1 Samuel 10:17–27
17 10:17Now Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah. 18 10:18And he said to the people of Israel, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ 19 10:19But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, ‘Set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands.”
20 10:20Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 21 10:21He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its clans, and the clan of the Matrites was taken by lot; 1 and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found. 22 10:22So they inquired again of the Lord, “Is there a man still to come?” and the Lord said, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.” 23 10:23Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. 24 10:24And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
25 10:25Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. 26 10:26Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. 27 10:27But some worthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.
1 Septuagint adds finally he brought the family of the Matrites near, man by man
Section Overview: Saul Publicly Selected as King
Although Saul has been anointed by Samuel, this is not yet public knowledge. In the second of three stages by which Saul is validated as the Lord’s appointed king, Samuel convenes a national assembly at Mizpah (1 Sam. 10:17). He begins by making clear to the people that God is prepared to grant their request for a king despite its being an implicit rejection of God’s rule over them (vv. 18–19). To ensure the procedure is not manipulated, the new king is selected by lot from among all the people (vv. 20–21). To everyone’s surprise, when Saul is identified in this way, he cannot be found. Knowing what was coming, Saul had concealed himself, and the Lord must reveal his hiding place (v. 22). When he is brought before the assembly, his height provides an imposing bearing, and he is publicly acclaimed as king (vv. 23–24).
Samuel formally sets before the people how a covenant king should conduct himself and how they should respect his authority. He archives a written record of his speech before dismissing the assembly and returning home (v. 25). Saul too returns home, accompanied by some supporters (v. 26), but others refuse to acknowledge his appointment, to whom Saul makes no immediate response (v. 27). It is still not evident what Saul will do in his new role.
Section Outline
Response
Those present at Mizpah would not have thought it strange to use lots to determine God’s choice of Israel’s king (cf. Acts 1:15–26). What surprises them is that the individual selected is not to be found. Saul’s behavior continues to cause puzzlement. While this may be construed as becoming modesty at the role assigned to him, it is more probable that Saul’s concealment, and his subsequent silence and returning home, present him as reluctant to comply with God’s will for his life. He never wholeheartedly enters into his appointment, and indeed never truly grasps the full implications of what is required of him. One wonders if he actually listened to what Samuel said regarding royal responsibilities and privileges. Was Saul’s hearing as patchy as it had been when the young women spoke to him outside Ramah (cf. comment on 1 Sam. 9:18)?
Samuel does not let the occasion pass without reiterating how errant the people’s actions had been (10:18–19). He also seeks to improve the situation by setting out the norms that should prevail regarding the conduct of the king and the people (v. 25). Whatever political system prevails in a nation, rulers do not possess absolute and unqualified authority but remain answerable to God (Rom. 13:1). Even though rulers frequently consider themselves to be above God’s moral law, no human being is exempt from its requirements. Indeed, rulers have the added responsibility of ensuring that its norms prevail in the society they govern.
In light of subsequent events, an informed reader might be inclined to view those who refuse to accept Saul’s authority as possessing shrewd insight into the true state of affairs. Such a conclusion is far from the narrator’s intention. What these ill-motivated fellows are doing is rejecting the Lord’s appointee. Their rebellion is not so much against Saul as against the one who designated him as king. Saul’s presence and authority stir up their innate sinful rebelliousness, just as the presence of Jesus as the Lord’s anointed will later stimulate the antagonism of the Jews (John 6:42). Fallen humanity refuses to recognize that any should rule over it (Gen. 37:8).
1 In both 4QSama and the LXX this phrase reads differently: “and it was about a month.” In the former source there is also an extensive addition before 11:1, reflected in Josephus (Antiquities 6.68–70) but not in the LXX. This addition is incorporated into the NRSV text, but it is to be judged a later scribal supplement, even though the information in it could be accurate.