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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - 1 Samuel 10:1 - 10:13
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Saul Anointed by Samuel
v. 1. Then Samuel took a vial, a flask or small jug, of oil, and poured it upon his head, as a mark of consecration to the Lord; for every king was thereby placed in God's service and under His protection, and kissed him and said, Is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over His inheritance? The question is really an expression of the most vivid assurance, for Samuel was only the instrument in God's hand, the consecration itself being God's act. Saul was now, before God, the king over His inheritance, over the people who were His property. In further confirmation of this fact, Saul was now given three signs.
v. 2. When thou art departed from me today, then thou shalt find two men by Rachel's sepulcher, between Bethel and Bethlehem, Genesis 35, 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, he has put aside all speaking of the lost animals, and sorroweth for you, troubled for fear that some misfortune had struck them, saying, What shall I do for my son? Thus Saul was not only to be relieved of his anxiety concerning the asses, but his thoughts were to be devoted entirely to the great honor which had been conferred upon him by the Lord.
v. 3. Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the plain of Tabor, to the well known oak or terebinth at that place, and there shall meet thee three men going up to God to Bethel, which was at that time a place of worship, 1Sa_7:16, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine, all these being intended for sacrificial offerings;
v. 4. and they will salute thee, with the customary greeting of peace, and give thee two loaves of bread, which thou shalt receive of their hands, as a token of homage. This was the second sign intended to confirm Saul in his conviction that he was chosen by God for the office of king in Israel.
v. 5. After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, the height of Gibeah, also used for sacrifices, where is the garrison of the Philistines, for the enemies had succeeded in maintaining some of their military posts in the midst of Canaan; and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, near his own home town, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets, in a solemn procession, coming down from the high place with a psaltery, a zitherlike instrument, and a tabret, a form of castanet, and a pipe, a flute, and a harp, an instrument similar to a guitar, before them; and they shall prophesy, sing the praises of God in ecstatic utterances;
v. 6. and the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man, be filled with the same ecstasy, his heart being made willing to take the duties of a king of Israel upon himself. This sign was to be the inward seal of his consecration for the office of king.
v. 7. And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee. Whatever action the circumstances in Israel would suggest to the mind of Saul, that he should readily perform, without further consultation with anyone, his royal calling, for God is with thee, under the guidance of God, had even now begun.
v. 8. And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal, in case he should be inclined to go there for the sake of bringing a sacrifice; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace-offerings, for Saul could not do this work, since it pertained to the priestly office; seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee and show thee what thou shalt do. The reference is not to a general practice, but to a specific instance, 1Sa_13:8, for the Lord still transmitted certain commands through the mouth of Samuel.
v. 9. And it was so, it so happened, that, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart, turned his heart and mind, set it firmly upon the work which was expected of him in his office of king; and all those signs came to pass that day.
v. 10. And when they came thither to the hill, to Gibeah, the home of Saul, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them, just as Samuel had foretold.
v. 11. And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime, and he was surely well known in the entire neighborhood, saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, being seized by the Spirit and drawn along into the lofty inspiration which marked their songs of praise, then the people said one to another, every man to his neighbor, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish: What has happened to him? Is Saul also among the prophets? It is a form of mockery directed either against the sons of the prophets in general or against Saul in particular, the idea that he should show such a tendency being absurd.
v. 12. And one of the same place answered and said, But who is their father? Was it necessary for a person to have a special kind of father, in order to be accepted into the ranks of the prophets; what reason could be offered for excluding Saul from their company? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets? This proverb received further confirmation by an event in the later life of Saul, 1Sa_19:24.
v. 13. And when he had made an end of prophesying, when the ecstatic mood left him, he came to the high place, probably to pray and sacrifice in the holy place after experiencing the divine favor and goodness in so emphatic a way. In Christians the anointing of the Spirit is to them an earnest of the heavenly inheritance and enables them to bear the mockery of the world with quiet patience.