Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders. The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.
So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”
But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”
Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”
When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”
Then Samuel said to the Israelites, “Everyone go back to your own town.”

• 1 Samuel 8:1-22

To read 1 Samuel 9, click the link HERE.

To read 1 Samuel 10, click the link HERE.

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

1 Samuel 8:4-5 ‘Rejecting God in favor of the world’: ”God’s response to the demand of the people that they have a king like other nations …
“Here we find the principle of the flesh at work in the nation of Israel. The fleshly, worldly mindset of the people is clearly a work to destroy Israel’s fellowship with God and the people’s enjoyment of His blessing. They rejected the authority of God in favor of having a human king-the same kind of authority as all the other nations. In other words, the desire of the flesh is to live in a manner accepted by the world, to conduct its business as the rest of the world does.“

• Ray C. Stedman, Adventuring Through the Bible

1 Samuel 8:7-9 ‘Be careful what you ask for…’: ”Someone has said, ‘Be careful what you ask for-you may get it.’ Here is a case that proves the saying true: Israel prays for a human king and God gives them one. Samuel was displeased when the people asked for a king, because he knew that this was not God’s plan for Israel. …
“This is always God’s way. If we want something badly enough, He will usually give it to us-even if it is not His perfect will for our lives. The catch is that we must also be ready to face the consequences. “

• Ray C. Stedman, Adventuring Through the Bible

1 Samuel 8:7 ‘heed the voice of the people’: “The Lord had predicted that there would be kings over Israel (Gen. 35:11; 36:31; 49:10; Num. 24:7–9, 17; Deut. 17:14; 28:36). Here, the Lord told Samuel to obey the request of the people and give them a king. they have not rejected you, but … Me. The nature of this rejection of the Lord by Israel is explained in vv. 19, 20.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 8:11-18 ‘The Prediction of Oppression’: “Following in the unfortunate parental footsteps of his mentor, Eli, Samuel failed to raise godly sons who could carry on as Israel’s leaders after Samuel’s death. Therefore, the tribal leaders of Israel approached Samuel, rejecting the model of local, transitory judgeship and demanding that a more permanent leader, a king, be appointed over them (8:1-5). The Lord revealed to Samuel that it was not his leadership that Israel was rejecting, but the leadership of the Lord Himself. Although Moses had anticipated a monarchy in Israel (Deuteronomy7:14-15; 28:36), God recognized that Israel was making the request with a wrong motive. They were requesting a king based on their fear of the surrounding nations and their failure to trust the Lord. God directed Samuel to proceed with a stern warning as to the future results of being a nation ruled by a king (8:6-10).
“The people of Israel were granted their request. And all the predictions Samuel made were fulfilled over the course of Israel’s rule by kings (1 Samuel 14:52; 2 Samuel 15:1; 1 Kings 12:2-15; 21:6-7).”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

