Samuel 9:1–10:27
1THERE WAS A BENJAMITE, a man of standing, whose name was Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. 2He had a son named Saul, an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites—a head taller than any of the others.
3Now the donkeys belonging to Saul’s father Kish were lost, and Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys.” 4So he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and through the area around Shalisha, but they did not find them. They went on into the district of Shaalim, but the donkeys were not there. Then he passed through the territory of Benjamin, but they did not find them.
5When they reached the district of Zuph, Saul said to the servant who was with him, “Come, let’s go back, or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us.”
6But the servant replied, “Look, in this town there is a man of God; he is highly respected, and everything he says comes true. Let’s go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take.”
7Saul said to his servant, “If we go, what can we give the man? The food in our sacks is gone. We have no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?”
8The servant answered him again. “Look,” he said, “I have a quarter of a shekel of silver. I will give it to the man of God so that he will tell us what way to take.” 9(Formerly in Israel, if a man went to inquire of God, he would say, “Come, let us go to the seer,” because the prophet of today used to be called a seer.)
10“Good,” Saul said to his servant. “Come, let’s go.” So they set out for the town where the man of God was.
11As they were going up the hill to the town, they met some girls coming out to draw water, and they asked them, “Is the seer here?”
12“He is,” they answered. “He’s ahead of you. Hurry now; he has just come to our town today, for the people have a sacrifice at the high place. 13As soon as you enter the town, you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will not begin eating until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; afterward, those who are invited will eat. Go up now; you should find him about this time.”
14They went up to the town, and as they were entering it, there was Samuel, coming toward them on his way up to the high place.
15Now the day before Saul came, the LORD had revealed this to Samuel: 16“About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him leader over my people Israel; he will deliver my people from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked upon my people, for their cry has reached me.”
17When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the LORD said to him, “This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people.”
18Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and asked, “Would you please tell me where the seer’s house is?”
19“I am the seer,” Samuel replied. “Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you are to eat with me, and in the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is in your heart. 20As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been found. And to whom is all the desire of Israel turned, if not to you and all your father’s family?”
21Saul answered, “But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?”
22Then Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the hall and seated them at the head of those who were invited—about thirty in number. 23Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the piece of meat I gave you, the one I told you to lay aside.”
24So the cook took up the leg with what was on it and set it in front of Saul. Samuel said, “Here is what has been kept for you. Eat, because it was set aside for you for this occasion, from the time I said, ‘I have invited guests.’” And Saul dined with Samuel that day.
25After they came down from the high place to the town, Samuel talked with Saul on the roof of his house. 26They rose about daybreak and Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get ready, and I will send you on your way.” When Saul got ready, he and Samuel went outside together. 27As they were going down to the edge of the town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us”—and the servant did so—“but you stay here awhile, so that I may give you a message from God.”
10:1Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the LORD anointed you leader over his inheritance? 2When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb, at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried about you. He is asking, “What shall I do about my son?”’
3“Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. 4They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them.
5“After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, tambourines, flutes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying. 6The Spirit of the LORD will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. 7Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.
8“Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do.”
9As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day. 10When they arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he joined in their prophesying. 11When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”
12A man who lived there answered, “And who is their father?” So it became a saying: “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13After Saul stopped prophesying, he went to the high place.
14Now Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where have you been?”
“Looking for the donkeys,” he said. “But when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.”
15Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.”
16Saul replied, “He assured us that the donkeys had been found.” But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.
17Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the LORD at Mizpah 18and said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’ 19But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your calamities and distresses. And you have said, ‘No, set a king over us.’ So now present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and clans.”
20When Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. 21Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri’s clan was chosen. Finally Saul son of Kish was chosen. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. 22So they inquired further of the LORD, “Has the man come here yet?”
And the LORD said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage.”
23They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. 24Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.”
Then the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
25Samuel explained to the people the regulations of the kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the LORD. Then Samuel dismissed the people, each to his own home.
26Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched. 27But some troublemakers said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent.
Original Meaning
Saul Looks for Donkeys and Finds a Kingdom (9:1–10:8)2
SAUL IS AN impressive young man. His father’s lengthy genealogy implies the family has great wealth. Saul himself strikes an imposing figure, literally standing out in the crowd (9:2; 10:23–24). A future warning against putting too much value on the appearance or height of a particular candidate for the throne (cf. 16:7) may indicate that Saul’s appearance is a major factor in his selection as king. From the present passage we know that God appoints Saul and blesses him with all that he needs to serve well. But it is also true that Saul is ultimately the people’s choice. Yahweh grants as their first king “the man who in all Israel came nearest to fulfilling their idea of what a king should be.”3
Saul and a servant set out to find a group of lost donkeys belonging to his father (9:3–4). They traverse the tribal territories of Benjamin and Ephraim but cannot find the lost animals. At the servant’s suggestion, the two of them decide to inquire of a “man of God” at a certain town in the district of Zuph. The text does not mention the name of the town (probably Ramah) or the name of the man of God. Having thus built a satisfying amount of suspense, in verse 14 we learn, finally, that this is Samuel himself.
In a parenthetical paragraph, the author informs us that Yahweh has prepared Samuel the day before Saul’s arrival (9:15–16). Thus, the prophet is prepared to anoint him as “leader” (nagid, “prince, ruler”) over the nation Israel. This term is used in Samuel and Kings for the king-designate as the one officially chosen and appointed by Yahweh to rule his people Israel.4 It emphasizes the primacy of Yahweh’s choosing over any public acclaim. Saul is first “the one designated of Yahweh,” which is a theological recognition of his selection. He will become “king” only at his public acclamation: “Long live the king!” (10:24).5
However, the term nagid likely connotes even more than the primacy of Yahweh’s choosing. It seems probable that this word was initially a military term and may have referred to the “commander” of the national militia under the old tribal confederation. Thus, in this context, it limited the kingship of Saul by bearing certain traditions stemming from the tribal league’s institutions. The choice of nagid rather that the common Hebrew word for “king” (melek) emphasizes the limited nature of Saul’s kingship.6 Perhaps melek is avoided here because Yahweh is Israel’s king. It also seems likely that Saul’s kingship is perceived as a conditional appointment or covenant. Saul will be king as long as the spirit of God moves him (see comments on 10:9–16) and as long as he does not violate the legal traditions of the tribal league.7
In 9:17–27, Saul and Samuel meet for the first time. Yahweh informs Samuel that this young visitor is the one who will “govern” Israel (9:17). There were much more common verbs available for “rule” or “reign,” but here we have a verb that usually means “restrain” (ʿaṣar).8 The other terms for “rule” may have been avoided to indicate that this will be a governance under the strict lordship of Yahweh, thus again stressing the distinctiveness of Israelite kingship. Saul is to be a ruler-deliverer, who operates under the direct authority of Yahweh and his prophet.
