Episode 104: King Saul - He was hiding among the stuff

(1 Samuel 8-10)

Israel demands a king

8 ¹ Samuel was getting old, so he made his sons judges over Israel.

³ His sons were dishonest, taking bribes, and perverting judgment.

⁴ So the elders said to Samuel,

⁵ You are old and your sons aren't like you.

Make us a king like other nations have.

⁶ Samuel didn't like the idea, so he asked God about it.

⁷ God told him,

Go ahead and give them a king.

It's not you they're rejecting, it's me.

¹⁰ Samuel told the people what God said about it.

^11-18 Then he said to them,

The king will take your sons and daughters, your land, slaves, and animals.

Then you’ll be his slaves. And when you complain about it to God, God will ignore you.

^19-20 But the people said,

We want a king anyway, like everyone else has, to fight our battles for us.

²¹ Samuel told God what the people told him.

²² God said to Samuel,

Go ahead and do what they want. Give them a king.

God and Samuel select Saul as king

9 ¹ There was a mighty man from the tribe of Benjamin named Kish.

² His son, Saul, was the best-looking man in Israel and was head and shoulders taller than everyone else.

³ Kish's donkeys were lost, so he sent Saul and a servant to retrieve them.

⁴ They looked around, but they couldn't find them.

⁵ So Saul said to his servant,

Let's go home. My father will worry about us.

⁶ The servant said,

There's a man of God in this city. Whatever he says will happen does happen.

Maybe he'll know where they are.

¹⁰ Saul said, "Okay then, let's go find the man of God."

^11-14 When they arrived in the city, Samuel came out to meet them.

¹⁵ The previous day, God told Samuel,

Tomorrow I'll send a man from the land of Benjamin.

Anoint him as captain over Israel.

He’ll save the people from the Philistines because I‘ve heard the people's cry.

¹⁷ When Samuel saw Saul, God said,

This is the one I was telling you about! He‘ll reign over my people.

¹⁸ Saul saw Samuel at the gate and asked him, "Where is the seer's house?"

¹⁹ Samuel answered,

I’m the seer.

²⁰ Oh, and by the way, those donkeys you lost three days ago?

Don't worry about them. They've been found.

Saul is chosen (again) to be king (this time by lot)

10 ¹ Before Saul and his servant returned home, Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it on Saul's head. Then he kissed Saul, and said to him,

² When you pass Rachel's sepulcher, you'll meet two men, who will say to you: "The asses you were looking for are found."

³ Then you'll come to the plain of Tabor, where three men will meet you who are going up to God in Bethel. One carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine.

⁴ These men will salute you and give you two loaves of bread.

⁵ After that, you'll come to the hill of God, which will be occupied by Philistine soldiers. When you enter the city, you'll meet a group of prophets with a harp, a tambourine, a flute, and a lyre. And they'll prophesy.

⁶ The Spirit of God will come upon you, and you'll prophesy with them and you'll be turned into another man.

⁷ When these signs come upon you, do whatever you like. God is with you.

⁸ Go before me to Gilgal and I'll follow, offering animal sacrifices.

You'll stay seven days until I come and show you what to do.

⁹ When Saul left Samuel, God gave Saul another heart.

And everything happened the next day just like Samuel said it would.

¹⁷ Then Samuel called all of the Israelites together and selected their king by lot.

²⁰ First the tribe of Benjamin was selected, then the family of Matri, and then Saul.

^21-22 When the people couldn't find Saul, they asked God where he was, and God said,

He's hiding among the stuff.

²³ They ran to fetch Saul. When Saul stood up, he was literally head and shoulders above any other person in Israel.

²⁴ Samuel said to all the people,

See whom God has chosen. There's no one like him among all the people.

And all the people shouted, "God save the king."

²⁷ But the children of Belial said, How shall this man save us?

And they despised him, and brought no presents.