1 Samuel 10

1 Samuel 10

Chart from recommended resource Jensen's Survey of the OT - used by permission 1 Samuel Chart from Charles Swindoll TIMELINE OF THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL, KINGS & CHRONICLES 1107 1011 971 931 853 722 586 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 1 Kings 2 Kings 31 1-4 5-10 11-20 21-24 1-11 12-22 1-17 18-25 1 Chronicles 10 1 Chr 11-19 1 Chr 20-29 2 Chronicles 1-9 2 Chronicles 10-20 2 Chronicles 21-36 Legend: B.C. dates at top of timeline are approximate. Note that 931BC marks the division of the Kingdom into Southern Tribes (Judah and Benjamin) and Ten Northern Tribes. To avoid confusion be aware that after the division of the Kingdom in 931BC, the Southern Kingdom is most often designated in Scripture as "Judah" and the Northern Kingdom as "Israel." Finally, note that 1 Chronicles 1-9 is not identified on the timeline because these chapters are records of genealogy. The Ryrie Study Bible Map on Left ESV Global Study Bible, on right Jensen's Survey of the OT 1 Samuel 8 1 Samuel 9 1 Samuel 10 1 Samuel 11 1 Samuel 12 A King Requested A King Chosen King Goes Forth The Kingdom Admonished People request a king Saul comes to Samuel Saul Anointed Saul’s call to arms Samuel’s call to commitment 1 Samuel 10:1 Then Samuel took the flask of oil, poured it on his head, kissed him and said, "Has not the LORD anointed you a ruler over His inheritance? NET 1 Samuel 10:1 Then Samuel took a small container of olive oil and poured it on Saul's head. Samuel kissed him and said, "The LORD has chosen you to lead his people Israel! You will rule over the LORD's people and you will deliver them from the power of the enemies who surround them. This will be your sign that the LORD has chosen you as leader over his inheritance. CSB 1 Samuel 10:1 Samuel took the flask of oil, poured it out on Saul's head, kissed him, and said, "Hasn't the LORD anointed you ruler over His inheritance? ESV 1 Samuel 10:1 Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, "Has not the LORD anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the LORD and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the LORD has anointed you to be prince over his heritage. NIV 1 Samuel 10:1 Then 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? NLT 1 Samuel 10:1 Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it over Saul's head. He kissed Saul and said, "I am doing this because the LORD has appointed you to be the ruler over Israel, his special possession. NRS 1 Samuel 10:1 Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him; he said, "The LORD has anointed you ruler over his people Israel. You shall reign over the people of the LORD and you will save them from the hand of their enemies all around. Now this shall be the sign to you that the LORD has anointed you ruler over his heritage: the flask of oil: 1Sa 2:10 9:16 16:13 24:6 26:11 2Ki 9:3-6 Ac 13:21 Rev 5:8 kissed him: 2Sa 19:39 1Ki 19:18 Ps 2:12 Ho 13:2 1Th 5:26 you a ruler : 1Sa 8:9,19 13:14 Jos 5:14,15 2Sa 5:2 2Ki 20:5 Heb 2:10 his inheritance: Ex 19:5-6 De 32:9 Ps 78:71 135:4 Jer 10:16 1 Samuel 10 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Exodus 19:5-6+ ‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; 6 and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.” Deuteronomy 32:9+ “For the LORD’S portion is His people; Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance. Psalm 2:12KJV Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. Then - Marks progression in the narrative and flows from the the 1Sa 9:27 (probably not an ideal chapter break) Samuel took the flask of oil, poured it on his head, kissed him and said - Samuel literally poured oil on Saul. The only witnesses were Samuel and God. Recall that priests, prophets and kings were anointed. Kissed him was a sign of his own support and loyalty to Saul (cf Ps 2:12KJV). "Has not the LORD anointed (masah/maschah'; Lxx = chrio) you a ruler over His inheritance? - Rhetorical. The expression, “Has not Yahweh anointed you ruler,” is a Hebraism for stating something certain. Indeed it was the LORD's doing, and Samuel was just God's vessel of honor set apart, useful to Him for this good work (2Ti 2:21+) of anointing the first human king of Israel. NLT paraphrases it "I am doing this because the LORD has appointed you to be the ruler over Israel, his special possession." Robert Bergen - For further discussion on the significance of anointing, cf. R. L. Harris, who suggests that the term implied “separation for God’s service” and “divine enablement,” among other things (“מָשַׁח” in Here is a link to the TWOT, 530). On ruler - The Lord termed him “leader” (Hb. nāgîd) and not “king” here, though the term evidently implied kingship (cf. 1 Sam 12:13) and should not be taken here as a status inferior to that of king. kissing - Samuel’s kissing of Saul was an expression of respect for and acceptance of the Lord’s anointed (cf. Gen 29:13; 33:4; 45:15; Exod 4:27; 18:7).