Hide and Seek

I Samuel Chapter 10, the Strange and the Spectacular

Verses: 27

Is It Read At Synagogue?: No.

Famous Quotes/Phrases: According to Verse 12, the events of this chapter are the birthplace of a proverb: “Is Saul too among the prophets?” Somehow, I don’t think this proverb is used much today.

Basic Plot: Samuel anoints Saul as God’s chosen king of Israel, then tells him that he will encounter several things on his ensuing journey that will prove that God is with him. This journey would culminate in joining with a band of prophets to “speak in ecstasy.” Samuel tells that Saul will “become another man”, and this proves true, as God gives him “another heart” and becomes like a prophet. Saul then encounters his uncle, who asks what Samuel had told him; Saul replies only that the lost donkeys had been found, not that he had just been ordained King of Israel. (Talk about burying the lead.)

Samuel gathers the Israelites and reminds them that they had asked for a king. He draws lots that select Saul as the king, but when Saul is announced, the people discover that he is trying to hide. (He’s unsuccessful because he is so tall.) Most Israelites rejoice at their new king, though a few naysayers express doubt that this shy man can lead them.

What’s Strange: Saul’s ascension to the inaugural throne of Israel seems a bit awkward; it’s almost as if he is made king twice in the same chapter, once in private and once in public. In fact, the next chapter will indicate an additional way that Saul will be declared king of Israel. Why do we need three different “inaugurations”? In his book Society and the Promise to David: The Reception History of 2 Samuel 7:1-17, William M. Schniedewind claims that this is because the biblical writers had a difficult time understanding the purpose of Saul in the story: “The [eventual] demise of the Saulide dynasty itself is testimony to the fragile legitimacy of the ruling family,” he writes. “The fact that there are three separate accounts of Saul’s acclamation as king in the biblical narrative points to the struggle the early monarchy faced in developing a common ideology on which its legitimacy could be based.”

In other words, if you think it’s bizarre that Saul is Israel’s first king, you’re not alone.

What’s Spectacular: The reign of Saul could not have begun more awkwardly. One gets the sense that Saul has no idea what’s happening to him, and he certainly never expects taking power. Why in the world would God select him, of all people?

Depending on how you understand the remaining chapters of the first Book of Samuel, there are two likely conclusions. The first is that Saul is, indeed, completely unqualified to rule the Israelites, and God chooses him to prove that the Israelites’ desire for a human king is folly. Saul looks the part — we learn in the previous chapter that is is tall and handsome — but he’s not actually up to the task. Remember, God simply says that God will give the Israelites a king; God never promises that the king will be any good.

The second conclusion hinges on the fact that, eventually, Saul comes to enjoy being the king. It’s one of the oldest of countless examples of how otherwise humble people do anything they can to hang onto power whether or not they wanted it in the first place. Much like the characters in the Lord of the Rings trilogy can’t easily let go of the titular ring once it comes into their possession, a monarch rarely gives up the crown willingly. We’ve now begun a lengthy study of how power corrupts even some of our best-intentioned ancestors.

Shabbat Shalom and Moadim L’Simcha (in this case, a good conclusion to Passover)!