1 Samuel 9
Summary for 1Sam 9:1-11:15: 9:1–11:15 a Saul’s rise to power involved a threefold sequence: (1) his secret anointing by Samuel (9:1–10:16 b), (2) his selection by lot (10:17-27 c), and (3) his victory over the Ammonites (11:1-15 d). See also study note on 13:1–16:13. 9:1 e influential man named Kish: Saul came from a wealthy family.9:2 f Saul’s mere appearance—most handsome ... taller than anyone else—inspired loyalty among the people (see 10:23 g; cp. 16:12 h; 2 Sam 14:25-26 i).
9:5 j Zuph, which was probably located in Ephraim, was Samuel’s home region (1:1 k). God’s providence led Saul there.
9:6 l The phrase man of God was used to describe a prophet (2:27 m; also Deut 33:1 n; Josh 14:6 o; 1 Kgs 13:1-32 p).
9:7 q anything to offer him: Evidently, it was customary to take a gift when one sought the help of a prophet (cp. 1 Kgs 14:2-3 r; 2 Kgs 5:5 s, 15 t; 8:8 u). Some false prophets demanded gifts in return for their services (Mic 3:11 v). Saul’s concern might reflect the spiritual ignorance of thinking that advice from a prophet of God could be purchased (Acts 8:20 w).
9:12 x Leaders of a community would normally convene for business at the town gates (cp. Ruth 4:1-2 y).
• take part in a public sacrifice: Samuel is one of very few individuals in whom prophetic and priestly ministries unite (also Moses, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Jesus).
• place of worship (literally high place): An open-air altar or platform on a hill near the city gate. High places easily became sites for pagan idolatry (see Num 33:52 z; 1 Kgs 15:14 aa; 22:43 ab; 2 Kgs 12:3 ac; 14:4 ad; 15:4 ae, 35 af).
9:13 ag to eat: Part of a sacrifice made during worship was burned on the altar, while the remainder was eaten in a ceremonial feast by the guests (see also 1:4 ah).
• to bless the food: As a Levite, Samuel’s priestly role included offering blessings (see Deut 10:8 ai; 21:5 aj).
9:16 ak God’s directive to anoint him (by pouring olive oil on the head) marked Saul’s elevation in status and consecration for a special purpose (see Exod 30:22-33 al; Lev 8:12 am; 1 Kgs 19:16 an; Isa 45:1 ao).
• He will rescue them: As they had requested (1 Sam 8:20 ap; cp. Judg 13:5 aq). David eventually subdued the Philistines (2 Sam 5:17-25 ar; 8:1 as; 21:15 at, 18-22 au).
• for I have ... heard their cry (cp. Exod 3:7-9 av): The Philistines were again threatening to conquer Israel and demand homage from them as vassals.
9:21 aw the smallest tribe: Saul tried to downplay Benjamin’s prominence, but they were powerful warriors (Judg 20:14-31 ax; cp. study note on 1 Sam 10:17). What better tribe to lead in battle?
• least important of all the families: Cp. 9:1 ay.
9:25 az A typical house had a flat roof that was used for a variety of purposes, such as sleeping in warm weather (see Deut 22:8 ba; 2 Kgs 4:10 bb).
1 Samuel 10
10:1 bc Samuel later repeated this process by anointing David with olive oil (16:13 bd).• The people of Israel did not belong to the king but to the Lord. The king was to act as manager rather than owner (cp. 8:10-18 be).
Summary for 1Sam 10:2-6: 10:2-6 bf These three “signs” were to convince a reluctant Saul (9:21 bg) that he had in fact been chosen to be king. 10:2 bh Rachel’s tomb at Zelzah: See Gen 35:16-20 bi; the precise location is unknown.
10:3 bj oak of Tabor: This location, somewhere in Benjamin, is not to be confused with the village of the same name in Zebulun (1 Chr 6:77 bk).
• Bethel: See study note on 1 Sam 7:16.
10:5 bl Gibeah of God, Saul’s hometown (10:26 bm), had been a lawless city (Judg 19–21 bn). Nowhere else is it described as being “of God.” This description might point to God’s ownership of the town despite the occupation of the Philistines.
• band: Prophets often lived in groups (e.g., 2 Kgs 2:3 bo).
• harp ... lyre: Ancient prophets sometimes used musical instruments to stimulate and accompany prophesying (e.g., 2 Kgs 3:15 bp).
10:6 bq prophesy: Cp. 2 Sam 23:2 br; Acts 2:29-31 bs.
• different person: Saul would become a spiritual and charismatic national leader (cp. 1 Sam 16:14 bt).
10:7 bu for God is with you: God’s presence empowered Saul to carry out his responsibilities.
10:8 bv Gilgal: See study note on 7:16.
• wait for seven days: Saul apparently fulfilled this instruction in 11:14-15 bw (cp. 13:8 bx).
10:9 by a new heart: God gave Saul courage and strength, helping him overcome his hesitancy and enabling him to be king (10:6 bz).
