effects (Mat_13:33). Ananias the disciple at Damascus was the only human being who was made cognisant of the fact that Saul of Tarsus had uttered his first prayer to Jesus of Nazareth; but what an eventful force was then set in motion—how mighty have been the influences which have ever since been flowing from that act of consecration to God—from the anointing of that mighty king in the Church of Christ.
II. Epochs in the history of the Church, and in the history of individual souls, are generally preceded and followed by signs. The exodus of Israel from Egypt was preceded by supernatural events, and signs and wonders followed that epoch in their history. The manifestation of God in the burning bush, and the miracles done in Egypt, ushered in their national birth, which was followed by the Divine manifestation in the pillar of cloud and by the giving of bread from heaven, water from the rock, etc. At the epoch in the world’s history created by the bringing into the world the first-begotten Son of God (Heb_1:6), there were signs preceding and following in gifts of the Holy Ghost and angelic visits to lowly men and women (Luk_1:11; Luk_1:20; Luk_1:24; Luk_1:28; Luk_1:41; Luk_1:67; Luk_2:9; Luk_2:27; Luk_2:38), and before his entrance on His public ministry, which was marked by miracles from beginning to end, there was the supernatural manifestations connected with His baptism. The entrance of the apostles upon their great work was an epoch in the history of the world and of the Church, and signs preceded it on the day of Pentecost and followed it in the conversion of three thousand souls, as well as in the miracles of healing, and of resurrection, and of judgment connected with their ministry and with that of others associated with them (Act_3:7; Act_5:1-11; Act_5:8; Act_8:13; Act_9:40; Act_13:11; Act_15:3; Act_19:11, etc.). “The word which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him, God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to His own will” (Heb_2:4). The anointing of Saul marked a great epoch in the history of the Hebrew nation, and it was in accordance with the general rule of God’s government that it should be preceded and followed by signs, some of a more private nature, and others, especially that of Saul’s endowment with the spirit of prophecy, of a public character. And the same truth holds good as to epochs in the individual soul. When that soul enters into entirely new conditions by entering into new relations to God, signs follow and precede the entrance. Like those before mentioned, some are known only to the man himself, but some are evident to onlookers. Pricking of conscience—an awakening to the sense of the burden of unpardoned sin, is a sign from heaven. This sign evidently preceded and accompanied the conversion of the great Apostle of the Gentiles (Act_9:5; Act_9:11), and it is found in a greater or less degree whenever a soul is turned “from the power of Satan unto God.” But more public signs follow in the new life of those who believe—signs which are not only for the confirmation of their own faith, but for evidence to those who believe not. In connection with the new life to which Saul was now called, the signs which went before and followed his consecration not only confirmed his own faith in the really Divine nature of his call, but some of them were so evident to others also as to make them conscious that a great change had passed over him. In many respects he was another man. And the new life which follows the new birth is the most convincing testimony to the truth that there is a Spirit of God working in the world. “The words of Christ,” says Neander, “assure us that the communication of the life of God to men was the greatest of all miracles, the essence and aim of all; and further, that it was to be the standing miracle of all after ages.”
III. Signs accompanying a message from God are intended to lead to a practical result. They are to confirm faith and to lead to the exercise of the gifts entrusted. “And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou shalt do as occasion serve thee” (1Sa_10:7). This was the intention of the sign given to Moses in the burning bush. He was to go to Pharaoh in the certainty that God was with him, and he was to demand the deliverance of his people, and become their leader and lawgiver. The signs here vouchsafed to Saul were to lead him to the exercise of his newly-acquired gifts—they were an encouragement and a call to him to use the powers which God now implanted within him. So the signs given to the apostles on the day of Pentecost were not simply events to be marvelled at, but the newly-gotten gifts which they signified were to be used for the joy of the receivers, the glory of the Giver, and the blessing of others. The remarkable signs which accompanied the conversion of the New Testament Saul were a call to him to “bear the name” of Him who had appeared to him “before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel,” even when the bearing of it involved the suffering of “great things” for the sake of his Lord (Act_9:15-16). And so it is with every man who is called out of darkness into marvellous light—by life and word he is expected to show forth the praises of Him who has called him (1Pe_2:9).