Samuel immediately sets Saul’s mind at ease about the missing donkeys. They have been found, and he should not worry about them again because they have bigger issues to discuss. Samuel then unexpectedly includes his guests in a banquet for that evening at the high place outside the town. Without warning, Saul becomes the center of attention, being given a place of honor and a specially designated portion of food. After dinner, Samuel and Saul engage in private conversation, which continues the next day.
In the morning, Samuel prepares Saul to receive a private word from God by asking that he send his servant on ahead of them (9:27). Once alone, Samuel anoints Saul with oil, kisses him, and announces that Yahweh has anointed him as the “leader” (nagid) over his people Israel. The use of oil is a symbol of the spirit of Yahweh in several Old Testament passages (Isa. 61:1; Zech. 4:14), and anointing with oil represents the empowerment of Yahweh.9
The sacramental act of anointing is a ritual of inauguration, which designates an individual for a specific office consecrated by Yahweh. By comparison with its use in other contexts of the ancient Near East, the practice of anointing appears to have had a contractual or covenantal significance when used to designate kings. When the people of Israel anoint David in 2 Samuel 2:4 and 5:3, they are likely pledging themselves to him and accepting an obligation to him, and David in turn is granting them a royal promise.10 Prior to Samuel’s anointing of Saul, the ritual was restricted in the Old Testament to the tabernacle and its priests.11 This marks Israel’s new monarchy as a divine institution, on a level of the priesthood. Here also, anointing stamps Saul with a special character and privilege because of a unique standing before God.12
The transformation of Saul from an unassuming youth to the king-designate is certainly a drastic change for him personally, but it is also revolutionary for the nation. Such radical claims and actions as Samuel has taken will require dramatic confirmation. In order to meet these needs, Samuel prophesies three events that will happen to Saul on his return home, which will confirm his selection at least privately (10:2–7). (1) At Zelzah near Rachel’s tomb, two strangers will report to Saul that the lost donkeys have been located and that his father is worried about his safety (10:2). (2) Three men near Tabor will greet him and offer him bread (10:3–4). (3) At Gibeah he will be met by a group of prophets playing musical instruments.13 The spirit of Yahweh will come upon him, he will join them in their prophesying, and he will be “changed into a different person” (10:6). Samuel concludes these signs of confirmation with a command to wait for seven days at Gilgal to receive further instructions. At that time, Samuel will sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings (10:8).
The consensus of critical scholarship is that 10:8 is not original in this context.14 But whenever and however the verse may have been included is irrelevant to the current reading of this chapter.15 The combination of 10:7 (“do whatever your hand finds to do”) and 10:8 (“you must wait seven days until I [Samuel] come to you and tell you what you are to do”) is not perceived by the author as contradictory.16 Rather, these verses together establish for Saul the conditions for the new Israelite kingship.
In other words, despite the request of the elders of Israel in chapter 8, they are not receiving a Canaanite-like kingship. This is a highly circumscribed royal authority, a vassalship of Yahweh.17 In a sense, this is a compromise. If Israel is to have a king, it will be a kingship unique in the ancient Near East. It will not be an absolute, divinely ordained monarchy, dropped out of heaven for the benefit of humankind, as perceived in Mesopotamia. Nor will the Israelite king be a semidivine potentate, like the pharaoh of Egypt. Instead, it will be a highly structured and restricted authority handed from God to prophet to king. Or, in the words of Matitiahu Tsevat, “the meaning of the kingship of God, according to the Bible, is the denial to [humankind] of the concentration and permanence of power.”18
“Is Saul Also among the Prophets?” (10:9–16)
Bridging Contexts
THE PLACE OF THE MONARCH IN SALVATION HISTORY. Most Old Testament historical narratives are told on a number of levels.27 This unit has much to teach us about the nature of Israelite kingship in general and its role in the overarching story of God’s relationship with Israel. But on a more individualistic level, this text is also about Saul and the way God relates to him. In applying this text to our modern world, we must consider both levels of interpretation. We consider first the place of Israel’s monarchy in biblical salvation history in general before turning to the issues involved in the anointing and preparation of Saul in particular.
The apostle Paul summarized God’s work in ancient Israel in his address at Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:17–22). The God of Israel elected the ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He prospered their descendants during a sojourn in Egypt, after which he delivered them “with mighty power” and endured their rebellious behavior for forty years in the desert. He overthrew the nations of Canaan and made his people Israel the new owners of the land. Then God appointed (lit., “gave”) judges until the time of Samuel the prophet (Acts 13:20b). But “then the people asked for a king, and he gave [same verb] them Saul son of Kish” (13:21). After Saul, God raised up David as king, finding in him a man after his own heart (13:22). Finally, Paul concludes, God brought forth from David’s line the Savior Jesus, as he had promised (13:23).
In this sweeping overview of the highlights of salvation history, we can see the role of Saul and the Israelite monarchy, which was a basic theme in God’s plan of salvation. The new institution was a link from the ancestors to the coming of the Messiah.
Since this unit is the point at which Israel’s monarchy is established for the first time, it is helpful to review in more detail the way in which kingship relates to other themes in the Old Testament.28 Unlike neighboring cultures of the ancient world, the Bible does not make Israel’s kingship an essential ingredient of creation. The Egyptians believed monarchy was rooted in the very order of nature, and the Mesopotamians thought it was necessary for human civilization. But the created order stands independent of Israel’s need for a king, and the rule of any individual monarch was strictly granted as a means of God’s grace.
Kingship, strictly speaking, was not essential to God’s plans for salvation. However, God’s promises to the ancestors of the book of Genesis found partial fulfillment in Israel’s monarchy (Gen. 15:18–21; 17:6, 16; 49:8–12). Furthermore, the gift of land was linked to kingship in that any king who violated the land was in jeopardy of driving the people into exile. As we will see later in 1-2 Samuel, the central role of Jerusalem and ultimately the coming of the Messiah were also linked to Israel’s kingship.
The preparation and anointing of Saul as king. This unit explains the mechanical means by which Israel got her first king. It narrates the divine selection, prophetic anointing, confirmation, and public acclamation of the new king. It is a historical narrative in that it tells us of Saul, the kingmaker Samuel, and the inauguration of Israel’s monarchy. But like other historical narratives of the Bible, it is not primarily concerned with history per se. This is not a history of Israel’s kingship. Rather, the narrator has a deeper interest. The story is first and foremost about Yahweh, not Saul or Samuel or even Israel. God is the guiding hand behind all that occurs in this passage.
We get a sense of Yahweh’s subtle but sovereign actions in a variety of ways. At first we learn about Saul and his mission to find his father’s donkeys. But when we meet Samuel, the narrator tells us that Yahweh is in fact sending Saul to Samuel (“I will send you a man,” 9:16). The Lord has also revealed to Samuel (9:15; lit., “uncovered Samuel’s ear”) precisely who is to become king, what his tribe of origin is, and how he is to anoint him as “leader.” Such details drive the reader to conclude that Saul’s journey to find the donkeys is not mere chance but the will of Yahweh.
