¹⁷ Samuel summoned the people to the Lord at Mizpah ¹⁸ and said to the Israelites, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel out of Egypt, and I rescued you from the power of the Egyptians and all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ ¹⁹ But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your troubles and afflictions. You said to Him, ‘You must set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans.”

²⁰ Samuel had all the tribes of Israel come forward, and the tribe of Benjamin was selected. ²¹ Then he had the tribe of Benjamin come forward by its clans, and the Matrite clan was selected^. Finally, Saul son of Kish was selected. But when they searched for him, they could not find him. ²² They again inquired of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?” The Lord replied, “There he is, hidden among the supplies.”

²³ They ran and got him from there. When he stood among the people, he stood a head taller than anyone else. ²⁴ Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the one the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among the entire population.” And all the people shouted. “Long live the king!” ²⁵ Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home.

1) Why does Samuel begin Saul’s inauguration by saying that “today, you have rejected your God.”?
The Lord God, Ruler of All, the great “I Am” had been Israel’s king since it had become a nation. He Himself had birthed the nation, out of love, out of compassion, to draw humanity back to Himself. Yet, here they were, choosing a human king over the Almighty. Israel rejected her first ruler, and instead wanted to be “like all the nations” around them. Samuel was the last prophet God would appoint and he full well knew that Israel’s choice to usurp God’s throne with a mortal, finite man would be painful for them, and God.

2) What does “and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot” mean?
The “casting of lots” was a method often used prior to the Holy Spirit to discern God’s will or get specific direction from Him. It was usually sticks or stones with markings on them that were tossed in a specific location and then someone who closely studied the Torah would interpret how the lots had been “cast”. God never condemned the casting of lots in the Old Testament, rather He permitted it as a tool for seeking direction.

3) What is the book of “rights and duties of kingship”?
God knew that one day, Israel would push back against His authority and ask for a human king (Deut 17:14), and when that day came, God wanted them to still operate within His standards as well as be aware of what it would cost them to have a king “like all the nations”. The book of right and duties is a compilation that God decreed be written down and contains commands and warnings that God gave the Israelites before they even crossed over into the Promised Land. Check out Deuteronomy 17:14-20 and 1 Samuel 8:10-18 for more details.

1) Why does Samuel begin Saul’s inauguration by saying that “today, you have rejected your God.”? It almost sounds like a fickle child doesn’t it? “But Lizzy’s mom doesn’t make her to go bed at 9:00” “I want shoes like Jacob. Everyone has that brand except me!” This attitude of ridiculous self-focus made Israel shortsighted as they put themselves in the place of God. They had either forgotten or overlooked all the benefits of being ruled by God Himself. What an incredibly insightful picture for us in our everyday life! How often do we wish for our way instead of His? Our words, our timing, our material desires, our relationship needs, and we want it all now. Walk through your day, examine your heart, where have you shifted Christ out of the throne of your life?

2) Why is “casting lots” no longer used as a means of discerning God’s will?
When the Holy Spirit was given on the day of Pentecost, our need to look outside of God for guidance was no longer necessitated because His very Spirit lives right inside of us! Seeking God’s heart isn’t about looking for signs or lots or the stars aligning, it’s about wisely reading His word, seeking counsel from fellow believers, and trusting Him over us. Surrendering our will to His is one more way to ensure we are being effective and fruitful as we live out our lives in service to Him!

3) How can the book of “rights and duties of kingship” influence my everyday?
When you take the time to look at the “cost” of having a human king in 1 Samuel 8, we notice a repeating language pattern. “He will take…” occurs 7 times in just 6 verses and refers to at least 20 different ways king would “take” from them in order to run his kingdom. Compare this list to what it looks like when God rules your heart. He asks for your surrender, total and complete, but never “taking” it without your permission. And by that act of surrender, it opens the doorway for Him to “give”. He gives eternal life, He gives freedom from sin, He gives peace, compassion, comfort, wisdom, unique gifts, and a blessed certain hope for a future kingdom that will never fade away. Let this image of “take” vs “give” remind you to keep Christ as your center and be committed to perpetually surrendering yourself to Him in your everyday life!

Don’t miss today’s other Journey Study, Effective Surrender
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We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
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