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS.
1Sa_10:1. The natural basis for this symbolism of oil is its power to dispense light and life, joy and healing, by which it sets forth the Spirit’s dispensation of light and life and the therein contained gifts and powers. And in the historical development of the theocracy and of the Divine revelations which point to the perfecting and fulfilment of the theocracy in the new covenant, the symbolic anointing of theocratic kings, priests, and prophets, as sign of the impartation of the spirit of God and its powers, is the type, that is, the historical foretokening and prefiguring of the anointing of the Spirit without measure (Joh_3:34), and with the Spirit of might (Act_10:38) by which Jesus was “the Christ,” the anointed of God for the New Testamental kingdom of God, first as King of His kingdom, and then as chief Prophet and Priest. Samuel’s word, “The Lord hath anointed thee,” signifies that God Himself, of His free grace, dispenses the powers and gifts of His Spirit, when He calls to an office in His kingdom and service.—Lange’s Commentary.
1Sa_10:1-9. How the Lord fits His chosen ones for the kingly calling in His kingdom.
1. By quiet instruction by means of His word He brings them into a right knowledge of the tasks He assigns.
2. By the anointing of His Spirit He imparts to them the needful power and strength therefore.
3. By the production of infallible signs He gives them a just certainty and joyous confidence. The signs of Divine guidance along the paths of human life on earth, how they—
1. Pointing back wards, remind us of grace in past times (the holy places);
2. Pointing upwards, admonish us to lift up the heart from worthless, earthly things to higher good;
3. Pointing forwards, demand a new life in the Spirit; and
4. Call on us to look into our own heart, while for the work of renewal of the whole man they promise the gifts and powers of the Spirit from above. The appearance of special Divine signs in human life—
1. Whence coming? Ordered in time by God’s wise Providence, not springing from chance, not aimless; decreed in His eternal purpose, not accidental, not groundless; sent as messengers of His holy and gracious will, not meaningless.
2. To whom applying? To him who lets himself be guided by God; to him who holds still when God is guiding him, and to him who lets God speak to him by His word.
3. What signifying? Reminding of the saving and gracious presence of God (partly in the past, partly in the present: God is with thee). Pointing to our tasks, which under the guidance of the Lord are to be fulfilled (1Sa_10:7-8). Exhorting to a renewal of the whole inner life through the power of the Holy Ghost (1Sa_10:6-9).—Lange’s Commentary.
1Sa_10:6. The Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee.
1. A great word of promise, which applies to everyone that is called to the kingdom of God.
2. A wonderful event of the inner life which occurs and is experienced only under definite conditions.
3. The beginning of a new life which takes place by the change of the heart.—Lange’s Commentary.
1Sa_10:7. The great word, “God is with thee.”
1. The infallible signs, which assure us of it.
2. The consoling strength which the heart thereby receives.
3. The mighty impulse to do according to God’s good pleasure, which lies therein.
4. The earnest exhortation which is thereby given in all the occurrences of human life to mark the will of the Lord therein made known.—Lange’s Commentary.
1Sa_10:6-8. What the royal anointing gives, and what it demands.
1. It makes the anointed one fit for all that his office may lay upon him.
2. It demands that the anointed one should now do nothing more according to his own choice, but everything according to the direction and will of God.—Disselhoff.
1Sa_10:9. He has no longer the heart of a husbandman, concerned only about his corn and cattle, but the heart of a statesman, a general, and a prince, whom God calls to any service He will make fit for it.—Henry.
Saul had another heart, but he had not a new heart. He gave evidence of possessing the gifts of kingship, but none of the grace of holy living. While he could henceforth command armies and practise diplomacy, he cared not for keeping a conscience void of offence toward God and man.… It is not enough to have natural endowments, or learned attainments of skill or wisdom. These may be possessed in the highest degree, while the soul is unrenewed and unreconciled to God.—Steel.
Before Saul’s election he occupied a very low standpoint, intellectually and spiritually. He scarcely knew anything of Samuel, the centre of all higher Israelitish life. Nothing moves him to make acquaintance with the celebrated prophet but anxiety respecting the lost asses.… But we see that there was a decisive change in Saul’s life—that in the parable of the sower he belonged not to the first class, but to the third.—Hengstenberg.
