Basic HTML Version
gain. He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you
shall be his slaves. You will shed bitter tears because of
this king you are demanding, but the Lord will not help
you.'
" But the people refused to listen to Samuel's warning.
" ' Even so, we still want a king,' they said, 'for we
want to be like the nations a round us. He will govern us
and lead us to battle.'
"So Samuel told the Lord what the people had said,
and the Lo rd replied again, 'Then do as they say and
give them a king' "(verses 11 -22).
The people had spoken. Their cho ice was a king, "like
the other nations have.' ' God, and Samuel. acquiesced.
The king was chosen according to the people's desi re.
His name was Saul- which being interpreted means
"choice."
·
The tribe was Benjamín. The family was Kish. Ri ch,
influential, having a long history of excellence in Israel.
Saul was most handsome. Saul was "head and shou l–
ders" taller than anyone else in the land. A perfect
leader,just like the kings ofother nations around!
The fact that he was egotistical, self-serving, a bit
doltish and given to mental fits didn' t sway the desire of
lsrael- they wanted a king.
Saul's beginning was not bad . He showed at least an
outward humility. Though he was from a rich and influ–
ential fami ly, he said to Samuel: " Pardon me, si r. I'm
from the tribe of Benjamín, the smalles t in Israel , a nd
my family is the least important of a ll the families of the
tribe! You must have the wrong man! "
(1
Sam. 9:21.)
The People's Choice
odest. But pe rhaps more so, shy.
Because when Saul's corona tion
time carne he hid himself from the
festivities, and it took the Lord
Himself to find him! (1 Sam.
10:22.) He was coronated. All the people shouted, " Long
live the king." Israel dispersed. Saul went home. A crisis
occurred.
The Ammonites attacked an Israelí city and threat–
ened to put out the right eyes of a ll the inhabitants as
part of the terms of surrender. Israel was not yet a
nation. Separated tribes were encircled on every side by
the Ammonites, Moabites, Philistines, Phoenicians, Syr–
ians, and Egyptians.
Saul, no t too impressed with his duties as king, was
found plowing his own fi elds when the news of the
anticipa ted a trocity arrived. To his credit, his response
was immediate and correct. He o rganized the people,
went to the aid of Jabesh (the threatened Israelí city),
and crushed the Ammonite attack. When sorne would
also have added his crit ics to the list of dead, Saul's reply
was wise: "'No one will be executed today; for today the
Lo rd has rescued Israel!'
"Then Samue l said to the people, 'Come, Jet us all go
to Gilgal and reconfirm Saul as our king.'
" So they went to Gilgal and in a solemn ceremony
before the Lo rd they crowned him king. Then they
offered peace offerings to the Lord, and Saul and all
Israel were very happy" (1 Sam. 11: 13-15). At this mo–
ment of triumph, Samuel again warned the people about
26
their choice of a king: "'Ail right, here is the king you
have chosen. Look him over. You have asked for him,
and the Lord has answered your request. Now if you will
fear and worship the Lo rd and listen to his command–
ments and no t rebel against the Lord, and if bo th you
and your king follow the Lo rd your God, then all will be
well. But if you rebel against the Lo rd 's commandments
and refuse to listen to him, then his hand will be as
heavy upon you as it was upon your ancestors' " (1 Sam.
12: 13- 15).
The King ls a Fool
aul reigned one year, with one tri–
umph against the Ammonites at
Jabesh. Coronated twice, more ac-
~~~~~~-·
cepted because of his actions as
king, he now began to take hold
and fulfill the warnings of Samuel. In the second year of
his reign he conscripted three thousand special troops
(the people paid). Stationing them at strategic points, he
sent the rest of the volunteer army home.
Jonathan, Sau l's son, took a contingent of the special
troops and attacked the Philistines at Geba, completely
destroying the enemy garrison. Everyone was thrilled–
except the Philistines ! They mounted an offensive in
response that required a larger war than Saul had
counted on. The situation could be summed up in one
word : terrifying! The Philistines had enlisted an army of
three thousand cha riots, six thousand ho rsemen, and
innumerable foot soldiers. (Israel was divided geograph–
ically- a ma ritime plain on which cha riots excelled: foot–
hills where the odds were more even; and rugged
mountains where the lsraelis of Saul's and David 's day
maintained their tenuous hold.)
Saul called Israel to battle. (This is what the people
had wanted!) They carne. They saw. They fled!
Saul had summoned Sarnuel to dedícate the troops.
Samuel promised he'd be there in seven days. Samuel
didn' t show up. Saul panicked. Deciding he had better
do something, Saul performed the sacrifi.ces himself to
preserve what troops remained. Justas he finished , Sam–
uel a rrived.
"'You fool!' Samuel exclaimed. 'You have disobeyed
the commandment of the Lord your God. [Saul must not
have read the Bible of his day as did David .] He was
planning to ma ke you and your descendants kings of
Israel forever, but now your dynasty must end ; for the
Lord wants a man who will obey him. And he has
discovered the man he wants a nd has already appointed
him as king over his people; for you have not obeyed the
Lord's commandmenl' " (1Sam. 13: 13-14).
Mo rbid , woebegone, fearful , dishea rtened- Saul
counted the soldiers that remained: six hundred! Saul
did not pray, did not repent, did not turn to God in his
time oft rouble. He counted his soldiers and regrouped.
The whole scene was ridiculous. Twenty-fi.ve thousand
(at the smallest count) Philistines with chariots (the fore–
runners of tanks) and horsemen against six hundred
Isr aelis, a nd a mo ng th ose s ix hundred-two swords
(Saul's and his son Jonathan's) ! The Philistines had held
in thra ll the Israelis on their border for generations.
The re were no blacksmiths in
(Continued on page 39)
The
PLAIN TRUTH May 1978