The Anointing of King Sha’ul
First Samuel 9:1 to 10:27
The focus now shifts from Samuel to Sha’ul; God’s choice for Isra’el’s king. He was from the tribe of Benjamin, which had almost been exterminated because of their rebellion against the Torah (see the commentary on Judges, to see link click Cd – War Against the Tribe of Benjamin). Jacob compared Benjamin to a ravening wolf (see Genesis Lo – Benjamin is a Ravenous Wolf, He Devours the Prey and Divides the Plunder), who didn’t think twice about killing others (see Genesis Ie – The Slaughter at Shechem by Simeon and Levi). Benjamin’s territory lay between Ephraim to the north and Judah to the south; so, Sha’ul’s tribe was next to the royal tribe of Judah. Even though Sha’ul described himself as belonging to the smallest tribe of Isra’el, and his clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin (9:21), he belonged to a powerful and wealthy family that owned much land, animals, and servants.
Physically, Sha’ul was tall, good-looking, and strong, the kind of king the people would admire. Even Samuel, with all his spiritual discernment, got carried away when he saw him. The people ran and brought Sha’ul from Mitzpah, and when he stood among them he was head and shoulders taller than anyone around. Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man ADONAI has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?” Then all the people shouted, “Long live the king” (10:23-25)! Samuel’s weakness for admiring physical qualities even showed up when he went to anoint David (16:1-7). Sha’ul was obedient to his father and concerned about his father’s feelings, and he was tireless in wanting to obey his father’s will. To invest all the time and energy looking for the lost donkeys suggests that he wasn’t a quitter (9:1-14). In addition, there was a certain amount of modesty in him (9:21 and 10:14-16), but there was no indication of spiritual life.205
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