1Sa_10:10. Saul, by conversing with prophets, prophesied: see the power and profit of holy company. Those that live within the sunshine of religion cannot but be somewhat coloured of their beams.—Trapp.
The Spirit bloweth where it listeth (Joh_3:8), and the power of the Holy Ghost manifested itself by sudden effusions before the day of Pentecost; but on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit was sent from heaven by Christ to His church, to abide with her for ever (Joh_14:16).—Wordsworth.
As of Saul it is written when the Spirit came upon him, “he was changed into a new man;” this holds true even of the whole world. For when the breath of the Holy Ghost came upon it, it was cast into a new mould presently, and became a new world.—Bishop Andrewes.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
Alexander MacLaren 1905 · Public Domain On v17 1 Samuel
1 Samuel
THE KING AFTER MAN’S HEART
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1Sa 10:17 - 1Sa 10:27.
These verses fit on to 1Sa 8:1 - 1Sa 8:22, 1Sa 9:1 - 1Sa 10:16, being probably from another source, inserted here because the anointing of Saul, told in them, did occur between Samuel’s dismissal of the people and his summoning of the national assembly which is here related. That private anointing of Saul was the divine call to him individually; the text tells of his public designation to the nation. The two are perfectly consistent, and, indeed, the private anointing is presupposed in the incident recorded in this passage, of Saul’s hiding himself, for he could not have known the result that he would be ‘taken,’ unless he had had that previous intimation. The assembly at Mizpah was not convened in order to choose a king, but to accept God’s choice, which was then to be declared.
But before the choice was announced, a last appeal was made to the people, if, perchance, they might still be persuaded to forgo their rebellious desire. It is not, indeed, said that this final, all but hopeless attempt was made by Samuel at the divine command, and we are not told that he had any further revelation than that in 1Sa 8:7 - 1Sa 8:9. But, no doubt, he was speaking as Jehovah’s mouthpiece, and so we have here one more instance of that long-suffering divine patience and love which ‘hopeth all things,’ and lingers pleadingly round the alienated heart, seeking to woo it back to itself, and never ceasing to labour to avert the evil deed, till it is actually and irrevocably done. It may be said that God knew that the appeal was sure to fail, and therefore could not have made it. But is not that mysterious continuance of effort, foreknown to be futile, the very paradox of God’s love? Did not Jesus give the traitor the sop, as a last token of friendship, a last appeal to his heart? And does not God still in like manner deal with us all?
Observe how He seeks to win Israel back. It is not by threatenings, but by reminders of His great benefits. He will not drive men back to His service, like a slave-driver with brandished whip, but He wishes to draw them back by ‘the cords of love.’ It is service from hearts melted by thankfulness, and therefore overflowing in joyful, willing obedience and grateful acts, that He desires. ‘The mercies of God’ should lead to men offering themselves as ‘living sacrifices.’
The last appeal failed, and Samuel at once went on to give the people the desired bitter which they thought so sweet. Of course, it was by their representatives that the tribes presented themselves before God. The manner of making God’s choice known is not told, and speculations as to it are idle. Probably a simple yes or no, as each tribe, family or individual was ‘presented’ was the mode, but how it was conveyed is quite unknown. That is a small matter; more important is it to note that Saul was chosen simply because he was the very type of the national ideal of a hero-king. Both here and in 1Sa 9:2 his stature and bravery are the only qualities mentioned. What Israel wanted was a rough fighter, with physical strength, plenty of bone and muscle. About moral, intellectual or spiritual qualities they did not care, and they got the kind of king that they wanted,-the only kind that they could appreciate. The only way to teach them that one who was a head and shoulders taller than any of them was not thereby certified to be the ideal king, was to give them such a man, and let them see what good he would do them.
