The one whom God will have as king and ruler over his people must not be like the kings of the nations. He is not an absolute monarch who may do as he likes but must be obedient to God's law. In this way he is to be both an example to and a leader of God's people.
Now read 1 Samuel 10 – Saul anointed as king
Through the providential loss of his father's donkeys, Saul gets to meet Samuel and Samuel is instructed by the Lord to anoint Saul as king over his people – his inheritance (1 Samuel 10:1). Samuel, the seer, then tells Saul the various people he will meet on the way home and what they will say and do; these are signs that the Lord is with him. Saul is told that at Gibeah, the Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully on him and he will prophesy with them; he "will be changed into a different person" (v.6). The Spirit will equip him for the task to which God is calling him.
When the Spirit fell on him, "God changed Saul's heart" (v.9). He joined in prophesying with the procession of prophets at Gibeah to the astonishment of all who saw him.
Samuel summoned representatives from all Israel to meet with him at Mizpah. Samuel reminded the Israelites that the Lord, the God of Israel, had redeemed their ancestors from Egypt and given them victory over all their enemies. The Lord had been their king and they had prospered under his leadership of them. In asking for a king like the nations they were rejecting the Lord as their king. Nevertheless, in response to their demands, Samuel has called them together to determine the king whom God would appoint over his people Israel. Then, through an elaborate elimination procedure Saul was selected to be Israel's king and was acclaimed as king by all the tribes of Israel – except for a few dissenting scoundrels.
This all seems rather strange. Saul is anointed as king by Samuel before this elaborate selection procedure at Mizpah. What was that all about? God himself had selected Saul to be king over his people, he revealed his choice to Samuel and he made the lots fall so that Saul was selected. The public selection of Saul was a demonstration to Israel that this is the man whom God had chosen.
We read that "Samuel explained to the people the rights and duties of kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord" (v.25). We would love to know what Samuel said and what he wrote down; it was doubtless a summary of the law God had given through Moses. Samuel's actions are a reminder that the one who is to be king over God's people must not be like the kings of the nations. He is not an absolute monarch who can make laws of his own and who is free to behave as he wishes and treat the people of his kingdom as he pleases; he is bound by the law of God and is to live in obedience to God's law. In this way, the king is not to be a tyrant but is to be an example to and leader of the people of God.
Saul's kingship seems to start well, but it will not last. We will soon find that Saul can only be happy as king while he remains head-and-shoulders above everyone else in Israel. He is only happy so long as he is the one who receives the praise of the people.
Though Jesus was, and is, the Lord of glory, he humbled himself and became like us in every way except that he was without sin. He not only came to be our Saviour, he came also as our example, leader and Lord. He came to show us the kind of life God calls us to live, a life of faithful service. He calls us to follow him.
Lord God, we desire no king except our faithful Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. May your Spirit work in us to transform us from the people we used to be and to create us afresh in the image of your Son. May he equip us for the tasks you are calling us to do. Keep us from rebellion against king Jesus.