B. Saul proclaimed as king
1. (1 Sam 10:17-19) Samuel's speech to the nation before the appointment of Saul as king
Therefore Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah; and he said to the sons of Israel, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'I brought Israel up from Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.' But you have today rejected your God who delivers you from all your calamities and your distresses; yet you have said, 'No, but set a king over us!' Now therefore, present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your clans."
Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah: Of all the places in which an assembly could be held, Mizpah is the place selected. Mizpah was the site of Samuel's triumphal prayer which invoked the LORD to fight the invading Philistines. (See 1 Samuel Chapter 7). Now as God is being rejected as Israel's king, it seems the Israelites are being reminded one last time (both in words and in the place in which they gather) that God has always fought for Israel and has always delivered Israel from the hands of their oppressors.
Thus says the LORD: Before proceeding to the election for king, Samuel again reminds Israel of its error and ingratitude in their rejecting God as their King for a carnal man. Under the present circumstances of Israel, the establishment of a mortal king seemed essential for the development of Israel as a powerful nation. However, such a change in leadership would not have been necessary had not the nation forsaken their own Eternal King, who in time past had saved them out of far greater dangers than any threatening them now. God gives Israel their desire for a king, but the change in acknowledged leadership would involve the loss of the higher blessedness for which the people of Israel had shown themselves to be utterly unworthy.
But you have today rejected your God: Once more, Samuel is directed to rebuke the people for their ingratitude and unbelief.
Present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your clans: The nation of Israel was subdivided into tribes, of the tribes into families or clan, of the families into houses, of the houses into men. (The division of the nation of Israel is described in Joshua 7:14, when lots are cast to determine who sinned against God and caused the Israelites to be defeated at Ai: "In the morning then you shall come near by your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which the LORD takes by lot shall come near by families, and the family which the LORD takes shall come near by households, and the household which the LORD takes shall come near man by man.")
2. (1 Sam 10:20-21a) Saul is selected by lot
Thus Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the Matrite family was taken. And Saul the son of Kish was taken.
The tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot: If the Israelites would have known their own Scripture, they would have known that the tribe which was to rule Israel was Judah as promised by Abraham in his blessing his sons. ("The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples" Genesis 49:10.) However, God in His wrath, was giving Israel a fleshly king, a king whose lineage is not from the tribe of Judah.
And Saul the son of Kish was taken: Saul was already anointed king over Israel, but God did this to show the whole nation that Saul was God's chosen man. It is important to note that Saul did not become king by chance--the casting of lots did not just happened to call Saul to the throne. Instead, Saul was chosen to be king, which was conferred by the word of the LORD which Samuel spoke to Saul.
3. (1 Sam 10:21a-24) Saul is revealed to be the king
But when they looked for him, he could not be found. Therefore they inquired further of the LORD, "Has the man come here yet?" So the LORD said, "Behold, he is hiding himself by the baggage." So they ran and took him from there, and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen? Surely there is no one like him among all the people." So all the people shouted and said, "Long live the king!"
He could not be found: Having withdrawn himself out of modesty or fear, Saul declined the high authority of kingship. Although Saul already knew that he was God's choice for king, he would do his best to avoid courting any advancement and did not put himself forward to receive the office of king.
Therefore they inquired further of the LORD: Only Saul and Samuel, of all the people gathered that day at Mizpah, knew on whom the lot would fall. So certain was Saul, after the revelation and completion of the signs which Samuel proclaimed to Saul, that he would be chosen by sacred lot, that he drew back from waiting to hear the result and concealed himself among the baggage, tents and wagons of the vast assembly. A second Divine announcement was needed to reveal Saul's hiding place, and to force Saul to stand before the congregation.
He was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward: Tall people are often revered as being majestic and invoke a sense of awe and fear in those around them. Saul, being tall, seemed to fit the bill of the image Israel had for their king.
There is no one like him among all the people: Stress is again laid on Saul's imposing statue as a natural qualification for king. Perhaps Samuel said this with a bit of sarcasm. He wanted Israel to see the king according to their fleshly desires. Saul looked like a king, but no one ever seemed to interview Saul or find out if Saul was indeed fit for the job. Instead, Israel latched on to Saul's comely appearance and rejoiced that now they had a king who looked like royalty.
Long live the king: Literally, the Hebrew reads, "Let the king live!" I like the French translation "Vive le Roi." In their desire for the image and pageantry of having a human king, Israel yearned to shout these words for a long time. They had long witnessed other nations having royal ceremonies and functions. Now, it was Israel's turn to enjoy these royal proceedings.
4. (1 Sam 10:25-27) The monarchy established
Then Samuel told the people the ordinances of the kingdom, and wrote them in the book and placed it before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his house. Saul also went to his house at Gibeah; and the valiant men whose hearts God had touched went with him. But certain worthless men said, "How can this one deliver us?" And they despised him and did not bring him any present. But he kept silent.
Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom: The laws and rules by which the king was to manage the land. It probably was a summary of the guidelines in Deuteronomy 17:14-20.
Wrote them in a book: It is possible that this important item was added to the book of the law kept by the side of the ark before the LORD. ("Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may remain there as a witness against you" Deuteronomy 31:26.) This book contained not only the record of the Mosaic law (Exodus 24:7, Deuteronomy 28:61), but it also contained historical narratives (Exodus 17:14) and other records of importance such as the solemn renewal of the covenant at Shechem under Joshua (Joshua 24:26).
And Samuel sent all the people away: It is noteworthy that even after the formal election of Saul as king, it is Samuel who dismisses the assembly. Indeed, throughout the remainder of Samuel's life, whenever he appears on the scene, he is the principal person, occupying a position above the king or priest. However, after this time, Samuel makes relatively few public appearances. He seems to have entered retirement and only out of necessity, does he return back to the public eye for brief periods of time.
Saul also went to his house at Gibeah: At this time, there was no palace or capital. The only place for Saul to go was back home accompanied by a band of worthy men. Although God had called Saul to be king and lead the nation, yet, this was not something he could do alone. He needed "valiant men" around him "whose hearts God had touched".
They despised him: These malcontents were probably princes and leading men of the great tribes of Judah and Ephraim. They were probably displeased that the new king should be selected from the small and unimportant tribe of Benjamin. It is evident that Saul was a man of no special status. His early years had been spent in agriculture and working on his father's land in Gibeah.
Did not bring him any present: These gifts in the East were tokens of submission and homage. Not to offer them to Saul was tantamount to a deliberate and contemptuous rejection of his authority.
But he kept silent: The literal Hebrew is "He was a deaf man." Acting as though he had not heard the flippant remarks of the malcontents, Saul shows great self-control and self-denial. If Saul would have taken notice of this, he would have had to punish the offenders. Starting his tenure as king with an act of punishment would have been a bad way to start Saul's kingship.
Concluding Remarks: From the above, we see that Saul started with great promise. He was chosen and anointed by God, filled with the Holy Spirit, supported by Samuel (a great man of God), given gifts appropriate for royalty, enthusiastically supported by most of the nation, surrounded by valiant men whose hearts God had touched and was wise enough not to regard every doubter as an enemy. Despite all these great advantages, Saul's reign still ended badly. Saul had to choose between walking in the advantages God gave him or going his own way. The rest of the book of First Samuel reveals how Saul deals with this choice.
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