There is no surer index nor sharper test of national or individual character than the sort of ‘heroes’ they worship. Vox populi has not been very much refined since Saul’s day. Athletes and soldiers still captivate the crowd, and a mere prophet like Samuel has no chance beside the man of broad shoulders and well-developed biceps. And very often communities, especially democratic ones, get the ‘king’ they desire, the leader, statesman or the like, who comes near their ideal. The man whom they choose is the man whom, generally, they deserve. Israel had an excuse for its burst of ardour for a soldier, for it was in deadly danger from the Philistines. Is there as good an excuse for us in Britain, in our recent adoration of successful generals? Israel found out that its idol lacked higher gifts than thews and sinews, and experience taught them the falseness of their ideal.
Saul’s hiding among the piles of miscellaneous baggage, which the multitude of representatives had brought with them, is usually set down to his credit, as indicating an engaging modesty; but there is another and more probable explanation of it, less creditable to him. Was it not rather occasioned by his shrinking from the heavy task that God was laying on him? He was not being summoned to a secure throne, but to ‘go out before us, and fight our battles.’ He might well shrink, but if he had been God-fearing and God-obeying and God-trusting, he would have cried, ‘Here am I! send me,’ instead of skulking among the stuff. There was another Saul, who could say, ‘I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision.’ It had been better for the son of Kish if he had been like the young Pharisee from Tarsus. We too have divine calls in our lives, and alas! we too not seldom hide ourselves among the stuff, and try to avoid taking up some heavy duty, by absorbing our minds in material good. Few things have greater power of obscuring ‘the heavenly vision,’ and of rendering us unwilling to obey it, than the clinging to the things of this world, which are in their place as the traveller’s luggage needful on the road, but very much out of their place when they become a hiding-place for a man whom God is calling to service.
The ‘manner of the kingdom,’ which Samuel wrote and laid up before the Lord, was probably not the same as ‘the manner of the king’ {1Sa 8:9 - 1Sa 8:18}, but a kind of constitution, or solemn statement of the principles which were to govern the monarchy. The reading in 1Sa 10:26 should probably be ‘the men of valour,’ instead of ‘a band of men.’ They were brave men, ‘whose hearts God had touched.’ Now that Saul was chosen by God, loyalty to God was shown by loyalty to Saul. The sin of the people’s desire, and the drop from the high ideal of the theocracy, and the lack of lofty qualities in Saul, may all be admitted. But God has made him king, and that is enough. Henceforward, God’s servants will be Saul’s partisans. The malcontents were apparently but a small faction. They, perhaps, had had a candidate of their own, but, at all events, they criticised God’s appointed deliverer, and saw nothing in him to warrant the expectation that he would be able to do much for Israel. Disparaging criticism of God’s chosen instruments comes from distrust of God who chose them. To doubt the divinely sent Deliverer’s power to ‘save’ is to accuse God of not knowing our needs and of miscalculating the power of His supply of them. But not a few of us put that same question in various tones of incredulity, scorn or indifference. Sense makes many mistakes when it takes to trying to weigh Christ in its vulgar balances, and to settling whether He looks like a Saviour and a King.
Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (1904–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. R. Dummelow 1909 · Public Domain On v1 Saul is anointed King by Samuel
Saul is anointed King by Samuel
1. LXX is probably right in reading at the end Of this v. 'and this is the sign that the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain' (RV 'prince') 'over his inheritance.'
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2. Rachel's tomb] was not far from Bethlehem (Gen_35:19-20).
3. Plain] RV 'oak.'
5. The hill of God] The word is really 'Gibeah,' which was Saul's own home. It is here called 'God's Gibeah' because Samuel had established a school of the prophets there. Cp. the common term for a prophet, 'man of God' (e.g. 1Ki_17:18). They shall prophesy] RV 'they shall be prophesying,' lit. acting as prophets. Music was a recognised means of promoting the exaltation of spirit necessary for inspiration (2Ki_3:15).
6. Be turned into another man] fitted for his new career: see 1Sa_10:9.
8. This command appears to have been given during the Philistine war narrated in 1 Samuel 13 : cp. 1Sa_13:8. Here it interrupts the connexion.
9. Another heart] The heart is not, with the Hebrews, opposed to the head, as with us. The term is used for the general bent both of mind and character. Saul has a new conception of himself and of his life given to him. This is quickly followed by a sudden outburst of 'prophesying,' here obviously used in the sense of ecstatic exaltation of utterance. Saul's liability to be carried out of himself (like his namesake of Tarsus) is also made clear in his fits of melancholic brooding and sudden passion (op. 1Sa_18:10-11, where for 'prophesied 'RM reads 'raved'). See also Intro. §7.
