1 Samuel 9:1–2

On the other hand, this choice put Israel to the test. In the flesh they had asked for a king according to the flesh. Neither God nor Samuel stood in the way of what they asked. Instead God chooses the most excellent person that the flesh could desire, and Samuel acknowledges him as such: "And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you…" (v. 20).

Saul was really the people's choice, yet God did not allow them to choose him. He Himself would install Saul as king, so Saul would stay just as long as God intended. When Israel would cry out in resentment against the king they had wanted, they would have no authority at all to remove him, any more than to appoint him.

Our chapter opens with the genealogy of king Saul. It is traced back through five ancestors. Their names are given, and their meaning is full of suggestion. Keep in mind that this is a genealogy of the flesh, where the emphasis falls on nature rather than grace. Saul himself means "asked" or "demanded." He represents the people's demand for a king, and in that way, nature's ideal. His father was Kish, which means "ensnaring," very suggestive of all that is of nature, which in its most attractive form cannot be trusted.

The next in line was Abiel, "father of might." That name emphasizes the strength man does indeed glory in, but which too often proves to be utter weakness… Bechorath, his father, means "birthright," the thing nature makes much of and Scripture has often set aside. Nature says the elder shall rule. How often has Scripture declared that the elder shall serve the younger! Aphiah, "I will utter," suggests the pride of heart that tells out its imagined greatness.

His father was a "mighty man of power," or wealth, like Boaz (Ruth 2:1). The tribe had been reduced in number (Judges 20:47), so each man left would have far more land than men of other tribes. Kish was probably a large landowner. This added wealth to his distinction, a valuable asset before the eyes of men.

Saul and his father had prospered in this world. They were wise in their generation, people of that class who "will be rich," though nature and family and circumstances are all against them… Though careful about his own things, he seems, so far at least, to have had no great care for the things of God. He does not at this time even know Samuel by sight, and Samuel was now the great witness of God in the land.

"Little Benjamin" — "little" here is a word of affection, not a note on size — comes first in the blessing of Psalm 68:27, before the three important tribes of Judah, Zebulun and Naphtali… Benjamin means "son of my right hand," a picture of Christ raised to the right hand of God in glory. His place in the blessing of Moses is one of special nearness and protection. He is there called "the beloved of the Lord" (Deuteronomy 33:12).

The first of these kings, as we find here, came from the tribe about which it had long ago been said, "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at evening dividing the spoil" (Genesis 49:27). And he came from that city, in that tribe, which had already caused such trouble in Israel and had nearly wiped out one of the tribes from among the people of the Lord (Judges 19 – 21).

When we meet the intended king, there is no mention at all of any moral qualification he had. All we learn is that "he was a handsome young man… from his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people." That is all Scripture says of him. He is judged only by the flesh, looked at only in the outward man. So he suited the man who had asked for him, for "man looks on the outward appearance."

The world tends to look for "big" things, and it found that in Saul. He had youth on his side too — he was "a young man." The people complained about Samuel's age. It was really the only complaint they made. "Behold, you are old," they say. In Saul they would have no ground for that complaint. He was young, and he carried all the energy and liveliness of youth.

On the other hand, this choice put Israel to the test. In the flesh they had asked for a king according to the flesh. Neither God nor Samuel stood in the way. On the contrary, God chooses the most excellent person the flesh could desire. Samuel acknowledges him as such: "On whom is all the desire of Israel set? Is it not on you?" (v. 20).

Saul has all the natural qualities of a leader of the people. He is strong and brave, handsome, tall, a choice man (vv. 1-2). His moral qualities are just as remarkable. He is obedient and loving toward his father (v. 5). He is willing to listen to the advice of those under him (v. 10). He is little in his own eyes, whether in his tribe or in his family (v. 21). God is about to test him. If that test fails with such a man, it can only be because man's condition in general leaves no hope.

Saul was just the man after Israel's heart. He had everything the flesh could desire — "a handsome young man… from his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people." This was all very impressive to those who could only look on the outward appearance. But what lay beneath that attractive exterior! Saul's whole course is marked by selfishness and pride, under the cloak of humility.

These things are not looked at as man would regard them, where many of the traits are considered valuable and important. They are looked at from God's point of view, and everything great and excellent in nature is seen to be stained with decay. So Saul is described as "a choice young man and a goodly… from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people" — surely the perfect king in man's eyes; sadly, too soon to show the emptiness of man's nature!

Two things marked David: his beauty and his outward appearance. Saul was remarkable for the latter (1 Sam. 9:2), but his heart was not right with God. Eliab, David's elder brother, also had good looks to commend him. But God told Samuel, "The LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." (1 Sam. 16:7.)

Saul, the king of Israel, was head and shoulders above the rest of the men of Israel (1 Sam. 9:2). In height, he was the most likely Israelite to face Goliath. He did not accept the challenge.

Let us add one more thing. Without this trial of the king according to the flesh, God's ways toward David, His anointed, would not have been complete. If God had not raised up Saul, what would have become of David's sufferings and affliction? They were the necessary prelude to his glory.