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Chapter Ten (ESV)

 

10 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. …

 

6 Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man….

 

17 Now Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah. 18 And he said to the people of Israel, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ 19 But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, ‘Set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands.”

 

20 Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 21 He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its clans, and the clan of the Matrites was taken by lot; and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found. 22 So they inquired again of the Lord, “Is there a man still to come?” and the Lord said, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.” 23 Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. 24 And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

 

REFLECTION:

1. The actual king making took place in private between Samuel and Saul, marked by oil, a symbol of God’s spirit, poured on Saul’s head, and the prophetic kiss, a sign of God’s blessing. In the Bible, anointing someone with oil designated that person as set apart to a special position of leadership. Both priests and prophets were thus anointed, but the ritual was especially associated with kings. This ceremony recognizes who it is that is truly in control—without God’s authority Saul would never have become king.
2. The Lord, spoke through Samuel, emphasized to the people that he has been their deliverer throughout their history. Although the judges themselves sometimes are referred to as Israel’s deliverers, this was only true in a secondary sense, for they were instruments of the Lord’s deliverance.
3. What major “calamity” in my past has God delivered me from? How has the memory of that event shaped my relationship with God?

 

PRAYER:

I love You, LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Ref. Ps 18:1-2)