§62. The Meeting of Samuel and Saul (I Sam. 9:1-25)

A. SAUL SEEKING THE DONKEYS

Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, a mighty man of valor. And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a young man and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people. And the asses of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, "Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses."

And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim, and there they were not: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not. When they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, "Come and let us return; lest my father cease caring for the asses, and take thought for us."

And he said unto him, "Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is a man that is held in honor; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can tell us concerning our journey whereon we go."

Then said Saul to his servant, "But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what have we?"

And the servant answered Saul again, and said, "Behold, I have in my hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way."

Then said Saul to his servant, "Well said; come, let us go."

B. SAUL ENTERTAINED BY SAMUEL

So they went unto the city where the man of God was. As they went up the ascent to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said unto them, "Is the seer here?"

And they answered them, and said, "He is; behold, he is before thee: make haste now, for he is come to-day into the city; for the people have a sacrifice to-day in the high place: as soon as ye be come into the city, ye shall straightway find him, before he go up to the high place to eat: for the people will not eat until he come, because he doth bless the sacrifice; and afterwards they eat that be bidden. Now therefore get you up; for at this time ye shall find him."

And they went up to the city; and as they came within the city, behold, Samuel came out toward them, to go up to the high place.

Now the Lord had revealed unto Samuel a day before Saul came, saying, "To-morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be prince over my people Israel, and he shall save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me."

And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said unto him, "Behold the man of whom I spake to thee! this same shall have authority over my people."

Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, "Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house is."

And Samuel answered Saul, and said, "I am the seer; go up before me unto the high place, for ye shall eat with me to-day: and in the morning I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thine heart. And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee, and for all thy father's house?"

And Saul answered and said, "Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou to me after this manner?"

And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the guest-chamber, and made them sit in the chiefest place among them that were bidden, which were about thirty persons. And Samuel said unto the cook, "Bring the portion which I gave thee, of which I said unto thee, 'Set it by thee.'"

And the cook took up the thigh, and that which was upon it, and set it before Saul.

And Samuel said, "Behold that which hath been reserved! set it before thee and eat; because unto the appointed time hath it been kept for thee, for I said, 'I have invited the people.'"

So Saul did eat with Samuel that day. And when they were come down from the high place into the city, he communed with Saul upon the housetop.

§63. Saul Anointed by Samuel (I Sam. 9:26-10:7)

A. THE PROMISE OF THE KINGDOM

And they arose early: and it came to pass about the spring of the day, that Samuel called to Saul on the housetop, saying, "Up, that I may send thee away."

And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad. As they were going down at the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, "Bid the servant pass on before us, (and he passed on,) but stand thou still at this time, that I may cause thee to hear the word of God." Then Samuel took the vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, "Is it not that the Lord hath anointed thee to be prince over his inheritance? When thou art departed from me to-day, then thou shalt find two men by Rachel's sepulchre, in the border of Benjamin; 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 taketh thought for you, saying, What shall I do for my son?' Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the oak of Tabor, and there shall meet thee there three men going up to God to Beth-el, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine: and they will salute thee, and give thee two loaves of bread; which thou shalt receive of their hand. 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 band of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a timbrel, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall be prophesying: and the spirit of the Lord will come mightily upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man. And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee: for God is with thee."

B. SAUL'S RETURN HOME

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. And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a band of prophets met him; and the spirit of God came mightily upon him, and he prophesied among them. And it came to pass, when all that knew him before-time saw that, behold, he prophesied with 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?"

And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place. 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 not found, we came to Samuel."

And Saul's uncle said, "Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said unto you."

And Saul said unto his uncle, "He told us plainly that the asses were found." But concerning the matter of the kingdom, whereof Samuel spake, he told him not.

§64. Saul's Opportunity (I Sam. 11:1-11, 15)

Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabesh-gilead: and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, "Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee."

And Nahash the Ammonite said unto them, "On this condition will I make it with you, that all your right eyes be put out; and I will lay it for a reproach upon all Israel."

And the elders of Jabesh said unto him, "Give us seven days' respite, that we may send messengers unto all the borders of Israel: and then, if there be none to save us, we will come out to thee."

Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and spake these words in the ears of the people: and all the people lifted up their voice, and wept. And, behold, Saul came following the oxen out of the field; and Saul said, "What aileth the people that they weep?"

And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh. And the spirit of God came mightily upon Saul when he heard those words, and his anger was kindled greatly. And he took a yoke of oxen, and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the borders of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, "Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen."

