Saul's Rise and Fall as King - 1 Samuel 8:1 - 13:23

Teacher: Rusty Kennedy
​Series: Bible Stories

Rusty's Notes

ISRAEL’S DEMAND FOR A KING
1 SAMUEL 8
1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. 2 His firstborn son’s name was Joel and his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beer-sheba. 3 However, his sons did not walk in his ways—they turned toward dishonest profit, took bribes, and perverted justice.

• The people would probably not have insisted on having a king at this time if Samuel's sons had proved to be as faithful to the Mosaic Covenant as their father had been.
• The text says that they served as judges in Beersheba, but Josephus wrote that they served at Bethel and Beersheba.
• Eli's sons had also proved unworthy.
• Parental influence is important, but personal choices are even more determinative in the outcome of one's life.
• Whereas the writer censured Eli for his poor parenting (3:13), he did not do so with Samuel.
• Evidently he did not consider Samuel responsible for his son's conduct, or perhaps he did not want to sully the reputation of this great judge.

4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Therefore, appoint a king to judge us the same as all the other nations have.”
6 When they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” Samuel considered their demand wrong, so he prayed to the Lord.

• The request displeased Samuel, probably because he saw this request as a desire to change the form of Israel's government without divine initiative.

7 But the Lord told him, “Listen to the people and everything they say to you. They have not rejected you; they have rejected me as their king. 8 They are doing the same thing to you that they have done to me, since the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day, abandoning me and worshiping other gods.

• The rejection of Samuel was the rejection of godly leadership; the choice of Saul was the choice of ungodly leadership.

9 Listen to them, but solemnly warn them and tell them about the customary rights of the king who will reign over them.”
10 Samuel told all the Lord’s words to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “These are the rights of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and put them to his use in his chariots, on his horses, or running in front of his chariots. 12 He can appoint them for his use as commanders of thousands or commanders of fifties, to plow his ground and reap his harvest, or to make his weapons of war and the equipment for his chariots. 13 He can take your daughters to become perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14 He can take your best fields, vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He can take a tenth of your grain and your vineyards and give them to his officials and servants. 16 He can take your male servants, your female servants, your best cattle, and your donkeys and use them for his work. 17 He can take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves can become his servants. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out because of the king you’ve chosen for yourselves, but the Lord won’t answer you on that day.”

•  The people would also regret their request because their king would disappoint them.

19 The people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We must have a king over us. 20 Then we’ll be like all the other nations: our king will judge us, go out before us, and fight our battles.”
21 Samuel listened to all the people’s words and then repeated them to the Lord. 22 “Listen to them,” the Lord told Samuel. “Appoint a king for them.”
Then Samuel told the men of Israel, “Each of you, go back to your city.”[1]
 
SAUL ANOINTED KING
1 SAMUEL 9
1 There was a prominent man of Benjamin named Kish son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, son of a Benjaminite. 2 He had a son named Saul, an impressive young man. There was no one more impressive among the Israelites than he. He stood a head taller than anyone else.

•  Saul himself was physically impressive: unusually tall and handsome.
• His exact age remains a mystery, though the writer called him "young."
• God gave the people just what they wanted: Saul looked like a king.
• Whereas Hannah had asked for a son directly from God (1:28), the Israelites had asked for a king from Samuel (8:5).
• The narrative begins with Saul's father, Kish, losing some donkeys and sending Saul and a servant to find them.
• After an unsuccessful search, they decide to seek the help of the prophet Samuel, who is known for his wisdom and guidance (1 Samuel 9:3-6).

 

• God had already revealed to Samuel that He would send a man from Benjamin to be anointed as the first king of Israel.
• When Saul arrives, God confirms to Samuel that Saul is the chosen one (1 Samuel 9:15-17).
• Samuel invites Saul to a meal and later privately anoints him as king, explaining that God has chosen him to lead and deliver Israel from the Philistines (1 Samuel 9:19-10:1).
• Samuel gives Saul several signs to confirm his anointing, including encounters with prophets and specific events that would occur on his journey home.
• These signs come to pass, and the Spirit of God comes powerfully upon Saul, transforming him and enabling him to prophesy (1 Samuel 10:2-10).

