The First King of Israel: Saul - The Book of 1 Samuel

In this Bible Story, Saul is anointed as the first king of Israel. He's a strong, handsome, and well-built man who stood a foot taller than every other man in Israel. The people rejoice over finally having a king, yet Samuel had warned them that having a king would not be exactly what they envisioned. This story is inspired by 1 Samuel 9-10. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is 1 Samuel 10:1 from the King James Version.

Episode 79: Despite Samuel’s warnings, Israel demanded a King, and God gave them Saul, a man from the tribe of Benjamin. One day Saul was searching for his father’s donkeys and sought Samuel to ask if he could inquire of God about them. During this encounter, Samuel revealed to Saul that God had chosen him to be King over Israel. Seven days later Samuel called together the people of Israel, warned them, and announced that God had chosen Saul as their King.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray. Then Samuel took a vial of oil
and poured it upon his head and kissed him and said,
is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to
be captain over his inheritance? First Samuel ten one, God,
as this new day greets me, thank you for being

(00:22):
the God of twenty four hours. I thank you that,
like Saul, you can send some one into my life
to change the trajectory of my future, guide my feet
and my actions so that I will be able to
cross paths with designated destiny igniters. I declare that my

(00:43):
name is being spoken in rooms I have not yet
entered into. I thank you that you have already prepared
my promotion, and you know the date of my elevation.
Place men and women of God around me that will
help guide and teach me the position of influence that
I am about to walk in. Enlarge my heart so

(01:06):
that I will have a new found passion and love
for the calling and assignment You've created for me. I
declare that I am ready, and even in my weaknesses,
I know that I am still covered because I have
not rejected you as king over my life. Lord, So

(01:27):
I will arise I will take the weapons and gifts
you've given me and take territory for your kingdom. I
am ready. Let's do this God in Jesus name, Amen,
thank you for praying with me to day. Continue listening

(01:48):
for an incredible Bible story brought to you by Bible
in a Year dot com.

Speaker 2 (02:02):
The first King of Israel Saul. In our last story,
Israel cried out for a king. Israel, God's chosen people,
shouted and begged for a king to rule over them.
Despite Samuel's warnings, Israel desired for a man to reign
over them completely and protect them from their enemies. Now

(02:25):
we see God acknowledging their desires by raising up a
king for Israel's first king. God chooses Saul, and with
Saul begins a story that would pave the way for
God's true king and savior.

Speaker 3 (02:43):
Hello. This is Jack Graham with today's episode of the
Bible in a Year podcast. In yesterday's episode, we learned
that Samuel served God faithfully as Israel's judge and prophet
for many years, and because the people turned back to
God and cast out their idols, God God prospered the
nation greatly, but Israel's longing to be like other nations

(03:05):
was too great, and they ultimately insisted on being given
an earthly king, just like the rest of the world.
This grieved God, as they were rejecting not Samuel but
God himself. But God would not force his children to
follow him. He never does, and after warning Israel that
having a king would not go as they desired, God
told Samuel to give them what they wanted. Today we'll

(03:28):
hear the first king that God raises up for Israel.
Saul had all the makings of a king, strength, good looks, wealth, charm,
and yet he was also humble. At least at that moment,
Saul will seem to be the right man for the job.
Let's listen now to today's reading.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
In the tribe of Benjamin was a man named Saul.
Saul was the son of a wealthy man named Kish.
Saul was tall and broad shouldered. He stood ahead above
the rest of his tribe and was one of the
most handsome men in all of Israel. Despite Saul's stature, wealth,
and good looks, he was a relatively humble young man.

(04:08):
He enjoyed tending to his father's land. One day, one
of Kish's donkeys went missing, so he sent Saul out
to look for it. Saul and his servant went looking
for the donkey and searched all the nearby villages to
no avail. When they ventured through the land of zoof
days had passed, and Saul grew worried. Saul said to

(04:30):
his servant, we should return. I am sure my father
is more anxious about our safety than the donkeys. Saul's
servant stopped him and said, I heard that there is
a man of God in this city. The people hold
him in high esteem. Maybe he can tell us where
we should go. So the two men gathered some gifts
to bring to the prophet. They went up the hill

(04:52):
to the city that rested above. As they were on
their way, God came to Samuel and said, I have
heard the people's cries king. Tomorrow I will reveal to
you Israel's first king. He shall deliver my people from
the Philistines. The next day, Samuel saw Saul and his
servant approaching his home. God whispered to Samuel, saying, there

(05:16):
is the man who shall restrain my people. Saul approached Samuel.
He stood a few feet above him, and his smile
was infectious. Clearly Saul was a man of charisma, someone
people would not mind following. Where might I be able
to find the prophet? Saul asked politely, I am the prophet,

(05:38):
Samuel answered, without prompting or explanation. Samuel took Saul and said,
go up before me to the high place where we
make sacrifices. To day, you and I shall eat together,
and I will reveal the deepest desires of your mind.
Saul was confused by the request, for all he wanted
to do was ask about his donkeys. Before Saul got

(06:01):
a chance to ask, Samuel said, as for your donkeys,
it is a stupid thing to worry about. They were
found while you were gone. Saul was dumbfounded. Not only
did this prophet know about his donkeys, but he wanted
to eat with him near the altar of God. I
am from the least of the tribes of Israel. Why
do you speak with me this way? Saul asked, without

(06:25):
an answer. Samuel took Saul up to the hall. He
asked the cook to prepare a meal, and Saul sat
down with Samuel among thirty other people. They spent the
night there, and Saul lay awake, wondering what was happening
to him. An anxious excitement rushed over Saul, though he
did not know why the prophet spoke to him in

