Saul Anointed King

There was a man of the tribe of Benjamin, of good family and upright character, named Kish. He had a son, a young man handsome in face and tall in body, but whose understanding and mind were finer still than what could be seen of him; they called him Saul. Now this Kish had some fine female donkeys that had wandered off from the pasture where they grazed, and he took more pleasure in these than in any other livestock he had. So he sent out his son, with one servant, to search for the animals. When Saul had gone over his own tribe looking for the donkeys, he went on to other tribes, and when he did not find them there either, he decided to go home, so as not to make his father worry about him. But as they came near the city of Ramah, the servant who was with him told him there was a true prophet in that city, and advised him to go to him, since through him they would learn what had become of their donkeys. Saul answered that if they went to him, they had nothing to give him as a fee for his prophecy, for their traveling money was spent. The servant answered that he still had about a tenth of an ounce of silver, and he would give him that. They were mistaken through ignorance, not knowing that the prophet took no such fee. So they went to him. When they reached the gates, they came upon some girls going to draw water and asked them which was the prophet’s house. The girls pointed it out and told them to hurry before he sat down to supper, for he had invited many guests to a feast, and he used to take his place ahead of those he had invited. Now Samuel had gathered many people to feast with him for this very reason. Every day he prayed to God to tell him beforehand whom he would make king, and the day before, God had told him about this man: he would send him a certain young man of the tribe of Benjamin at about that hour of the day. So Samuel sat on the roof of his house, waiting for the time to come. When the time arrived, he came down and went to supper, and so he met Saul; and God revealed to him that this was the one who was to rule over them. Then Saul went up to Samuel, greeted him, and asked him to show him which was the prophet’s house, for he said he was a stranger and did not know it. When Samuel told him that he himself was the man, he led him in to supper and assured him that the donkeys he had been looking for were found, and that the greatest of good things were assured to him. Saul replied, “I am too insignificant to hope for anything like that. My tribe is too small to have kings made from it, and my family is smaller than several other families. You are telling me this in jest and making me a laughingstock, when you talk to me of matters too great for my station.” However, the prophet led him in to the feast and seated him, him and the servant who had come with him, above the other invited guests, who were seventy in number, and he ordered the servants to set the royal portion before Saul. When bedtime came, the others rose and each went home; but Saul stayed with the prophet, he and his servant, and spent the night with him. [a]

As soon as it was day, Samuel roused Saul from his bed and set him on his way home. When they were outside the city, he asked him to have his servant go on ahead but to stay behind himself, for he had something to say to him with no one else present. So Saul sent away the servant who had come with him. Then the prophet took the holy oil, poured it on the young man’s head, kissed him, and said, “Be king, by God’s appointment, against the Philistines, and to avenge the Hebrews for what they have suffered at their hands. You will have a sign of this, and I want you to take note of it. As soon as you leave here, you will find three men on the road going to worship God at Bethel. You will see the first carrying three loaves of bread, the second carrying a young goat, and the third following them with a skin of wine. These three men will greet you and speak kindly to you, and will give you two of their loaves, which you are to accept. From there you will come to a place called Rachel’s Tomb, where you will meet men who will tell you that your donkeys are found. After this, when you come to Gibeah, you will overtake a company of prophets, and you will be filled with God and prophesy along with them, until everyone who sees you is astonished and wonders and says, ‘How has the son of Kish come to such good fortune?’ When these signs have happened to you, know that God is with you. Then greet your father and your relatives. And when I send for you, you are to come to Gilgal, so that we may offer thank offerings to God for these blessings.” When Samuel had said this and foretold these things, he sent the young man away. And everything happened to Saul as Samuel had prophesied. [d]

But when Saul came into the house of his relative Abner, whom he loved more than the rest of his relatives, Abner asked him about his journey and what had happened to him on the way. Saul hid none of the other things from him, not even his visit to Samuel the prophet, or how Samuel had told him the donkeys were found; but he said nothing to him about the kingdom and what belonged to it. He thought it would bring him envy, and such things are not easily believed when they are heard. Nor did he think it wise to tell these things to Abner, though Abner seemed very friendly toward him and was the one he loved above the rest of his relatives. He was considering, I suppose, what human nature really is: that no one is a firm friend, whether among our close companions or among our kin, and that they do not keep that kindly disposition when God raises someone to great prosperity, but are always spiteful and envious toward those in high positions. [h]

Then Samuel called the people together at the city of Mizpah and spoke to them in the following words, which he said he was to speak by the command of God. God had given them their freedom and brought their enemies into subjection, yet they had become forgetful of his benefits and had rejected God, refusing to have him as their King. They had not considered that it would be best for them to be ruled by the best of beings, for God is the best of beings, and they had chosen to have a man as their king. But kings treat their subjects like their property, according to the violence of their own wills and inclinations and other passions, being wholly carried away by the lust for power; they do not try to preserve the human race as their own work and creation, which is the very reason God would take care of it. “But since you have come to a fixed resolve, and this injurious treatment of God has completely won you over, arrange yourselves by your tribes and clans, and cast lots.” [i] When the Hebrews had done this, the lot fell on the tribe of Benjamin. When the lot was cast for the families of this tribe, the one called Matri was taken, and when it was cast for the individuals of that family, Saul the son of Kish was taken as their king. When the young man learned this, he got ahead of them and at once went off and hid himself. I suppose it was because he did not want it thought that he took the government on himself willingly. Indeed, he showed such self-control and modesty that, while most people cannot contain their joy even at gaining small advantages but immediately show themselves off publicly to everyone, this man not only showed nothing of the kind when he was appointed lord of so many great tribes, but crept away and hid himself from the sight of those he was to reign over, and made them look for him, and with a good deal of trouble. So when the people were at a loss and anxious because Saul had disappeared, the prophet begged God to show where the young man was and to bring him before them. When they had learned from God the place where Saul was hidden, they sent men to bring him, and when he came, they set him in the middle of the crowd. He was taller than any of them, and his stature was truly majestic. [k]

Then the prophet said, “God gives you this man to be your king. See how he stands higher than any of the people, and is worthy of this rule.” As soon as the people had shouted their acclaim, “God save the king!” the prophet wrote down in a book what was going to happen, read it aloud in the king’s hearing, and laid up the book in the tabernacle of God as a witness to future generations of what he had foretold. When Samuel had finished this business, he dismissed the people and went himself to the city of Ramah, for it was his hometown. Saul too went away to Gibeah, where he was born. Many good men there paid him the respect that was due to him; but the greater part were bad men, who despised him and mocked the others. They brought him no presents, nor did they make any effort, in affection or even in words, to please him.