 

• When Saul returns home, he does not immediately reveal his anointing as king to his family, keeping the matter private for the time being (1 Samuel 10:14-16).

 

• Saul's transformation by the Spirit underscores the necessity of God's empowerment for leadership and service (1 Samuel 10:6-7).

 
SAUL RECEIVED AS KING
1 SAMUEL 10

• Samuel anointed Saul with oil.
• Anointing with oil was a symbolic act in Israel, and elsewhere in the ancient Near East, that pictured consecration to service.
• The only things anointed with oil before this anointing were the priests and the tabernacle.
• The oil symbolized God's Spirit, and anointing with oil represented endowment with that Spirit for the purpose of enablement.
• 1 John 2:27 -  As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you don’t need anyone to teach you. Instead, his anointing teaches you about all things and is true and is not a lie; just as it has taught you, remain in him.[2]

17 Samuel summoned the people to the Lord at Mizpah

• Mizpah was the scene of Israel's previous spiritual revival and victory over the Philistines (7:5-13).
• Perhaps Samuel chose this site for Saul's public presentation to the nation because of those events.
• The tabernacle may have been there as well.

18 and said to the Israelites, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel out of Egypt, and I rescued you from the power of the Egyptians and all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ 19 But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your troubles and afflictions. You said to him, ‘You must set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans.”
20 Samuel had all the tribes of Israel come forward, and the tribe of Benjamin was selected. 21 Then he had the tribe of Benjamin come forward by its clans, and the Matrite clan was selected. Finally, Saul son of Kish was selected. But when they searched for him, they could not find him. 22 They again inquired of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?”
The Lord replied, “There he is, hidden among the supplies.”
23 They ran and got him from there. When he stood among the people, he stood a head taller than anyone else., 24 Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the one the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among the entire population.”
And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
25 Samuel proclaimed to the people the rights of kingship. He wrote them on a scroll, which he placed in the presence of the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people home.
26 Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, and brave men whose hearts God had touched went with him. 27 But some wicked men said, “How can this guy save us?” They despised him and did not bring him a gift, but Saul said nothing.[3]
 
1 SAMUEL 11
1 Nahash the Ammonite came up and laid siege to Jabesh-gilead. All the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.”
2 Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I’ll make one with you on this condition: that I gouge out everyone’s right eye and humiliate all Israel.”
3 “Don’t do anything to us for seven days,” the elders of Jabesh said to him, “and let us send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. If no one saves us, we will surrender to you.”

• Saul was told what the Ammonite men said.

 
6 When Saul heard these words, the Spirit of God suddenly came powerfully on him, and his anger burned furiously. 7 He took a team of oxen, cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout the territory of Israel by messengers who said, “This is what will be done to the ox of anyone who doesn’t march behind Saul and Samuel.”

• Saul linked himself with Samuel because Samuel was the recognized spiritual leader of the nation.
• By referring to Samuel, Saul was probably hinting that this battle had divine approval.

As a result, the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they went out united.
8 Saul counted them at Bezek. There were three hundred thousand, Israelites and thirty thousand men from Judah. 9 He told the messengers who had come, “Tell this to the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Deliverance will be yours tomorrow by the time the sun is hot.’ ” So the messengers told the men of Jabesh, and they rejoiced.
10 Then the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Tomorrow we will come out, and you can do whatever you want to us.”
11 The next day Saul organized the troops into three divisions. During the morning watch, they invaded the Ammonite camp and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. There were survivors, but they were so scattered that no two of them were left together.
 
SAUL’S CONFIRMATION AS KING
12 Afterward, the people said to Samuel, “Who said that Saul should not reign over us? Give us those men so we can kill them!”
13 But Saul ordered, “No one will be executed this day, for today the Lord has provided deliverance in Israel.”
14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let’s go to Gilgal, so we can renew the kingship there.”

• What Samuel called for was a ceremony to renew the Mosaic Covenant.
• It was to be similar to those that had taken place in Joshua's day (Josh. 8 and 24) in which the nation would dedicate itself afresh to Yahweh and His Law as a nation (cf. Deut. 29).

