1 Samuel 10

 Jer 31:15-16 

15 Thus saith Jehovah: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children; she refuseth to be comforted for her children, because they are not. 16 Thus saith Jehovah: Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears; for thy work shall be rewarded, saith Jehovah; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.

Mat 2:18 

A voice was heard in Ramah,  Weeping and great mourning,  Rachel weeping for her children;  And she would not be comforted, because they are not.

Mat 2:14-17  

14 And he arose and took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt; 15 and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt did I call my son. 16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the Wise-men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the male children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the borders thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had exactly learned of the Wise-men. 17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, saying,

Ramah—In Benjamin, east of the great northern road, two hours' journey from Jerusalem. Rachel, who all her life had pined for children (Ge 30:1), 

Gen 30:1 

And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and she said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.

and who died with "sorrow" in giving birth to Benjamin (Ge 35:18, 19, Margin; 1Sa 10:2), 

Gen 35:18 

And it came to pass, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-oni (son of my sorrow): but his father called him Benjamin (son of the right hand).

and was buried at Ramah, near Beth-lehem, is represented as raising her head from the tomb, and as breaking forth into "weeping" at seeing the whole land depopulated of her sons, the Ephraimites. Ramah was the place where Nebuzara-dan collected all the Jews in chains, previous to their removal to Babylon (Jer 40:1). 

Jer 40:1 

The word which came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, after that Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him being bound in chains among all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah, that were carried away captive unto Babylon.

God therefore consoles her with the promise of their restoration. Mt 2:17, 18 quotes this as fulfilled in the massacre of the innocents under Herod. "A lesser and a greater event, of different times, may answer to the single sense of one passage of Scripture, until the prophecy is exhausted" [Bengel]. Besides the temporary reference to the exiles in Babylon, the Holy Spirit foreshadowed ultimately Messiah's exile in Egypt, and the desolation caused in the neighborhood of Rachel's tomb by Herod's massacre of the children, whose mothers had "sons of sorrow" (Ben-oni), just as Rachel had. The return of Messiah (the representative of Israel) from Egypt, and the future restoration of Israel, both the literal and the spiritual (including the innocents), at the Lord's second advent, are antitypical of the restoration of Israel from Babylon, which is the ground of consolation held out here by Jeremiah. The clause, "They were not," that is, were dead (Ge 42:13), does not apply so strictly to the exiles in Babylon as it does to the history of Messiah and His people—past, present, and future. So the words, "There is hope in thine end," are to be fulfilled ultimately, when Rachel shall meet her murdered children at the resurrection, at the same time that literal Israel is to be restored. "They were not," in Hebrew, is singular; each was not: each mother at the Beth-lehem massacre had but one child to lament, as the limitation of age in Herod's order, "two years and under," implies; this use of the singular distributively (the mothers weeping severally, each for her own child), is a coincidence between the prophecy of the Beth-lehem massacre and the event, the more remarkable as not being obvious: the singular, too, is appropriate as to Messiah in His Egyptian exile, who was to be a leading object of Rachel's lamentation.

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Samuel speaks to Samuel the next morning and begins the process of anointing him. This event could possibly be occurring at Ramah, Samuel's hometown.

1Sa 10:1-7 

1 Then Samuel took the vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not that Jehovah hath anointed thee to be prince over his inheritance? 2 When thou art departed from me to-day, then thou shalt find two men by Rachel's sepulchre, in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say unto thee, The asses which thou wentest to seek are found; and, lo, thy father hath left off caring for the asses, and is anxious for you, saying, What shall I do for my son? 3 Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the oak of Tabor; and there shall meet thee there three men going up to God to Beth-el, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine: 4 and they will salute thee, and give thee two loaves of bread, which thou shalt receive of their hand. 5 After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a timbrel, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they will be prophesying: 6 and the Spirit of Jehovah will come mightily upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man. 7 And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion shall serve thee; for God is with thee. 

Summary

1. Vs7 When these signs occur, do whatever your hand finds to do, because the LORD is with you.

Notice the specific way that Samuel hears God direction. Crazy specific!! What were the signs?

1. Vs2 two men by Rachel's grave will say to you, "The asses which you are looking for are found; and your dad has stopped worrying about the donkeys and he’s anxious about you. He’s asking, ‘What will I do about my son?’

2. Vs3-4 Then, you'll come to the oak at Tabor. Three men going up to the LORD at Bethel will meet you. One with three young goats, one with three loaves of bread, and one with a bottle of wine. 4 They’ll greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you’re to accept from them.

3. Vs5 “After that you will come to the hill of God (or Gibeah. What's in Gibeah??) where the Philistine garrison is. There you’ll meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre being played in front of them, and they’ll be prophesying.

4. Vs6 the spirit of God will come upon you and you will prophecy with them and be turned into another man.

2. Vs7 When these signs occur, do whatever you want to do, because the LORD is with you.

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it for the Lord is with you. Very similar to the church age today.

1Sa 10:8-9

8 And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt-offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace-offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come unto thee, and show thee what thou shalt do. 9 And it was so, that, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day. 

Summary

1. Vs8 Then go down to Gilgal. I'll meet you there and offer burnt offerings and peace offerings. Wait seven days for me and I'll make known to you what you should do.

Why?

2. Vs9 As Saul turned to leave, God gives him a new heart, and all the signs occurred on that day.

A new heart?

Eph 4:22-32  

22 that ye put away, as concerning your former manner of life, the old man, that waxeth corrupt after the lusts of deceit; 23 and that ye be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new man, that after God hath been created in righteousness and holiness of truth. 25 Wherefore, putting away falsehood, speak ye truth each one with his neighbor: for we are members one of another. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 neither give place to the devil. 28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have whereof to give to him that hath need. 29 Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for edifying as the need may be, that it may give grace to them that hear. 30 And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in whom ye were sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and railing, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, even as God also in Christ forgave you.