(Borrow 1 & 2 Samuel - New American Commentary) Brian Bell - Anointing - was carried out by priests & prophets of the Lord in the OT. They would pour out an amount of sacred, spiced olive oil on the top of the head of an individual selected by God’s prophet to serve as priest or king. 1 a) The act symbolized the power & presence of God’s coming upon an individual to enable the person to do the Lord’s work. (eg Ps.133:2 Aaron - oil ran down beard & to the edge of his garment) b) I think a good picture is in Isa. 21:5. The expression, anoint the shield, refers to the custom of rubbing oil on the leather of the shield so as to make it flexible & fit for use in war. We have been anointed fellow believers! You have been set apart as well. 1 Jn 2:20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One. 1 Jn 2:27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; Believer's, He has rubbed oil on you so you would be made flexible & fit for His use! TECHNICAL NOTE - NET AND ESV INCLUDE THE SEPTUAGINT ADDITION IN BOLD NET 1 Samuel 10:1 Then Samuel took a small container of olive oil and poured it on Saul's head. Samuel kissed him and said, "The LORD has chosen you to lead his people Israel! You will rule over the LORD's people and you will deliver them from the power of the enemies who surround them. This will be your sign that the LORD has chosen you as leader over his inheritance. (1Sa 10:1 NET) ESV 1 Samuel 10:1 Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, "Has not the LORD anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the LORD and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the LORD has anointed you to be prince over his heritage. (1Sa 10:1 ESV) COMMENT - The Masoretic Text (MT) reads simply "Is it not that the LORD has anointed you over his inheritance for a leader?" The (NET and ESV) translation follows the LXX (Septuagint). The MT apparently suffers from parablepsis, whereby a scribe's eye jumped from the first occurrence of the expression "the LORD has anointed you" to the second occurrence of this expression at the end of v. 1. This mistake caused the accidental omission of the intervening material in the LXX, which appears to preserve the original Hebrew text here. Anoint (04886) masah/maschah is a verb which basically means to smear something on, to rub with oil, to anoint (as in setting one apart for office or function - Elisha as prophet = 1Ki 19:16, kings for office = 1Sa 9:16 = Saul,1Sa 16:12 = David, 1Ki 1:39 = Solomon) and by implication to sanctify (set aside for sacred purpose) or consecrate (dedicate for a sacred purpose) (altar = Nu 7:10; vessels for worship - Ex 29:36 = "you shall anoint it to consecrate it;" Ex 30:26, 40:9-10). In the first OT use, Jacob "anointed a pillar" and made a vow to God (Ge 31:13; Lxx = aleipho = to anoint by applying a liquid - Jesus' feet were anointed with perfume - Lk 7:38, 46). Baker adds that "The anointing was done with oil to symbolize the elevation of the person to a new position such as priest or king (2Sa 5:3)." Masah is used of Aaron being anointed (Ex 28:41+, Ex 29:7+, Ex 29:29) and is translated in the Septuagint (Lxx) with chrio which means to anoint and in the NT only referred to an anointing by God of someone, setting them apart for special service under divine direction (2Co 1:21). In Lk 4:18+ chrio refers to the anointing of Jesus for His ministry (quoting from Isa 61:1+ which also uses chrio to translate masah) Chrio also refers to Jesus' being anointed in Hebrew 1:9+ "“YOU HAVE LOVED RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HATED LAWLESSNESS; THEREFORE GOD, YOUR GOD, HAS ANOINTED YOU WITH THE OIL OF GLADNESS ABOVE YOUR COMPANIONS.” Gleason Archer - Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties - scroll to page 175 Do not the Scriptures give contradictory accounts of how Saul was anointed king over Israel (cf. 1 Sam. 9;10;12)? There is actually only one account to be found in the scriptural record concerning the anointing of Saul to be king over Israel. That is found in 10:1, where we read that at the border of Samuel’s city (presumably Ramah in the territory of Zuph [9:5]) Samuel privately anointed Saul, saying, “Has not the LORD anointed you a ruler over His inheritance?” (NASB). Therefore we must recognize that since there was only one account of the actual anointing ceremony itself, there could not possibly be any contradictory accounts of it. What we are told in 1 Samuel 10:17–24 is that at a national assembly summoned by Samuel to Mizpah, there was a solemn casting of lots conducted with a view to finding out which man of Israel the Lord Himself had chosen to be king. The lot finally fell on Saul, who was modestly hiding himself from sight by lurking behind the baggage near the place of assembly. When searchers discovered him there and brought him out before the entire congregation, Samuel publicly acknowledged him, saying, “Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen? Surely there is no one like him among all the people” (v.24, NASB). Then all the multitude acclaimed him, saying, “Long live the king!” Yet there is not a word said here about a ceremonial anointing. A still further confirmation by the military leadership of the nation came after Saul’s successful lifting of the siege of Jabesh-gilead and his routing of the Ammonite besiegers themselves. 