81 – Saul Made King
1 Samuel 9:1 – 10:27
Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin. He was tall and handsome and stood head and shoulders above everyone else. One day, his father asked him to go find their lost donkeys, so he took some servants and went looking for them. After a long search, they were about to give up and go home. Then one of the servants pointed to a nearby town and said, “There’s a man of God in that town. Let’s go ask him if he can tell us where the donkeys are.”
They went into the town and saw a man coming toward them. They didn’t know it was Samuel. The night before, God had told him that Saul would come the next day. The Lord said, “He’ll be the king who will rule over Israel.”
Saul said to Samuel, “Do you know where the prophet lives?”
“I’m the prophet. Come with me to a sacrifice. Afterwards we’ll have a meal together and I’ll tell you many things. Oh, concerning those donkeys you’re looking for; they’ve been found. You have more important things to worry about. The future of Israel is in your hands.”
Saul was shocked. He said, “The future of Israel can’t be in my hands. I’m from the smallest tribe in Israel. And even in that tribe, our family is not important.”
Samuel took Saul to a banquet with thirty important people and gave him the place of honor. The chef brought a special meal to Saul and said, “This meal has been set aside, waiting for this day. Now I’m serving it to you.”
Saul and his servants went to Samuel’s house to spend the night. He was given a place on the flat roof, where it was cool. In the morning the prophet said to Saul, “Send your servants home. I want you to stay a little longer. I’ll tell you about a message I have from God.”
After Saul’s servants left, Samuel took some oil and anointed Saul. He said, “God has anointed you prince over his people.”
The prophet then told Saul what would happen to him over the next few days, the places he would go and the people he would meet. He said, “When all of these things happen, the Spirit of God will come on you. You’ll be transformed and become a completely new person. At that point, you’ll know what to do because God will be with you.”
Everything happened just as Samuel had said. So a day was appointed when Samuel was to present the new king to all the tribes of Israel. When the exact moment arrived, Samuel looked around, but couldn’t find Saul. He asked God, “Where is he?”
The Lord said, “Look over there. He’s hiding among the baggage.”
Samuel sent some men to bring Saul before the people. Then Samuel turned to the others and shouted, “Here is the man who will be your king and fight your battles and rule over you.”
The people shouted, “Long live the king!” From that day on, the Lord was with Saul and enabled him to perform all the duties of a king.