The servant’s insistence that they inquire of the man of God in the local city, Saul’s encounter with Samuel, and all the details of the episode seem to be orchestrated, or at least utilized, by the unseen hand of God. And the denouement of the unit, the final step in the preparation of Saul for kingship, is Saul’s change of heart, which is mediated and intensified by the spirit of Yahweh (10:6, 9–10). Thus, God is working through Israel’s historical and political circumstances to accomplish his purposes for the nation.
Beyond the significance of Israelite kingship in biblical theology in general, this text also invites us to consider in particular the relationship between God’s hand on our own lives and the influence of his Spirit in changing our characters. Saul becomes an example of what happens when an individual gets caught up in God’s plan for his or her life. Of the three signs predicted to confirm Saul’s status in Yahweh’s new social order, only the one relating the coming of God’s Spirit and the transformation of Saul’s character is included (10:9–10). Here spiritual transformation is followed by new life under the authority of God’s Spirit.
This is the earliest reference to the inner changes God works through the ministry of his Spirit. It is not accurate to speak in this case of conversion in the way Christians often use the term. Rather, this transformation of Saul realigns his worldview so that his former perceptions of himself and his role in national Israel are replaced with an openness for anything.29 He is now prepared to follow whatever path Yahweh directs.
The coming of the spirit of Yahweh on Saul at Gibeah (10:6, 9–10) is parallel to a similar event from the time of Moses. While in the desert, the spirit of God rested on the seventy elders of Israel, who were to share responsibility with Moses for judging the people (Num. 11:16–18, 25). In both cases, persons not previously associated with the “prophets” were endowed with prophetic gifts temporarily, which probably confirmed their legitimacy.30 We should not jump too quickly to a Christian, Trinitarian understanding of the spirit of the Lord or the spirit of God in the Old Testament. Such expressions are similar to saying a basketball team is infused with the spirit of its coach. The players display the coach’s attitudes, character, and energy in the way they play the game.31 One could say that because of this event, Saul sees things differently. He now shares Yahweh’s perceptions of Israel and of himself as her new king. (For this reason, most translations of the Bible use a lowercase “s” for the expression “spirit of God.”)
However, the coming of God’s spirit here also accompanies an inner, spiritual transformation, turning Saul into “a different person” (10:6). The point is not that Saul becomes a prophet or merely receives a skill he does not have previously. Rather, by means of the spirit of God, Saul “became the Lord’s possession and stood under the authority of Israel’s true Savior.”32 By claiming ownership of Saul through his spirit, Yahweh also graciously dispenses a new inner unction that validates his anointing with oil. Though certainly not identical to the New Testament concept of the Holy Spirit, this passage is compatible with its teaching and at least illustrates the active presence of God in the affairs of individuals, to transform and empower them for his service.33
Contemporary Significance
Contemporary Significance
THIS UNIT HAS demonstrated how God is at work behind the scenes, bringing Samuel and Saul together miraculously, revealing his will to Samuel that he should anoint Saul, bringing dozens of other people into Saul’s life as confirmation of his anointing, and finally changing Saul’s character through his Spirit. God’s unseen hand is touching and changing in order to empower Israel to fulfill her task in the world and to accomplish his purposes.
God at work in the world. God is still at work in the world today. Sometimes it is difficult for us to see or believe that he is, and it is often clear only to those who have eyes of faith. His work today is of a different nature from that of this biblical text only in that this story relates specifically how he moved and worked in Israel in order to bring salvation to the world. It is a particularly significant step in salvation history, since through Israel’s monarchy, God will eventually provide the great King, who will die for the sins of the whole world.
But God’s work is not finished. The Bible continues to trace the story until the close of the age. The study of last things (i.e., “eschatology”) examines how his work will come to fruition in the future. In the meantime, Christians believe that God is still at work on various levels, in many different ways, in order to accomplish a variety of purposes.
Not long ago, I heard a preacher whom I greatly respect use an illustration I found hard to believe. Later, when I asked his source for the story, he told me it had been published in Reader’s Digest. When I could not find a reference to the story in recent years, I wrote to the magazine and asked for confirmation that they had published the story. They not only confirmed that they had published the story; they even sent me a faded copy of a 1949 edition of the magazine. I relate these events here as an illustration, humbly giving credit to the publisher for this extraordinary account.34
On January 10, 1948, just over two years after the conclusion of World War II, Marcel Sternberger got on a train in the Brooklyn subway he had never been on before. He normally took a different line, but he had changed his schedule in order to visit a sick friend that morning and was now boarding a noon train to get to work. The train was full. But just as he stepped in, one man jumped up and ran off, realizing he was about to miss his station. Sternberger quickly took the seat and sat down. Next to him was a man reading a Hungarian newspaper. Sternberger had been born in Hungary and though he would not normally strike up conversation with strangers in the subway, he felt compelled to say something. He looked over the man’s shoulder and said in Hungarian, “I hope you don’t mind if I glance at your paper.” The man was surprised to be addressed in his native language, and during the half-hour ride to town, they became acquainted.
Sternberger’s companion voluntarily shared his tragic story. His name was Paskin, and he had been a law student when the war started. He was eventually put into a labor battalion and sent to the Ukraine. Later he was captured by the Russians and put to work burying the German dead. After the war he covered hundreds of miles on foot, returned to his home in Debrecen, Hungary, and discovered his entire family gone. Strangers were living in the apartment once occupied by his father, mother, brothers, and sisters. When he reached the apartment he and his wife had shared, it also was occupied by strangers. Finally, he located old friends in Debrecen who had survived the war. They sadly informed him his entire family was dead. The Nazis had taken them and his wife to Auschwitz, where they were all presumably killed in the gas chambers.
Stunned by the news, the man fled Hungary, which had become a funeral land for him. He headed west toward Paris and emigrated to the United States in October 1947. As Sternberger listened, the story seemed somehow familiar. Suddenly he remembered why. He had recently met a young woman at the home of friends who had also been from Debrecen. She had been taken to Auschwitz but was then transferred to work in a German munitions factory. All her relatives had been killed in the gas chambers. After she had been liberated by the Americans, she was brought to New York in the first boatload of Displaced Persons in 1946. Sternberger had been so moved by her story he had written down her address and phone number, hoping to invite her to meet his family in order to help with her terrible loneliness and grief.
Sternberger thought it impossible that there could be a connection between these two people, but when he reached his station, he stayed on the train with his new friend. He asked as casually as possible, “Is your first name Bela?”
The man went pale as he said, “Yes! How did you know?”
Sternberger fumbled for his address book, as he asked, “Was you wife’s name Marya?”
Looking as though he might faint, Paskin said, “Yes! Yes!”
Sternberger suggested they get off at the next station without explaining why. He took Paskin to a nearby phone booth. While Paskin stood there like a man in a trance, Sternberger dialed the number, and after a long delay, he had Marya Paskin on the line. Sternberger reminded her of their recent chance meeting, and she remembered him. Without explaining why, Sternberger asked Marya where she had lived in Debrecen before the war, and she told him the address. Sternberger turned to Bela and said, “Did you and your wife live on such-and-such a street?”