1 Samuel 11:15 tells us: “So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they also offered sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly” (NASB). But we are given no indication whatever that he was anointed at that time; there is no mention of a crowning ceremony either. It simply involved an enthusiastic reaffirmation of his royal authority and glory, in line with the previous appointment made at Mizpah. 1 Samuel 12 simply continues the narrative of the confirmation ceremony at Gilgal, with Samuel giving his farewell address before the people and solemnly warning all the nation as well as their new ruler that the favor and protection of the Lord Yahweh would be conditioned on their faithful adherence to His holy law and their maintenance of a consistent testimony of godliness before the idol-worshiping world (vv. 14–15). He closed with a stern warning in v.25: “But if you still do wickedly, both you and your king shall be swept away” (NASB). This record of the initial anointing of Saul by God’s prophet, his subsequent acknowledgment by the nation, and his later vindication as leader by his first victory in war against the heathen all form a perfectly consistent and believable line of development as the very first king of Israel comes into office and the old system of intermittent “judges” (or charismatic rulers) comes to a close. Norman Geisler - 1 SAMUEL 10:1—Does the Scripture give contradictory accounts of the anointing of Saul? - When Critics Ask - scroll to page 143 PROBLEM: According to 1 Samuel 10:1, Samuel anointed Saul at the outskirts of Ramah in the territory of Zuph (cf. 9:5). However, 1 Samuel 10:17–24 asserts that Saul was appointed king of Israel at Mizpah. Are these accounts contradictory? SOLUTION: No. The only passage that describes the anointing of Saul is found in 1 Samuel 10:1. In 1 Samuel 10:17–24 we read of the public appointment of Saul in the presence of the whole nation. There is no statement of anointing him at this time. Also, in 1 Samuel 12 we find the confirmation ceremony of Saul’s appointment as king of Israel and Samuel’s farewell address to the nation. Nowhere in this section is there any reference to an anointing. According to the biblical record, Saul was anointed only once, and there is no contradiction among these accounts. James Smith - Handfuls of Purpose - SAUL, THE ANOINTED 1 Samuel 10 “Take my life and let it be, Consecrated, Lord, to Thee; Take my moments and my days, Let them flow in ceaseless praise.” —HAVERGAL. Arnold has said, “While life is good to give, I give.” This is beautiful. Why should we wait till our youthful strength and vigour are shrivelled up before we yield ourselves to God? Samuel, Saul, and David were all chosen of God while they were young. Surely the best of masters deserves the best of servants. We have seen Saul as “a choice young man.” Let us look at him now as the “chosen of God.” See how he was— I. Separated by Anointing. “Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head” (v. 1), as a sign that the Lord had anointed him. Priests and kings were usually called out in this fashion (Exod. 29:7; 2 Kings 9:3). All God’s chosen ones still are to be separated unto Himself by an holy anointing (1 John 2:27). There was but a very short interval between the revelation of the Divine purpose to Saul and the outpouring of the oil of consecration upon his head. As soon as we know the will of God we should be separated unto Him. “After that ye believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Ghost” (Eph. 1:13). II. Encouraged by Promises. The prophet gave him a threefold word of assurance. There was a promise— 1. CONCERNING HIS BUSINESS. “Two men shall say unto thee, The asses are found” (v. 2). 2. CONCERNING HIS BODILY WANTS. Three men would give him two loaves of bread (vv. 3, 4). 