Saul anointed
1 Sam 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?
Anointing was done to the priests of God, but Saul was the first anointed king of Israel.
Exo 29:5 And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod:
Exo 29:6 And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre.
Exo 29:7 Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him.
It was a special holy oil, with secret spices not to be duplicated for any other use.
Exo 30:25 And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.
Exo 30:26 And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony,
Exo 30:27 And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense,
Exo 30:28 And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot.
Exo 30:29 And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy.
Exo 30:30 And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.
Exo 30:31 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations.
Exo 30:32 Upon man's flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you.
Exo 30:33 Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people.
The oil was to signify a chosen one of God wherein God's Spirit would dwell. In the New Covenant as Christians we receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit could not be copied, it was Holy and from God.
Psa 133:1 A Song of degrees of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
Psa 133:2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
Psa 133:3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
The anointing of God upon Christians brings them together in one Spirit.
Eph 4:3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
1 John 2:20 But ye have an unction (anointing) from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Samuel kissed Saul, as a show of affection and support for his position as King: The captain over the Lord's inheritance. The people of God are God's inheritance. A living eternal relationship with The Almighty God, our Father.
Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Titus 3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
Titus 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
1 Sam 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?
Samuel was a true prophet, hearing from God exact revelations: two men by Rachel's grave, they will tell you your father's asses were found.
1 Sam 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:
1 Sam 10:4 And they will salute thee, and give thee two loaves of bread; which thou shalt receive of their hands.
Again, exact prophecies giving the number of things. He would receive two loaves of bread. Jesus is the living word, the bread of life. Perhaps these were symbolic of receiving God's word and His spirit.
1 Sam 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 gives Saul a prophecy. The prophecy would be true, or Samuel would not be a prophet. So many things must come to pass, or the prophet was false. Too many call themselves prophets, who make errors. One error makes you a false prophet, so, be sure if you are prophesying, that it is from God. We should not be presumptuous or get ahead of the Holy Spirit. Paul encountered a false prophet in the book of acts.
Acts 13:6 And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus:
Acts 13:9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,
Acts 13:10 And said, O full of all subtlety and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
Acts 13:11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
1 Sam 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.
The third part of the prophecy concerned the anointing of the Holy Ghost. This is the true anointing of God, that the oil represented. Just as the baptism of the Holy Ghost is the true baptism that water baptism represents.
And you shall have the spirit of prophecy, you will prophecy with them and be turned into another man. As with the Christian who has accepted Jesus and has received the Holy Spirit:
2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
1 Sam 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.
God had given Saul three signs that would come to pass. He had chosen Saul and equipped him with God's spirit to guide him. A spiritual leader must have God's spirit and follow God's directions.
Zec 4:6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD ... Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
1 Sam 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 show thee what thou shalt do.
Samuel was to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice for peace offerings, yet Saul was told to wait seven days, then he will come to him and show him what to do.
So much had happened to Saul, from a seeker of donkeys, to being filled with God's Spirit and anointed as king over Israel. He must now learn to follow God. Samuel was over Saul in God's authority, the Spiritual leader of God's people. For Saul to be a King after God's heart, he must obey. Leaders tend to glory in their power, soon forgetting who gave them their position. All leaders are given their position by God.
Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Rom 13:2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Rom 13:3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
Saul must learn to wait on God.
Psa 62:1 To the chief Musician, to Jeduthun, A Psalm of David. Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.
Psa 62:2 He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.
Isa 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
We are not to get ahead of God's direction and his Spirit's guidance. Many voices speak to us, who will control us?
John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
1 Sam 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.
Saul waited and these things came to pass, God gave him another heart.
Ezek 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Ezek 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Rom 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
1 Sam 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.
Saul had become a spiritual man, it was a gift of God. As our salvation through faith in Jesus is a gift of God. Only God can give a new heart, not ourselves, not a prophet, but only God.
John 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
He was speaking from the words of God. There is another use of prophecy, which is to speak words of encouragment.
1 Cor 14:3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.
1 Sam 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?
1 Sam 10:12 And one of the same place answered and said, But who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets?
Or in our modern language "Has Saul gotten religious?" The world does not accept or understand the things of God, often they mock what they see. What has come over Saul, he never acted like this before? God is the father of prophets.
1 Cor 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1 Sam 10:13 And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place.
1 Sam 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 no where, we came to Samuel.
1 Sam 10:15 And Saul's uncle said, Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said unto you.
1 Sam 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.
Saul chose to not yet reveal his secret. He probably thought that they would just laugh at him. How many of us have been criticized and laughed at, when we have shared our new life in Jesus with family or friends?
Often we know beforehand their reaction, so we go in silence, even with our hearts containing the greatest of news. As the prophet said concerning the coming of the Messiah:
Isa 53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
Was Saul afraid to speak, was the devil mocking him and causing him to be a coward? We must not be afraid of the devil or man's reactions. We need to speak boldly and in love, the good news of Jesus. As Paul requested, we should request:
Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Eph 6:19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
Eph 6:20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Soon everyone would know that Saul had become King of Israel, the reasons known to God. God had chosen a king according to their own desires, a king to follow. Will Saul desire to follow God?