“Yes!” Bela exclaimed, as he turned white as a sheet and trembled.
Sternberger urged him to stay calm but then explained that something miraculous was about to happen to him. Then he handed Bela the phone, saying, “Here, take this telephone and talk to your wife!”
When Paskin realized he was really speaking with his Marya, he broke into uncontrollable crying. Sternberger sent him by taxi to the address to be reunited with his wife.
The article continues by describing the emotional reunion between the Paskins, each of whom thought the other was dead. Marya Paskin hardly remembers their reunion because of the sudden release of emotions.
I remember only that when I left the phone, I walked to the mirror like in a dream to see maybe if my hair had turned gray. The next thing I know a taxi stops in front of the house and it is my husband who comes toward me. Details I cannot remember; only this I know—that I was happy for the first time in many years. Even now it is difficult to believe that it happened. We have both suffered so much; I have almost lost the capability to be not afraid. Each time my husband goes from the house I say to myself, “Will anything happen to take him from me again?”
There are, of course, many possible explanations of what happened as a result of that subway ride one afternoon in 1948. Some would argue the Paskins were the beneficiaries of lucky coincidences. By contract, this is how Reader’s Digest ends the article.
Skeptical persons would no doubt attribute the events of that memorable afternoon to mere chance. But was it chance that made Sternberger suddenly decide to visit his sick friend, and hence take a subway line that he had never been on before? Was it chance that caused the man sitting by the door of the car to rush out just as Sternberger came in? Was it chance that caused Bela Paskin to be sitting beside Sternberger, reading a Hungarian newspaper? Was it chance—or did God ride the Brooklyn subway that afternoon?
An awareness that God is at work in the world today should make believers more sensitive to his unexpected and unseen influence in our everyday lives. Not that we should look for the spectacular and miraculous around every bend. But we should recognize and acknowledge his work in our own lives and in those around us. Saul and his servant were casually looking for his father’s lost donkeys when God unexpectedly visited him through the prophet. Abraham was resting by the entrance to his tent when God paid him a visit (Gen. 18). Moses was pasturing sheep when God came and called him to service (Ex. 3). God does not miraculously send us a prophetic word every day or meet us in a burning bush. Nevertheless, we should learn to be faithful while attending to the routine, the ordinary, and the familiar. For in these, God often leads and directs his people.
God’s Spirit at work. We should also take from this passage the means by which God leads his people. The anointing of Saul is parallel to another passage familiar to Christians because of its use by Jesus early in his ministry: “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor” (Isa. 61:1; Luke 4:18). Thus, our passage about King Saul has three features in common with this verse spoken by the Lord’s Messiah (or “Anointed One”): Both were given the Spirit of the Lord; both were anointed; and both were commissioned for a specific task—Saul to serve as Israel’s first king and the Messiah to proclaim good news to the poor (an agenda spelled out more clearly in the rest of the Isaiah passage, Isa. 61:2–7). Anointing and reception of God’s Spirit are indispensable for service in his kingdom.
Finally, Saul is one of the best biblical examples of personal transformation because of the work of God’s Spirit in one’s life, even though God eventually withdrew his approval and blessing from Saul. In this first unit introducing us to Saul, we learn of his anointing and confirmation as Israel’s first king. But this passage lays special stress on Saul’s change of character. One’s personal conduct and moral character are central not only in one’s standing before God but also for leadership among God’s people. Furthermore, as the long and sordid story of Saul continues, we will see that God apparently does not long bestow his Spirit where there is no continued change of character.
Original Meaning
“Is Saul Also Among the Prophets?” (10:9–16)19
SAUL WAS ON an innocent mission to find his father’s lost donkeys. He was not looking for a kingdom. He appears humble, even mystified, by the honors being heaped on him (9:21). But as he turns to take his leave of the prophet, “God changed Saul’s heart” (10:9). God is at work in Saul, and he will never be the same.
All three of the signs meant to confirm his anointing are fulfilled that very day. Only the third sign, however, is detailed in the text. When he reaches Gibeah, he meets the band of ecstatic prophets, as Samuel has prophesied. The spirit of God comes on him and empowers him to join the prophets, arousing the derision of the local inhabitants, who apparently know him and his family well.
The question “Is Saul also among the prophets” has several possible connotations.20 It serves as a rhetorical question expecting a negative answer. In this light, the question affirms Saul’s new spiritual gifts, not because he belongs naturally to the band of prophets but because he is the legitimate new ruler of Israel.21 It affirms his anointing by Samuel, and he accepts his new role. This naturally provokes questions from his uncle (10:14–16). Saul’s reticence to answer them is in keeping with the private nature of his encounter with Samuel and ensures that his selection by lot will be unsoiled. Concealment of God’s work in one’s life is attested elsewhere in the Old Testament (see Samson, Judg. 14:4, 6, 16).22
Coronation at Mizpah (10:17–27)
Bridging Contexts
THE PLACE OF THE MONARCH IN SALVATION HISTORY. Most Old Testament historical narratives are told on a number of levels.27 This unit has much to teach us about the nature of Israelite kingship in general and its role in the overarching story of God’s relationship with Israel. But on a more individualistic level, this text is also about Saul and the way God relates to him. In applying this text to our modern world, we must consider both levels of interpretation. We consider first the place of Israel’s monarchy in biblical salvation history in general before turning to the issues involved in the anointing and preparation of Saul in particular.
The apostle Paul summarized God’s work in ancient Israel in his address at Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:17–22). The God of Israel elected the ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He prospered their descendants during a sojourn in Egypt, after which he delivered them “with mighty power” and endured their rebellious behavior for forty years in the desert. He overthrew the nations of Canaan and made his people Israel the new owners of the land. Then God appointed (lit., “gave”) judges until the time of Samuel the prophet (Acts 13:20b). But “then the people asked for a king, and he gave [same verb] them Saul son of Kish” (13:21). After Saul, God raised up David as king, finding in him a man after his own heart (13:22). Finally, Paul concludes, God brought forth from David’s line the Savior Jesus, as he had promised (13:23).
In this sweeping overview of the highlights of salvation history, we can see the role of Saul and the Israelite monarchy, which was a basic theme in God’s plan of salvation. The new institution was a link from the ancestors to the coming of the Messiah.
Since this unit is the point at which Israel’s monarchy is established for the first time, it is helpful to review in more detail the way in which kingship relates to other themes in the Old Testament.28 Unlike neighboring cultures of the ancient world, the Bible does not make Israel’s kingship an essential ingredient of creation. The Egyptians believed monarchy was rooted in the very order of nature, and the Mesopotamians thought it was necessary for human civilization. But the created order stands independent of Israel’s need for a king, and the rule of any individual monarch was strictly granted as a means of God’s grace.