3. CONCERNING HIS SPIRITUAL NEED. “The Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee” (v. 6). Thus he was assured that as the chosen of God all things would work together for his good, and that God would make all grace abound toward him. This threefold assurance have all those who have received the anointing of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:32). The Lord never sends any one a warfare on his own charges. III. Changed by Grace. “God gave him another heart” (v. 9). We may not reckon this change as equal to regeneration, but by the grace of God new motives and desires were begotten in the bosom of Saul. This sudden and unexpected revelation of the purpose of God concerning him had, morally, made him another man than what he was before he knew this great transforming truth. When “the grace of God that bringeth salvation” is revealed to us and received by us, it will certainly make new creatures of us. No man can be the same after receiving the kingdom of God. If the Gospel has not brought to us another heart we surely have not believed it. IV. Assured by Circumstances. All those signs came to pass” (v. 9). It is a blessed experience to find that our outward circumstances are made to conform and confirm the thoughts and intents of the inner life. When the purpose of God has been revealed, and our hearts and lives willingly yielded to the fulfilment of that purpose, we shall certainly see, in the providence of God, many confirming tokens. The outer wheels of our circumstances never move contrary to the inner workings of the Spirit of God. There may be wheels within wheels, but they are “full of eyes,” and so cannot err (Ezek. 1:18). V. Moved by the Spirit. “The Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied” (vv. 10, 11). When the Spirit of God comes upon any one there are sure to be signs following. It is but natural for Saul to join in the song of the prophetic band when he was possessed by the same Spirit. Thus the word of Samuel was fulfilled (v. 6). Man at his best, apart from the power of the Holy Ghost, is but a poor weakling in the service of God; but the gift of the Spirit is the assurance of God to us, that all the resources of His grace and wisdom are within our reach for the honour of His Name (John 16:13, 14). This was a priceless privilege conferred upon Saul, an astonishing favour. “Is Saul also among the prophets?” VI. Humbled by the Prospect. “Saul was taken, and when they sought him he could not be found. Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff” (vv. 21, 22). While he was little in his own eyes, all things kept working together for his good. It is not the grace of God that puffs up, but the wind of self-conceit. The kingdom had come to him, not because he had sought it, or wrought for it. It was to him the gift of God. He was deeply conscious of the insignificance of the tribe to which he belonged, and the smallness and poverty of his family (chap. 9:21). But grace delights to lavish its wealth and honour upon the weak and unworthy (2 Cor. 12:9, 10). They that be whole need not a physician. VII. Despised by the Worthless. “The children of Belial said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him,” etc (v. 27). These sons of worthless men had perhaps known Saul from his boyhood, and like the modern sons of Belial they make no allowance whatever for the call of God and the anointing of His Spirit. It is no new thing to be despised and sneered at because we have had a new and soul-uplifting revelation of the goodness of God. The more God honours us the more will the lewd and self-deceived despise us in their hearts. But in this we are made partakers of the fellowship of the sufferings of Christ. The carnal mind is enmity against God. But here Saul, like our Lord and Master, was patient in suffering. “He held his peace.” It is an unmistakable proof of a young man’s moral strength when he can treat his enemies with magnanimous silence. 1 Samuel 10:2 "When you go from me today, then you will find two men close to Rachel's tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, 'The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. Now behold, your father has ceased to be concerned about the donkeys and is anxious for you, saying, "What shall I do about my son?'" Rachel's tomb: Ge 35:19 Jer 31:15 Zelzah: Jos 18:28 the donkeys: 1Sa 10:16 9:3-5 1 Samuel 10 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries SAMUEL'S INSTRUCTIONS TO IN THE FORM OF "SIGNS" When you go from me today - "Realizing that Saul was probably having difficulty grasping the significance of these events, Samuel gave him three confirmatory signs (1 Samuel 10:2–7)." (Cyril Barber) I think there were in essence 4 signs, the fourth being seen in Saul himself being enabled to prophesy. Then you will find two men close to Rachel's tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, 'The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. Now behold, your father has ceased to be concerned about the donkeys and is anxious for you, saying, "What shall I do about my son?'" - This is the first sign (see 1Sa 10:7). Samuel gives prophetic statements that will prove true and substantiate that Samuel is a true prophet of God (sign #1) and his act of anointing Saul was the will of God. What began as a tale of lost donkeys (a tale looking for "tails"), ends with a found king. God had used these "mundane" events to bring to fruition His good and acceptable and perfect will! The location of Rachel’s tomb is disputed as the tomb near Bethlehem, which is shown to tourists, was actually built by the Crusaders.