seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
1 Samuel 10:1 Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over his inheritance? 2 When 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 worship 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. 4 They 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, timbrels, pipes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying. 6 The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. 7 Once 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.”
Here's the link to the commentary I use.
You will find two men by Rachel’s tomb: Samuel gave Saul a specific prophetic word, by which Saul could have confidence that his anointing was really from God. If there were no men by Rachel’s tomb, or if there was only one man and not two, then Saul would know that Samuel did not really speak from God.
Which you shall receive: It would be unusual for men to simply give a stranger like Saul loaves of bread. But as king, Saul will often receive gifts, so this was a good way to confirm his anointing as king.
A group of prophets: They were apparently seeking the LORD and worshipping Him at the place of worship (the high place). They will be prophesying isn’t necessarily saying that they were all predicting the future, but that they all spoke under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
And you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man: Before this Saul never was a particularly spiritual man. So for him to prophesy — that is, speak as inspired from the LORD, whether predicting the future, exhorting others, or speaking unto God — was real evidence that he was turned into another man.
Seven days you shall wait: This was an important command. By the nature of their office, kings do not wait for anybody — others wait for them. But Samuel commanded Saul to wait for him, because the prophet of God had more real authority than this king over Israel. Saul had to show that even though he was a king he was submitted to the LORD and the LORD’s prophet. Failing to wait for Samuel will get Saul into trouble on a future occasion.
I bet when Saul woke up that morning, he didn't think someone was going to pour a bottle of olive oil on his head before the day was done. Saul and Samuel are sitting on Samuel's rooftop, enjoying the cool breeze above the town streets. Saul was supposed to be looking for his dad's donkeys. Now he's being anointed with oil. The donkeys are safe, according to Samuel. Saul is probably quite sure Samuel is telling him the truth about the donkey's being safe. After all he's enjoying a nice evening, with a full belly, on the roof rather than checking the stalls around town for donkeys.
Samuel, after pouring oil all over Saul's head, told Saul he would meet a specific number of people and he would receive a specific number of gifts. Samuel has given him specifics, like the number of men, the number of goats, and the number of loaves of bread, etc. This way Saul would know this was no hoax. Saul was the chosen one and Samuel was giving him the specifics of the prize.
Balaam's donkey keeps coming to mind. Balaam was the prophet whose donkey talked to him. Interesting coincidence?
Isn't it convenient that Saul was looking for donkeys when he met Samuel, the prophet?
I wonder, would the story be the same if instead of Samuel, the prophet, telling him he anointed... one of his dad's donkeys told him the same thing?
God can make a donkey talk. He made Balaam's donkey talk, surely, he could have had Saul's dad's donkeys sing a toon and dance for Saul.
After all, Saul was hunting donkeys. Interesting coincidence?
Check out verse 6. Saul will become a prophet... he'll prophesy with the prophets. He'll be a changed man.
And then he is supposed to go to Gilgal and wait a week for Samuel to catch up with further instructions for him.
How good is Saul at following directions???? Will he follow Samuel's instructions?
Saul was tall, dark, and handsome. He stood a foot above others around him.
When I was a kid, I was the tallest kid in school. All the little ones loved to have me around... because all the bullies were afraid of me. I never had to smack any of the bullies... I just had to puff up my chest and clench my fist... and the bullies were as docile as kittens.
Saul was tall, dark, and handsome. When he walked into a room, everyone would turn to enjoy his presence.
So... Samuel anointed the pretty-boy Saul.