Kingship, strictly speaking, was not essential to God’s plans for salvation. However, God’s promises to the ancestors of the book of Genesis found partial fulfillment in Israel’s monarchy (Gen. 15:18–21; 17:6, 16; 49:8–12). Furthermore, the gift of land was linked to kingship in that any king who violated the land was in jeopardy of driving the people into exile. As we will see later in 1-2 Samuel, the central role of Jerusalem and ultimately the coming of the Messiah were also linked to Israel’s kingship.
The preparation and anointing of Saul as king. This unit explains the mechanical means by which Israel got her first king. It narrates the divine selection, prophetic anointing, confirmation, and public acclamation of the new king. It is a historical narrative in that it tells us of Saul, the kingmaker Samuel, and the inauguration of Israel’s monarchy. But like other historical narratives of the Bible, it is not primarily concerned with history per se. This is not a history of Israel’s kingship. Rather, the narrator has a deeper interest. The story is first and foremost about Yahweh, not Saul or Samuel or even Israel. God is the guiding hand behind all that occurs in this passage.
We get a sense of Yahweh’s subtle but sovereign actions in a variety of ways. At first we learn about Saul and his mission to find his father’s donkeys. But when we meet Samuel, the narrator tells us that Yahweh is in fact sending Saul to Samuel (“I will send you a man,” 9:16). The Lord has also revealed to Samuel (9:15; lit., “uncovered Samuel’s ear”) precisely who is to become king, what his tribe of origin is, and how he is to anoint him as “leader.” Such details drive the reader to conclude that Saul’s journey to find the donkeys is not mere chance but the will of Yahweh.
The servant’s insistence that they inquire of the man of God in the local city, Saul’s encounter with Samuel, and all the details of the episode seem to be orchestrated, or at least utilized, by the unseen hand of God. And the denouement of the unit, the final step in the preparation of Saul for kingship, is Saul’s change of heart, which is mediated and intensified by the spirit of Yahweh (10:6, 9–10). Thus, God is working through Israel’s historical and political circumstances to accomplish his purposes for the nation.
Beyond the significance of Israelite kingship in biblical theology in general, this text also invites us to consider in particular the relationship between God’s hand on our own lives and the influence of his Spirit in changing our characters. Saul becomes an example of what happens when an individual gets caught up in God’s plan for his or her life. Of the three signs predicted to confirm Saul’s status in Yahweh’s new social order, only the one relating the coming of God’s Spirit and the transformation of Saul’s character is included (10:9–10). Here spiritual transformation is followed by new life under the authority of God’s Spirit.
This is the earliest reference to the inner changes God works through the ministry of his Spirit. It is not accurate to speak in this case of conversion in the way Christians often use the term. Rather, this transformation of Saul realigns his worldview so that his former perceptions of himself and his role in national Israel are replaced with an openness for anything.29 He is now prepared to follow whatever path Yahweh directs.
The coming of the spirit of Yahweh on Saul at Gibeah (10:6, 9–10) is parallel to a similar event from the time of Moses. While in the desert, the spirit of God rested on the seventy elders of Israel, who were to share responsibility with Moses for judging the people (Num. 11:16–18, 25). In both cases, persons not previously associated with the “prophets” were endowed with prophetic gifts temporarily, which probably confirmed their legitimacy.30 We should not jump too quickly to a Christian, Trinitarian understanding of the spirit of the Lord or the spirit of God in the Old Testament. Such expressions are similar to saying a basketball team is infused with the spirit of its coach. The players display the coach’s attitudes, character, and energy in the way they play the game.31 One could say that because of this event, Saul sees things differently. He now shares Yahweh’s perceptions of Israel and of himself as her new king. (For this reason, most translations of the Bible use a lowercase “s” for the expression “spirit of God.”)
However, the coming of God’s spirit here also accompanies an inner, spiritual transformation, turning Saul into “a different person” (10:6). The point is not that Saul becomes a prophet or merely receives a skill he does not have previously. Rather, by means of the spirit of God, Saul “became the Lord’s possession and stood under the authority of Israel’s true Savior.”32 By claiming ownership of Saul through his spirit, Yahweh also graciously dispenses a new inner unction that validates his anointing with oil. Though certainly not identical to the New Testament concept of the Holy Spirit, this passage is compatible with its teaching and at least illustrates the active presence of God in the affairs of individuals, to transform and empower them for his service.33
Contemporary Significance
Contemporary Significance
THIS UNIT HAS demonstrated how God is at work behind the scenes, bringing Samuel and Saul together miraculously, revealing his will to Samuel that he should anoint Saul, bringing dozens of other people into Saul’s life as confirmation of his anointing, and finally changing Saul’s character through his Spirit. God’s unseen hand is touching and changing in order to empower Israel to fulfill her task in the world and to accomplish his purposes.
God at work in the world. God is still at work in the world today. Sometimes it is difficult for us to see or believe that he is, and it is often clear only to those who have eyes of faith. His work today is of a different nature from that of this biblical text only in that this story relates specifically how he moved and worked in Israel in order to bring salvation to the world. It is a particularly significant step in salvation history, since through Israel’s monarchy, God will eventually provide the great King, who will die for the sins of the whole world.
But God’s work is not finished. The Bible continues to trace the story until the close of the age. The study of last things (i.e., “eschatology”) examines how his work will come to fruition in the future. In the meantime, Christians believe that God is still at work on various levels, in many different ways, in order to accomplish a variety of purposes.
Not long ago, I heard a preacher whom I greatly respect use an illustration I found hard to believe. Later, when I asked his source for the story, he told me it had been published in Reader’s Digest. When I could not find a reference to the story in recent years, I wrote to the magazine and asked for confirmation that they had published the story. They not only confirmed that they had published the story; they even sent me a faded copy of a 1949 edition of the magazine. I relate these events here as an illustration, humbly giving credit to the publisher for this extraordinary account.34
On January 10, 1948, just over two years after the conclusion of World War II, Marcel Sternberger got on a train in the Brooklyn subway he had never been on before. He normally took a different line, but he had changed his schedule in order to visit a sick friend that morning and was now boarding a noon train to get to work. The train was full. But just as he stepped in, one man jumped up and ran off, realizing he was about to miss his station. Sternberger quickly took the seat and sat down. Next to him was a man reading a Hungarian newspaper. Sternberger had been born in Hungary and though he would not normally strike up conversation with strangers in the subway, he felt compelled to say something. He looked over the man’s shoulder and said in Hungarian, “I hope you don’t mind if I glance at your paper.” The man was surprised to be addressed in his native language, and during the half-hour ride to town, they became acquainted.
Sternberger’s companion voluntarily shared his tragic story. His name was Paskin, and he had been a law student when the war started. He was eventually put into a labor battalion and sent to the Ukraine. Later he was captured by the Russians and put to work burying the German dead. After the war he covered hundreds of miles on foot, returned to his home in Debrecen, Hungary, and discovered his entire family gone. Strangers were living in the apartment once occupied by his father, mother, brothers, and sisters. When he reached the apartment he and his wife had shared, it also was occupied by strangers. Finally, he located old friends in Debrecen who had survived the war. They sadly informed him his entire family was dead. The Nazis had taken them and his wife to Auschwitz, where they were all presumably killed in the gas chambers.