And the dread of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out as one man. And he numbered them in Bezek; and the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. And they said unto the messengers that came, "Thus shall ye say unto the men of Jabesh-gilead, 'To-morrow, by the time the sun is hot, ye shall have deliverance.'"

And the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh; and they were glad. Therefore the men of Jabesh said, "To-morrow we will come out unto you, and ye shall do with us all that seemeth good unto you."

And it was so on the morrow, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and smote the Ammonites until the heat of the day: and it came to pass, that they which remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left together.

And all the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal; and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace offerings before the Lord; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

THE MEANING OF THE STORY

202 (§62A). Look at the map of Canaan and find the tribe of Benjamin. Is it a very large tribe? The tribes occupied separate districts, something like our states. This story is going to tell us about how the first king was chosen, so it is particular to tell us where he came from and how it happened. What kind of man was Saul? Some animals that are used very much in Palestine had strayed: tell about them.

203 (§62A). Saul and the servant had wandered a long way looking for the donkeys, probably spending several days in the hunt. At last Saul made up his mind to do something: what was it? But the servant thought of a plan to help them in their search. The man of God was one who could help people in their troubles. They were supposed to bring him a present. What did Saul do about the present?

204 (§62B). Try to imagine the whole scene. Think what Saul and the servant were doing: whom did they meet and what did they ask? We must understand that a feast was to be held. The people were going to cook a whole animal. They would pour out the blood and burn the fat, which was called a sacrifice and was part of their religion; then they would eat the rest of the animal with great joy. It happened that the two men reached the city just as the feast was to be held. And Samuel would be there to ask the blessing. The girls told the two men all this. What happened just as they reached the city?

205 (§62B). The Philistines were enemies of Israel who greatly troubled them. Samuel had been wondering how the people could be saved from their enemies. What had the Lord told him? What did Samuel feel just as soon as he saw Saul?

206 (§62B). Try to imagine the meeting. What did Saul say? What did Samuel answer? Notice the invitation, the information about the donkeys, and especially the hint of some great thing. Saul is surprised: what does he say to Samuel?

207 (§62B). What did Samuel do for Saul? What plan had Samuel made so that a good piece of meat could be kept? Note the part of the animal that they thought best is the same that we like: it is the leg of lamb or the second joint of the turkey. What did Samuel say to Saul?

208 (§62B). Evidently Samuel took Saul to his own house. What part of the house did they use in those days for visiting? How could they do so? What do you think they talked about? Once during the Civil War Abraham Lincoln went to visit Henry Ward Beecher: what do you think they talked of? Samuel had great hopes that Saul was the man to save Israel.

209 (§63A). After the conversation they went to bed. Then they talked again early in the morning. Then Samuel walked with Saul out of the city. What plan did Samuel use to be alone with Saul? Picture the scene to yourself: the old man with the flask of olive oil in his hand, the tall young man wondering about his future, the anointing, the solemn kiss, the promise.

210 (§63A). What signs was Saul to have? Samuel's last word meant that Saul was to wait until some great opportunity should arise and then to do as God led him. We shall see how the opportunity came.

211 (§63B). Tell the story of what happened to Saul after he left Samuel. What was the conversation between Saul and his uncle? What did Saul keep silent about? Why do you think he did so? He was modest; he did not want to boast. It seems that he went quietly to work on his father's farm and waited for something to happen that should show him what to do.

212 (§64). The scene of the story changes. Locate Ammon on the map, east of the Jordan. The Ammonites were old enemies of Israel. Locate Jabesh-Gilead, the town which they attacked. The people were afraid and begged for mercy. What terms did the cruel king offer them? He was so sure that no one in Israel could save them that he let them send messengers asking for help. The messengers came to the town where Saul lived. Locate Gibeah in Saul's tribe. How did the people feel when they heard the news? What had Saul been doing since his return from Samuel? Tell the story of how he came home on the day the messengers arrived.

213 (§64). How did the news affect Saul? This was the opportunity that Samuel had told him to wait for. What striking thing did he do to gather an army? Tell the story of the successful march to relieve Jabesh-Gilead.

214 (§64). What did the people think of the hero who had saved them? What did they do? Who was the first president of the United States? Why was he elected? Who was the first king of Israel? Why was he chosen?

WRITTEN REVIEW

Consider which man you would rather have been: A wise, good man who was magnanimous enough to see that a king was needed and to choose him, or the vigorous man who could conquer the enemies and win the kingship. Think carefully of the heroic qualities of each of them. Write down which you admire the most and why you would rather be that one.