Saul Anointed, Hides Among the Baggage

The anointing itself was swift. Samuel took the vial of oil, poured it on Saul’s head, kissed him, and said that the Lord had anointed him prince over His inheritance. That was the whole ceremony. No crowd, no procession, no fanfare. Then Samuel delivered a sequence of signs that would happen that same day, as if the new king needed proof that the Lord was with him.

The first sign: by Rachel’s tomb, on the border of Benjamin at Zelzah, two men would tell Saul the donkeys were found and that his father had stopped worrying about the animals and was now anxious about his son. The second sign: at the oak of Tabor, three men going up to Bethel with kids, loaves, and wine would greet him and give him two loaves of bread, which he was to take. The third sign: at the hill of God, where the Philistine garrison stood, a band of prophets would come down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre, prophesying. The Spirit of the Lord would come mightily upon Saul, and he would prophesy with them and be turned into another man.

Samuel told him to act as occasion served, for God was with him. Then he gave a command: go down to Gilgal and wait seven days until Samuel came to offer burnt offerings and peace offerings and to show Saul what he should do. That command would later become a point of tension, but here it was given plainly.

When Saul turned to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. The signs came to pass that day exactly as Samuel had said. At the hill of God, the band of prophets met him, the Spirit came mightily upon him, and he prophesied among them. The people who knew him saw it and said to one another, “What is this that has come to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” A man from the same place answered, “And who is their father?” That question became a proverb in Israel.

After the prophesying ended, Saul went up to the high place. His uncle asked where he and the servant had been. Saul said they had gone looking for the donkeys and, failing to find them, went to Samuel. The uncle pressed for details about what Samuel said. Saul told him only that the donkeys were found. He said nothing about the kingdom.

Then Samuel called the people together at Mizpah. He reminded them that the Lord had brought Israel up from Egypt and delivered them from the Egyptians and from every kingdom that oppressed them. But they had rejected their God, who saved them from all their calamities, and demanded a king. So Samuel told them to present themselves by tribes and by thousands.

The tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. Then the family of the Matrites was taken. Then Saul, son of Kish, was taken. But when they looked for him, he could not be found. They asked the Lord whether the man had come, and the Lord answered that Saul was hiding among the baggage. They ran and brought him out. When he stood among the people, he was taller than anyone else, from his shoulders upward.

Samuel said to the people, “See him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” The people shouted, “Long live the king.” Samuel then told the people the manner of the kingdom, wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the Lord. Then he sent everyone away, each to his own house.

Saul went home to Gibeah. A band of men whose hearts God had touched went with him. But certain worthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” They despised him and brought him no present. Saul held his peace.