Will Saul choose to be King, following God by His Holy Spirit, a man after God's own heart? Or, will he choose to be the Saul of the past. The same choice is ours. Will we follow God by his Spirit, or live as we were still in the past? Are we the person other's think they know or are we new creations in God's Spirit? The choice determines our future. Saul was not yet walking as God's anointed king.
Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
King Saul
1 Sam 10:17 And Samuel called the people together unto the LORD to Mizpeh;
1 Sam 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:
1 Sam 10:19 And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your 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.
This is sad to me and it was showing the regrets of God for the choices of His people. He it was who brought them out of bondage from Israel. He was their personal God, King and Father. Now they are rejecting him and choosing a fleshly King. From this we see that God gives us our hearts desire, even if we choose wrong. Also I see a grieving taking place over our bad choices and our sins.
Eph 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
He loves us so. He was to be Israel's King, but they chose another to rule over them. What is our God like as our king?
Psa 145:1 David's Psalm of praise. I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.
Psa 145:2 Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.
Psa 145:3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
Psa 145:4 One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.
Psa 145:5 I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.
Psa 145:6 And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.
Psa 145:7 They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.
Psa 145:8 The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.
Psa 145:9 The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
Psa 145:10 All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee.
Psa 145:11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;
Psa 145:12 To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.
Psa 145:13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
1 Sam 10:20 And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken.
I believe it was Samuel hearing from God that the people trusted. He knew who the king was, for he had already anointed Samuel as king in private. Let me say, that God's anointed people may not be seen by the rest of the people. The anointed are busy doing what God has called them to do, even if not formally recognized. Often the anointing has been confirmed in the past by someone hearing from God. As was Saul of Tarsus confirmed to be an Apostle. The anointing and calling had been in effect for sometime before being officially recognized.
Gal 1:15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,
Gal 1:16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:
Gal 1:17 Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
Gal 1:18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.
Now, it was time to show the people of the twelve tribes of Israel who God had chosen as king. In a way this was as a beauty pageant, picking the best looking, strongest and tallest among the people to be king. There was anticipation and suspense as the tribe was selected. The king was to be from the tribe of Benjamin. Now which family of that tribe would be chosen?
1 Sam 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.
The family was selected and even the name of the king given, it was Saul, but where is he? The mystery continues, the crowds are questioning, wondering why Saul was not present.
1 Sam 10:22 Therefore they inquired of the LORD further, if the man should yet come thither. And the LORD answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff.
They inquired of the LORD further, Samuel by revelation from God hears. King Saul the mighty is hiding, he is hiding himself among the stuff, what stuff?
Perhaps some of us have hidden in the stuff, the stuff of this world, instead of pursuing our callings. What stuff do we do, instead of following God? Saul was hiding, in humility from being shown as king. He did not feel like a king.
Do we hide because we do not feel worthy or special? Do not trust feelings, trust God's word and promises.
2 Tim 1:6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
2 Tim 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
2 Tim 1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
2 Tim 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
Rom 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
1 Sam 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.
1 Sam 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.
Saul looked the part of a king, tall, rugged and handsome. The people were mostly satisfied. They shouted God save the King. Perhaps, they should have shouted to God, LORD forgive us our sins, you are our Lord and King forever.
1 Sam 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 man to his house.
What was in this book is unknown, but Samuel did receive a warning earlier about the manner of the king. He spoke these things to the people, beginning with this verse and continuing:
1 Sam 8:11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots...
1 Sam 10:26 And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched.
Saul knew nothing of being King. God sent him good men, touched by God to go along side and to help him rule. Our country was founded by men who loved God and our system of government put God into everything. It is only now, that evil has removed God from our government and public life. Satan is always trying to undo God's work. We must be diligent in upholding that which is good and just.
We need people that we can trust to minister with us. One person cannot know all things from God. How I praise God for bringing good people to me to help. We are laborers together in God's kingdom.
Mat 9:37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
Mat 9:38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
1 Cor 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
1 Cor 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
1 Cor 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1 Sam 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.
The children of Belial, of satan, despised God's chosen king and brought him no presents. They did not honour the king or his servants from God. They gave him no blessings. No, satan always comes along. hating and seeking to divide. Saul said nothing. Often we say nothing, but wait upon the Lord.
“The Hebrew, as suggested by the margin, is still more striking. ‘He was as though he had been deaf’ - he pretended not to hear. He did hear; every word had struck deep into his soul, but he made as though he were deaf. It is a great power when a man can act as though he were deaf to slander, deaf to detraction, deaf to unkind and uncharitable speeches, and treat them as though they had not been spoken, turning from man to God, leaving with God his vindication, believing God that sooner or later will give him a chance . . . of vindicating the true prowess and temper of his soul.” (Meyer)
We need to be deaf to attacks and listening to God's voice and His Spirit. Saul would do well if he would only listen to God in obedience, and the counsel of his chosen leaders. When we think we are "something" apart from God, then we fail. God is grieved when we ignor him and go our own way. Let us seek to please God in all that we do . Saul was a man of flesh, but God had given him His Holy Spirit to guide him. Will he obey God?
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