1 Samuel 9: The Arrival of the King

The kingship of ancient Israel, the monarchy that would go on to become a model for the kingdoms of the Middle Ages and beyond, begins now.  In 1 Samuel 9 we are introduced to Saul, who, through Samuel's prophecies, is revealed to be the chosen one, the king that the Israelites pleaded for, and whom God chose to be the first king of Israel.  Thus was instituted a royal house of Israel.  This is a momentous event in Scripture.  No longer would God's chosen people be simply a wandering tribe, or a people ruled by just judges.  Now they would be subjects of an earthly king, citizens of a regal realm.  And as we saw in the last chapter, this isn't exactly how God intended it.  But as often happens on earth, men's wills and God's Will don't always align.  So God gives them a king, and He even does so in His own mysterious way, through a "chance" meeting between His prophet Samuel and a seemingly obscure Benjamite named Saul, son of Kish.  And it is Saul's humble background which produces ultimately a great irony.  For Saul will be anything but a humble king.  But here in 1 Samuel 9, he is actually a rather remarkable example for all of us what graciousness and humility ought to be.  When Samuel wants to include Saul in the great sacrifices and feast soon to take place, Saul humbly replies:  "Am not I a son of Jemini of the least tribe of Israel, and my kindred the last among all the families of the tribe of Benjamin?  Why then hast thou spoken this word to me?" (1 Samuel 9:21).  And Samuel's answer beautifully prefigures Jesus's words in the Gospel of Luke many centuries later: "Then Samuel taking Saul and his servant, brought them into the parlor, and gave them a place at the head of them that were invited" (1 Samuel 9:22).  Those words of Christ must be repeated here, because Saul's and Samuel's actions are such a perfect illustration of that beautiful teaching:

"And [Jesus] spoke a parable also to them that were invited, marking how they chose the first seats at the table, saying to them:  When thou art invited to a wedding, sit not down in the highest place, lest perhaps one more honorable than thou be invited by him:  And he who invited thee, and him, come and say to thee:  Give place to this man; and then thou begin with blushing, to take the lowest place.  But when thou art invited, go sit down in the lowest place; that when he who invited thee cometh, he may say to thee:  Friend, go up higher.  Then shalt thou have glory before them that sit at table with thee.  Because every one that exalteth himself, shall be humbled: and he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted" (Luke 14:7-11).

Saul humbles himself, and is then exalted, not just at table, but as king.  But then, as king, he proceeds to exalt himself, and is very quickly humbled. 

Lastly, one interesting symbol that was brought to my attention was that of the shoulder of meat that was placed before Saul.  This cut was supposed to be reserved for a guest of eminence at the table.  So it is placed before the future king, and it represents the burdens and responsibilities that he will soon have to shoulder as the supreme head of a nation.

1 Samuel 8: "...fight our battles for us."

The hopefulness found in the previous chapter doesn't last long.  During most of Samuel's reign as judge the people succeeded in following God's Law.  It was an era of peace, as we saw the defeat of the Philistines, and spiritually speaking things were serene as well, as the great prophet Samuel set an example for the people of what holiness looked like.  But then, as we read in 1 Samuel 8, things begin to unravel.  It begins with Samuel's own sons proving to be unworthy judges.  This prompts the people to begin to call for (as they'd done before) a king to rule over them.  In a way, Chapter 8 is frustrating to read, because we see a people asking for something that we can see will not ultimately be good for them, but they blindly want it anyway.  Such is the way of us humans -- we can't see what it is that is truly good for us, and instead desire that which will end up harming us.  What I thought was interesting was Samuel's admonition.  He goes on for several verses detailing what the Israelites can expect under a king: loss of property, hardship, forced tithes, and ultimately slavery.  I thought these verses were profoundly wise.  Several millennia ago in ancient Israel, here is a man telling us exactly what power does, exactly how kings become tyrants, and nothing has since changed.  And amazingly the people couldn't care less!  They still demand a king.  Verse 20 says it all: "And we also will be like all nations: and our king shall judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles for us."  God has clearly said that He desires His people to be set apart, to not be like other nations, yet that is exactly what the people are clamoring for -- to be just like the nations surrounding them.  They've chosen the world over God.  In a perfect world the only king would be God Himself, but here in this fallen world we can't see this, and so we demand an earthly king, who will protect us and "fight our battles for us."  The lack of faith in all this is alarming, but sadly, to be expected.  So in the end, God gives the people what they want, and Samuel says they will have a king.  The words of Saint Augustine seem fitting here: "God, in anger, grants a person what he desires wrongfully."  The whole idea of the Jewish kingship is an interesting one.  King David is seen as the archetypically good king, and the Jews look back on his kingship as a high point, an ideal era that they long to return to.  But the tone throughout Scripture is clearly that God does not desire His people to be ruled by a king.  Yet He's given His people free will, and just as He did not desire Adam and Eve to eat of the fruit, they did and God gave them what they deserved/desired.  So it is with kingship.  The people got what they deserved/desired.  Back in Deuteronomy 17 we were given guidelines for what to do should the people demand a king, i.e., how that king ought to rule.  So now, that possibility has become a reality under Samuel, and there will be strict guidelines set so that an Israelite king will be as just as possible and hopefully not as tyrannical as the pagan kings of other nations.  Time to see now how that all goes. 

1 Samuel 7: The Oracle of Israel

In 1 Samuel 7 we see a positive turn of events.  The Israelites, with the help of Samuel, their prophet/leader/judge, have become pious, seeing the error of their sinful ways, and wanting to follow in the proper way of the Lord.  It shows all things are possible with God.  And it also shows what a good spiritual leader looks/acts like.  Samuel is a holy man, the likes of whom we haven't seen since Moses and Joshua.  He is truly called by God.  He is more than a judge, though we do see in Chapter 7 that as a judge he has done more to unify Israel than any judge before him.  But he is more importantly a spiritual guide for the people.  He is in some ways an oracle, a mouthpiece of God, who has been given a special role to redirect the people away from sinful idolatry and toward the way called for by God.  We see this play out in Chapter 7 in which the Ark (after its time being disrespected in Bethsames) moves to Cariathiarim.  Samuel then instructs the people in proper reverence and piety.  They fast, pray, offer sacrifices.  God is appeased.  And we see this illustrated most powerfully by the Philistines being soundly defeated in battle and never again attacking the Israelites during Samuel's reign.  The whole chapter leaves one feeling hopeful that the Israelites have finally figured it out.  And it shows just how important it is that our spiritual leaders need to be close to God.  Samuel isn't out to make nice with the Philistines or interpret God's plan in devious and perplexing ways.  He lays it out straight, and what he calls for is the most orthodox and traditional practices going back to the very beginnings of the Mosaic Law, not some newfangled interpretations of that sacred covenant.  Samuel is a true holy leader because what he wants is the people to be right with God.  He cares nothing for what the Philistines are going to think, or other pagan nations.  He is an example for us now more than ever.  And the fruits of his labors?  An Israel more united than ever.  Instead of bringing division, as most inept rulers do, his message of piety and reverence brings a renewed sense of togetherness, which of course is what sets the stage for the national monarchy to follow.