The Prophet and the King

It is impossible to know if Samuel ever realized just how much he contributed to the end of the time of the Judges and the onset of a monarchy for Israel. When the Israelites requested a king, God told them their self-governing would come to an end because a king would rule over them.

Saul came from a good family and God intended for him to remove idol worship from Israel, to lead the people in righteousness and to begin a royal dynasty. The selection of Saul was supernatural and there were many events that solidified that he was God’s chosen man.

It was a divine appointment that first brought Samuel and Saul together, then the Lord publicly inaugurated Saul as the king of Israel and established him in the eyes of the Israelites in dealing with the Ammonite invasion.

Samuel was a man of God but his refusal to correct his sons put him on par with Eli. The Lord did not select an evil man to be the first king but that is exactly how Saul ended his life. There is much to be learned from the interlocked lives of Samuel and Saul as both the prophet and the king made poor decisions that changed the course of Israel’s history.