The First Book of Samuel (8-15)

ISRAEL DEMANDS A KING (1 Sam. 8)

       1. The people were taken in by the show of greatness that belonged to the kings of the nations surrounding them. They took advantage of Samuel's old age and used his sons' deviation from his ways, as leverage, and demanded a king to rule and judge over them as the other nations. There was nothing wrong with their demand except that they were speeding up the 'sequence of events because God had already prepared David to be their king from whose offspring would come the Incarnate Word of God Incarnated; and their desire to imitate the other nations showed the love of superficial pomp and glory.

 2.  Samuel took that request as an affront to his judicial office and God considered it an affront to Him, since He was King over His people (7). Samuel was not furious with them, but asked God's advice. God comforted him and told him to fulfill their request. God sanctifies human freedom and answers group prayers. At the same time, He shows them the reality of the situation, giving them very clear warnings.

3.  Samuel warned the people and revealed to them the disadvantages of fulfilling their      demand for a king. The disad­vantages being:

·        Appointing their sons to serve him and his purposes;

·        Using their daughters to entertain him and his family;

·        Using them as perfumers, cooks and bakers;

·        Taking the best of their fields;

·        Using their manpower to cultivate his own lands; and,

·        You will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day [18].

 When the people still insisted on a king, Samuel adjourned the meeting, and they were all satisfied that he would grant them their wish.

 SAUL {=REQUEST} MEETS SAMUEL (1 Sam. 9)

1.  When the people insisted on having their way, Saul, son of Kish, the Benjamite, was appointed king. He was taller than any of the people [2]. Kish's donkeys were lost and his son, Saul, and some of the servants went out looking for them. They searched the mountains of Ephraim and went through the lands of Shalisha, Shaalim, Benjamites, Zuph, but in vain. Three days had gone by without finding them, Saul decided to go back, fearing that his father would be worried, but the servant, who seemed to have more faith than his master, advised him to meet the seer and ask him about the matter. Saul was not a religious man. He did not know of the existence of the prophet, but his servant did. 

Saul's good qualities: He was anxious to find the donkeys; he worried about his father's feelings; consult with his servant, and he wanted to award the seer as a man of God.

 2.  This chapter gives us a clear picture of how God controls history. Any event is a result of   a Divine plan:

 a)      The loss of the donkeys: [losing ignorance leads to royalty];

b)      Meeting the young women who were going out to draw water and who told them about the sacrifice of the people: [men of the old and the new Testaments who, through prophecies and evangelical witnessing, refer to Christ who preceded us to offer the sacrifice of the Cross for our sake];

 c)      Seeing Samuel who came to meet them and to “go up into the high place" [12]: [Christ lifts us to Golgotha, i.e. the high place, so that we may enjoy the sacrifice and receive His Body which was given for our salvation];

 d)      Samuel reveals to Saul the fact that he would be anointed king and tells him not to worry about the donkeys for they had already been found: [We should not worry about worldly things in order to enjoy the kingdom of heaven];

 e)      Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall, and had them sit in the place of honor among those who were invited..." [22], to eat: [to enjoy a heavenly feast];

 f)        An intimate conversation between Samuel and Saul at dawn on the top of the house: [an intimate relationship with our Christ when we rise with Him into heaven].

SAUL ANOINTED KING (1 Sam. 10)

1.  Saul was anointed king, and everything was made available to him so that he would live in the fear of God, a strong leader who would fulfill the Divine will, but is not obligated to do so. Despite the fact that Samuel was totally opposed to the idea of a king, once he anointed Saul, he accepted him with humility, thus teaching us to respect authority. It was also made clear to him that what Saul received was a Divine gift, "the Lord has anointed you" [1], and not a personal tribute.

