Today’s reading includes one of the worst decisions ever made by the leaders of a nation. I know that is saying a lot, but here you see a nation turning away, not only from the leaders that God has chosen, but from God himself. In asking for a King, Israel is rejecting the way that God had chosen to rule over them.
Samuel warns them that what they are choosing will come at a cost. The king they desire will make demands of them, some of which won’t be easy.
The same is true in our lives. Every decision we make comes with a cost. Are you counting the cost of the decisions you are making regarding your family, relationships, habits, finances, and health? You should be. Doing things outside of God’s plan can be very expensive.
1 Samuel 8–10:27 (MEV)
1 And it came about when Samuel was old, that he installed his sons as judges for Israel.
2 Now the name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second son was Abijah. They were judging in Beersheba.
3 But his sons did not walk in his way, for they followed after unlawful gain, and they took bribes, and they perverted justice.
4 And all the elders of Israel gathered together and they came to Samuel at Ramah.
5 They said to him, “You are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now, install for us a king to govern us like all the nations.”
6 But the thing was evil in the eyes of Samuel, because they said, “Give us a king to govern us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord.
7 The Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in relation to all that they say to you. For it is not you they have rejected, but Me they have rejected from reigning over them.
8 Just as all the deeds which they have done to Me, from the day I brought them up from Egypt even to this day, in that they have forsaken Me and have served other gods, so they are doing also to you now.
9 Now then, obey their voice. Only you will testify against them and proclaim to them the judgment concerning the king who will reign over them.”
10 So Samuel said all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking from him a king.
11 And he said, “This will be the judgment concerning the king who will reign over you: Your sons he will take in order to place them for himself in his chariots and as his horsemen, and they will run before his chariot,
12 and in order to assign for himself captains of thousands and captains of fifties, and to plow his ground, and to gather in his harvest, and to make his weapons of war and the equipment of his chariots.
13 And your daughters he will take for perfumers, and cooks, and bakers.
14 And your choicest fields, and vineyards, and olive groves he will take and give them to his servants.
15 And of your seed fields and your vineyards he will take a tenth of their harvest and will give it to his high officials and to his servants.
16 And your menservants and your maidservants, and the best of your young men and asses he will take and make do his work.
17 Your flocks he will take a tenth of, but you will be his for slaves.
18 And you will cry out in that day because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But surely a king will be over us!
20 So that we also will be like all the nations! And so that our king will govern us, and will go out before us, and will fight our battles.”
21 And after Samuel heard all the words of the people, he spoke them in the hearing of the Lord.
22 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey their voice, and make for them a king.” So Samuel said to Israel’s fighting men, “Go every man to his city.”
1 Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bekorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.
2 He had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice and handsome man, and there was not a better looking man among the children of Israel. From his shoulders and up he was taller than any of the people.
3 Now the donkeys of Kish, the father of Saul, were lost. And Kish said to his son Saul, “Take now one of the servants with you, and arise, go find the donkeys.”
4 He passed through the mountains of Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalisha, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they did not find them.
5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, “Come, and let us return lest my father stop caring about the donkeys and worry about us.”
6 He said to him, “Look, there is in this city a man of God, and he is highly respected. All that he speaks surely comes about. Now let us go there. Perhaps he can show us the way that we should go.”
7 Then Saul said to his servant, “But listen, if we go, what will we bring the man? For the bread is gone from our satchels, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?”
8 And the servant answered Saul again, and said, “Look, I have here in my hand a quarter of a shekel of silver. I will give it to the man of God, to tell us our way.”
9 (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he said, “Come, and let us go to the seer.” For he that is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer.)
10 Then Saul said to his servant, “Well said. Come, let us go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was.
11 As they went up the hill to the city, they found young women going out to draw water and said to them, “Is the seer here?”
12 And they answered them and said, “He is. See, he is ahead of you. Hurry now, for today he came to the city, because there is a sacrifice for the people in the high place today.
