1 Sam 10:1-13 Provisions for a King CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

In 1 Sam 19:1-13, in the things that Samuel said to Saul and in the things that the Lord accomplished for Saul, we see that the Lord provided Saul with everything he needed for his current necessities and for his future reign.  The signs let Saul know that Samuel’s anointing of him as king really came from the Lord and they also instructed him on things he would need throughout his reign in order to reign well.

He needed:  

Anointing – v.1 – showing that he is the Lord’s choice and also affording him that special protection in the eyes of the people that the anointing affords 1 Sam 24:6

Direction – v.2 – he had to know where the asses were – and in the future he would have to know the Lord’s direction for his country [contrast 1 Sam 28:6]

Provision – v.3-4 – he needed two loaves of bread to feed him and his servant since they were out of food [9:7] – and he would have to know that if the Lord could take care of his needs,  he could take care of his country’s needs – Israel in the wilderness, 2 Ki 7.

The Holy Spirit – v.6 – he needed the Spirit of God on him [comp 1 Sam 16:13-14] kings can be easily troubled by evil spirits since Satan is the god of this world [1 Sam 16:23 consider what happened to Ahab and Jezebel]

God – v.7 – the one thing that he had to know that he had – he had to know that the Lord was with him [see 2 Chr 32:8]

Authority – v.8 – the Lord gave him a command and he had to obey that command [1 Sam 13:13-14 contrast Matt 8:9]

Everything came to pass just as Samuel had prophesied except for the meeting in Gilgal – that’s because the meeting was to take place on Samuel’s circuit [1 Sam 7:16] a little while later [1 Sam 13].

Now if Saul had remembered these things that the Lord had done for him, he would have been a good king.  But he didn’t and so he went down like so many of the kings that followed him