Wednesday Devo
Scripture:
1 Samuel 10:17-24
Saul Is Acclaimed King
17 Later Samuel called all the people of Israel to meet before the Lord at Mizpah. 18 And he said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has declared: I brought you from Egypt and rescued you from the Egyptians and from all of the nations that were oppressing you. 19 But though I have rescued you from your misery and distress, you have rejected your God today and have said, ‘No, we want a king instead!’ Now, therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by tribes and clans.”
20 So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel before the Lord, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by lot. 21 Then he brought each family of the tribe of Benjamin before the Lord, and the family of the Matrites was chosen. And finally Saul son of Kish was chosen from among them. But when they looked for him, he had disappeared! 22 So they asked the Lord, “Where is he?”
And the Lord replied, “He is hiding among the baggage.” 23 So they found him and brought him out, and he stood head and shoulders above anyone else.
24 Then Samuel said to all the people, “This is the man the Lord has chosen as your king. No one in all Israel is like him!”
And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
Saul Is Acclaimed King
17 Later Samuel called all the people of Israel to meet before the Lord at Mizpah. 18 And he said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has declared: I brought you from Egypt and rescued you from the Egyptians and from all of the nations that were oppressing you. 19 But though I have rescued you from your misery and distress, you have rejected your God today and have said, ‘No, we want a king instead!’ Now, therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by tribes and clans.”
20 So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel before the Lord, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by lot. 21 Then he brought each family of the tribe of Benjamin before the Lord, and the family of the Matrites was chosen. And finally Saul son of Kish was chosen from among them. But when they looked for him, he had disappeared! 22 So they asked the Lord, “Where is he?”
And the Lord replied, “He is hiding among the baggage.” 23 So they found him and brought him out, and he stood head and shoulders above anyone else.
24 Then Samuel said to all the people, “This is the man the Lord has chosen as your king. No one in all Israel is like him!”
And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
Commentary:
22–23. The fact that Saul is missing puts everyone in a quandary. Has the lot failed to give the right answer? Is there yet a man to come hither? (RSV mg., which gives the meaning of the Hebrew, while the text follows the LXX) implies that Samuel may have missed someone in operating the selection process. But the word of the Lord led the leaders to Saul’s hiding-place. Why did he hide? He had had time to prepare himself for this moment, but seems not to have been able to see himself in the role of king, though he had now had the assurance of the prophetic anointing confirmed by the lot. Reluctantly he revealed himself to be of outstanding physique, and therefore acceptable to the people as their leader, but he did not want to be king.
24. The secret is out, Saul is accepted as king and publicly acclaimed, using an expression common in the ancient Near East that became traditional (1 Kgs 1:25, 31, 34, 39; 2 Kgs 11:12; 2 Chr. 23:11) and is today exactly parallelled, for example, in the French, ‘Vive le roi!’ The matter was taken out of Saul’s hands, all the people were of one mind, and their decision was binding; Saul had no opportunity to protest. Moreover, Samuel had staged the epochmaking event in a covenant setting, bringing home to the people the accusation that they had rejected the kingship of Yahweh (v. 19), and then presenting them with their new leader. Just as the ark had been acclaimed with a great shout (1 Sam. 4:5), so now Saul is similarly acclaimed. By popular demand a king had been appointed, but if Israel thought that he would solve all their problems by leading them to conquests without reference to God’s law, they were quite wrong.
Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 100–101.
24. The secret is out, Saul is accepted as king and publicly acclaimed, using an expression common in the ancient Near East that became traditional (1 Kgs 1:25, 31, 34, 39; 2 Kgs 11:12; 2 Chr. 23:11) and is today exactly parallelled, for example, in the French, ‘Vive le roi!’ The matter was taken out of Saul’s hands, all the people were of one mind, and their decision was binding; Saul had no opportunity to protest. Moreover, Samuel had staged the epochmaking event in a covenant setting, bringing home to the people the accusation that they had rejected the kingship of Yahweh (v. 19), and then presenting them with their new leader. Just as the ark had been acclaimed with a great shout (1 Sam. 4:5), so now Saul is similarly acclaimed. By popular demand a king had been appointed, but if Israel thought that he would solve all their problems by leading them to conquests without reference to God’s law, they were quite wrong.
Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 100–101.