1. Start at vs 25. What if you don't put away the old man…ie falsehood etc?

1 Sam 10:10-13

10 And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a band of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came mightily upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11 And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied with the prophets, then the people said one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets? 12 And one of the same place answered and said, And who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets? 13 And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place. 

Summary

1. Vs10 A company of prophets mets when he comes to "the hill" (gib‛âh). 

1. Some think the hill is a reference to Gibeah. What's Gibeah? Saul's hometown

2. Band of prophets? Like in Elisha's day?

2. Vs10 The Spirit of the Lord comes upon Saul and he prophesies amongst the prophets. 

3. Vs11 what is the reaction by those that know Saul or Saul's father? Great surprise? What might this mean about Kish?

4. Vs12 And one of the same place answered and said, And who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets?

1. How might we take this verse? A mockery?

5. Vs13 When Saul finishes prophesying, he comes to the high place. What can we assume about this high place?

1 Samuel 10:14-16

14 And Saul's uncle said unto him and to his servant, Whither went ye? And he said, To seek the asses; and when we saw that they were not found, we came to Samuel. 15 And Saul's uncle said, Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said unto you. 16 And Saul said unto his uncle, He told us plainly that the asses were found. But concerning the matter of the kingdom, whereof Samuel spake, he told him not. 

Summary

1. Vs14 Saul runs into his uncle who asks him where he's been. How does Saul respond?

1. To look for the asses

2. But we couldn't find them, we came to Samuel

2. Vs15 I wonder if his uncle was surprised? Samuel?? What do you have to do with Samuel, the judge and priest Israel?

1. What he say?

3. Vs16 Saul responds "Samuel told us our asses were found".

1. Does he tell him about the fact that he's just been anointed the king or Prince of Israel? No

2. I wonder why he doesn't tell him?

1 Sam 10:17-22

17 And Samuel called the people together unto Jehovah to Mizpah; 18 and he said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all the kingdoms that oppressed you: 19 but ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saveth you out of all your calamities and your distresses; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before Jehovah by your tribes, and by your thousands. 20 So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken. 21 And he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by their families; and the family of the Matrites was taken; and Saul the son of Kish was taken: but when they sought him, he could not be found. 22 Therefore they asked of Jehovah further, Is there yet a man to come hither? And Jehovah answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the baggage.

Summary

1. Vs17 we can assume that a period of time has passed. Because Samuel seems to have called all Israel to Mizpah when in the last few verses, Samuel was in Gibeah. Despite The fact that these two towns are just a few miles apart, Samuel still had to send word to all Israel to gather them together and to give them time to travel.

Ps: In verse 8, didn't Samuel tell Saul to meet him in Gilgal?? I wonder what happened to that??

2. Vs17 Samuel has called all Israel to Mizpah for a meeting. Wonder if everybody goes or just the elders from each town?

3. Vs18 what seems to be the point of this verse? That I God have been faithful to you, delivering you out of Egypt and out of the hands of the Egyptians and out of the hands of all the kingdoms that have harassed you.

4. Vs19 Samuel continues…but today you have rejected your God who is your deliverer. And you have said "no God we'd rather have a king over us instead".

1. Yikes! Didn't Israel already realized this?

5. Vs19 Now stand before the Lord according to your tribes, and according to your families.

6. Vs20 so Samuel brings all the tribes of Israel near. And the tribe of Benjamin is taken (or chosen).

1. How are they chosen? By lot per Septuagint

7. Vs21 So the tribe of Benjamin is brought near or forward at this meeting. 

Per Septuagint

1. The family of Matri is chosen by lot

2. Then Saul the son of Kish is chosen

3. They are unable to find Saul despite looking for?

4. How could Saul be chosen despite not being there? 

1. Is the Lot chosen by names of family members? Like a lottery? What if the wrong name is picked?

8. Vs22 And Samuel asked yet again of the Lord, Will the man come hither? and the Lord said, Behold, he is hid among the stuff.

1. Requires a lot of faith on behalf of Samuel to know that God will work the lot to choose Saul.

2. Why does Saul hide? Afraid, feels inadequate for task, scared because God says Israel rejected him.

1 Sam 10:23-27

23 And they ran and fetched him thence; and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward. 24 And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom Jehovah hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, Long live the king. 25 Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before Jehovah. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. 26 And Saul also went to his house to Gibeah; and there went with him the host, whose hearts God had touched. 27 But certain worthless fellows said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him, and brought him no present. But he held his peace.

Summary

1. Vs23 Saul was fetched from the baggage. When he stood among the people he was taller than everyone else from his shoulders and upward.

2. Vs24 Samuel told all the people, "This is the man whom the Lord has chosen. Is there anyone like him among the people?"

1. What does Samuel mean by this? Is there anyone like him among the people? Be more than likely is talking about his physical appearance

2. The people shouted "long live the king!"

3. Vs25 Samuel explained to the people the regulations concerning kingship. He wrote them in a scroll and placed it in the LORD’s presence. 

1. I guess God gives him the format of what a king does, how he should act, be treated etc and I guess the agreement is with the people of Israel. 

1. Amazing how God speaks to Samuel, and how detailed he is…

4. Vs25 Samuel dismisses the people and they go back to their homes

5. Vs26 Saul goes back home to Gibeah. But…

1. …there went with Saul mighty men whose hearts God had touched. Who are these?

1. Bodyguards?

2. Band of prophets?

6. Vs27 But evil (or worthless) men said, Who is this man that shall save us? and they despised him, and brought him no gifts.

1. Maybe this explains why the mighty men were sent home with Saul in the previous verse.