Most people know this chapter as the one where Samuel anoints Saul and he becomes king. But there are so many strange elements wrapped up in just this one chapter. Samuel does take a flask of oil and pour it on Saul's head, but he has to reassure Saul and tells hims that he will see signs which will confirm that he will be king. The signs are: "You will meet two men by Rachel's tomb, and they will say the donkeys that you went to seek are found, and now your father has ceased to care about the donkeys and is anxious about you saying, 'What shall I do about my son?'" That's sign number one. Why Rachel's tomb? And who are these two men? I've never heard a preacher address that before.
Then sign number two: "You will come to the oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread which you will accept from their hand." What?! What do these three things symbolize and why do they only give Saul two loaves instead of three? There has to be a message in here somewhere.
Sign number three: "As soon as you come to the city (Gibeath-elohim:the hill of God) you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, prophesying. Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man." Again, what is the significance of Saul prophesying? God gives him a new heart—is that a heart conversion? I need to get a commentary.
As if this chapter weren't already hard to understand, at the very end of the chapter, when Saul is appointed king, it says, "Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. But some worthless fellows said, 'How can this man save us?' And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace." First, God touched the hearts of the men of valor in the Old Testament. Many people put so much emphasis on the Old Testament being a book of Law, but here it is clear that it's not just law, but people's hearts are involved. Second, Saul was essentially mocked even as a chosen king, but he "held his peace." This seems so similar to the story of Christ at the crucifixion. Both named kings, mocked, and held their peace. Maybe I can't draw an exact connection but that is pretty darn cool.
Look how much is packed into just one chapter in the Old Testament! If so much is packed into a tiny sliver of the Old Testament, how much more is there to glean from the rest of the Old Testament. The pastors and Christians of our era put so much emphasis on the New Testament as the source of all wisdom, but we are missing a vital piece of history and God's pattern of redemption if we do not equally study the Old Testament. The stories in the Old Testament really stuck out to me when I was little, that alone as a remembering factor and the fact that it allows children to see a pattern of redemption and sovereignty is truly amazing.
Then sign number two: "You will come to the oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread which you will accept from their hand." What?! What do these three things symbolize and why do they only give Saul two loaves instead of three? There has to be a message in here somewhere.
Sign number three: "As soon as you come to the city (Gibeath-elohim:the hill of God) you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, prophesying. Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man." Again, what is the significance of Saul prophesying? God gives him a new heart—is that a heart conversion? I need to get a commentary.
As if this chapter weren't already hard to understand, at the very end of the chapter, when Saul is appointed king, it says, "Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. But some worthless fellows said, 'How can this man save us?' And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace." First, God touched the hearts of the men of valor in the Old Testament. Many people put so much emphasis on the Old Testament being a book of Law, but here it is clear that it's not just law, but people's hearts are involved. Second, Saul was essentially mocked even as a chosen king, but he "held his peace." This seems so similar to the story of Christ at the crucifixion. Both named kings, mocked, and held their peace. Maybe I can't draw an exact connection but that is pretty darn cool.
Look how much is packed into just one chapter in the Old Testament! If so much is packed into a tiny sliver of the Old Testament, how much more is there to glean from the rest of the Old Testament. The pastors and Christians of our era put so much emphasis on the New Testament as the source of all wisdom, but we are missing a vital piece of history and God's pattern of redemption if we do not equally study the Old Testament. The stories in the Old Testament really stuck out to me when I was little, that alone as a remembering factor and the fact that it allows children to see a pattern of redemption and sovereignty is truly amazing.
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