Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
1 Samuel 10:17-25
Samuel Publicly Demonstrates Whom YHWH Has Chosen To Be Their King by Using The Sacred Lot, And Saul Is Acclaimed As King (1 Samuel 10:17).
The private preparation of the young man Saul for his role as war-leader and king of Israel has now taken place. Samuel is now sure that Saul is God's choice, and the rather diffident Saul has been given a number of signs which have demonstrated the same to him, and has received a secret anointing, followed by an empowering for the task. It was now felt that it was time for Israel also to become convinced of this fact.
All the tribes of Israel would now also have to be persuaded as to who should be king, and given the jealousy between the tribes and the determination of the prominent ones that their rights should not be overlooked, and that their rivals should not gain any advantage over them, it was not going to be easy.
It would certainly be made easier by the fact that Saul was impressive, and came from a small tribe of minor significance politically, but it was still necessary for all to be convinced and come to agreement. And this was now to be done by using the age-old method of casting lots (compare Joshua 7:16; Joshua 14:2). For all believed, in the words of Proverbs, that ‘the lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing of it is of YHWH' (Proverbs 16:33).
Analysis.
a And Samuel called the people together to YHWH to Mizpah (1 Samuel 10:17).
b And he said to the children of Israel, “Thus says YHWH, the God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all the kingdoms that oppressed you, but you have this day rejected your God, who himself saves you out of all your calamities and your distresses” (1 Samuel 10:18 a).
c “And you have said to him, “No, but set a king over us.” Now therefore present yourselves before YHWH by your tribes, and by your families (thousands)” (1 Samuel 10:19 b).
d So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken. And he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by their families, and the family of the Matrites was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken, but when they sought him, he could not be found (1 Samuel 10:20).
e Therefore they asked of YHWH further, “Is there yet a man to come here?” And YHWH answered, “Behold, he has hid himself among the baggage wagons” (1 Samuel 10:22).
d And they ran and fetched him there, and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward. And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom YHWH has chosen, that there is none like him along all the people?” (1 Samuel 10:23 a).
c And all the people shouted, and said, “Long live the king” (1 Samuel 10:24 b).
b Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingship, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before YHWH (1 Samuel 10:25 a).
a And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house (1 Samuel 10:25 b).
Note than in ‘a' Samuel gathers the people together, and in the parallel he sends them back home. In ‘b' he describes the manner of the old Kingship, and in the parallel he describes the manner of the new kingship. In ‘c' the people ask for a king, and in the parallel they cry ‘long live the king'. In ‘d' Saul is chosen but cannot be found, and in the parallel he is found and declared to be the chosen one. Centrally in ‘e' YHWH declares that the chosen king is to be found among the baggage.
‘ And Samuel called the people together to YHWH to Mizpah.'
In order to carry out the process of choosing by lot Samuel gathered the tribes at Mizpah. It is clear from the fact that he was able to do so that the Philistines were not in the vicinity in any force. Had they been so they would unquestionably have intervened, especially in view of the purpose of the gathering. Mizpah was one of the high places were sacrifices could be offered, and was the place where Samuel had gathered the people together in his younger days when they had defeated the Philistines (1 Samuel 7:5). But it was vulnerable to Philistine attack (whereas Gilgal was much safer). Indeed' the fact that Samuel gathered them there in order to determine the kingship must be seen as indicating that he had no fear of Philistine suspicion and intervention, simply because the Philistines were still to be seen as contained (1 Samuel 7:13).
‘ And he said to the children of Israel, “Thus says YHWH, the God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all the kingdoms that oppressed you, but you have this day rejected your God, who himself saves you out of all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, “No, but set a king over us.” Now therefore present yourselves before YHWH by your tribes, and by your families (thousands).'
Samuel began by making it clear that he did not approve of what was happening. He pointed out how YHWH had delivered them in the past from both Egypt and all those who had oppressed them. He had been their King. But now they had rejected this saving God and had said, ‘No, set a king over us.' So it was not so much the desire for a king, but the kind of king that they desired which was in question. Had they been willing to accept simply a war-leader appointed by YHWH, which was what he had been trying to persuade them to accept, it might have been acceptable. But they kept on insisting on a full-blown king.
