“As Saul turned and started to leave, God gave him a new heart, and all Samuel’s signs were fulfilled that day. When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, they saw a group of prophets coming toward them. Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy. When those who knew Saul heard about it, they exclaimed, “What? Is even Saul a prophet? How did the son of Kish become a prophet?” And one of those standing there said, “Can anyone become a prophet, no matter who his father is?” So that is the origin of the saying “Is even Saul a prophet?” When Saul had finished prophesying, he went up to the place of worship. “Where have you been?” Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant. “We were looking for the donkeys,” Saul replied, “but we couldn’t find them. So we went to Samuel to ask him where they were.” “Oh? And what did he say?” his uncle asked. “He told us that the donkeys had already been found,” Saul replied. But Saul didn’t tell his uncle what Samuel said about the kingdom. Later Samuel called all the people of Israel to meet before the Lord at Mizpah. And he said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has declared: I brought you from Egypt and rescued you from the Egyptians and from all of the nations that were oppressing you. But though I have rescued you from your misery and distress, you have rejected your God today and have said, ‘No, we want a king instead!’ Now, therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by tribes and clans.” So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel before the Lord, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by lot. Then he brought each family of the tribe of Benjamin before the Lord, and the family of the Matrites was chosen. And finally Saul son of Kish was chosen from among them. But when they looked for him, he had disappeared! So they asked the Lord, “Where is he?” And the Lord replied, “He is hiding among the baggage.” So they found him and brought him out, and he stood head and shoulders above anyone else. Then Samuel said to all the people, “This is the man the Lord has chosen as your king. No one in all Israel is like him!” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!” Then Samuel told the people what the rights and duties of a king were. He wrote them down on a scroll and placed it before the Lord. Then Samuel sent the people home again. When Saul returned to his home at Gibeah, a group of men whose hearts God had touched went with him.”
1 Samuel 10:9-26 NLT
Saul was notoriously a bad king. Nonetheless, it cannot be said that God did not enable him to complete his work for the people. The passage goes so far as to point out that on that day, Saul was given a new heart. It also notes that he was prophesying. However, clearly these things can’t be taken to confirm that Saul had changed as a person. When it came time to fulfill the prophecy, there he was, hiding from the responsibility. The response of amusement and bewilderment, so much so that it became a social phenomenon, towards Saul’s new path, showed the type of man that he was known to be. He was a bit of a handsome joke. And this appears to have created a level of insecurity in him that was present still. It is clear that even with God changing his heart, it didn’t mean a change of ways or a change of desires. God would enable Saul with all he would need so that he could do his task competently, but this didn’t mean that Saul didn’t have to lean into this expansion himself. It is so clear that, even being directly touched by God, he didn’t do so, even at the beginning of his ministry as King. This would spell the end of his reign before it even started, and shine light on the rest of the prophecy, which paints him as a tyrant.
Saul’s Character: Saul was always going to be a bad king because at the beginning, he hid from responsibility and was known for being a joke.
God’s Role: God enabled Saul to complete his work, but Saul’s own actions and desires were not changed.
Saul’s Incompetence: Saul’s inability to lean into God’s guidance led to the downfall of his reign.
JOSH McGARY.COM 