I Samuel Chapter 10 "Signs
Given by Samuel to Saul[2-13]." This Bible
Study is written by Roger Christopherson, and it's
transcription is provided with written permission by http://www.theseason.org I Samuel 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?" This is the way that Samuel anointed Saul to be the first king of Israel. In the Hebrew text the anointing that took place here is described in # 4886 in Strong's Hebrew dictionary; "mashach, maw-shakh'; a prime root; to rub with oil, i.e. to anoint, to consecrate." Samuel's purpose was to "consecrate" Saul into a sacred office, and that office was that Saul would be king. Remember prior to this the duty of the judge fell on the shoulders of the high priest, the religious leader of Israel, and now the priesthood and the duties of Judge are separated into two different offices. There is a separation between the church and the state from this point on. The king will represent the office of the Judge. I Samuel 10:2 "When thou art departed from me to day, then thou shalt find two men by Rachel's sepulchre 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, and sorroweth for you, saying, `What shall I do for my son?' " This was prophecy for Saul for that moment in time. Rachel's sepulchre is the place where Benjamin was born, for Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin. Saul was a Benjamite, and at the time of Benjamin's birth, Rachel named Benjamin, "son of my sorrow" at her death, however Jacob renamed him "Son of my right hand". Genesis 35:17 "And it came to pass, when she [Rachel] was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, "Fear not; thou shalt have a son also." Genesis 35:18 "And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Ben-oni: but his father called him Benjamin." Genesis 35:19 "And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Beth-lehem." I Samuel 10:3 "Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the plain of Tabor, and there shall meet thee three men going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine:" "Beth-el" means "The house of God". Stop and think for a moment of these three items, the "kid, the bread and the wine". The "kid" is a sacrificial animal, and the bread and wine are the two things that we take to remember the sacrifice that Christ made for each person that comes to Him in repentance. I Samuel 10:4 "And they will salute thee, and give thee two loaves of bread; which thou shalt receive of their hands." This is prophecy and these are the things that will happen, and by these things happening Saul will truly know that Samuel was a true man of God. This assures Saul that everything that Samuel told him will come to pass. This is also a type of the Communion covenant that Christ gave us in Matthew 26:26-29. Matthew 26:26 "And as they were eating, Jesus took the bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take eat; this is my body." Matthew 26:27 "And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink ye all of it;" Matthew 26:28 "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." Matthew 26:29 "But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." Many will stop taking the bread and the cup at the coming of Satan the Antichrist, for they will believe that Satan is the Christ. Their traditions will have trained them to believe so. This taking of the bread and the wine is the New Testament or Covenant that Jesus made between himself and all those that repent and believe on His name. I Samuel 10:5 "After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy:" Samuel had a school of prophets at this location. Those that finished their training were called "masters". The head of the school is called the "father" as is spoken of in verse twelve of this chapter. These schools of study for the prophets were also found at Beth-el, Jericho, and Gilgal, as recorded in 2 Kings 2:3, 4; 4:38. To be declare a prophet doesn't necessarily mean that you tell the future, but it also mean that you have an understanding of those words spoken by the prophets. To prophesy means that you are a teacher of the Words and things of God. In today's language, it is saying that there was a seminary there at town of that garrison of the Philistines, and the school was up on the hill outside the city. I Samuel 10:6 "And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man." Saul was that man that couldn't even find the donkeys that he was sent after. Then after two days of searching, Saul came upon Samuel as he passed through Zuph. Saul was so ignorant that he had to be lead by his servant to even consider approaching God for help. Yet, this man Saul is now going to prophesy and teach these learned men of the school of prophecy something. Saul didn't know anything about the Word of God, other than his following of the traditions such as Passover, being of the tribe of Benjamin. Saul was then teaching these men of the school of prophets. God is going to change Saul into a teacher, and the Spirit of God placed the Word's in the mouth of Saul. God chooses whom ever He will to teach His Word, and Saul was now anointed of God to teach. God's choice may not be man's choice, yet this is a type of God's elect being delivered up in the final days of this earth age before the false Christ. Mark 13:11 "But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Spirit." So this will be a type of what shall happen, for it is the true king speaking through Saul. I Samuel 10:7 "And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee; for God is with thee." When these things happen to Saul, they were