1 Samuel 10:17-19 – Who is your king?

We have seen missed opportunities of Saul so far. He was anointed as king and foretold of three encounters he would face. They came true as he was told. But what was disappointing was his lack of ability to recognize the critical moment, seize it and make something out of it. Especially with the one pertaining to the garrison of Philistines stationed at the hill of God. When he could have told his uncle about “the mater of the kingdom,” he failed to mention it.  There is no indication of how long after this conversation that he had with his uncle before Samuel summoned for the people to gather to come together. But we guess it wasn’t too long after the conversation that the gathering took place.

So 1 Samuel 9:17 reads, “Thereafter Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah….” This was the place that Samuel had called the people together once before. More details can be found in 1 Samuel chapter 7. In the account there, we saw how God delivered them from the menacing Philistines. We saw how Samuel summoned for them to assemble at Mizpah. There they recognized their rebelliousness and confessed their sin before the Lord as Samuel prayed for them. It was then that they tasted the God-granted victory, despite the fear they had for the Philistines. Now Samuel summoned for them to gather “to the Lord” at Mizpah once again.  

Samuel’s speech recorded in verses 18-19 was firstly on the recollection of God’s great act towards them in the past. He affirmed what God had done for them in the deliverance from their bondage in Egypt. The emphasis is on how God had brought them out of their misery in Egypt. Not only that, but He had also delivered them from the nations that opposed them. There was none like Him who could deliver with such power. Here, Samuel was reassuring them that this same powerful God had the power to deliver them from the jeopardy posed by the Philistines. Secondly, Samuel revealed to them their flaw in requesting for a king like the other nations. In their request, the people had rejected God, the most powerful person as their king, and preferred someone lesser to rule over them. How foolish and crazy could they get?  

What’s terrible about their request was the fact that they no longer wanted to be God’s special people. They wanted to be like all the other nations.  The people were unaware of the impending dangers that awaited them as they come away from the covering of God’s reign over them. We need to learn from the folly of the people of Israel and not make the mistake that they had made. The Sovereign King who rules our life is none other than Jesus Christ. We must choose to remain under His reign all the days of our lives. Under His wings, we will always be protected. He wants to guide us on the journey of life so that we may attain the very best He intends for us. Stay faithful under His reign and experience His goodness!