Read: 1 Samuel 10:1-11:15; John 6:43-71; Psalm 107:1-43; Proverbs 15:1-3
Saul stayed at Samuel’s house for the night and in the morning before he left, Samuel took Saul aside and anointed him with a flask of oil and kissed him. He told him that he was anointing him to be leader over Israel. Then he told him exactly what was going to happen to him on the way home. He would meet two men near Rachel’s tomb who would tell him that his donkey’s had been found but his father was worried about him. Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin of which Saul was a member of the tribe of Benjamin. She was buried on the entrance to Bethlehem. So Rachel’s tomb was the birthplace of Saul’s roots.
Then by the great tree at Tabor he would meet three men on their way to Bethel to worship. The great tree was a well-know landmark or a high place where people worshipped. These three men were carrying three goats, three loaves of bread, and a skin of wine. They would offer Saul two of their loaves of bread and he was to take them. (Mt. Tabor was the place of the transformation where Jesus talked to Moses and Elijah in Matthew.)
Next, he was to go to Gibeah, a Philistine outpost, and meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with instruments. They would be prophesying and he would get a new heart and prophesy with them. Gibeah was Saul’s birthplace and the place where the horrible act was done to the concubine that caused the tribe of Benjamin to almost become extinct. So, Saul was entering his hometown when he started prophesying and the people wondered how he could prophecy since they knew his father was not a prophet.
It is like God took Saul through events that would remind him of the history of his tribe and how important his roots were to God.
Samuel had told Saul to wait home for seven days then Samuel would come to him and tell him what to do next. Everything happened as Samuel said. When Samuel returned after seven days, he came to tell the people who would be their leader. Saul hid and they had to go find him.
Later, the Ammonites came up against the people of Jabesh-Gilead and told them that the only way they would be allowed to live would be to cut out their right eye and serve them. When Saul found out, he did what the man had done to his concubine’s body except he did it to an ox. He cut it up in pieces and sent it out to the tribes saying if they didn’t come and fight he would do that to their oxen. Thirty-three thousand men showed up to fight. They slaughtered the Ammonites and that was when the people accepted Saul as their leader.
In John, Jesus told them to stop grumbling over what he was saying. He reminded them of scripture that said the people would be taught by God. He was fulfilling that in their day and offering them eternal life - something that no one had been able to offer them before now. The manna in Moses’ day couldn’t offer eternal life, but the true bread of heaven - Jesus, could. Then Jesus said that unless they ate his flesh and drank his blood they would not have eternity. This lost him a lot of followers. They couldn’t grasp this spiritually, they were only seeing it carnally.
Jesus asked his own disciples if they would leave him also and they said, no… but one would.
Lord may we give thanks to you for your unfailing love and the wonderful things you have done for us.
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