given to be signs to Saul that the Words of Samuel were true. Samuel is telling Saul that as long as you serve God, God will be with you. God can change men and women's heart and use them for His service, if He so chooses. I Samuel 10:8 "And thou shalt go 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 shew thee what thou shalt do." Samuel is sending Saul out on a seven day mission, and letting him know that in the very near future he will join him at Gilgal for burnt peace offerings. I Samuel 10:9 "And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day." When Saul turned from Samuel to go on his journey, God gave Saul another mind. God changed Saul's mind. God is preparing Saul to be king and all those things that Samuel warned Saul to pay attention to, came true just as Samuel said they would. The people wanted a king, and Saul was the person that God was going to use to show His people that sometimes you ask for things you just don't need. I Samuel 10:10 "And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them." It was a miracle that Saul prophesied to these teachers that came to him. We can see the seven days, the bread, the wine, the sacrificial kid and all the things that go to become a type of the New Testament covenant of Christ. I Samuel 10:11 "And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, then the People said one to another, "What is this that is come unto the son of Kish: Is Saul also among the prophets?" Before this happened, those that knew Saul knew that Saul was not to bright, However, here they could see Saul prophesying among the masters of the Prophets. There was something about Saul that caused the people that knew him to be astounded at. Here Saul was teaching even the most wise of the Prophets. The Spirit of God can change people and place His gifts of teaching and understanding into the mind of whom ever He pleases. The Spirit of God can open a mind to allow that mind to see and understand with clarity all that is spoken and written in His Word. This is why God's Word is real and simple to some on a deeper level, and yet to other it becomes nothing but foolishness. It is the Holy Spirit that makes the Word of God real, and draws people to Him. It doesn't mean that that person is mighty or special, but it means that he or she has a gift from God. God gets all the praise for whatever rewards comes from the use of that Word, and not the person with the gift. It becomes God's doings, so the person can't take any credit for the use of any gift. I Samuel 10:12 "And one of the same placed answered and said, "But who is their father?" Therefore it became a proverb, "Is Saul also among the prophets?" The people were asking of Saul after they had watched this dialog taking place between Saul and these prophets, Who taught Saul these things. "Father" as used here was the "master teacher" that trains the other prophets to teach. It is true that Kish his father could not have taught Saul all these things, so who did? This was so far out of reason that it baffled these people that watched it happen, and they made a riddle or proverb out of what they had seen. I Samuel 10:13 "And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place." I Samuel 10:14 "And Saul's uncle said unto him and to his servant, "Whither went ye?" And he said, "To seek the asses: and when we saw that they were nowhere, we came to Samuel." I Samuel 10:15 "And Saul's uncle said, "Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said unto you." The uncle knew Saul very well and he knew that what ever happened to Saul was tied to Saul's meeting with Samuel. I Samuel 10:16 "And Saul said unto his uncle, "He told us plainly that the asses were found." But of the matter of the kingdom, whereof Samuel spake, he told him not." You could say that Saul was humble about what Samuel told him concerning his appointment to be the anointed king. However, there could have been a little doubt in Saul's mind that Samuel's words would come true, and he would be king. Saul just couldn't believe it in his own heart that God would use him. I Samuel 10:17 "And Samuel called the People together unto the Lord to Mizpeh;" I Samuel 10:18 "And said unto the children of Israel, "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, 'I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you:" God is reminding the Israelites that He has always given them protection from their enemies, and provided for their every needs. The people are crying out for a king, but before God delivers their king to them, he is reminding them of the care they had under His protection. I Samuel 10:19 "And ye have this day rejected your God, Who Himself saved you out of all your adversities and yur tribulations; and ye have said unto Him, 'Nay, but set a king over us.' " Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes, and by your thousands,' " God is telling all the leaders of all the tribes that they are to meet before the Lord, and by the thousands, all of them were to be divided into their tribes. Samuel put order to this meeting for it was a serious matter. You want a king, and I am going to give you a king. I Samuel 10:20 "And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribes of Benjamin was taken." "Was taken" in the Hebrew text, meant that it was selected by lot. Samuel selected the tribe of Benjamin by the use of the Urim and Thumim. The Urim and Thimmim were two precious stones that were placed in the breastplate of judgment that was warn by the High Priest. When there was a question that needed God help in selection, these stones or lots