 2.  Samuel foretold Saul what would happen to him:

a)      His visit to Rachel's tomb when he would meet two men who would tell him that the donkeys had already been found; that he should be proud of his tribe despite its being the smallest of the tribes due to the massacre that was mentioned in Judges 20:46. Benjamin [= the son of the right hand] who was a source of pain to his mother became his father's pride that is why it was important for Saul to enjoy sitting on the right hand of God even if that brought pain to others. However, Saul was more concerned with how to please people rather than God. His meeting with the two men only emphasized that it was no coincidence.

 b)      His meeting the three men at the '~ ... terebinth tree of Tabor going up to God at Bethel ... one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread and another carrying a skin of wine; and they will greet you and give you 2 loaves of bread" [3-4] [God will provide for him and those who are with him.] They would not offer him the goats, because he was not a priest; nor the wine so that he would not seek after luxuries.

 c)      His going to the "...hill of God where the Philistine garrison is" [5]. He was to meet a group of prophets and then the Spirit of the Lord would be on him and he would be able to prophesy with them, that is, he would joyfully share with them in praising and worshiping, without allowing the royal duties to distract him from group or individual worship and seeking advice from the prophets. The Spirit of God turned him into another man [6]. There was also a need for inner change, a new heart [9].

 3.  Saul meets his uncle: Saul decided to keep the matter of the sovereignty from his uncle, thinking that it was a secret until he was instated.

 4.  Announcing his sovereignty at Mizpah: He had hidden himself among the luggage in fear of being refused by some as a king. In fact some rebels who could not see him as their savior refused him.

FIGHTING THE AMMONITES (1 Sam. 11)

1.  One month after Saul was anointed and before he was given the kingship, Nahash

(= Serpent, symbolizing the old ser­pent, the devil; the Ammonites worshiped a serpent), the King of the Ammonites came and encamped against Jabesh-Gilead, east of the Jordan. He wanted to enslave them and when they ac­cepted, he decided that he would put out their right eyes to bring reproach on all Israel. They asked him to give them seven days grace in which they would search for someone to help them against him. He agreed to give them the time believing in his heart that they were helpless and would not be able to find themselves a savior. Putting out the right eye symbolizes the fact that the enemy would remove the spiritual vision towards heavenly mat­ters.

 2.  "The messengers came to Gibeah of Saul," and were told of Nahash's threats, The people wept when they heard, and Saul, returning from the field where he tended his herd, heard the news and sympathized with them [there was a blood relationship be­tween the Benjamites and the people of Jabesh-Gilead (Judges 21:2--4)]. He took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent it with messengers to all Israel to prod them to war against the enemy. 300,000 men from Israel and 30,000 from Judah at Bazek came together to fight the enemy from 3 different directions at the break of dawn; and the enemy was annihilated, because they were both sleepy and surprised.

 The people asked Samuel to put to death those who originally made fun of anointing Saul king, but Saul did not want any sadness of vendetta to cloud their day of victory... then his nomination was unanimous in Gilgal. "There they made sacrifices of peace offer­ings before the Lord, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly" [15].

 SAMUEL'S FARWELL ADDRESS AT SAUL'S CORONATION (1 Sam. 12)

1.  Samuel the Prophet made a candid farewell speech, in which he asked the people to be his witnesses before God and His anointed one, Saul, that he had been always totally honest with them and never had taken advantage of them. [He was not defending himself against any fraud or dishonesty charges but his objective was to teach the new king important values.]

 2.  When the people witnessed for his honesty, he started to point out to them all the good things that God did for them: His taking care of them over the years, and how, in every generation, He had sent them a Judge (= savior). He questioned them about their request for an earthly king when God was and always will be their King. God granted their wish, therefore they should not be fearful, but should always walk in God's way: "Then Samuel said to the people, "Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from follow" '~'~ the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your hearts. And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things, which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. For the Lord will not forsake His people, for His great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you His people" [20-22]. 

God, in His goodness, will transform even our misdeeds to the glory of His Holy Name and to our spiritual growth if we repent and return to Him... He is a jealous God.

 The principle duty of a spiritual leader is prayer accompanied by teaching: "Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way" [23].

 SAUL USURPS CLERICAL DUTIES (1 Sam. 13)

I.   "Jonathan attacked the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba...then Saul blew the trumpet..." [3], to war, and they gathered together at Gilgal. The Philistines were insulted by Jonathan's action and they gathered 30,000 chariots and 6000 horse men, "and people as sand which is on the seashore in multitude" [5]. They set up camp at Michmash, to the east of Bethaven, in order to block the way to Gilgal perhaps to prevent Saul from coming to Jonathan's rescue.

