1 Samuel 10:1-8

Saul Anointed by Samuel. 1 Samuel 10:1-8

Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?

2 When thou are departed from me today, then thou shalt find two men by Rachel's sepulcher in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say unto thee, The asses which thou wentest to seek are found: and, lo, thy father hath left the care of the asses, and sorroweth for you, saying, What shall I do for my son?
3 Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the plain of Tabor, and there shall meet thee three men going up to God to Beth-el, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine:
4 And they will salute thee, and give thee two loaves of bread; which thou shalt receive of their hands.

5 After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy:

6 And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shall be turned into another man.
7 And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee; for God is with thee.

8 And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and show thee what thou shalt do.

1.

When was Saul anointed king at first? 1 Samuel 10:1

On the morrow after the feast which Samuel and Saul celebrated together, Samuel called Saul from his bed early in the morning. As they went toward the edge of the town, Samuel told Saul to send the servant on ahead. Samuel then took a vial of oil and poured it upon Saul's head and kissed him. This anointing with oil was a symbol of endowment with the Spirit of God. Hitherto there had been no other anointing among the people of God than that of the priests and the sanctuary. Thus the monarchy was inaugurated as a divine institution. Now the king was set apart from the rest of the nation as anointed of the Lord. The kiss bestowed by Samuel must have been only a mark of personal affection, for kissing is nowhere an act expressive of fealty to a king.

2.

Where was Rachel's sepulchre? 1 Samuel 10:2

According to Genesis 35:16, Rachel's sepulchre was on the way from Bethel to Bethlehem, only a short distance from the latter place. Jerome mentions a tradition of the tomb being located here. This traditional site is northwest of Bethlehem, and west of the road between Bethelehem and Jerusalem. Saul's passing by the tomb is another indication of the fact that he was not anointed by Samuel in Ramah. If he were southwest of Bethlehem when he met Samuel, he would naturally pass near Rachel's tomb on the way to Gibeah in Benjamin. He would have no need to pass by Rachel's tomb down in Judah if he were in Ramah when he was anointed. To go from Ramah to Gibeah, he would pass only through the territory of the tribe of Benjamin.

3.

Where was Zelzah? 1 Samuel 10:2 b

The expression in the border of Benjamin does not make it impossible for Saul to be traveling from near Bethlehem to his home. The traditional site of Rachel's tomb is several miles away from the southern border of Benjamin. The mention of Zelzah helps us to understand what is meant by the mention of the border and would be superfluous otherwise since Rachel's tomb was unquestionably a well-known place. Zelzah must have been up between Rachel's tomb and the south border of Benjamin. It is otherwise an unknown location, but it should not be translated by the phrase in great haste. It is undoubtedly a reference to a place and not a Hebrew word to describe Saul's manner of traveling.

4.

Where was the plain of Tabor? 1 Samuel 10:3

Elsewhere the word translated plain in this verse is translated with the word oak. It is simply mentioned here as one of the points on the homeward journey of Saul. The place is nowhere else mentioned, and nothing further can be determined concerning it other than it stood by the road leading from Rachel's tomb to Gibeah. It no doubt meant a great deal to Saul as a point of reference, but it has little meaning for us today.

5.

What was the hill of God? 1 Samuel 10:5

This is not a high place of God, a place dedicated to God's worship, but rather a reference to Gibeah, the native place of Saul. Gibeah is sometimes called the high place of Saul (1 Samuel 11:4; 1 Samuel 15:34; 2 Samuel 21:6). It is called the hill of God here because of the sacrificial height which rose within or near the town (1 Samuel 10:13), and which may have possibly have been more famous than any other such heights. Here the Philistines had a military post. It was a seat for the school of the prophets (2 Kings 2:3).

6.

Who were the company of the prophets? 1 Samuel 10:5 b

Bands, or schools, of the prophets were the men of God. They were active in Israel from this time forward to the time of Amos, who said he was not a prophet nor a son of the prophets (Amos 7:14). No definite reason is assigned to their going in the direction opposite to Saul at this time, other than that they had been in the high place for worship.

7.

Did they use instrumental music in their worship? 1 Samuel 10:5 c

These prophets had with them a psaltery, a tabret, a pipe, and a harp. As far back as we have any record of music in worship, we find reference to instruments connected with the worship. God has never prohibited the use of these instruments, and there is even indication of different kinds of music in the New Testament (Ephesians 5:19)both accompanied and unaccompanied.

8.

What signs were given to Saul to substantiate his appointment? 1 Samuel 10:2-7

Saul was told that he would meet two men in the vicinity of Rachel's tomb, and these men would tell him of his father's concern for his safety. This would substantiate the seer's announcement concerning the animals and also raise Saul's thoughts to concern for his new work. The second sign was his meeting three men going up to God to Bethel, carrying three kids, three loaves of bread, and a bottle of wine. Saul was told to accept their inquiry concerning his welfare and their proffered gift of two loaves, The third sign concerned Saul's meeting a group of prophets who were to be coming down from Gibeah, his home town. As Saul met these men, it was prophesied that he too would be filled with the spirit of God and begin to prophesy as did the prophets.

9.

Where was Gilgal? 1 Samuel 10:8

Gilgal was one of the towns on Samuel's circuit (1 Samuel 10:7-16). The people of Israel had been circumcised there immediately after they had crossed Jordan into Canaan under Joshua's leadership (Joshua 4:19). The spot was located in the border of the tribe of Benjamin and would be found between Jericho and the Jordan river. Some evidence is seen for there being another location by this name in the hill country of Ephraim (Joshua 9:6; Joshua 10:15), but the former location seems more appropriate to the narrative here. No doubt Samuel wanted to meet Saul at Gilgal as he made his next appointed visit on his circuit.