10:10 ca the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul: See thematic note for The Spirit’s Presence at end of chapter; see also 11:6 cb; Judg 14:6 cc, 19 cd; 15:14 ce; cp. Acts 2:17-18 cf, 39 cg).
• When Saul ... began to prophesy, it was a clear sign that he had been chosen to lead Israel (see also 1 Sam 19:18-23 ch).
10:11 ci Those who knew Saul might have known him to be nonreligious and thus an unlikely candidate for prophet. Their surprise might indicate disappointment at receiving a prophet instead of a king (cp. John 6:14-15 cj).
10:12 ck “Can anyone become a prophet, no matter who his father is?” Unlike priests and kings, prophets never inherited their office. Possibly the people were asking why Saul, whose well-to-do father was well known, would associate himself with a group of people who had no pedigree.
10:16 cl Perhaps Saul didn’t tell his uncle because he had lingering uncertainty about what had transpired.
10:17 cm An earlier generation had gathered at Mizpah to decimate the tribe of Benjamin (Judg 20:1-4 cn), making the city an ironic place to inaugurate a man of Benjamin as king.
10:18 co rescued you ... from all of the nations: Israel did not need a human king to rescue them; they needed God, but they had rejected him (10:19 cp).
10:19 cq rejected your God: See also 8:7 cr. Israel was rejecting God’s ability to protect and save them.
• Clans are subdivisions of tribes.
10:20 cs chosen by lot: Cp. Lev 16:8 ct; Josh 18:6 cu; 1 Chr 26:12-16 cv; Acts 1:26 cw.
10:25 cx rights and duties of a king: See Deut 17:14-20 cy.
• He wrote them: Cp. Exod 24:4 cz; Josh 24:26 da.
• Samuel placed the document before the Lord—presumably in the Tabernacle. This position showed that God would honor those who lived by the covenant and punish those who violated it.
Summary for 1Sam 10:26-11:13: 10:26–11:13 db Saul proved his capacity for leadership by tolerating opposition and rescuing the town of Jabesh-gilead. 10:26 dc whose hearts God had touched: God gave people confidence in Saul’s ability to lead (cp. 10:9 dd).
10:27 de These men were scoundrels (cp. 2:12 df) because they scorned God’s chosen king.
• Gifts were given to show homage (Gen 32:13 dg, 18 dh, 20 di), political friendship (2 Kgs 20:12 dj), or submission (Judg 3:15 dk, 17 dl).
• ignored them: Saul’s self-restraint while being insulted was a sign of maturity. In contrast, Proverbs 16:14 dm speaks of a king’s potentially explosive rage when somebody crosses him. See also 1 Sam 11:12-13 dn.
• [Nahash ... Jabesh-gilead]: See NLT note. Whether this paragraph was part of the original text is uncertain, but it provides historical context for 11:1-15 do (e.g., 11:2 dp).
Thematic note: The Spirit’s Presence
In the Old Testament, the Spirit of the Lord came upon a person or group when they were called to do a task or ordained for an office. The Spirit “came upon” the judges Othniel, Gideon, and Jephthah (Judg 3:10 dq; 6:34 dr; 11:29 ds), empowering them for service. Saul and David both received the Spirit of God when they were anointed king (1 Sam 10:1 dt, 9-10 du; 16:13 dv). The Spirit would depart when the task had been completed or when the officeholder was removed from office. When Samuel anointed David as the next king (16:13 dw), the Spirit left Saul (16:14 dx), who was disobedient and had been rejected by God as king (13:7-14 dy; 15:10-29 dz; cp. 28:15 ea; Judg 16:20 eb). After David had sinned with Bathsheba, he prayed to be spared this same judgment (Ps 51:11 ec).
In the New Testament, God’s Holy Spirit is given to all who put their faith in Christ for salvation, not just to individuals in specific roles (see Acts 2:14-21 ed; 1 Cor 12:1-13 ee; Eph 1:13-14 ef). Still, the Spirit performs a similar role in equipping God’s servants to do the work that God has called them to do (see 1 Cor 12:7-10 eg). The Old Testament departure of the Spirit from Saul tangibly demonstrates the need for the New Testament warnings not to sin against the Spirit and not to bring sorrow to the Spirit (see Mark 3:28-29 eh; Eph 4:30 ei; Heb 6:1-8 ej).
Passages for Further Study
Gen 41:37-40 ek; Exod 31:1-6 el; Judg 3:9-11 em; 6:34 en; 11:29 eo; 14:5-6 ep; 16:20-21 eq; 1 Sam 10:1-10 er; 11:6-7 es; 16:13-23 et; 19:19-23 eu; 2 Chr 20:13-19 ev; 24:20-22 ew; Ps 51:11-12 ex; Isa 11:1-5 ey; Jer 31:33-34 ez; Joel 2:28-29 fa; Mark 3:28-29 fb; Acts 2:1-21 fc; 4:31 fd; Eph 1:13-14 fe; 4:30 ff; Heb 6:4-8 fg
Copyright information for
TNotes