Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition)
Sfivl comes to Samuel. 1 SAMUEL IX. Said Appointed to the Kingdtm.
In the then unsettled state of the people, was the oopasion of calling forth an expression of this desire now. 6. tlie thing displeased Samuel when tliey gald, Give us a king to judge us— Personal and family feelings might aft'ect li .s viesN 9 of this public movement. But liis dissatisfaction arose j rincipally from the proposed change being revolutionary n its character. Though it would not entirely subvert t leir theocratic government, the appointment of a visible monarch would necessarily tend to throw out of view tlieir unseen King and Head. God intimated, through Samuel, that their request would, in anger, be granted, while at the same time he apprised them of some of the evils that would result from thiir choice. 11. tliis ivlll l>e tUe manner of tlie king—The following is a veryjustand graphic picture of the despotic governments which anciently and still are found in the East, and into conformity with which the Hebrew monarchy, notwithstanding the restrictions prescribed by the law, gradually slid. He will take your sons antl appoint them for himself—Oriental sovereigns claim a right to the services of any of their subjects at pleasure, some shall run before his chariots—The royal equipages were, generally throughout the East, as in Persia they verdant hills between Shiloh and the vales of Jordan (Shalisha and Shalini)—he approached again the borders of Benjamin, scoured the land of Zuph, and was proposing to return, when liis servant recollected that they were in the immediate neighbourhood of the man of God, who would give theui counsel. 6. there Is in this city a man of God—Ramah was the usual residence of Samuel, but several circumstances, especially the mention of Rachel's sepulchre, which lay in Saul's way homeward, lead to the conclusion tliat "this city" was not the Raniah where Samuel dwelt, peradventure lie can show us our way tliat we should go—It seems strange that a dignified prophet should be consulted in such an affair. But it is probable that at the introduction of the prophetic office the seers had discovered things lost or stolen, and thus their power for higher revelations was gradually established. 7. Saul said to his servant, Behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man \—According to Eastern notions, it would be considered a want of respect for any person to go into the presence of a superior man of rank or of official station without a present of some kind in his hand, however trifling in value, the bread is spent in our vessels—Shepherds, going in quest of their cattle, put up in a bag as much flour still are, preceded and accompanied by a number of attendants who ran on foot. 13. He will appoint him captains—In the East, a person must accept any office to which he maybe nominated by the king, however irlisome for making bread as will last sometimes for thirty days.
It appears that Saul tliought of giving the man of God a cake from his travelling bag, and this would liave been sufficient to render the indispensable act of civility—the customary tribute to official dignity. 8. the fourth part of a shekel of silver—rather more than sixpence. Contrary to our Western notions, money is in the East the most acceptable form in which a present can be made to a man of rank. 9. seer . . . prophet—The recognized distinction in latter times was, that a seer was one who was favoured with visions of God—a view of things invisible to mortal sight; and a prophet foretold future events. 11. as they went up tlie hill—The modern vilit may be to his taste or ruinous to his interests. 13. He will take your daughters to he confectionaries—Coolcery, baking, and the kindred works are, in Eastern countries, female employment, and thousands of young women are occupied with these of Hces in the palaces even of petty princes. 14-18. He will take your flelds, &c.—Tlie circumstances mentioned here might be illustrated by exact analogies in the conduct of many Oriental monarchs in the present day. 19-33. Nevertheless, the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel—They sneered at Samuel's description as a bugbear to frighten them. Determined, at all hazards, to gain their object, they Insisted on being made like all the other nations, though It wn.s lage, Er-Rameh, lies on an eminence; and on their way they met a band of young maidens going out to the well, which, like all similar places In Palestine, was beyond the precincts of the town. From these damsels they learned that the day was devoted to a festival occasion, in honour of which Samuel had arrived in the city ; that a sacrifice had been offered, which was done by prophets in extraordinary circumstances at a distance from the tabernacle, and that a feast was to follow—implying that their glory and happiness to be unlike other nations in having the Lord for their King and Lawgiver (Numbers
2:?. 9; Deuteronomy 33.28). Their demand was conceded, for the government of a king liad been provided for in the law, and they were dismissed to wait the appointnrent, which God had reserved tohimself (Deuteronomy 17. lt-20).
it had been a peace offering, and that, according to the venerable practice of the Israelites, the man of God was expected to ask a special blessing on the food in a manner becoming the high occasion. 14. Samuel came out against them, to go to the higli place—Such were the simple manners of the times that this prophet, the chief man in Israel, was seen going to preside at a high festival undistinguished either by his dress or equipage from any ordinary citizen.
CHAPTER IX.
Ver. 1-14. SAirr., Despairing to Find iris Fathek's Asses, comes to Samtjel. 1. a mighty man of power —i. e., of great wealth and substance. The family was of high consideration in the trilie of Benjamin, and therefore Saul's words must be set down amongst the common forms of affected humility, which Oriental people are wont to use. 3. Saul, a choice young mnn,,and a goodly —He had a presence; for it is evident that he must have been only a little under seven feet high. A gigantic stature and an athletic frame must liave been a popular recommendation at that time in that country. 3. the asses of Saul's father were lost: and Kisli said to Saul, Arise, go seek the asses—The probability Is, that the family of Klsh, according to the immemorial usage of Oriental shepherds in the purely pastoral regions, had lo-27. Gon Reveals to Samttei, Saul's Coming, and nrs Appointment to the Kingdom. 15. Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear a day before—The description of .Saul, the time of his arrival, and the high office to which he was destined, had been secretly Intimated to Samuel from heaven. The future king of Israel was to fight the battles of the Lord and protect His people. It would appear that they were at this time sul Terlng great molestation from the Philistines, and that this was an additional reason of their urgent demands for the appointment of a king (see on ch. 10.5; 13.8). 18. Tell me, let the animals roam at large during the grazing season, at the close of which messengers were despatched In search of them. Such travelling searches are common; and, as each owner has his own stamp marked on his cattle, tlie mention of it to the shephords he meets gradually leads to the discovery of the strayed animals. This ramble of Saul's had nothing extraordinary in It, except
I pray tliee, where the seer's house isl—Satisfying the stranger's Inquiry, Samuel Invited liim to the feast, as well as to sojourn till the morrow; and. In order to reconcile him to the delay, assured him that the strayed as.se8 had been recovered. 30. on whom is all the desire of Israel T Is It not on thee, and on thy father's Iiouse ! This was a covert and Indirect premonition of the roynl dignity that awaited lilm; and, though Saul's answor shows that he ftilly understood It, ho nflected to doulit
Its .r»per/or directions and issue, which turned Its uncertainty Into certainty. 4,5. he passed tlirougit IKoiint Kphralm—This being situated on the north of lienjamln, indicates the direction of Saul's Journey. The district explored means the whole of the mountainous region, with Its valleys and defiles, which Iielonged to Epliralm. Turning apparently southwards—probably through the 180 that the prophet was In earnest. 31. And Saul answered and said. Am not I a Ilenjamite of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, &c.—By selecting a klug from tlila