Useful Bible Studies > 1 Samuel Commentary > chapter 10
The three events that Samuel described in 1 Samuel 10:2-7 all happened that same day. By means of those events, God showed Saul that he (God) had spoken by Samuel. So it became clear to Saul that God would appoint him to be the king of Israel.
This last event was the most important one. Saul had an experience of the power of God’s Spirit in his own life. Saul spoke words that came from the Holy Spirit, like one of the prophets (holy men). He joined them to praise God. This was an astonishing change in Saul’s life.
This happened at Gibeah, which was Saul’s own town. So people who knew Saul, his family and friends, saw it. They knew that, probably, Saul had cared very little about religion or about God before then. They did not expect that Saul would ever have an experience of God in his own life. They certainly did not expect him to act like a holy man.
They expressed their surprise in a question: ‘Is Saul also among the prophets?’ They meant that they would never expect such a thing to happen. Long afterwards, people continued to ask that question whenever they saw any unusual event.
Certainly, God had worked in a way that nobody in Gibeah expected. However, one man in Gibeah refused to express surprise. He asked the people from what family prophets came. They all knew that Israel’s prophets did not come from any particular family. God alone appointed a person to be a prophet. Because God can work in the lives of any of his people, he could work in Saul’s life too.
Next part: Saul in his own town (1 Samuel 10:13-16)
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© 2014, Keith Simons.