Israel Leading up to the Time of Saul

From the time of Moses to the time of Samuel, God was King in Israel in a very personal sense

Israel sang at the Red Sea “The Lord is King for Ever and Ever” when they had seen what God did unto the Egyptians But the Children of Israel soon forgot and murmured against Moses and Aaron “Would God”, said they, “we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt” After the death of Moses, the Bible says that there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face The leadership of the people now carried on with the Judges — with Joshua, then to Gideon, who was one of the most brilliant and successful of Israel’s leaders He declined the invitation from his people, “Rule thou over us both thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son” But Gideon said, “I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you the Lord shall rule over you” Judges 8:18

After the death of Samson, Israel remained for a time in subjection to the Philistines, and Eli, being high priest at Shiloh, judged the people according to the law Eli was weak where he should have been strong his sons utterly disregarded the requirements and responsibilities of their office The corruptions of the priesthood were great and grave and there was a hiding of the Divine Countenance We are told in 1 Samuel 3 2 that the Word of the Lord was precious in those days There was no open vision” In other words, ‘there was no answer from God’ The people did everything that was right in their own eyes.

Then, after hundreds of years of violence, lust and national degeneration, the word of the Lord came to a young child Samuel was to be the channel of Divine utterance He was at present a child who knew not the Lord,” but who had, by Providential Circumstances, been placed under the care of Eli The child Samuel grew up and was in favor both with God and also with the people of Israel All these years Samuel was growing up, all Israel knew that he was appointed the prophet of the Lord and we read, “The Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh, and Samuel called Israel to repentance, to put away strange gods, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only” A fast was called at Mizpeh, and when the Philistines heard of the assembling there, they too went up to oppose Israel Samuel entreated the Lord for Israel and the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines and they were smitten before Israel So the Philistines were subdued and they came no more into Israel and the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel 1 Samuel 7

And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel and Gilgal and Mizpeh and judged Israel in all those places His return was to Ramah, for there was his house, and there he judged Israel, and there he built an altar unto the Lord Unfortunately the sons of Samuel were not of the same caliber as their father Although appointed judges in Israel, they turned aside after money, taking bribes and perverting judgment, all of which proved fatal to their position, and led to the request of the people “Give us A King to Judge us“

Samuel took this as a personal rejection of himself, but God said, “they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. Hearken to their voice and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them (Let us not forget that here in the very being was the Kingdom of God — the people were God’s (My people), the land was God’s land (“the land is Mine”) the laws were God given (“and God spake all these words”) and God was then King They wished to change the glory of the Incorruptible God for the weakness of a corruptible man This was the way to disaster for Israel as a nation and, is an exhortation for us also as individuals, should we fall into the same error. When God is cast down from His Throne in our lives sin enters in and has dominion.

Samuel mourned the temperament of the nation exceedingly but God, whose own purpose was ultimately to give them a divine king, made use of the new phase of national feeling to open the way as it were for the coming change. God instructed Samuel to comply with the people’s request to anoint them a king but to reprove them for the folly of their desires. See 1 Samuel 8:10-18. “Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.”

But whom was Samuel to anoint? Was he to make his own selection of a man ? No. God said, “I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him Captain over my people Israel.” Saul the son of Kish was sent, yet Saul knew nothing about it. Saul, head and shoulders above the men of Israel, was typical of their national pride. He was a man after their own heart and looked every inch a king but he was no substitute for God.

Nothing could have been more promising than the start Saul made as king. He commenced with that wonderful quality of humility. After Samuel has crowned him king he goes back to his father’s house and says nothing of it; and finally he has to be dragged out from his hiding place among the baggage of the camp and be presented to the people in all the magnificence of his physical frame and stature.

But was this an act of humility or did it not reveal a lack of faith in God who had called him to the work? He was “little in his own sight” truly; but was God great in his sight? That he was not a very religious man is shown by the surprise of his neighbors when he prophesied, giving rise to the proverb, “Is Saul also among the prophets” ? Some despised him and brought him no presents and asked contemptuously, “how can this man save us?” But Saul held his peace.

Saul was given an opportunity to show his qualities when the men of Jabesh­ Gilead were in such dire peril. He revealed himself as a Godly leader in this issue. The deliverance of Jabesh-Gilead gave Saul a good start. There seemed to be a reasonable expectation that he would be a successful king. (See 1 Samuel 11)

Soon difficulties arose. Through the active days of Samuel the Philistines had been held in check by fear of a Superhuman Power. When it became evident that the authority of Samuel was waning and the Israelite’s had established a king after the manner of the other nations, it was natural for the Philistines to become bolder in their attacks. This was the purpose of God in anointing Saul king, to see if the Israelite’s would remain obedient to God under the leadership of a mortal king. In his speech to the people at the appearance of Saul as King, Samuel insisted that the test would be obedience to the commandment of the Lord on the part of both the king and the people. (See 1 Samuel 12:14 & 15) Saul could do as occasion served him “for the One True God was with him” but there remained the command, given expressly to Saul at their first meeting, “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 shew thee what thou shalt do.” (1 Samuel 10:8) This is the crux of the whole matter; he was to be shown what he should do when the Philistine menace further developed.

When Saul had reigned two years over Israel, the crisis developed rapidly and the time was ripe for counter-measures to be taken for God to save His people by the hand of Saul. Then the Philistines attacked and came with overwhelming force, with many chariots, which they forced as far as possible into the hill country. Only a few thousand Israelite’s surrounded the king and were properly armed. The Hebrews, for the most part, were without weapons and only the men immediately surrounding Saul and Jonathan were equipped with swords and spears. There was a shortage of iron at this time and there was no smith found throughout all Israel. (See 1 Samuel 13:19-22)

Saul presented a pitiable figure in this crisis. He would not begin fighting without the religious rites. His faith failed when Samuel did not appear at the time expected and he presumed to play the part of a sanctified priest, making a burnt offering to the Lord; but the peace offering which should have followed it was never made. At that moment Samuel appeared with a message of judgment: “Thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God . . . now thy kingdom shall not continue.” Was he to lose the kingdom for a mere breach of ritual? No, but rather because he had not proved the “man after God’s own heart” whom the Lord sought. The test of faith had been a severe one; but under the test he had proved to put the form before the substance, the rite before the principle; the externals mattered more to him than the faith they should express. (See 1 Samuel 13)

Saul was given a second chance such as rarely comes to men who had failed. He was given a command to destroy the Amelekites and the terms used by Samuel indicated that complete obedience might have reinstated him and have made his kingdom secure (see 1 Samuel 15:1)

He went against the Amalekites readily enough; it was a task well suited to his character; but when complete success had been attained he forgot or neglected the command he had received. (see 1 Samuel 15:2 & 3) He succumbed to the temptation to bring the defeated king to the land of Israel, while the best of the cattle were taken as a spoil, instead of being destroyed. When Samuel met him and challenged his conduct, he declared that he intended to offer the cattle in sacrifice to God. Like many men before him and thousands since, he failed to discern the true wisdom of the Word of God and inevitably became disobedient. Samuel spoke of Saul’s final rejection in 1 Samuel 15:22-24.

Saul was a man of contradictions, both in his character and in his circumstances. He was given, when the people rejected God from being their King, yet he was the anointed of the Lord; he was sought in revolt, yet granted in response to the chosen people’s cry for a savior from the Philistines. He could show modesty, courage and restraint; yet he could also be impetuous and violent, cunning and secretive. Be began with the spirit of the Lord and degenerated into madness, murderous jealousy, apostasy from God and suicide.