#420 Tall Order

 

Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, “Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince[a] over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the Lord has anointed you to be prince[b] over his heritage. 2 When you depart from me today, you will meet two men by Rachel's tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah, and they will say to you, ‘The donkeys that you went to seek are found, and now your father has ceased to care about the donkeys and is anxious about you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?”’ 3 Then you shall go on from there farther and come to the oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. 4 And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall accept from their hand. 5 After that you shall come to Gibeath-elohim,[c] where there is a garrison of the Philistines. And there, as soon as you come to the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, prophesying. 6 Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. 7 Now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you. 8 Then go down before me to Gilgal. And behold, I am coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do.”

9 When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day. 10 When they came to Gibeah,[d] behold, a group of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11 And when all who knew him previously saw how he prophesied with the prophets, the people said to one another, “What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” 12 And a man of the place answered, “And who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13 When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place.

14 Saul's uncle said to him and to his servant, “Where did you go?” And he said, “To seek the donkeys. And when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.” 15 And Saul's uncle said, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.” 16 And Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But about the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel had spoken, he did not tell him anything.
Saul Proclaimed King

17 Now Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah. 18 And he said to the people of Israel, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ 19 But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, ‘Set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands.”

20 Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 21 He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its clans, and the clan of the Matrites was taken by lot;[e] and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found. 22 So they inquired again of the Lord, “Is there a man still to come?” and the Lord said, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.” 23 Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. 24 And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

25 Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. 26 Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some worthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace. 1 Samuel 10 ESV

This is Saul's anointing, not a grand passing of the scepter, not so much posh and circumstance. It is a flask of oil, and as the spirit is poured out  none around us understands that we are babies coming into this life for the first time, again. But whom the Lord calls, He justifies and whom he justifies, He also glorifies. If God calls him, he also assures him of the calling, He sends people along his path, unmistakable gifts, reminders of where he comes from and not only is he surrounded by prophets, but his own ears are opened and He begins to prophecy. He did not go looking for this nor could he call down God or put words with Samuel. He could not will himself to be acceptable, fit for the task, but God gives him a heart that is bent towards his new position. It is humbling, and he withdraws some from the task, it is staggering, God has made the way easy, gone after him, given him signs, he was anointed by God's prophet and Judge, Samuel. He is brought before the people in a cast of lots so that they all participate and cannot claim favoritism later, though everyone who complains of it later is never against it for themselves. He is brought forth out of the least of the tribes, the one that almost disappeared from the land, the same tribe of another named Saul, who would become Paul. Saul's spirit lay in the womb of his stable and predictable life, like an unborn child, he had eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear. The apostle Paul was about such business of the religious leaders and zealots of his time, he thought he was doing a great service, but God made him physically blind to show him the light of His truth, to call him to be the Apostle to the gentiles, to write the NT epistles, but also to suffer for the sake of the kingdom. Saul thought he was meant to tend his father's donkeys, but God has touched his heart and continues to put away his doubt. With all that, why would he doubt or fear to take the position? Well, there are several possible reasons. We go by what we see, and right now he sees the Philistines against him. He will now have to become a leader, a man of war. He may have already contended with the Philistines, and no matter what you look like, how big or tall, losing a battle or losing family and friends in battle would surely change a man. It is difficult for the oppressed to stand at first, how do we stand when we have been put down?

So no matter how easy the rode to here has been, no matter how clear God has made the decision, Saul sees the enemy around him. Samuel has told him honestly of God's words and disgust in the matter, that Saul being king is in response to the refusal of God's rule. They have asked for the lesser and He has in His infinite wisdom allowed this lesson. He has prepared Saul's heart for the task, but knowing that God is never wrong, that His word is true, one cannot help but wish to avoid that end. It will honor God in that He has not misspoken, but we know however we are employed here that it will come to an end. Promotion is not always what we think, as some men clamor for it, and to know that the same who now say long live the king will loathe him in the end, must create some apprehension. 

There is also the fear of what has not been done before, of not doing it well, the lack of experience, and where is that passion? The change of heart may have brought these things into light, which now become the fear of God as well. I watch men every day, who have no shyness when it comes to promotion, and they haven't the least clue of the weight of the position, their expectations and rule is vague or beyond ridiculous. They still beg for the position, and when displeasure comes down from above them then someone is rebuked for not meeting the expectation, the goal, and so much confusion follows. The people become unhappy, the leader makes rash decisions, he worships clichés, never loves his people, always spins it in his favor and then leaves with them with some deep nugget of wisdom, like "figure it out". Saul shows signs of humility right now, and I never rebuke a man for hesitating on such things, for thinking it through, putting the weight of it upon his mind the best he can. Like Moses, his life was peaceful as a shepherd, but what did he take on when he became the leader of a new and growing nation. Will he fall into the practices of the kings around them? Will he become addicted to indulgences, the king's table, wine, women and soft living? Will he think more of himself than he ought? How will he respond to whining, will he cave and water down the commands of God? My stomach turns for him. Pray for those who have rule over you, they are either delusional or heavy laden. Pray that they find peace and wisdom from above. God touches the heart of some men to go with him. 

1First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be offered on behalf of all men 2for kings and all those in authority, so that we may lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity. 3This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,…1 Timothy 2: 1-3