Israel's First King

God had long before prophesied a line of kings from Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 17:15-16). This line was to come through their grandson Jacob (Genesis 35:9-11). And God had Jacob prophesy that this kingly line would come through his son Judah (Genesis 49:10; see 1 Chronicles 5:1-2). But though God personally chooses the king for Israel, He does not yet select a descendant of Judah. Instead, Saul, Israel's first king, is from Benjamin.

God knew that Saul was the type of person the people were looking for, apparently the tallest man in the nation, and good looking (verse 2). Through circumstances, God arranges for Saul to visit Samuel in Ramah (verse 16).

Samuel was not an Aaronic priest, and yet, as we saw in our previous reading (see 1 Samuel 7:9-10), he appears to have himself offered sacrifices—although in one case it is clear that he was simply officiating at the sacrifice, blessing it and the people (1 Samuel 9:12-14). These sacrifices were done in various locations. However, there is no record that Samuel offered sacrifices specifically at the tabernacle altar of burnt offering, wherever that was currently located. Normally, all sacrifices were to be brought to "the place where the Lord your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His habitation" (Deuteronomy 12:5). But with the apparent abandonment of Shiloh, and the loss of the ark, perhaps there was no obvious place where God was "dwelling" at this time. In any case, Samuel's offering of sacrifices at a variety of locations throughout the land—including the altar he had built near his home in Ramah (see 1 Samuel 7:17)—is presented in the Bible as acceptable and proper. Perhaps he had special instructions from God—we know for certain that he did in 1 Samuel 16:2.