Stunned by the news, the man fled Hungary, which had become a funeral land for him. He headed west toward Paris and emigrated to the United States in October 1947. As Sternberger listened, the story seemed somehow familiar. Suddenly he remembered why. He had recently met a young woman at the home of friends who had also been from Debrecen. She had been taken to Auschwitz but was then transferred to work in a German munitions factory. All her relatives had been killed in the gas chambers. After she had been liberated by the Americans, she was brought to New York in the first boatload of Displaced Persons in 1946. Sternberger had been so moved by her story he had written down her address and phone number, hoping to invite her to meet his family in order to help with her terrible loneliness and grief.
Sternberger thought it impossible that there could be a connection between these two people, but when he reached his station, he stayed on the train with his new friend. He asked as casually as possible, “Is your first name Bela?”
The man went pale as he said, “Yes! How did you know?”
Sternberger fumbled for his address book, as he asked, “Was you wife’s name Marya?”
Looking as though he might faint, Paskin said, “Yes! Yes!”
Sternberger suggested they get off at the next station without explaining why. He took Paskin to a nearby phone booth. While Paskin stood there like a man in a trance, Sternberger dialed the number, and after a long delay, he had Marya Paskin on the line. Sternberger reminded her of their recent chance meeting, and she remembered him. Without explaining why, Sternberger asked Marya where she had lived in Debrecen before the war, and she told him the address. Sternberger turned to Bela and said, “Did you and your wife live on such-and-such a street?”
“Yes!” Bela exclaimed, as he turned white as a sheet and trembled.
Sternberger urged him to stay calm but then explained that something miraculous was about to happen to him. Then he handed Bela the phone, saying, “Here, take this telephone and talk to your wife!”
When Paskin realized he was really speaking with his Marya, he broke into uncontrollable crying. Sternberger sent him by taxi to the address to be reunited with his wife.
The article continues by describing the emotional reunion between the Paskins, each of whom thought the other was dead. Marya Paskin hardly remembers their reunion because of the sudden release of emotions.
I remember only that when I left the phone, I walked to the mirror like in a dream to see maybe if my hair had turned gray. The next thing I know a taxi stops in front of the house and it is my husband who comes toward me. Details I cannot remember; only this I know—that I was happy for the first time in many years. Even now it is difficult to believe that it happened. We have both suffered so much; I have almost lost the capability to be not afraid. Each time my husband goes from the house I say to myself, “Will anything happen to take him from me again?”
There are, of course, many possible explanations of what happened as a result of that subway ride one afternoon in 1948. Some would argue the Paskins were the beneficiaries of lucky coincidences. By contract, this is how Reader’s Digest ends the article.
Skeptical persons would no doubt attribute the events of that memorable afternoon to mere chance. But was it chance that made Sternberger suddenly decide to visit his sick friend, and hence take a subway line that he had never been on before? Was it chance that caused the man sitting by the door of the car to rush out just as Sternberger came in? Was it chance that caused Bela Paskin to be sitting beside Sternberger, reading a Hungarian newspaper? Was it chance—or did God ride the Brooklyn subway that afternoon?
An awareness that God is at work in the world today should make believers more sensitive to his unexpected and unseen influence in our everyday lives. Not that we should look for the spectacular and miraculous around every bend. But we should recognize and acknowledge his work in our own lives and in those around us. Saul and his servant were casually looking for his father’s lost donkeys when God unexpectedly visited him through the prophet. Abraham was resting by the entrance to his tent when God paid him a visit (Gen. 18). Moses was pasturing sheep when God came and called him to service (Ex. 3). God does not miraculously send us a prophetic word every day or meet us in a burning bush. Nevertheless, we should learn to be faithful while attending to the routine, the ordinary, and the familiar. For in these, God often leads and directs his people.
God’s Spirit at work. We should also take from this passage the means by which God leads his people. The anointing of Saul is parallel to another passage familiar to Christians because of its use by Jesus early in his ministry: “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor” (Isa. 61:1; Luke 4:18). Thus, our passage about King Saul has three features in common with this verse spoken by the Lord’s Messiah (or “Anointed One”): Both were given the Spirit of the Lord; both were anointed; and both were commissioned for a specific task—Saul to serve as Israel’s first king and the Messiah to proclaim good news to the poor (an agenda spelled out more clearly in the rest of the Isaiah passage, Isa. 61:2–7). Anointing and reception of God’s Spirit are indispensable for service in his kingdom.
Finally, Saul is one of the best biblical examples of personal transformation because of the work of God’s Spirit in one’s life, even though God eventually withdrew his approval and blessing from Saul. In this first unit introducing us to Saul, we learn of his anointing and confirmation as Israel’s first king. But this passage lays special stress on Saul’s change of character. One’s personal conduct and moral character are central not only in one’s standing before God but also for leadership among God’s people. Furthermore, as the long and sordid story of Saul continues, we will see that God apparently does not long bestow his Spirit where there is no continued change of character.
Original Meaning
Coronation at Mizpah (10:17–27)
WHILE THE PREVIOUS paragraphs seemed positive and hopeful about the new monarchy, this concluding paragraph returns to the warnings of chapter 8 (as a counterpoint).23 Fittingly, Samuel calls another national convocation at Mizpah, the site of Israel’s humble repentance and victory (7:5–17). In stereotypical prophetic language, he reminds the people that Yahweh brought them out of Egypt and delivered them from its power. Now they have rejected him by demanding a king for all the wrong reasons. Interestingly, the prophetic speech pattern used here is one well known throughout the Old Testament for announcing judgment. In fact, the selection of Saul is inserted at the very point where we would expect an announcement of judgment.24 This being the case, Yahweh’s act of providing a king for Israel is itself an act of divine wrath (see Hos. 13:11).
The people present themselves in successive order before Samuel so that the king may be designated by the casting of lots.25 But when Saul is selected by a process of elimination, he is nowhere to be found. What has gone wrong? Is Saul hiding because of his humility or his cowardliness? In light of the fact that this king-designate has been prophetically anointed, has received three signs confirming his divine appointment (10:1–7), and has been empowered by the spirit of God, this hesitancy to take up the task reflects badly on Saul. “Such persistent reluctance can become reprehensible.”26
Once located, Saul is presented to the people, who enthusiastically approve. The exultant “Long live the king!” has survived into modern times and universally implores health and success for a new monarch in the hopes that he might lead the people to better times. But this great “leader” has to be dragged before his subjects from behind the baggage, which does not bode well for the future.
