1 Samuel 9:1 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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1 Samuel 9:1

Comments

The Book of First Samuel now turns to the appointment of Saul as king, and we see what an unlikely king he was. We are given a long introduction to Saul. Kish was very wealthy, very powerful, and he had a son. The way is being prepared for us to see a rather spoilt boy emerge. On what basis is he a choice young man? ‘And a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.’ His physical stature was extraordinarily striking; he was extremely handsome, and no doubt had some charm to go with it. There you are: that is Saul. But that is just what the people wanted; that’s just what would appeal to them. You don't read anything about his academic record. You don't read anything about his wisdom, his virtue, or his strength of character which proved to be extremely poor. You don’t read of his experience in running anything. In every single attribute that is required by a king, he seemed to be lacking. The only respect in which he qualified was stature: he cut a great figure. It is all about what you can see, what you can admire; it’s all about the flesh. How careful we need to be in all our guidance to stay away from the flesh: what you can admire, and what you can applaud. What matters is the word of God, communion with Christ, the power of the Spirit. We must be a distinctive separate people apart from the world. These are our values, and that is what these chapters are about.Samuel, although sixty years of age was just perfect for them. He was wise; he was experienced; he had a tremendous track record. They should really have appreciated him. But we can imagine he was bald, and he was lined from living in the hot sun for so many years, and perhaps he stooped a bit and shambled. He was dressed, probably cleanly, but undoubtedly very simply, and he didn't cut an impressive figure. But show was everything to the people. ‘You are old’, they said to Samuel. ‘We can't be proud of you in the way we want to be proud of a king.’ The people had cried out for a king like the pagan nations round about them, and Samuel had strenuously warned them against forfeiting the manner of government that God had given them, and the provision, in answer to their prayers, of judges to deliver them from their enemies. But the people didn't want to follow God's prescription; they wanted a king. All the trappings of monarchy that would cost them dearly, and they would now be subjects, not of the land, not of Israel, but of the king, and he would recruit them into his army. Well they actually wanted that. ‘We don't want to be the whole male population of Israel as an army: a lay army to fight our battles. We want to have selected out from our ranks a specialist professional army, and we will sit back and they will go and fight our battles for us.’ They wanted things to be done the way they were done in the kingdoms around them. And in humility and in obedience to God Samuel gave them a king!

Application

We don’t want a monarchy either, or we shouldn't. Monarchy gets into the church in various forms. In the so-called church, the Roman Catholic Church, the king is the pope. He answers in almost every respect to a monarch. And then there are others also. We create things that are somewhat monarchical: synods and centralised ruling systems for denominations. It is all steps towards a monarchy: neglect of the simple New Testament pattern of autonomous individual churches, congregations, under the direct rule of Christ. Any alternative to that is moving in the direction of a form of monarchy. There are independent churches, mega-churches sometimes, and they have a hero, and they virtually worship their hero pastor, and set him on a pedestal, and make him a vastly rich man, and they are very proud to belong to this man’s church. It is nine or ten paces towards monarchy: the very thing we are to avoid.

Questions

The word ‘goodly’ doesn't mean good. Goodly means winsome and charming and good looking; highly endowed with everything that you might think was desirable. ‘From his shoulders and upwards he was higher than any of the people.’ Tremendous stature and presence. Actually the more you know about Saul, the more of a failure you see he was, even according to the flesh. He really didn't have anything very much going for him. As far as his being a king was concerned, he was a totally inadequate. That is all you can really say about him. He looked the part, and he had the charm, and great eloquence, and carnally he was just what the people would have wanted. God was going to give them the kind of person that they themselves appreciated and admired.

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1 Samuel 9:1 Commentary and Bible Study