29. The persistent Demand of the People for a King.
1 Samuel 8:1-22.

1 It happened, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abijah: they were judges in Beersheba. 3 His sons didn’t walk in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted justice. 4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel to Ramah; 5 and they said to him, “Behold, you are old, and your sons don’t walk in your ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.”

Samuel prayed to Yahweh. 7 Yahweh said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they tell you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me, that I should not be king over them. 8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, in that they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also to you. 9 Now therefore listen to their voice: however you shall protest solemnly to them, and shall show them the way of the king who shall reign over them.”

10 Samuel told all the words of Yahweh to the people who asked of him a king. 11 He said, “This will be the way of the king who shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them to him, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they shall run before his chariots; 12 and he will appoint them to him for captains of thousands, and captains of fifties; and he will assign some to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. 14 He will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive groves, even their best, and give them to his servants. 15 He will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. 16 He will take your male servants, and your female servants, and your best young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks: and you shall be his servants. 18 You shall cry out in that day because of your king whom you shall have chosen you; and Yahweh will not answer you in that day.”

19 But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No; but we will have a king over us, 20 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.”

21 Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of Yahweh. 22 Yahweh said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice, and make them a king.”

Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Every man go to his city.”

30. Samuel meets Saul, who is destined by Jehovah to be King over Israel.
1 Samuel 9:1-25.

1 Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor. 2 He had a son, whose name was Saul, an impressive young man; and there was not among the children of Israel a better person than he. From his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.

3 The donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. Kish said to Saul his son, “Take now one of the servants with you, and arise, go seek the donkeys.” 4 He passed through the hill country of Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they didn’t find them: then they passed through the land of Shaalim, and there they weren’t there: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they didn’t find them.

5 When they had come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come, and let us return, lest my father stop caring about the donkeys, and be anxious for us.”

6 He said to him, “See now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is a man who is held in honor. All that he says comes surely to pass. Now let us go there. Perhaps he can tell us concerning our journey whereon we go.”

7 Then Saul said to his servant, “But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? For the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?”

8 The servant answered Saul again, and said, “Behold, I have in my hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver. I will give that to the man of God, to tell us our way.” 9 (In earlier times in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he said, “Come, and let us go to the seer;” for he who is now called a prophet was before called a Seer.)

10 Then Saul said to his servant, “Well said. Come, let us go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was. 11 As they went up the ascent to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said to them, “Is the seer here?”

12 They answered them, and said, “He is. Behold, he is before you. Hurry now, for he has come today into the city; for the people have a sacrifice today in the high place. 13 As soon as you have come into the city, you shall immediately find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat; for the people will not eat until he come, because he blesses the sacrifice. Afterwards those who are invited eat. Now therefore go up; for at this time you shall find him.”

14 They went up to the city. As they came within the city, behold, Samuel came out toward them, to go up to the high place.

15 Now Yahweh had revealed to Samuel a day before Saul came, saying, 16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man out of the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel; and he shall save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked on my people, because their cry has come to me.”

17 When Samuel saw Saul, Yahweh said to him, “Behold, the man of whom I spoke to you! this same shall have authority over my people.”

18 Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, “Please tell me where the seer’s house is.”

19 Samuel answered Saul, and said, “I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today. In the morning I will let you go, and will tell you all that is in your heart. 20 As for your donkeys who were lost three days ago, don’t set your mind on them; for they are found. For whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you, and for all your father’s house?”

21 Saul answered, “Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? And my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak to me like this?”

22 Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the guest room, and made them sit in the best place among those who were invited, who were about thirty persons. 23 Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, ‘Set it aside.’” 24 The cook took up the thigh, and that which was on it, and set it before Saul. Samuel said, “Behold, that which has been reserved! Set it before yourself and eat; because for the appointed time has it been kept for you, for I said, ‘I have invited the people.’” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

25 When they had come down from the high place into the city, he talked with Saul on the housetop.

31. Saul is privately anointed by Samuel.
1 Samuel 9:26-10:1.

26 They arose early: and it happened about the spring of the day, that Samuel called to Saul on the housetop, saying, “Get up, that I may send you away.” Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad. 27 As they were going down at the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant pass on before us” (and he passed on), “but stand still first, that I may cause you to hear the word of God.”

1 Then Samuel took the vial of oil, and poured it on his head, and kissed him, and said, “Isn’t it that Yahweh has anointed you to be prince over his inheritance?

32. The Signs of the Divine Confirmation.
1 Samuel 10:2-16.

2 When you have departed from me today, then you shall find two men by Rachel’s tomb, in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will tell you, ‘The donkeys which you went to seek have been found; and behold, your father has stopped caring about the donkeys, and is anxious for you, saying, “What shall I do for my son?”’

3 “Then you shall go on forward from there, and you shall come to the oak of Tabor; and three men shall meet you there going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three young goats, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine: 4 and they will greet you, and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall receive of their hand.

5 “After that you shall come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall happen, when you have come there to the city, that you shall meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tambourine, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they will be prophesying: 6 and the Spirit of Yahweh will come mightily on you, and you shall prophesy with them, and shall be turned into another man. 7 Let it be, when these signs have come to you, that you do as occasion shall serve you; for God is with you.

8 “You shall go down before me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: you shall wait seven days, until I come to you, and show you what you shall do.” 9 It was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs happened that day. 10 When they came there to the hill, behold, a band of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came mightily on him, and he prophesied among them. 11 It happened, when all who knew him before saw that, behold, he prophesied with the prophets, then the people said one to another, “What is this that has come to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”

12 One of the same place answered, “Who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13 When he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place.

14 Saul’s uncle said to him and to his servant, “Where did you go?”

15 Saul’s uncle said, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.”

16 Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys were found.” But concerning the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel spoke, he didn’t tell him.

33. The Choice of Saul by Lot at Mizpeh.
1 Samuel 10:17-21.

17 Samuel called the people together to Yahweh to Mizpah; 18 and he said to the children of Israel, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all the kingdoms that oppressed you:’ 19 but you have this day rejected your God, who himself saves you out of all your calamities and your distresses; and you have said to him, ‘No! Set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before Yahweh by your tribes, and by your thousands.”

20 So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken. 21 He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by their families; and the family of the Matrites was taken; and Saul the son of Kish was taken: but when they sought him, he could not be found.

34. The Installation of Saul as King.
1 Samuel 10:22-25.

22 Therefore they asked of Yahweh further, “Is there yet a man to come here?”

23 They ran and fetched him there; and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward. 24 Samuel said to all the people, “You see him whom Yahweh has chosen, that there is none like him among all the people?”

25 Then Samuel told the people the regulations of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before Yahweh. Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.

35. Saul's brief Retirement to private Life.
1 Samuel 10:26, 27.

26 Saul also went to his house to Gibeah; and there went with him the army, whose hearts God had touched. 27 But certain worthless fellows said, “How shall this man save us?” They despised him, and brought him no present. But he held his peace.