1 Samuel 8:18 ‘you will cry out … because of the king whom you have chosen’: “Samuel warned the people that they would live to regret their decision for a king and would later cry out for freedom from his rule (1 Kin. 12:4). The LORD will not hear you. In contrast to the Lord’s response to Israel during the period of the judges (Judg. 2:18), the Lord would not be moved to pity and therefore would refuse to deliver the people out of the hand of their king who oppressed them.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 8:20 ‘fight our battles’: ”Up until this point, the Lord Himself had fought the battles for Israel and given continual victory (Josh. 10:14; 1 Sam. 7:10). Israel no longer wanted the Lord to be their warrior; replacing Him with a human king was their desire. It was in this way that Israel rejected the Lord (see v. 7). The problem was not in having a king; rather the reason the people wanted a king was so that they could be like other nations. They also foolishly assumed there would be some greater power in a king leading them in battle.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 9:1 ‘a mighty man of power’: “i.e., ‘a man of wealth,’ confirmed by the reference to donkeys and servants in v. 3 (cf. Boaz in Ruth 2:1).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 9:3 ‘God’s providence’: “Observe how the hand of God’s providence uses little things. This man Saul must be placed in the path of the prophet Samuel. How will a meeting be brought about? Poor beasts of burden will be the means. The donkeys wander off, and Saul’s father tells him to take a servant and seek them. In the course of their wanderings, the animals might have gone north, south, east, or west­ for who will account for the wild will of runaway donkeys? But so it happened, as people say, that they strayed, or were thought to have strayed, in such a direction that eventually Saul found himself near Ramah, where Samuel was ready to anoint him. On how small an incident the greatest results may hinge! The pivots of history are microscopic. Hence, it is most important for us to learn that the smallest trifles are as much arranged by the God of providence as the most startling events. He who counts the stars has also numbered the hairs of our heads. Our lives and deaths are predestined, but so, also, are our sitting down and our rising up. Had we but sufficiently powerful perceptive faculties, we would see God’s hand as clearly in each stone of our pathway as in the revolution of the earth. In watching our own lives, we would plainly see that on many occasions the smallest grain has turned the scale. Whereas there seemed to be but a hairsbreadth be­ tween one course of action and another, that hairsbreadth has sufficed to direct the current of our life. Providence may be seen as the finger of God, not merely in those events that shake nations and are duly emblazoned on the pages of history but in little incidents of common life-yes, in the motion of a grain of dust, the trembling of a dewdrop, the flight of a swallow, or the leaping of a fish.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

1 Samuel 9:7 ‘no present to bring’: ”A gift expressed gratitude and thankfulness for the service of the ‘man of God.’ Gifts were offered to prophets in 1 Kin. 14:3; 2 Kin. 4:42; 5:15, 16; 8:8, 9.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 9:9 ‘a prophet was formerly called a seer’: “Due to the God-given ability to know or ‘see’ the future, the ‘seer’ was so named in close relationship with what he did. The person called a prophet, by the time this book was written, had been termed a seer in the earlier time of Saul.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 9:15-10:1 ‘Saul Chosen as Israel’s First King’: “While on a family mission to locate some missing donkeys, Saul and his servant determined to consult the local prophet, Samuel (9:5-14). The Lord had already told Samuel to expect the young man and said that Saul was the divine choice for Israel’s king (9:15-16). Upon meeting, Samuel revealed the Lord’s decision to Saul (9:17-27). Samuel then privately anointed Saul, consecrating him as Israel’s king (10:1).
“With this action, Saul became what would soon be labeled ‘the Lord’s anointed,’ the original prototype of a messiah (24:6,10; 26:9,11). Saul was publicly proclaimed king in 1 Samuel 10:17-27; his anointing was renewed and confirmed in 1 Samuel 11:14-15.”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

1 Samuel 9:16 ‘anoint him’: ”This represents a setting apart for service to the Lord, which occurs in 10:1. See  … 2:10. commander. Lit. ‘one given prominence, one placed in front.’ The title referred to ‘one designated to rule’ (cf. 1 Kin. 1:35; 2 Chr. 11:22). their cry has come to Me. The people had been crying out for deliverance from the Philistines, their longstanding rivals, just as they did for liberation from Egypt (cf. Ex. 2:25; 3:9).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 10:1 ‘the Lord has anointed your commander’: “The Lord chose Saul to be the leader of Israel and communicated His choice through the private anointing by Samuel, signifying a setting aside for God’s service (see 2:10). His inheritance. The inheritance was God’s nation, Israel, in the sense that she uniquely belonged to Him (Deut. 4:20; 9:26).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 10:2-13 ‘The Signs for Saul’: “Samuel told Saul that on his way home that day, he would receive three signs that would authenticate his anointing as Israel’s king. First, he would meet two men with a specific message at Rachel’s tomb. Second, he would meet three men at the oak of Tabor heading to Bethel for worship, each carrying specific items. And third, in his hometown, he would encounter a band of prophets carrying specific musical instruments and engaged in prophetic activity (10:2-5). At this point, ‘the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you mightily, and you shall prophesy with them and be changed into another man’ (10:6). The narrative relates in 10:9-13 that these confirming signs occurred just as anticipated: ‘Then it happened when he turned his back to leave Samuel, God changed his heart; and all those signs came about on that day’ (10:9).”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

