|
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. |
 |