15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and there in the Lord’s presence they made Saul king. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings in the Lord’s presence, and Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.[4]
 
SAMUEL’S FINAL PUBLIC SPEECH
1 SAMUEL 12
1 Then Samuel said to all Israel, “I have carefully listened to everything you said to me and placed a king over you.
 
13 “Now here is the king you’ve chosen, the one you requested. Look, this is the king the Lord has placed over you. 14 If you fear the Lord, worship and obey him, and if you don’t rebel against the Lord’s command, then both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God. 15 However, if you disobey the Lord and rebel against his command, the Lord’s hand will be against you as it was against your ancestors.

• The key to Israel's future blessing would be fearing Yahweh, serving Him, listening to His voice through the Mosaic Law and the prophets, and not rebelling against His commands.
• The major message of 1 and 2 Samuel thus comes through again clearly in Samuel's final words to the nation, as we would expect.

 
23 “As for me, I vow that I will not sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you. I will teach you the good and right way. 24 Above all, fear the Lord and worship him faithfully with all your heart; consider the great things he has done for you. 25 However, if you continue to do what is evil, both you and your king will be swept away.”[5]
SAUL’S FAILURE
1 SAMUEL 13
1 Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty-two years over Israel. 2 He chose three thousand men from Israel for himself: two thousand were with Saul at Michmash and in Bethel’s hill country, and one thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. He sent the rest of the troops away, each to his own tent.
3 Jonathan attacked the Philistine garrison in Gibeah, and the Philistines heard about it. So Saul blew the trumpet throughout the land saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!”, 4 And all Israel heard the news, “Saul has attacked the Philistine garrison, and Israel is now repulsive to the Philistines.” Then the troops were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.
5 The Philistines also gathered to fight against Israel: three thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and troops as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Michmash, east of Beth-aven.
6 The men of Israel saw that they were in trouble because the troops were in a difficult situation. They hid in caves, in thickets, among rocks, and in holes and cisterns. 7 Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.
Saul, however, was still at Gilgal, and all his troops were gripped with fear. 8 He waited seven days for the appointed time that Samuel had set, but Samuel didn’t come to Gilgal, and the troops were deserting him. 9 So Saul said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” Then he offered the burnt offering.

• His sin is not that he offers the sacrifice prematurely (because he does wait until the time set by Samuel is up.).
• His sin is that he disrespects Samuel's authority by offering the sacrifice himself."

10 Just as he finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. So Saul went out to greet him, 11 and Samuel asked, “What have you done?”
Saul answered, “When I saw that the troops were deserting me and you didn’t come within the appointed days and the Philistines were gathering at Michmash, 12 I thought, ‘The Philistines will now descend on me at Gilgal, and I haven’t sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I forced myself to offer the burnt offering.”

• In explaining his actions to Samuel Saul he gave three reasons:
• 1) He feared that his army was deserting him,
• 2) Samuel had delayed his coming,
• 3) and the Philistines were preparing to attack (v. 11).
• He claimed that in view of these conditions he had worked up his courage and finally offered the burnt offering.

13 Samuel said to Saul, “You have been foolish. You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. It was at this time that the Lord would have permanently established your reign over Israel, 14 but now your reign will not endure. The Lord has found a man after his own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over his people, because you have not done what the Lord commanded.”

• Saul lost his kingdom for want of two or three hours' patience.

 
19 No blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel because the Philistines had said, “Otherwise, the Hebrews will make swords or spears.” 20 So all the Israelites went to the Philistines to sharpen their plows, mattocks, axes, and sickles. 21 The price was two-thirds of a shekel for plows and mattocks, and one-third of a shekel for pitchforks and axes, and for putting a point on a cattle prod. 22 So on the day of battle not a sword or spear could be found in the hand of any of the troops who were with Saul and Jonathan; only Saul and his son Jonathan had weapons.

• This monopoly continued with some success until the time of David when Israel began to produce iron objects rather freely (cf. 1 Chron. 22:3).

23 Now a Philistine garrison took control of the pass at Michmash.[6]

• It always comes down to doing things (including leadership) in your own strength and your own time to doing things in the Lord’s strength and the Lord’s time.

[1] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Sa 8:1–22.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Jn 2:27.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Sa 10:17-27.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Sa 11:1–15.
[5] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Sa 12:1–25.
[6] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Sa 13:1–23.