That being so he called on them now to present themselves before YHWH by their tribes and by their wider families. Here we have a clear case where the word for ‘thousands' means ‘wider families'. The idea was that choice would then be made by lot. We do not know exactly what method was used.
‘ So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken. And he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by their families, and the family of the Matrites was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken, but when they sought him, he could not be found.'
The first lot cast determined which tribe had been chosen. This might have been by means of tossing down twelve sticks, or some similar method, and determining the lot by how they fell. And the lot fell on Benjamin. The next lot determined which wider family should be chosen which was the Matrites. The process is then abbreviated because the next lot (or the next but one), which is not mentioned, would be concerning households. Finally the lot would be cast over individuals. And by that lot Saul, the son of Kish was chosen as both Samuel and Saul knew would happen. But when they looked around for Saul he could not be found. Like the asses in 1 Samuel 9:3 he had wandered off and would have to be sought.
‘ Therefore they asked of YHWH further, “Is there yet a man to come here?” And YHWH answered, “Behold, he has hid himself among the baggage wagons.”
Puzzled by the fact that no one was there who answered to Saul's name the question was then put to YHWH as to whether there should have been someone else there. And YHWH replied that the person in question had hidden himself, either by standing among the piles of baggage which would have been fairly large considering the numbers present, or among the baggage wagons holding the baggage. The fact that the idea is central in the chiasmus suggests that this is to be seen as significant. Note also that these are the only words that YHWH actually ‘speaks'. They had wanted a king like all the nations, had they? Well, he was to be found among the baggage. He was not like YHWH Who walked amidst the camp (Deuteronomy 23:14). He was an accessory.
Again we do not know the method used to obtain the answer (unless the question was put through Samuel who would receive a prophetic illumination), although it may have been by a process of elimination, either by receiving ‘yes' and ‘no' answers by lot, or by dividing up the camp per lot and discovering which lot was revealed.
His purpose in hiding could not have been in order to avoid being chosen because he was well aware that Samuel had already determined that he was to be the new war-leader. It would seem therefore that it was due to modesty, because he did not wish to give the impression of actually seeking the position. Alternately it might have been his hope that if he was out of sight and not among the congregation he might be excluded from the results of the lot. It is strange how often people think that they can hide from God. But like Saul they will discover that they cannot.
‘ And they ran and fetched him there, and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.'
Recognising that YHWH had revealed the man who was to be their king the people ran to the baggage area and discovered Saul there, and when he came out among them they saw his great stature, and that he was taller than anyone else..
‘ And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom YHWH has chosen, that there is none like him along all the people?” And all the people shouted, and said, “Long live the king.” '
Samuel then pointed him out as the chosen of YHWH and drew attention to his magnificent bearing, stressing that there was none other like him. Enthusiastically the people gathered round and cried ‘May the king live', or as we would say it, ‘long live the king'. Saul was thus now made king by popular acclamation. God had previously appointed him in secret through Samuel, something which had been necessary to prepare Saul for this moment, and now men had appointed him under God's direction by public acclamation. Both were necessary, firstly so that he would be deeply aware of his need to serve God only, and then secondly so that he might be acceptable to all the tribes, and the people who were connected with them.
‘ Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingship, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before YHWH. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.'
Samuel then told the people what manner of kingship this would be. Saul would be their war-leader but it would be under God and subject to the advice of His prophet. He may well have patterned the detailed requirements on Deuteronomy 17:12. This was then written in a book and ‘laid up before YHWH', that is, it was placed in the Sanctuary. The ‘laying up of the book before YHWH' would suggest that this took place in Gilgal where the main Sanctuary seems to have been (1 Samuel 11:14; 1 Samuel 13:4). This is to be seen to be fulfilling the promise and command made in 1 Samuel 10:8, a fulfilment also hinted at in 1 Samuel 10:13. Having provided the detail the writer would see no reason to repeat it.