 2.  Saul and the people, who were hiding in the caves and thickets, were terrified when they saw what was happening, and some crossed the river Jordan towards the east and Saul was left with 600 only [15].

 3.  When Saul saw that his people were scattered and that Samuel did not show up, he assumed clerical duties and offered a burnt sacrifice. In stupidity he dared to break divine command­ment and used the immediate circumstances as an excuse. It appears that there was a priest in Gilgal, but Saul took advantage of Samuel's tardiness to usurp the clerical duty, for which he yearned and could not wait any longer for his due time.

4. Even when Samuel questioned him, he did not confess his mistake, but again made excuses for his actions; and because he did not condemn himself, God judged him and did not grant him to reign his kingdom over Israel.

 5.  God allowed the enemy to cause all the devastation and humiliation to His people to discipline them; but He did not allow them to go to Gilgal where they could have killed Saul, his son Jonathan, and whatever number of people remaining with them, because that would have meant a complete take-over.

JONATHAN'S VICTORY (1 Sam. 14)

1.  Jonathan could not accept his people's humiliation, and because he believed that, "...nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few" [6], Jonathan and his armor-bearer atone, crossed the deep, narrow valley, climbed the steep moun­tain on the hands and knees, and showed themselves to the Philistines. They made fun of them, but as soon as they stood there they killed 12 men and God put terror in the enemies' hearts and they fled and scattered before the two men, thinking that the rest of the people would follow them out of their hiding places.

 2.  When Saul and his men noticed the scattering of their enemy, they took a roll call and discovered that Jonathan and his armor-bearer were the cause of the victory. Saul requested of

 3. Saul enjoyed many victories over the enemies and his army grew continuously [48].

 SAUL REJECTED AS A KING (1 Sam. 15)

 1. Saul's army grew with the passage of years from 600 men to 200,000 men from Israel, and 10,000 from Judah. He achieved many victories over Moab, Ammon, Zobah, and against the Philistines. In the meantime his actions seem to deviate from the right path and God's commandments. And Samuel tried to cau­tion him on several occasions but in vain, so now he came to him with Divine warnings for a last chance. Samuel told Saul, "The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, hear the voice of the words of the Lord" [1] '...Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them" [3]. All that because that was a war in the name of the Lord, as was prophesied 400 years earlier" (Exod. 17:8-16). The Amalekites were like baud its, full of savagery, sinful, always raiding the surrounding nations, and they had no friends.

 2. Saul advised the Kenites to "depart from among the Amale­kites, lest I destroy you with them" [6]. They were peace-loving people from Midian (Exod. 18; Deut. 10:29-32; Jud. 1:16) and they lived among the Amalekites, south of Judah. Saul then attacked the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur. He came back victorious over the enemy but defeated by his ego; because he spared Agag, their king, and kept all their best cattle.

 3.  The prophet Samuel was annoyed that Saul did not take advantage of this occasion; "...and he cried out to the Lord all night" [11] before he admonished Saul [love mixed with stern­ness.] When he continued grieving for Saul, the Lord said to him, "How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? [1].

 4.  When Samuel rebuked Saul, he did not admit he was wrong, instead he shifted the blame to the people who spared the best of the cattle, and that they had done that not Out of greed but to sacrifice them to the Lord [15, 21]; and at the same time, he took the credit for any act of obedience [20-21]. He also added, ...to sacrifice to the Lord Your God" [15], not "our God" as though all that they had brought back was for "you and your God."

 5.  Samuel assured Saul that God delighted in obedience and listening to His voice much more than in any burnt offering [22-23]. God required obedience and mercy.

 6.  Saul did not admit he had sinned until he realized that Samuel would not accompany him. He said: "I have sinned, yet honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me..." [30]. So they did go together, and there Samuel killed Agag, who had been the cause for many to be childless mothers for no sin of their own.

 The chapter ends with the following phrase: "...and the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel." He used a down-to-earth phrase that we can relate to.