1 Samuel 10:5 ‘the Philistine garrison’: “Most likely the garrison in Geba in Benjamin, about 5 mi. N of Jerusalem. prophesying. The prophet, as God’s messenger, declared the Word of the Lord (2 Sam. 7:5; 12:1), sometimes accompanied by music (1 Chr. 25:1). Here, ‘prophesying’ connotes praising God and instructing the people with musical accompaniment.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 10:6 ‘the spirit of the Lord will come upon you’: “The Holy Spirit would enable Saul to declare the Word of the Lord with the prophets. turned into another man. With this empowerment by the Holy Spirit, Saul would emerge another man (cf. 10:9), equipped in the manner of Gideon and Jephthah for deeds of valor (cf. v. 9; Judg. 6:34; 11:29).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 10:17 ‘Samuel called the people’: “The Lord’s choice of Saul was made public at Mizpah, the place of the spiritual revival before Israel’s victory over the Philistines (7:5–8).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 10:22 ‘hiding from what God has in store’: “We are inclined to give Saul the credit for being really so modest that he concealed himself from honor and had to have greatness forced on him. He had been born great in stature, but now to be made great in office seemed a burden he did not covet. From this we may learn that without the grace of God the fairest life may yet become foul; and, however beautifully a young person may commence his career, he may stumble and fall and never reach the goal. There is only one form of moral life insurance, and it is spirituality-the coming to Christ, being regenerated, receiving the indwelling Spirit into the heart, and setting the affections on the eternal and the heavenly. This little incident of Saul’s hiding himself when he was already destined and chosen to be king was much like what sinners do for whom eternal mercy has provided a crown and a throne. It was also much like what many Christians do for whom the covenant of grace has provided a crown of rejoicing in feasting with Christ and living according to his example, but who are worldly and seek to escape from the high honors their Lord has in store for them.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

1 Samuel 10:23 ‘taller … from his shoulders upward’: “Saul’s physical stature was impressive; being head and shoulders above the rest gave Saul a kingly presence.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Samuel 10:26 ‘whose hearts God had touched’: “Valiant men who were eager to affirm God’s choice of Saul and, in response to a divine impulse, joined him.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

My Thoughts

In looking at these three chapters as a whole, we see history repeating itself.  Eli, the judge, led Israel but he did not pass on his love for God to his sons.  Samuel, who learned from the father of Hophni and Phinehas (Eli), loved God and served him faithfully, but his sons failed to get the memo, so to speak.  Each of us will be judged individually.  We cannot get into heaven on our father’s coattails.

The people of Israel could see the writing on the wall.  Now there is no one to guide us to the Lord, once Samuel passes on.  They demand a king.  A king provides continuity, an heir to the throne.  But what happened in Eli’s and Samuel’s cases could happen to the king, and did, but the people were driven by evil motives, against God.

Samuel was torn between two forms of indignation.  God was all sufficient if the people just followed the Mosaic Law.  He was hurt that the people were demanding something else.  But then, this was also an attack on Samuel.

God speaks to Samuel to explain that this rebellion is strictly an attack on God and not Samuel.  But speaking through Samuel, God told the people what a king would do.  He would tax them.  He would lead them into battle.  He would demand more from the people than God had demanded, and of course, God’s Law was still in place.

The people would hear none of it.  They wanted to be like other nations.  And one of their chief arguments was that the king would fight their battles.  In those days, the king went into battle with his army, but the army was made up of the warriors from all the tribes.  If the king had to do much fighting, the battle was not going well for the kingdom.

I have written about the difference in a leader and a commander in a modern army.  And you quickly advance to a point where you command instead of lead.  Gen. Robert E. Lee was on a ridge overlooking the first battle of Fredericksburg, VA.  He said to his staff, “It is well that war is so terrible, otherwise we would grow too fond of it.”  While Lee stood and watched the battle from a relatively safe distance, he still understood that men were dying in that battle.  Sometimes commanders just move soldiers from one place to another like it was a game of chess.