13 As soon as you come into the city, you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice. Afterwards those invited will eat. Now therefore, go up, for about this time of the day you will find him there.”
14 So they went up into the city. And when they entered, Samuel was coming toward them to go up to the high place.
15 Now the Lord had revealed in the ear of Samuel one day before Saul came, saying,
16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man out of the land of Benjamin. And you will anoint him to be leader over My people Israel, that he may save My people out of the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come unto Me.”
17 When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! This one will rule over My people.”
18 Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, “Tell me, please, where is the seer’s house?”
19 Samuel answered Saul, and said, “I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for you will eat with me today. And tomorrow I will let you go, and will tell you then all that is in your heart.
20 As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not worry about them for they have been found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on you and on all your father’s house?”
21 And Saul answered and said, “Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? And my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you speak to me this way?”
22 And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the hall, and gave them a place at the head of those invited, which were about thirty men.
23 Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, ‘Set it aside.’ ”
24 Then the cook took up the thigh and what was on it and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, “Here is what was set aside. Set it before you and eat, because it has been kept for you until this time, since I said I have invited the people.” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.
25 When they had come down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul up on the roof.
26 They arose early, and it was at the rising of the dawn that Samuel called to Saul on the roof, saying, “Get up, that I may send you away.” So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went to the street.
27 As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to pass on before us.” So he passed on. “But you stand still and I will proclaim to you the word of God.”
1 Then Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it upon his head. And he kissed him and said, “Has not the Lord anointed you over His inheritance as ruler?
2 When you have departed from me today, you will find two men by Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah. And they will say to you, ‘The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. And now, your father has stopped caring about the donkeys, and worries for you, saying, “What will I do for my son?” ’
3 “Then you will go forward from there, and you will come to the plain of Tabor. And there you will meet three men going up to God to Bethel: one carrying three kids, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine.
4 And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you will receive from their hands.
5 “After that you will come to the hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is. And when you come there to the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a harp, a tambourine, a flute, and a lyre before them. And they will prophesy.
6 And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them. And you will be turned into another man.
7 And it will be when these signs come to you, do for yourself what the occasion requires; for God is with you.
8 “Then you will go down before me to Gilgal. And listen, I will be coming down to you, in order to offer burnt offerings, and to offer sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days you will wait, until I come to you. Then I will make known to you what you will do.”
9 And it happened, that when he turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart. And all those signs came to pass that day.
10 When they came to the hill, a group of prophets met him. And the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.
11 So when all who previously knew him saw that he prophesied among the prophets, the people said one to another, “What is this that has come upon the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”
12 And a man from there answered and said, “But who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
13 When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place.
14 And Saul’s uncle said to him and to his servant, “Where did you go?” And he said, “To seek the donkeys. And when we saw that they were nowhere around, we went to Samuel.”
15 Saul’s uncle said, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.”
16 Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys were found.” But the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel had spoken, he did not mention.
17 Therefore Samuel called the people together unto the Lord at Mizpah.
18 And he said to the children of Israel, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you.’
19 But you have today rejected your God, who saves you from all your troubles and your distresses. And you have said to Him, ‘No, but set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes, and by your clans.”
20 So Samuel brought near all the tribes of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin was taken.
21 Then he brought near the tribe of Benjamin by its families. And the family of Matri was chosen. Then Saul the son of Kish was taken. But when they sought him, he could not be found.
22 Therefore they inquired again of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?” And the Lord answered, “He has hidden himself among the equipment.”
23 So they ran and took him from there. When he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.
24 Then Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? Truly there is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted and said, “Long live the king.”
25 Samuel told the people the ordinances of the kingdom, and wrote them in a book, and laid them up before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.
26 Saul also went home to Gibeah. And there went with him a band of valiant men whose hearts God had touched.
27 But some worthless men said, “How will this man save us?” And they despised him, and did not bring him a present. But he remained silent.