11. Is Saul also among the prophets?] i.e. has he joined a school of the prophets? He was not the sort of young man to adopt such a life. Another explanation of the saying is given in 1Sa_19:24.
12. Who is their father?] Prophecy did not descend from father to son, so that there was no reason for surprise in finding the son of Kish among the prophets.
17. At this point the other narrative is resumed (see on 1Sa_8:1).
19. Thousands] The word may very possibly mean simply 'families': cp. 1Sa_10:21. We can hardly imagine this to mean that the whole Hebrew population of Palestine was present.
20. The Hebrews considered that in elections by lot, the decision was made by God (Jos_7:18; Pro_16:33).
22. Stuff] i.e. the baggage: cp. 1Sa_16:11.
25. The manner of the kingdom] This was a legal document intended to bind both king and people, and probably to guard against the abuses mentioned in 1 Samuel 8. The power of the Hebrew monarch was, in some respects, narrowly limited.
26. A band of men] Probably the original text was 'the men of valour,' in contrast to 'the worthless men' of 1Sa_10:27. Note the simplicity and absence of ceremonial in the new royalty: cp. 1Sa_11:4 and Intro. § 7.
27. See intro. to 1 Samuel 11.
J. R. Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible (Macmillan, 1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Arno C. Gaebelein 1922 · Public Domain On v17 3. The Open Acclamation of Saul as King
3. The Open Acclamation of Saul as King
CHAPTER 10:17-27
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1. The lot at Mizpeh (1Sa 10:17-21)
2. The acclamation of the King (1Sa 10:22-27)
Samuel called once more a national gathering at Mizpeh. The lot is now to be cast. But before this is done the Lord through Samuel reminds them once more of their serious mistake: “And ye have this day rejected your God, who Himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto Him, Nay but set a king over us.” They had not heeded this warning before and now they are to receive what they had asked in their self-will. The lot was therefore but an outward, empty ceremony. It fell on Saul, the son of Kish. He could not be found. Why did he hide? Some say it was humility and modesty. It was not that, but rather fear of the responsibility he was now to assume. And that revealed lack of confidence in God of whose power he had received such evidences. All foreshadows the coming failure of the people’s king. When he is presented before the people it was seen that he towered above them all. When Samuel introduced him, “See ye him whom the LORD hath chosen,” there was a wave of fleshly enthusiasm. And all the people shouted and said, God save the King. (literally, Live the King!) Now they had a king like the other nations, a king who reflected their own carnal, unspiritual condition. How his heart must have been lifted up with pride even then! Once more Samuel tells them the manner of the kingdom; it was undoubtedly a restatement of Deu 17:14-20. And Saul did not assume leadership at once. He went home to Gibeah. A faithful company whom God had touched accompanied the king, while the sons of Belial despised him and brought no present. There was opposition to him. He showed the wisdom of the natural man by holding his peace. He was as a deaf man.
Arno C. Gaebelein, The Annotated Bible (1913–1922) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On vv1, 14 Saul Anointed by Samuel
Saul Anointed by Samuel
v. 1. Then Samuel took a vial, a flask or small jug, of oil, and poured it upon his head, as a mark of consecration to the Lord; for every king was thereby placed in God’s service and under His protection, and kissed him and said, Is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over His inheritance? The question is really an expression of the most vivid assurance, for Samuel was only the instrument in God’s hand, the consecration itself being God’s act. Saul was now, before God, the king over His inheritance, over the people who were His property. In further confirmation of this fact, Saul was now given three signs.