Questions:
When it was time to present Israel’s new king, Saul was nowhere to be found. Samuel had gathered the people at Mizpah, and God had directed the selection process until Saul was chosen. But when they went looking for him, they discovered he was hiding among the baggage. It’s an almost comical scene. Saul was taller than everyone else in Israel. God had already chosen him, Samuel had anointed him, and the Spirit of God had come upon him. But when it was time to step forward, Saul was hiding behind the luggage. We aren’t told exactly what was going through Saul’s mind, but his actions raise a question: What was he afraid of? Whatever the reason, he was hiding at the very moment he was supposed to step into the responsibility God had given him.
It’s easy to look at Saul and wonder how he could hide when God had made His calling so clear. But we do the same thing in our own ways. We hide behind the baggage of insecurity, fear of failure, past mistakes, or the need to keep everyone happy. We tell ourselves we aren’t ready, that someone else would do it better, or that following through will cost us too much. Sometimes we pretend our hesitation is about being realistic or waiting for the right time. Meanwhile, the thing God is calling us to do remains undone.
Fear doesn’t always look like running away. Sometimes it looks like staying quiet when we need to speak, avoiding a hard conversation, refusing to serve because we might not do it well, or choosing comfort when obedience requires sacrifice. We can spend so much energy protecting ourselves from discomfort that we never take the next step of faith.
There is a huge contrast between Saul and Jesus. Saul hid when it was time to step into his calling. Jesus willingly moved toward the cross, knowing the suffering and shame that awaited Him. He did not turn away from the work His Father had given Him. Jesus endured the cross to rescue us from sin and bring us into a relationship with God.
You don’t have to get rid of every insecurity before you can obey Jesus. You don’t have to feel completely ready or know exactly how everything will turn out. You need to bring your fear to Him and take the next faithful step. God’s Word keeps you grounded in what is true, and His Spirit empowers you to follow where He leads.
It’s easy to look at Saul and wonder how he could hide when God had made His calling so clear. But we do the same thing in our own ways. We hide behind the baggage of insecurity, fear of failure, past mistakes, or the need to keep everyone happy. We tell ourselves we aren’t ready, that someone else would do it better, or that following through will cost us too much. Sometimes we pretend our hesitation is about being realistic or waiting for the right time. Meanwhile, the thing God is calling us to do remains undone.
Fear doesn’t always look like running away. Sometimes it looks like staying quiet when we need to speak, avoiding a hard conversation, refusing to serve because we might not do it well, or choosing comfort when obedience requires sacrifice. We can spend so much energy protecting ourselves from discomfort that we never take the next step of faith.
There is a huge contrast between Saul and Jesus. Saul hid when it was time to step into his calling. Jesus willingly moved toward the cross, knowing the suffering and shame that awaited Him. He did not turn away from the work His Father had given Him. Jesus endured the cross to rescue us from sin and bring us into a relationship with God.
You don’t have to get rid of every insecurity before you can obey Jesus. You don’t have to feel completely ready or know exactly how everything will turn out. You need to bring your fear to Him and take the next faithful step. God’s Word keeps you grounded in what is true, and His Spirit empowers you to follow where He leads.
- Saul hid among the baggage when it was time to step into the responsibility God had given him. Where are you tempted to hold back from obeying God because of fear, insecurity, or the possibility of failing? What are you afraid you might lose, face, or have to give up if you take that step?
- Saul hid when it was time to step forward, but Jesus willingly went to the cross, knowing the cost of His obedience. How does Jesus’ willingness to embrace the cross challenge the ways you try to protect yourself from discomfort, rejection, or sacrifice? How does His grace give you security to obey even when you feel inadequate or afraid?
- What is one area where you know God is calling you to take a step of obedience, but you’ve been hiding behind excuses, fear, or the desire to stay comfortable?
Prayer Topics:
- Ask God to show you where fear, insecurity, or comfort has been keeping you from obeying Him.
- Confess the ways you have used past failures or other people’s opinions as reasons to hold back.
- Thank Jesus for willingly going to the cross to rescue you from sin and bring you into God’s family.
- Ask the Holy Spirit for courage to take the next step of obedience, even when you don’t feel ready.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
5. Why do I follow Jesus? I follow Jesus because Jesus rose from the dead proving that He is the way, the truth and the life.
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
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