1 Samuel 10:26 Commentary and Bible Study

‘And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched.’ This is mysterious. God appears to have raised up a band of people – how large we don't know – valiant men possibly, who had it in their hearts to support the new king, and be near to his hand, and be available to him. They went off with him to Gibeah. Saul's calling is to deliver the children of Israel from the Philistines. It is as though God was encouraging Saul to think spiritually. ‘Look what God has provided you with, a band of people who are with you, moved by God to defend you, to go with you into battle when it's necessary.’ What then does he do with the band whom God has given him? It should have moved him; it should have inspired him, but we never hear of them again. He didn't think anything of them. Did he send them home? Were they just wasting their time, camping or pitching down nearby, never called upon? So Saul was not without very special provisions and encouragements from God, but he wasn't particularly interested in all that.But there were also rebels present. ‘The children of Belial’ – literally, ‘children of worthlessness’ – ‘said, How shall this man save us?’ In this case you could translate it ‘rebels’; that fits the context. By giving them this name, the Scripture cannot approve their question. Even though Saul failed to be a good king, he was the one chosen by God, and he was anointed by Samuel. They were at that time under threat from the Ammonites. We read about that in the very next chapter. But they despised him: ‘What can he do? What does he know?’ and they didn't trust Samuel the prophet. Divisiveness reared its head the moment a king came into existence. Authority was now visible, and these sons of Belial didn't want any kind of rule over them. And yet Saul held his peace. He had this much sense at the beginning of his reign.