1 Samuel 10:17-24
17 Now Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah;
18 and he said to the sons of Israel, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘I brought Israel up from Egypt, and I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’
19 But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your catastrophes and your distresses; yet you have said, ‘No, but put a king over us!’ Now then, present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your groups of thousands.”
20 So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel forward; and the tribe of Benjamin was selected by lot.
21 Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin forward by its families, and the Matrite family was selected by lot. And Saul the son of Kish was selected by lot; but when they looked for him, he could not be found.
22 Therefore they inquired further of the Lord: “Has the man come here yet?” And the Lord said, “Behold, he is hiding himself among the baggage.”
23 So they ran and took him from there, and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.
24 Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? Surely there is no one like him among all the people.” So all the people shouted and said, “Long live the king!”
Selection of Saul
Selected by lot
To publicly affirm Saul as king, Samuel gathered the people at Mizpah for the selection of king. (1) Before selecting the king, Samuel reminded Israel the history, affirming that the God of Israel is the God who brought them out of Egypt. (2) Furthermore, he declares again that appointing a king is an act of rejecting the true King, God Himself. (3) Next, he proceeded into choosing the king by casting lots. Casting lots was used to select the king. As it is said, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord” (Prov. 16:33). As a result, the tribe of Benjamin was selected. After this, it is believed that the Urim and Thummim were used instead of the usual lots. The Urim and Thummim were two stones attached to the breastplate of the high priest, and it is said that they would shine for “Yes” and not shine for “No” (Ex. 28:30). Using the Urim and Thummim, the family of Matri, the household of Kish, and then Saul was selected out. However, when people looked for Saul, he was nowhere to be found. Upon inquiring God again, the answer was, “He is hiding himself among the baggage.” Such an answer would not come from the Urim and Thummim. This was a direct revelation from the Lord.
Saul hiding among the baggage
Saul’s behavior, at a glance, may appear as humble, but as it became clear later, it actually reflected his lack of self-confidence. Lack of confidence and arrogance are two sides of a coin. When Saul was brought forward, it was evident that he was a man of impressive stature. The people rejoiced greatly and welcomed him as king with shouts of joy. However, the people were impressed solely of Saul’s physical appearance. God’s ultimate choice was David. Regarding David, God said, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God does not see as man sees, since man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7). This principle remains unchanged even today.
Today's prayer
Heavenly Father, please prepare my inner self today so that I may see everything through Your discerning eyes. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.