1 Samuel 10

Then Samuel took a small jar of olive oil and poured some of it on Saul’s head. Then he kissed Saul {on the cheek}. He told him, “I am doing this because God has chosen you to be the leader of his Israelite people.

When you leave here today and start to return home, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb near the town of Zelzah in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘Someone has found the donkeys that you were looking for. But now your father is more worried about you. He is saying that he is concerned that you have become lost yourself, and he does not know how to find you.’ \*

After leaving Zelzah and continuing your journey, you will arrive at the large oak tree near the town of Tabor. There you will see three men coming toward you. They will be on their way to worship God at Bethel. One of them will be leading three young goats. Another one will be carrying three loaves of bread. The last one will be carrying a container of wine.

They will ask how you are doing, and then they will offer you two of the loaves of bread. Accept them. \*

Finally you will get {back home} to the city of Gibeah where there is a hill on which people worship God and where there is also a camp where Philistine soldiers stay. As you enter the city, you will meet a group of prophets. They will be coming down from the place of worship that is on top of the hill. Prophets playing music on harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres will be leading them. The prophets will be speaking and singing as God inspires them.

When you meet them, the Spirit of God will powerfully influence you, and you too will speak and sing as God inspires you. This will affect you so much that you will become like a different person. \*

After these things happen, God will be helping you, so do what you think is the right thing to do in each situation.

But I would like you to meet me at the city of Gilgal. Listen carefully. I will come there and offer some sacrifices that I will burn completely and other sacrifices for a festive meal that we will share. Wait one week for me to arrive. When I come, I will tell you what other things you should do.” \*

Just as Saul started to walk away from Samuel, God changed Saul’s inner being. And all the things that Samuel had predicted happened that same day.

When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, right away they met a group of prophets. God’s Spirit influenced Saul powerfully, and he began to speak and sing as the prophets were also doing. \*

The people who had known Saul previously were surprised to see that he was speaking and singing as the prophets were doing. They said to each other, “How has this happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul really one of the prophets?”

One of the men who lived there replied, “These other men did not become prophets because of who their fathers were.” And that is why, {when a person achieves something that people would not have expected based on his background,} people say, “Is Saul really one of the prophets?”

After Saul finished speaking and singing as God inspired him, he went up to the hill near the city where the people worshiped God. \*

When Saul’s uncle saw him there, he asked him and his servant, “Where have you been?” Saul replied, “We went to look for the donkeys. When we could not find them, we went to ask Samuel if he could tell us where they were.”

Saul’s uncle asked, “What did Samuel tell you?”

Saul answered, “He assured us that someone had found the donkeys.” But Saul did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said to him about becoming the king of Israel. \*

Then Samuel told the people of Israel to gather at Mizpah to hear a message from God.

After they arrived, he said to them, “God, the God whom we Israelite people worship, has a message for you. He says, ‘I brought you Israelite people out of Egypt. I rescued your ancestors from the power of the rulers of Egypt, and I have rescued you from all the other kings who have oppressed you since then.’

But even though he rescues you from all the difficulties you encounter, now you no longer want God to be the one who rules you. Instead, you have asked him to select a man to rule you as king. {So that God can indicate what man he is choosing,} I want representatives of your tribes and clans to come forward and stand here in the presence of God.” \*

When the representatives of the Israelite tribes approached, Samuel threw a lot, and God made it indicate that he had chosen someone from the tribe of Benjamin.

Then Samuel had the representatives of the clans of the tribe of Benjamin come forward. Samuel threw another lot, and God made it indicate that he had chosen someone from the clan of Matri. Samuel threw another lot, and God made it indicate that he had chosen Saul son of Kish from that clan. But when they looked for Saul, no one could find him. \*

So they asked God, “Can we not find Saul because he has not arrived here yet?” God replied, “I will tell you where he is. He is hiding under the baggage.”

So they quickly went there and found Saul. They had him stand in front of all the people. They observed how much taller he was than other men{, and this impressed them}. \*

Then Samuel said to all the people there, “This is the king whom God has chosen for you. Certainly he is taller and stronger than any other Israelite!” All the people shouted, “May God keep this king alive!” \*

Then Samuel told the people what the responsibilities of the king would be and what responsibilities they would have toward him. He wrote all those things in a scroll. He placed the scroll for safekeeping in a location where people worshiped God. Then Samuel sent all the people home. \*

Saul returned to his home in the city of Gibeah. A group of strong soldiers decided to accompany Saul continually. They did that because God had motivated each of them to do it.

But some bad men said, “A man like him will not be able to save us from our enemies!” They did not think he would make a good king, and they refused to give him any gifts {to show that they would be loyal to him}. But {even though Saul knew about their insult,} he said nothing about it at the time. \*