“But you have now rejected God, who saves you out of all your calamities and distresses. And you have said, ‘No, set a king over us.’ So now present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and clans.”
~ 1 Samuel 10:19
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you like talking in front of other kids? Do you like to be the one who is picked to be a team leader? Would you like to be elected someday to be the United States President? Would you like to have lived as a king or queen around 3000 years ago over the Israelite people group’s guys and gals? Would you like to have been the first king to rule over the Israelite people group’s guys and gals? The Israelite people group’s guys and gals were/are God’s specially chosen guys and gals. God specially chosen guys and gals about 3150 years ago were living in the land that God had about 1000 years earlier promised to Abraham that his extended family would always have to live as their very own land. The Israelite people group’s guys and gals had already lived for about 350 years in the land that God had about 1000 years earlier promised Abraham that . . . God did what He said that He would do in the promise that He made over 4000 years ago to Abraham. The Israelite people group’s guys and gals about 3150 years ago were settled down – living their lives in the same land area where Abraham had once lived. The Israelite people group’s guys and gals should have been very happy that they had their very own land in which to live in as their own country but . . . they were not happy. The Israelite people group’s guys and gals had every reason to thank God. God was Who had miraculously directed them to the land where they were living in but . . . God’s specially chosen guys and gals about 3150 years ago were not thinking about God. God’s specially chosen guys and gals about 3150 years ago were looking at guys and gals in the countries that neighbored them wishing that they had what their neighboring countries guys and gals had. Different judges about 3150 years ago were becoming default leaders over the Israelite people group’s guys and gals. Guys and gals in the countries that neighbored the land that God had given to His specially chosen guys and gals were ruled by kings. The Israelite people group’s guys and gals had decided they really wanted to have a king ruling over them, too.
Samuel about 3150 years ago was God’s man in the land that God had given to His specially chosen guys and gals to always have to live in as their very own land. After listening for years to His specially chosen guys and gals complaining about wanting to have a king ruling over them, God let His specially chosen guys and gals have their way. 1 Samuel 10 has Saul being convinced to be the very first king over the Israelite people group’s guys and gals. When Samuel finally found Saul to anoint Saul to be the first king over the Israelite people group’s guys and gals, Saul was minding his own business looking everywhere for his dad’s lost donkeys. Right before Samuel anointed Saul with some spiced olive oil to be king over the Israelite people group’s guys and gals, Saul probably had never ever given it a thought of being a king over the Israelite people group’s guys and gals. Saul was a tall dude. Saul was probably about six inches taller than every other Israelite people group guy. Saul at first really did not want the king job. After Samuel told Saul that he would later in the day meet a couple of guys near Rachel’s tomb who would tell him that his dad’s lost donkeys had been found, that he would meet three guys near the big tree close to Tabor who would be carrying three goats, three loaves of bread and a wineskin and that the guys would give him two of the bread loaves and that he would meet a procession of prophets near Gibeah who would be prophesying . . . when everything happened just as Samuel told Saul that it would, Saul’s heart was changed by God to accept the king job.
To make the positioning of Saul official as the first king over the Israelite people group’s guys and gals, Samuel called a special meeting at Mizpah. Participating in this special meeting at Mizpah where representatives from each of the twelve tribal clans that made up the Israelite people group. To make sure that the representatives from the twelve Israelite tribal clans who were at this special meeting saw that it was God Who had picked who He wanted for the king job, Samuel used lots. Your grandpaa uses lots when he makes schedules which have different guys doing different things. If Samuel did about 3150 years ago what your grandpaa does when he uses lots, Samuel would have put the names of each Israelite tribal clan on separate slips of paper, folded up the slips of paper, put the slips of paper in a container and drawn out a slip of paper to find out from which tribal clan God wanted the first king to come from to rule over the Israelite people group’s guys and gals. Samuel would pick the Benjamin tribal clan lot. After picked the lot for the Benjamin tribal clan, Samuel used lots again to find out out of which family clan in the Benjamin tribal clan that God was allowing the Israelite people group’s guys and gals to have their first king. The very last lot that was picked had Saul’s name on it. This whole lot picking process began with Samuel saying in verse 19, “But you have now rejected God, who saves you out of all your calamities and distresses. And you have said, ‘No, set a king over us.’ So now present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and clans.” How would you feel if someday it was your name that a guy picked out of a hat to be the leader over a country of guys and gals? Saul saw himself being picked twice – first by Samuel and then by God, to be the Israelite people group’s guys and gals first king. How would you have felt by now if you had been Saul? Saul was scared of taking on the king job. Saul hid. God had to tell the meeting representatives where Saul was hiding. Being picked to lead is not a bad thing to happen if you know that it was God Who was behind all that took place that led up to you being picked. Your grandpaa was asked to be the Field Director in Bolivia and in Guatemala and to be an Executive Director in Canada.
1 Samuel 10 (290)