In this section, the monarchy is established in Israel. Both God and Samuel are displeased and disapprove, but like parents of headstrong teenagers, they give their advice, express their disapproval, warn of the negative consequences to come, and let the insistent Israelites have their way. So it comes to pass that God leads Samuel to Saul. Or better, He leads Saul to Samuel. Samuel anoints Saul with oil and instructs him that his responsibility is to goverm Israel and protect the people "from the grasp of their enemies." Samuel also tells Saul that "the spirit of the Lord will rush upon you" and that Saul "will be changed into another man." Afterwards, we read, God gave Saul "another heart" and the signs Samuel had predicted for Saul came to pass. Samuel called the people together that they might select a king by lot. At the end of that process, Saul, who stood "head and shoulders above all the crowd", was their king.
The passage ends with Samuel recounting for the people all that God has done for them, from their rescue from slavery in Egypt onward, and issuing a reminder of God's displeasure with them for having insisted on an earthly king to govern them.
I am struck by how Saul's acceptance of the call to be king transformed him. God gave him a new heart, and the prophetic spirit filled him. God gave hm the strength and compassion and courage to embrace and fulfill the role to which he had been called. When I face a decision, do I have faith both that God will help me choose correctly and that He will help me face the challenges that come once I have made the choice?
No comments:
Post a Comment