Bridging Contexts
Bridging Contexts
THE PLACE OF THE MONARCH IN SALVATION HISTORY. Most Old Testament historical narratives are told on a number of levels.27 This unit has much to teach us about the nature of Israelite kingship in general and its role in the overarching story of God’s relationship with Israel. But on a more individualistic level, this text is also about Saul and the way God relates to him. In applying this text to our modern world, we must consider both levels of interpretation. We consider first the place of Israel’s monarchy in biblical salvation history in general before turning to the issues involved in the anointing and preparation of Saul in particular.
The apostle Paul summarized God’s work in ancient Israel in his address at Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:17–22). The God of Israel elected the ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He prospered their descendants during a sojourn in Egypt, after which he delivered them “with mighty power” and endured their rebellious behavior for forty years in the desert. He overthrew the nations of Canaan and made his people Israel the new owners of the land. Then God appointed (lit., “gave”) judges until the time of Samuel the prophet (Acts 13:20b). But “then the people asked for a king, and he gave [same verb] them Saul son of Kish” (13:21). After Saul, God raised up David as king, finding in him a man after his own heart (13:22). Finally, Paul concludes, God brought forth from David’s line the Savior Jesus, as he had promised (13:23).
In this sweeping overview of the highlights of salvation history, we can see the role of Saul and the Israelite monarchy, which was a basic theme in God’s plan of salvation. The new institution was a link from the ancestors to the coming of the Messiah.
Since this unit is the point at which Israel’s monarchy is established for the first time, it is helpful to review in more detail the way in which kingship relates to other themes in the Old Testament.28 Unlike neighboring cultures of the ancient world, the Bible does not make Israel’s kingship an essential ingredient of creation. The Egyptians believed monarchy was rooted in the very order of nature, and the Mesopotamians thought it was necessary for human civilization. But the created order stands independent of Israel’s need for a king, and the rule of any individual monarch was strictly granted as a means of God’s grace.
Kingship, strictly speaking, was not essential to God’s plans for salvation. However, God’s promises to the ancestors of the book of Genesis found partial fulfillment in Israel’s monarchy (Gen. 15:18–21; 17:6, 16; 49:8–12). Furthermore, the gift of land was linked to kingship in that any king who violated the land was in jeopardy of driving the people into exile. As we will see later in 1-2 Samuel, the central role of Jerusalem and ultimately the coming of the Messiah were also linked to Israel’s kingship.
The preparation and anointing of Saul as king. This unit explains the mechanical means by which Israel got her first king. It narrates the divine selection, prophetic anointing, confirmation, and public acclamation of the new king. It is a historical narrative in that it tells us of Saul, the kingmaker Samuel, and the inauguration of Israel’s monarchy. But like other historical narratives of the Bible, it is not primarily concerned with history per se. This is not a history of Israel’s kingship. Rather, the narrator has a deeper interest. The story is first and foremost about Yahweh, not Saul or Samuel or even Israel. God is the guiding hand behind all that occurs in this passage.
We get a sense of Yahweh’s subtle but sovereign actions in a variety of ways. At first we learn about Saul and his mission to find his father’s donkeys. But when we meet Samuel, the narrator tells us that Yahweh is in fact sending Saul to Samuel (“I will send you a man,” 9:16). The Lord has also revealed to Samuel (9:15; lit., “uncovered Samuel’s ear”) precisely who is to become king, what his tribe of origin is, and how he is to anoint him as “leader.” Such details drive the reader to conclude that Saul’s journey to find the donkeys is not mere chance but the will of Yahweh.
The servant’s insistence that they inquire of the man of God in the local city, Saul’s encounter with Samuel, and all the details of the episode seem to be orchestrated, or at least utilized, by the unseen hand of God. And the denouement of the unit, the final step in the preparation of Saul for kingship, is Saul’s change of heart, which is mediated and intensified by the spirit of Yahweh (10:6, 9–10). Thus, God is working through Israel’s historical and political circumstances to accomplish his purposes for the nation.
Beyond the significance of Israelite kingship in biblical theology in general, this text also invites us to consider in particular the relationship between God’s hand on our own lives and the influence of his Spirit in changing our characters. Saul becomes an example of what happens when an individual gets caught up in God’s plan for his or her life. Of the three signs predicted to confirm Saul’s status in Yahweh’s new social order, only the one relating the coming of God’s Spirit and the transformation of Saul’s character is included (10:9–10). Here spiritual transformation is followed by new life under the authority of God’s Spirit.
This is the earliest reference to the inner changes God works through the ministry of his Spirit. It is not accurate to speak in this case of conversion in the way Christians often use the term. Rather, this transformation of Saul realigns his worldview so that his former perceptions of himself and his role in national Israel are replaced with an openness for anything.29 He is now prepared to follow whatever path Yahweh directs.
The coming of the spirit of Yahweh on Saul at Gibeah (10:6, 9–10) is parallel to a similar event from the time of Moses. While in the desert, the spirit of God rested on the seventy elders of Israel, who were to share responsibility with Moses for judging the people (Num. 11:16–18, 25). In both cases, persons not previously associated with the “prophets” were endowed with prophetic gifts temporarily, which probably confirmed their legitimacy.30 We should not jump too quickly to a Christian, Trinitarian understanding of the spirit of the Lord or the spirit of God in the Old Testament. Such expressions are similar to saying a basketball team is infused with the spirit of its coach. The players display the coach’s attitudes, character, and energy in the way they play the game.31 One could say that because of this event, Saul sees things differently. He now shares Yahweh’s perceptions of Israel and of himself as her new king. (For this reason, most translations of the Bible use a lowercase “s” for the expression “spirit of God.”)
However, the coming of God’s spirit here also accompanies an inner, spiritual transformation, turning Saul into “a different person” (10:6). The point is not that Saul becomes a prophet or merely receives a skill he does not have previously. Rather, by means of the spirit of God, Saul “became the Lord’s possession and stood under the authority of Israel’s true Savior.”32 By claiming ownership of Saul through his spirit, Yahweh also graciously dispenses a new inner unction that validates his anointing with oil. Though certainly not identical to the New Testament concept of the Holy Spirit, this passage is compatible with its teaching and at least illustrates the active presence of God in the affairs of individuals, to transform and empower them for his service.33
Contemporary Significance
Contemporary Significance
THIS UNIT HAS demonstrated how God is at work behind the scenes, bringing Samuel and Saul together miraculously, revealing his will to Samuel that he should anoint Saul, bringing dozens of other people into Saul’s life as confirmation of his anointing, and finally changing Saul’s character through his Spirit. God’s unseen hand is touching and changing in order to empower Israel to fulfill her task in the world and to accomplish his purposes.
God at work in the world. God is still at work in the world today. Sometimes it is difficult for us to see or believe that he is, and it is often clear only to those who have eyes of faith. His work today is of a different nature from that of this biblical text only in that this story relates specifically how he moved and worked in Israel in order to bring salvation to the world. It is a particularly significant step in salvation history, since through Israel’s monarchy, God will eventually provide the great King, who will die for the sins of the whole world.