(06:45):
riddle and ambiguity, so Saul waited patiently to find out
why he was being kept. Samuel sent Saul's servant back
home and took Saul on a walk through the streets
of the city. It was still dawn and the sunlight
trickled in through the alleys. The city was still quiet
and undisturbed. Samuel and Saul walked silently in the coolness

(07:07):
of mourning. Samuel took Saul up to a secluded place.
The sun was breaking over the horizon and the people
were stirring below in the city. The two of them
sat on a rock and looked down at the people.
The men and women of the city began their work,
while the children played on the streets. It was a
beautiful sight. Samuel took a flask of oil and poured

(07:29):
it over Samuel's head. Samuel kissed him on the cheek
and said, God has anointed you to be the king
over his people. Saul's eyes widened, but he did not
say a word. Samuel continued, saying, you shall reign and
rule over God's people. The Lord has appointed you to
save them from the fist of their enemies. On that hill,

(07:52):
God gave Saul a new heart. Saul welled up with
love and affection for the people of Israel, and he
was filled with the spirit of God. Seven days later,
Samuel called the people of Israel together. A sea of
people stood before him, and the crowd hung on every
word Samuel said. Samuel spoke for God as a prophet

(08:15):
and said, I brought you out of Egypt, and since
then I have delivered you from every kingdom that sought
to oppress you. But today you have rejected your God.
You seek a king to rule over you instead of me.
You will have the blessings and curses that come from
having a man rule over you. So Samuel brought Saul

(08:37):
up from the tribe of Benjamin. He stood tall, and
his head was above the entire crowd. Saul looked upon
the people, eyes wide and afraid. Behold, Samuel shouted, your King.
The people roared in applause. Trumpets blared as the people
erupted in shouts of praise. The earth shook below Saul.

(08:59):
Because of the sound. In one voice, he could hear
the crowd chant long live the King. Samuel read Saul
the duties of kingship before the people, and he vowed
to rule and protect them for all his days. Mighty
men of Israel rose up from among the crowd to
pledge their loyalty to Saul, and from there he departed

(09:19):
to his home, ready to take on the Philistine army.
Some doubted Saul's ability to lead and despised him. Yet
Saul had spent plenty of time doubting himself, so he
paid no attention to their protests. Saul held his peace
and readied his sword and shield. With a deep breath
and calm spirit, Saul began his march against the enemies

(09:43):
of God.

Speaker 3 (09:47):
We began the story today with a man named Saul.
He was physically imposing, young, handsome, and wealthy. This would
be the kind of man that the people would expect
to be their king. One day Sawaul and his servant
when in search of one of his father's donkeys. They
searched for days and without any luck. Saul wanted to
go home, thinking his father would be worried about his safety,

(10:09):
but the servant told him a man of God was
in town and suggested they ask him where to search.
That man was Samuel. To an outside observer, it may
look like that this was just dumb luck that Saul
would encounter Samuel. But God's hand and his plan was
in all of this. He told Samuel the next day

(10:29):
that he would reveal to him the man that was
going to be king over all of Israel. When Samuel
saw Saul approaching him bearing gifts to the prophet, God
spoke to Samuel saying, this is the one. So when
Saul approached Samuel, Samuel then told him he was the prophet.
Then he told Saul to go to the place where

(10:50):
they would offer sacrifices and they would eat together. There,
Samuel told Saul he would reveal to him what was
on his mind. Saul's response reveals his humility even in
security in the moment, despite being a young, wealthy, good
looking man that cut an imposing figure, he did not
think highly of himself. And in First Samuel nine twenty one,

(11:10):
this is what Saul says, am I not a Benjamin
Knight from the least of the tribes of Israel, and
is not my clan, the humblest of all the clans
of the tribe of Benjamin, Why then have you spoken
to me in this way? Saul did not yet understand
that God delights and desires to take the least, the unlikely,

(11:31):
even the forgotten people, and do great things through them.
God takes ordinary people and does extraordinary things through their
lives when they trust in Him. But Samuel does not
respond to Saul's question. They simply went up to the
high place where Saul ate was Samuel. Then they rested
for the night. The next morning, Samuel told Saul to

(11:52):
send his servant home. He had something important to tell him.
This was to be a word from God. Samuel then
took the flask of oil, anointed Saul's head, and gave
him the life changing news. God has chosen you to
be king of Israel. Saul would lead Israel in battle,
and God would save his people from their enemies that

(12:14):
surrounded them. What a shock this must have been for Saul,
What an amazement. He went out in search of a
donkey and returned home. As the soon to be king
of the nation of Israel. All that was left was
to tell Israel who their king would be. Samuel spoke
God's words to the people, reminding them that they had
rejected God and chosen an earthly king. Saul was pronounced king,

(12:36):
and the people rejoiced. They didn't care what this meant
to God. They hadn't gotten their own way. At least
for now, Saul would serve as God's man, leading with confidence,
calm and peace that God had given him, And soon
it would be time to fight the first battle against
the Ammonites. We'll hear about that tomorrow. Dear God, thank

(12:57):
you that you choose the lowly, the hum and the
unlikely to accomplish your purposes. That includes us. May we
always be sensitive to hear your call upon our lives
and obey you. May we always do the things that
you have prepared for us, because we know that we
are your workmanship, created in Jesus Christ, and to good

(13:18):
works and for your glory. Amen. Thank you for listening
to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm pastor Jack
Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download thepray dot Com app and
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(13:40):
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