were drawn out of their bag, and cast to give instructions of God's judgment on the matter. The words, "Urim and Thimmim" mean "lights and perfection", and then cast to the ground, the judgments would be such as yes and no, gilt or innocent. In the making of a selection, the High Priest was the only one that decided whether the stones would be taken from the bag and used for a decision. The Israelites even used these stones to determine who gets what land, and how the land would be divided [by lot], and it was from these stones that our lots of today are determined. Samuel used the Urim and Thimmim to decide which tribe, which family of that tribe and the man from that family that would be the king that God selected. For the lots, or stones fell as God would have the choice be made. The tribe was Benjamin, the family was Matri, the son of Matri was Kish, and the son of Kish was Saul. I Samuel 10:21 "When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found." All of Israel, hundreds of thousands of people from all the tribes, all the nation was here to see who God selected to be their king. And when Saul's name was named, Saul was not to be found. For some reason Saul is hiding out and not present. After God placed this wisdom that Saul had from verse eleven, did Saul had a change of mind when he saw the wisdom of not having a king. Saul knew that he was the chosen one by God to fill the duty of king. Samuel anointed him with the olive oil, the oil of God, and God allowed all of the prophecies that Samuel told him would happen come to pass. Now when the crowning event is about to happen, where is Saul? Anytime God declares His greatness, it would intimidate anyone that was going to fill God's position. I Samuel 10:22 "Therefore they enquired of the Lord further, if the man should yet come thither, And the Lord answered, "Behold, he had hid himself among the stuff." " You can't hide from God, for it was God that declared that Saul was over there hiding amongst the baggage. Saul hid amongst the donkeys and pack horses trying to keep out of sight. I Samuel 10:23 "And they ran and fetched him thence: and when he stood among the People, he was higher than any of the People from his shoulders and upward." When the people brought Saul before them, The people saw that Saul stood taller than all the people of all the tribes. By appearance Saul looked like what the people thought a king should look like. However inside of Saul mind, he did not feel like a king. In comparison to our heavenly Father, no man or woman can compare. I Samuel 10:24 "And Samuel said to all the People, "See ye him whom the Lord hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the People?" And all the People shouted, and said, "God save the king." "God save the king" in the Hebrew text is "Long lived the king". This is the saying that goes on to our day, with the nations that have kings and queens. The national songs of England and other nations start "God save the Queen...[king].." I Samuel 10:25 "Then Samuel told the People the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the Lord." And Samuel sent all the people away, every an to his house." The first thing that Samuel did after the king was selected, was to write the manner or the constitution of the government that would exist under their king. The king would rule by the guidelines of God's laws that were stated in that constitution, and it was presented before God and to the people. The people now had a king, and a constitution that they would be governed by. Then Samuel sent the people back home. I Samuel 10:26 "And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched." When Saul left the meeting, God sent His men of wisdom with Saul to be with him and protect him. God controls those things that are important to Him. Saul now will have this band of men with him where ever he goes, for he is king, and the people intend to protect their king. If God selects you to be used by Him in this generation of the Fig tree, he will give His protection no matter who takes you or where you go. When you are to be ready to give forth the message of Mark 13:11, there will be no problem fulfilling that mission. If God gives you a mission, He also gives you the gifts and strength to carry out that mission. You don't even have to premeditate on what you will do or say, but just be willing to be of service. God expects you to have a sharp mind to pay attention to those signs that are around you, and to plant the seeds of truth where He leads you. I Samuel 10:27 "But the children of Belial said, "How shall this man save us?" And they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace." "Belial" in the Hebrew tongue is number 1100 in the Strong's Hebrew dictionary; "Beliya'al, bel-e-yah'-al; without profit, worthless, destruction, wickedness, evil." So we see that Saul is going to face these wicked, and evil men from the start of his reign. By not bringing Saul presents when they came before Saul was to show great disrespect for the office. However what is important at this point in time, is that we see the hand of God in this appointment of Saul to be king. God changed Saul's mind and heart, He directed the loss of the asses that allowed Saul and the servant to stumble on Samuel. God set the mind of the people to accept Saul as their choice, and He even provided the protection for Saul after he was appointed king. When Saul tried to hide out and get out of his duty, God let it be known where Saul was hiding so that His wishes would be fulfilled.
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