But God’s work is not finished. The Bible continues to trace the story until the close of the age. The study of last things (i.e., “eschatology”) examines how his work will come to fruition in the future. In the meantime, Christians believe that God is still at work on various levels, in many different ways, in order to accomplish a variety of purposes.
Not long ago, I heard a preacher whom I greatly respect use an illustration I found hard to believe. Later, when I asked his source for the story, he told me it had been published in Reader’s Digest. When I could not find a reference to the story in recent years, I wrote to the magazine and asked for confirmation that they had published the story. They not only confirmed that they had published the story; they even sent me a faded copy of a 1949 edition of the magazine. I relate these events here as an illustration, humbly giving credit to the publisher for this extraordinary account.34
On January 10, 1948, just over two years after the conclusion of World War II, Marcel Sternberger got on a train in the Brooklyn subway he had never been on before. He normally took a different line, but he had changed his schedule in order to visit a sick friend that morning and was now boarding a noon train to get to work. The train was full. But just as he stepped in, one man jumped up and ran off, realizing he was about to miss his station. Sternberger quickly took the seat and sat down. Next to him was a man reading a Hungarian newspaper. Sternberger had been born in Hungary and though he would not normally strike up conversation with strangers in the subway, he felt compelled to say something. He looked over the man’s shoulder and said in Hungarian, “I hope you don’t mind if I glance at your paper.” The man was surprised to be addressed in his native language, and during the half-hour ride to town, they became acquainted.
Sternberger’s companion voluntarily shared his tragic story. His name was Paskin, and he had been a law student when the war started. He was eventually put into a labor battalion and sent to the Ukraine. Later he was captured by the Russians and put to work burying the German dead. After the war he covered hundreds of miles on foot, returned to his home in Debrecen, Hungary, and discovered his entire family gone. Strangers were living in the apartment once occupied by his father, mother, brothers, and sisters. When he reached the apartment he and his wife had shared, it also was occupied by strangers. Finally, he located old friends in Debrecen who had survived the war. They sadly informed him his entire family was dead. The Nazis had taken them and his wife to Auschwitz, where they were all presumably killed in the gas chambers.
Stunned by the news, the man fled Hungary, which had become a funeral land for him. He headed west toward Paris and emigrated to the United States in October 1947. As Sternberger listened, the story seemed somehow familiar. Suddenly he remembered why. He had recently met a young woman at the home of friends who had also been from Debrecen. She had been taken to Auschwitz but was then transferred to work in a German munitions factory. All her relatives had been killed in the gas chambers. After she had been liberated by the Americans, she was brought to New York in the first boatload of Displaced Persons in 1946. Sternberger had been so moved by her story he had written down her address and phone number, hoping to invite her to meet his family in order to help with her terrible loneliness and grief.
Sternberger thought it impossible that there could be a connection between these two people, but when he reached his station, he stayed on the train with his new friend. He asked as casually as possible, “Is your first name Bela?”
The man went pale as he said, “Yes! How did you know?”
Sternberger fumbled for his address book, as he asked, “Was you wife’s name Marya?”
Looking as though he might faint, Paskin said, “Yes! Yes!”
Sternberger suggested they get off at the next station without explaining why. He took Paskin to a nearby phone booth. While Paskin stood there like a man in a trance, Sternberger dialed the number, and after a long delay, he had Marya Paskin on the line. Sternberger reminded her of their recent chance meeting, and she remembered him. Without explaining why, Sternberger asked Marya where she had lived in Debrecen before the war, and she told him the address. Sternberger turned to Bela and said, “Did you and your wife live on such-and-such a street?”
“Yes!” Bela exclaimed, as he turned white as a sheet and trembled.
Sternberger urged him to stay calm but then explained that something miraculous was about to happen to him. Then he handed Bela the phone, saying, “Here, take this telephone and talk to your wife!”
When Paskin realized he was really speaking with his Marya, he broke into uncontrollable crying. Sternberger sent him by taxi to the address to be reunited with his wife.
The article continues by describing the emotional reunion between the Paskins, each of whom thought the other was dead. Marya Paskin hardly remembers their reunion because of the sudden release of emotions.
I remember only that when I left the phone, I walked to the mirror like in a dream to see maybe if my hair had turned gray. The next thing I know a taxi stops in front of the house and it is my husband who comes toward me. Details I cannot remember; only this I know—that I was happy for the first time in many years. Even now it is difficult to believe that it happened. We have both suffered so much; I have almost lost the capability to be not afraid. Each time my husband goes from the house I say to myself, “Will anything happen to take him from me again?”
There are, of course, many possible explanations of what happened as a result of that subway ride one afternoon in 1948. Some would argue the Paskins were the beneficiaries of lucky coincidences. By contract, this is how Reader’s Digest ends the article.
Skeptical persons would no doubt attribute the events of that memorable afternoon to mere chance. But was it chance that made Sternberger suddenly decide to visit his sick friend, and hence take a subway line that he had never been on before? Was it chance that caused the man sitting by the door of the car to rush out just as Sternberger came in? Was it chance that caused Bela Paskin to be sitting beside Sternberger, reading a Hungarian newspaper? Was it chance—or did God ride the Brooklyn subway that afternoon?
An awareness that God is at work in the world today should make believers more sensitive to his unexpected and unseen influence in our everyday lives. Not that we should look for the spectacular and miraculous around every bend. But we should recognize and acknowledge his work in our own lives and in those around us. Saul and his servant were casually looking for his father’s lost donkeys when God unexpectedly visited him through the prophet. Abraham was resting by the entrance to his tent when God paid him a visit (Gen. 18). Moses was pasturing sheep when God came and called him to service (Ex. 3). God does not miraculously send us a prophetic word every day or meet us in a burning bush. Nevertheless, we should learn to be faithful while attending to the routine, the ordinary, and the familiar. For in these, God often leads and directs his people.
God’s Spirit at work. We should also take from this passage the means by which God leads his people. The anointing of Saul is parallel to another passage familiar to Christians because of its use by Jesus early in his ministry: “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor” (Isa. 61:1; Luke 4:18). Thus, our passage about King Saul has three features in common with this verse spoken by the Lord’s Messiah (or “Anointed One”): Both were given the Spirit of the Lord; both were anointed; and both were commissioned for a specific task—Saul to serve as Israel’s first king and the Messiah to proclaim good news to the poor (an agenda spelled out more clearly in the rest of the Isaiah passage, Isa. 61:2–7). Anointing and reception of God’s Spirit are indispensable for service in his kingdom.
Finally, Saul is one of the best biblical examples of personal transformation because of the work of God’s Spirit in one’s life, even though God eventually withdrew his approval and blessing from Saul. In this first unit introducing us to Saul, we learn of his anointing and confirmation as Israel’s first king. But this passage lays special stress on Saul’s change of character. One’s personal conduct and moral character are central not only in one’s standing before God but also for leadership among God’s people. Furthermore, as the long and sordid story of Saul continues, we will see that God apparently does not long bestow his Spirit where there is no continued change of character.