π 1 Samuel 9–11: Key Summary π The LORD appoints a king who perfectly fits what the people had asked for
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π In chapter 8, we saw that the Israelites' reason for asking for a king was not truly reasonable. Their desire was essentially about “appearance and outward glory.”
They wanted what the other nations had:
π Visible splendor: magnificent royal palaces, impressive armies, and outward displays of power.
π In other words, they wanted a king who looked impressive, rather than trusting the invisible God.
And this was not very different from what God had already said:
“They have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.”
π 1 Samuel 9–11: Key Summary
π 1 Samuel 9
From chapters 9 through 11, we see that the LORD chooses Saul as the first king for a people who wanted “appearance and outward glory.”
Who was Saul? (vv. 1–2)
He was from the tribe of Benjamin and was the son of Kish, a prominent man of his family. (v.1)
“His name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a more handsome person among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.” (v.2)
✔️ The LORD gives a king who perfectly fits the people who wanted “appearance and outward glory.” π
The LORD leads Saul to Samuel
The lost female donkeys: Kish, Saul's father, lost his donkeys and sent Saul and his servant to search for them.
The servant who seemed to know more: After failing to find the donkeys, they were about to return home. But the servant remembered that there was a man of God in that city. (v.6)
“All that he says surely comes to pass.”
“Perhaps he can show us the way that we should go.”
π God's revelation: God had already told Samuel:
“Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him commander over My people Israel.” (v.16)
Samuel welcomes Saul: Samuel receives Saul as an honored guest and begins to reveal that Saul is the one whom God has chosen to lead Israel.
π There is another interesting detail here:
Saul's servant seems to know more about the man of God than Saul himself.
This could also raise the possibility that Saul did not know much about God or did not have the same spiritual understanding as his servant. π
π 1 Samuel 10
Saul is anointed
The private anointing: Samuel anoints Saul and tells him that he will become the leader of Israel. He also gives him three signs that will confirm what God is doing.
The Spirit of God comes upon Saul: All three signs happen exactly as Samuel had predicted. Then the Spirit of God comes powerfully upon Saul, and he prophesies with the prophets.
The king is selected by lot: At Mizpah, with all Israel gathered together, the selection process is carried out by casting lots. Benjamin is chosen, and Saul is finally identified. But Saul cannot be found.
Saul is hiding: God reveals that Saul is hiding among the baggage. The people run to bring him out, and when he stands among them, everyone sees again that he is taller than all the others.
➡️ Samuel then says to all the people:
“Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?” (v.24)
And all the people shout:
“Long live the king!”
✔️ But the final verse of the chapter contains another very interesting statement:
“But some rebels said, ‘How can this man save us?’ So they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.” (v.27)
π This gives the impression that these men may have known Saul in some way. π
π And it is interesting that this statement is recorded at the very end of the chapter. π
π 1 Samuel 11
Victory over the Ammonites and the confirmation of Saul's kingship
The Ammonite invasion: Nahash, king of the Ammonites, attacks Jabesh-gilead. The people of Jabesh ask to make a covenant and offer to serve the Ammonites. But Nahash demands that their right eyes be removed as a condition, humiliating Israel.
The Spirit of God moves Saul: When Saul hears the news, the Spirit of God comes powerfully upon him. Saul takes a yoke of oxen, cuts them into pieces, and sends them throughout Israel.
The fear of the LORD: The fear of the LORD falls upon the people, and they gather in enormous numbers.
The Bible records:
300,000 men from Israel + 30,000 men from Judah = 330,000 men.
A great victory and the rescue of Jabesh-gilead: Saul launches a surprise attack and defeats the Ammonites, rescuing the people of Jabesh.
The renewal of the kingdom at Gilgal: After the victory, Samuel gathers the people at Gilgal. There, before the LORD, Saul is confirmed as king, and Saul and all the people rejoice greatly.
π Conclusion 1 — 330,000 men gathered! Could this be God's sense of irony?
Immediately after Saul becomes king, Nahash, king of the Ammonites, attacks Jabesh-gilead.
At that moment, the army gathered from Israel and Judah reaches 330,000 men.
π Here we find another interesting scene.
✔️ Until this point, the LORD had never depended on a large number of people to bring salvation.
But in Saul's first war as king, we see exactly the opposite:
an enormous number of people gather.
Perhaps this was one way God was showing something to a people who wanted a king based on “appearance and outward glory.”