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v. 2. When thou art departed from me today, then thou shalt find two men by Rachel’s sepulcher, between Bethel and Bethlehem, Genesis 35, in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say unto thee, The asses which thou wentest to seek are found; and, lo, thy father hath left the care of the asses, he has put aside all speaking of the lost animals, and sorroweth for you, troubled for fear that some misfortune had struck them, saying, What shall I do for my son? Thus Saul was not only to be relieved of his anxiety concerning the asses, but his thoughts were to be devoted entirely to the great honor which had been conferred upon him by the Lord.
v. 3. Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the plain of Tabor, to the well known oak or terebinth at that place, and there shall meet thee three men going up to God to Bethel, which was at that time a place of worship, 1Sa 7:16, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine, all these being intended for sacrificial offerings;
v. 4. and they will salute thee, with the customary greeting of peace, and give thee two loaves of bread, which thou shalt receive of their hands, as a token of homage. This was the second sign intended to confirm Saul in his conviction that he was chosen by God for the office of king in Israel.
v. 5. After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, the height of Gibeah, also used for sacrifices, where is the garrison of the Philistines, for the enemies had succeeded in maintaining some of their military posts in the midst of Canaan; and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, near his own home town, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets, in a solemn procession, coming down from the high place with a psaltery, a zitherlike instrument, and a tabret, a form of castanet, and a pipe, a flute, and a harp, an instrument similar to a guitar, before them; and they shall prophesy, sing the praises of God in ecstatic utterances;
v. 6. and the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man, be filled with the same ecstasy, his heart being made willing to take the duties of a king of Israel upon himself. This sign was to be the inward seal of his consecration for the office of king.
v. 7. And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee. Whatever action the circumstances in Israel would suggest to the mind of Saul, that he should readily perform, without further consultation with anyone, his royal calling, for God is with thee, under the guidance of God, had even now begun.
v. 8. And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal, in case he should be inclined to go there for the sake of bringing a sacrifice; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace-offerings, for Saul could not do this work, since it pertained to the priestly office; seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee and show thee what thou shalt do. The reference is not to a general practice, but to a specific instance, 1Sa 13:8, for the Lord still transmitted certain commands through the mouth of Samuel.
v. 9. And it was so, it so happened, that, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart, turned his heart and mind, set it firmly upon the work which was expected of him in his office of king; and all those signs came to pass that day.
v. 10. And when they came thither to the hill, to Gibeah, the home of Saul, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them, just as Samuel had foretold.
v. 11. And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime, and he was surely well known in the entire neighborhood, saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, being seized by the Spirit and drawn along into the lofty inspiration which marked their songs of praise, then the people said one to another, every man to his neighbor, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish: What has happened to him? Is Saul also among the prophets? It is a form of mockery directed either against the sons of the prophets in general or against Saul in particular, the idea that he should show such a tendency being absurd.
v. 12. And one of the same place answered and said, But who is their father? Was it necessary for a person to have a special kind of father, in order to be accepted into the ranks of the prophets; what reason could be offered for excluding Saul from their company? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets? This proverb received further confirmation by an event in the later life of Saul, 1Sa 19:24.
v. 13. And when he had made an end of prophesying, when the ecstatic mood left him, he came to the high place, probably to pray and sacrifice in the holy place after experiencing the divine favor and goodness in so emphatic a way. In Christians the anointing of the Spirit is to them an earnest of the heavenly inheritance and enables them to bear the mockery of the world with quiet patience.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 14, 17, 20, 22, 24, 25, 26 took a flask of oil, poured it on Saul's…
took a flask of oil, poured it on Saul's head
In Israelite culture, when a prophet poured oil on someone's head, that person received a blessing from Yahweh.
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flask
a small container made from baked clay
Has not Yahweh anointed you to be a ruler over his inheritance?
Samuel knows the answer to his question. He is reminding Saul that Yahweh has chosen him to be king of Israel. AT: "Yahweh has certainly anointed you to be a ruler over his inheritance." (See: Rhetorical Question)
Zelzah
This is the name of a place. (See: How to Translate Names)
What should I do about my son?
Saul's father is now concerned about Saul and wants to find him.
translationWords
Samuel
oil
Saul (OT)
kiss
Yahweh
anoint
rule
inherit
Rachel
grave
Benjamin
donkey
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27 10:1 Samuel later repeated this process by anointing David…
10:1 Samuel later repeated this process by anointing David with olive oil (16:13). • The people of Israel did not belong to the king but to the Lord. The king was to act as manager rather than owner (cp. 8:10-18).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.