But the bottom line is that the Israelites had worshipped the false gods of their neighbors for generations, and they wanted that last vestige of God being in control out of the way.

But the idea that a king for Israel was not God’s plan is a bit farfetched.  God uses the evil intent of the Chosen People to establish a king.  Saul was an unworthy man to be king, but his height made him look “kingly,” as if there was one look that was king-like.  Saul hid, not out of humility, but out of fear, out of “I want the praise, but I do not want to put in the effort.”  And the worst thing is that as he has a few successful battles under his belt, the power goes to his head.

It has to be part of God’s sovereign plan, or Jesus would not be an earthly “king” in the line of David, the man after God’s own heart.

I like Rev. Spurgeon’s description of God’s providence.  We have this lummox who relies on his servant to try to find the donkeys.  We have a holy man living at Ramah.  How do they find each other?  Even as the events lead these two men together, Saul is finding excuses for not doing it.

Then when Saul is given the three signs, the Holy Spirit comes upon him, and he begins to prophesy.  I like Rev. MacArthur’s assertion that this was probably prophesying with chants of praise and singing.  Asaph and his Levites musicians were assigned by David to “prophesy,” praise and glorify God and proclaim the goodness of God to the people.  The role of prophet is not just being a seer.  The prophets of today are those that explain and proclaim God’s word and if they add anything to it, they are dipping into heresy, or at least the realm of false prophets or teachers.

But note the similarities of 1 Samuel 10:27 with what Jesus says in Luke 4:24 that a prophet is not accepted in his hometown.  In the preceding verse, it says that Saul had returned to Gibeah and then the “scoundrels” mocked him as not being capable of being king.  But in this case, in the end they were right.

And note that the spirit leaves Saul later on, replaced by an evil spirit who troubles Saul.  When we accept Jesus, the Holy Spirit enters us to stay.  Whether we listen to the Holy Spirit all the time is another subject.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

1 Samuel 8: 1. When are you inclined to want or do something just to be ‘like everyone else’? How do you prevent sin from blinding you in your choices?
“2. If someone rejects your Christian witness, is that person necessarily rejecting God? When might that be the case?
“3. How would you distinguish an offense for the sake of Christ and being ‘just plain offensive’?
“4. When was the last time you bulldozed over God’s will, only to find the walls crash in around you?
“5. How can you ask God for something in the confidence that he will say ‘no’ if it is bad for you? Do you really want him to do that?
1 Samuel 9: 1. If some seer were reading all that was in your heart and telling you where your lost items were, would you have reacted as Saul did? Why or why not?
“2. What insight does Samuel give you into Jesus’ prophetic ability to know what was in the heart of man (see Jn 2:25)?
“3. Likewise, what insight does Saul’s search for the lost donkeys give you regarding Jesus’ com­ passion in seeking to save the lost (sheep, coin, son)?
“4. When has God mercifully used your disobedient choices to bring about good in your life (such as what God mercifully intends to do in spite of Israel’s rebellious desire for a king)?
“5. When has God used ‘chance’ events, good or bad, to bring you to the point where he could bless you?
“6. Is God leading you into any new responsibilities? Are past roles changing? How is God confirming that to you?
“7. Any signs that you are to be like Saul-‘changed into a different person’? What attitude is especially important for you to maintain in the transition period?
1 Samuel 10: 1. Describe a time when people were surprised at how God was working in your life. Were you equally surprised by God’s grace?
“2. What major ‘calamity’ in your past has God delivered, you from? How has the memory of that event shaped your relationship with God now?
“3. In what area of your life right now do you feel the need for some ‘valiant men’ to accompany you? How about your small group?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

There is one set of questions for each of the chapters, 1 Samuel 8-10.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

If you like these Thursday morning Bible studies, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Thursday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.