15 Saul Anointed King

First Samuel 10 presents us with the account of the anointing of Saul as the first king of Israel:

1 Saul Anointed King

1 Samuel 10:1

The word “anoint” means “to rub, sprinkle on, or apply to”.

But that only speaks of the outward process, since biblically it more often speaks of what takes places inwardly.

• It speaks of setting aside an individual for service, or a special purpose.

The initial anointing of Saul was done privately, rather than before a large assembly.

• This is a picture of how true anointing is from the Lord, and is therefore personal, between the Lord and an individual. Thus, the “setting apart” is done by the Lord.

Therefore, Samuel was simply recognizing what the lord had already done in Saul’s life.

2 Signs of Confirmation

Because Saul did not have a vibrant personal relationship with the Lord, apparently, he still needed further convincing, that everything Samuel had spoken to him about, was truly from the Lord:

1 Samuel 10:2-8

Samuel prophesied to Saul that several things would take place in his life, on his way back home to Gibeah. This was done to confirm that everything he had spoken to Saul about, was indeed from God.

Sadly, there are many in Christianity today, who seek after signs and wonders. Yet, the Bible makes it clear, that signs are not for believers, but for unbelievers.

When the Lord’s followers seek after signs, it reflects poorly on their relationship, and lack of faith in the Lord:

Matthew 16:4

So, because Paul lacked that true relationship with God, the Lord had Samuel prophesy as to the unusual events which would take place in his life on his short trip back home:

1 Samuel 10:5-7

The most unusual event would be how Saul would join in with a group of prophets and begin to prophesy himself.

It was unusual, because Saul was either an unbeliever, or a marginal believer at best, who had never attended the religious events, or shown even minimal interest in things of the Lord. Yet, Samuel told him, the “Spirit of the Lord” would come upon him, which would lead to the prophesying.

The idea of the Holy Spirit coming upon Saul, again shows how God was setting him apart for a specific purpose.

Even so, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Saul was a believer.

During the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit would come upon individuals, to empower them to serve Him. Yet, He did not reside within them.

God residing within His followers, only came about after Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, and only with those who believed in the finished work at Calvary. It’s at that point, the Holy Spirit permanently resides within the believer, making them a child of God.

On the other hand, under the Old Covenant, one would become a child of God by believing God’s Word, and “looking forward” to the coming Messiah.

Even so, the Holy Spirit still didn’t permanently reside “within” the Old Testament believers. We see a picture of this, with David’s cry, when acknowledging his sin before the Lord:

Psalm 51:11

The fact that believers today, not only have the Holy Spirit living within us, but that He also comes upon us, empowering us for service, shows the great privilege and advantages we have, and His enabling to do great works for Him.

Back to the text, Saul was told to do to Gilgal, and to wait for seven days, after which Samuel would join him.

One reason, Saul was told to wait, was so that he would understand, that even though he was to become king (civil leader over the people) God wanted him to understand that in the Lord’s eyes, Samuel held spiritual authority over Saul.

God will always prioritize spiritual matters.

3 Saul’s Internal Change

Whether or not Saul had come to know the Lord is still debatable. However, there was an internal change which had taken place within him:

1 Samuel 10:9-13

While Samuel had anointed Saul outwardly, it was the unseen, internal work which God performed upon him.

But we shouldn’t confuse that with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which is reserved only for New Testament believers:

John 14:16-17

Those who knew Saul, were understandably amazed when they witnessed him prophesying with the group of known prophets, since they knew him, and his previous lack of interest in the Lord and spiritual matters

Then after prophesying, Saul did something unusual (certainly for him) as he went up to the high place, which would signify he had gone to worship. But as we will see, even in the remainder of chapter 10, Saul will exhibit further contradictions, since those changes were not lasting.