Chapter 9.1-27: "Behold the man whom I spake to thee of!"
Israels desire for a king was marked by determination on their part, and displeasure on Gods part. Having been shown "the manner of the king" who would reign over them, Israel remained quite determined in their intention: "And they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all the nations; that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles" (8.19-20). Gods displeasure was clearly expressed, not only at the time, but centuries later: "I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath" (Hos 13.10-11). God acceded to their request, if only to prove their folly in rejecting Him. "They have rejected me, that I should not reign over them" (1 Sam 8.7). We now meet the king that God gave them in His anger. This does not mean that God deliberately impeded his appointment, or that He made life as difficult as possible for him. The king was given the best possible start, but his ultimate failure emphasises that it is perilous to substitute human arrangements for the will of God.
1) The son of Kish (vv.1-2)
His descent (v.1)
"Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power." Perhaps the genealogy is intended to reinforce that Saul, the son of Kish, met the criteria demanded: "Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the Lord thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother" (Deut 17.15). The expression, "a mighty man of power", is identical to "a mighty man of wealth" in Ruth 2.1, and signifies, according to Keil & Delitzsch, "not a brave man, but a man of property".
His description (v.2)
"And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice 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." Saul means "asked for", and the name occurs as a verb in connection with the birth of Samuel (1.17,27). "Saul" seems a very appropriate name for the man that Israel had asked for! Bearing in mind that Saul had a grown-up son, Jonathan (13.2), it has been estimated that he was about forty or forty-five years old. It is therefore encouraging to everybody in their "forties" to read that he was "a choice young man"! Timothy was probably approaching his forties when Paul wrote, "Let no man despise thy youth" (1 Tim 4.12). A young man ceased to be a youth when he was ineligible to join the army, and that was at age forty! All of which reminds us that responsibility in the service of God is not the exclusive privilege of "greyheads"!
The description of Saul emphasises that he looked the part! He was every inch a king, and there were plenty of inches! "From his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people." Very impressive! He was just the right candidate for the job. After all, Israel did not seem too concerned about the spiritual qualifications of their king. God gave them what they wanted. As ever, "man looketh on the outward appearance" (1 Sam 16.7). Sadly, this impressive young man would say, some thirty-five years later, "I have played the fool" (26.21). Centuries later we read about another Benjamite. He also started life with the same name, but he did not look like Saul, the son of Kish. In fact some people said that his "bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible" (2 Cor 10.10). But Saul of Tarsus, who became Paul the apostle, was able to say, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith" (2 Tim 4.7). Spiritual stature is vastly more important than physical stature! In different ways, both men fulfilled Genesis 49.27.
2. The search for the asses (vv.3-5)
When we first meet Saul, he is looking for lost asses. When we first meet David, he is keeping sheep. For Saul, it was a fruitless search. It has been said that although Saul had all the outward features of a good captain, he failed miserably with straying animals, and that this, allegorically, describes the end before the beginning. "Sauls search for the lost asses, a telling picture of stubborn and self-willed Israel, was fruitless, despite the lengths to which he went to find them" (C E Hocking). Whilst this is true, we have to add that Sauls failure to find the missing animals was predetermined by God. This is made very clear in v.16: "Tomorrow about this time, I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel". The search brought Saul to the unnamed city at the same time as Samuel! We learn from Sauls failure to find the missing asses that our disappointments are as much part of the divine plan as our successes. God has our good, and His glory, in mind in the trials and triumphs of life.
3) The stature of Samuel (vv.6-13)
The character of Samuel (v.6)
"And he (Sauls servant) said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go." Keil & Delitzsch argue at great length that the city in question was not Ramah, Samuels home town. "Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind"! It is much more interesting to notice that Sauls servant knew a great deal more than his master about Samuel! In fact, we get the impression that Saul knew nothing at all about him! This could mean that Samuel kept a low profile. After all, he was "old" (8.1), although he evidently lived for as much as another thirty years (25.1)! Or it could mean that Saul had not been particularly interested in Samuel or his ministry. It is clear, however, that "Saul was shown that day, though it is likely that he never learned the lesson, that the simple peasant may have more light than his position might imply" (A McShane). We must remember that "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty" (1 Cor 1.27). We must never despise the help of any child of God.
Samuels relationship with God. He was "a man of God" (vv.6,7,8,10). This term is used of Elijah (1 Kings 17.24) and Elisha (2 Kings 4.16). In the New Testament it is used of Timothy (1 Tim 6.11). "A man of God" is, of course, equally "a child of God" and "a son of God", but the expression emphasises his spiritual growth and maturity. He displays the character of God.
Samuels relationship with others. He was "an honourable man"; that is, he was held in honour. This was unchallenged: "Behold, here I am: witness against me before the Lord, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken?...or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind my eyes therewith?...And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any mans hand" (12.3-4).
Samuels relationship with his ministry. "All that he saith cometh surely to pass." His reliability as a prophet was recognised (4.1) - "And what Samuel had said happened to all Israel" (JND). He was known as a man with the word of God. In this connection, we should also notice that Samuel is called a "seer" (v.9). This means what it says: "one who sees". In the New Testament, we have "overseers". (It is usually translated "bishops", but episkopos means "one who watches or looks over".) So Samuel was a man with divinely-given vision. That is why his ministry was reliable. Note the connection between seers and prophets (v.9). We do not have prophets today, because the Scriptures are complete, but we do have teachers who draw our attention to what God has said in His Word.
To be continued.