✔️ The God who had never depended on large numbers to save Israel
✔️ now causes 330,000 men to gather through the fear of the LORD.
The text could simply have said that Israel gathered.
But it specifically records:
300,000 from Israel and 30,000 from Judah.
Perhaps this enormous military force was also a way of showing the people the kind of “king” and kingdom they had wanted.
It is an interesting scene that may even be understood as a kind of subtle irony or wit on God's part. π
π Conclusion 2 — What kind of man was Saul?
If the reason Israel asked for a king was related to “appearance and outward glory,” then Saul, the first king chosen by God, seems to have been exactly the kind of man who fit their request.
Son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin.
Young and handsome.
Taller than all the people, from his shoulders upward.
π But already in chapter 9, we find some interesting scenes.
Scene 1
When Kish loses his donkeys, he sends his own son Saul to look for them, accompanied by a servant.
For a task like this, it would not normally have been necessary to send the son of an important family. A servant or worker could have been sent.
And there is another interesting detail:
the servant seems to know more about the man of God than Saul does.
Scene 2
Saul is chosen to be king, but he cannot be found.
He is hiding among the baggage.
The Bible does not explain why Saul hid.
But immediately afterward, in the final verse of chapter 10, the men who despised Saul appear:
“How can this man save us?”
And Saul says nothing.
π When we connect these scenes, an interesting possibility emerges:
Could Saul have preferred to hide when he realized that people who knew his usual behavior were there?
We cannot state this as fact, because the text does not say so.
But the sequence of events allows us to raise this possibility.
Scene 3 — The same men appear again in chapter 11
After Saul's victory over the Ammonites, the people ask Samuel:
“Who is he who said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring the men, that we may put them to death.” (11:12)
But Saul does not allow them to be killed.
He says:
“Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the LORD has accomplished salvation in Israel.”
Then Samuel says:
“Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there.” (11:14)
Here, “renew the kingdom” can naturally be understood as confirming or renewing Saul's kingdom.
But it is also interesting to consider whether the expression might suggest a new beginning for Saul himself.
The text does not explain this directly.
Nevertheless, the sequence:
Saul hiding → the men who despised him → those same men reappear in chapter 11 → Saul refuses to kill them → Samuel says, “Let us renew the kingdom”
creates a remarkably interesting connection. π
It creates a fascinating situation that can be inferred from the information actually recorded in the biblical text.
π Conclusion 3 — This is the real central point of 1 Samuel 9–11
π One question naturally arises:
When Israel asked for a king, God first had Samuel anoint Saul.
π But here is an interesting question:
If God had already chosen Saul, why was another selection by lot necessary at Mizpah? π€
π Could the answer be found in Deuteronomy 17:15? π
“You shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses.”
And:
“You shall set as king over you one from among your brethren.”
Here, it appears that two conditions had to be fulfilled.
1. “Whom the LORD your God chooses”
→ The king had to be chosen by God.
2. “You shall set as king over you one from among your brethren”
→ There was also an action of establishing the king among the people.
This creates an interesting problem:
If God simply pointed directly to one person, the people would not participate in establishing their king.
But if the people chose someone according to their own desire, the condition that God had chosen him would no longer be clear.
π And this is where the casting of lots in 1 Samuel 10 becomes interesting.
π Ah! Could this be exactly what is happening? πππ
The casting of lots is carried out by people.
But it is also difficult to say that the result was simply a human choice.
Therefore, the casting of lots could have been a way to bring these two things together:
The one whom God had chosen
＋
the people participating in the process of establishing him as king.
And there is an important detail:
After the lot is cast, Samuel declares that Saul is:
“the one whom the LORD has chosen.”
Then, in chapter 11, the people publicly confirm Saul's kingship.
π God chooses → the people participate through the casting of lots → the people establish the king.
✔️ In this way, we can see a possible connection between Deuteronomy 17 and what happens in 1 Samuel 9–11.
π My Reflection
Israel had rejected the LORD, essentially saying that they no longer wanted Him to reign over them.
And we can observe the kind of king this people wanted.
→ People who are alike tend to form groups that are alike.
→ And for a people who wanted a king based on appearance, visible power, and outward glory, perhaps a king who perfectly matched that desire was exactly what they needed.
Based on the situations and connections found in the biblical text itself, we can raise an interesting possibility:
π Could it be that the LORD chose for that people exactly the kind of king who matched what they had asked for?
That is one of the most interesting things I see when reading 1 Samuel 9–11.
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