Are You Ready?

“Then Samuel took a vial of oil, poured it upon his head, kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?”

1 Samuel 10:1

The moment Samuel anointed Saul, the future king of Israel, is very tender. Samuel is prophesying for the Lord. He has Samuel anoint him with oil and then gently kisses him on the cheek. Yahweh pronounces Saul captain over His inheritance, which is the Jewish nation.

Samuel is giving up his authority over the nation of Israel, for he was the prophet of the land. Now, Saul is taking the position of king over God’s kingdom, and Samuel gives away his authority with a kiss and a blessing.

One of life's greatest hurts in the natural is receiving a demotion as a manager or supervisor back down to your previous position, even when you have done nothing wrong and performed well. I’ve been there, and it is hard to take. Samuel had done nothing wrong and, in fact, Samuel was a sincere prophet who led well, who judged with righteousness in accordance with God’s laws, and there was no fault found with his leadership.

Samuel teaches us a lesson on love and grace. It’s not Saul’s fault that the people wanted a king; at that time, in fact, Saul ran from the promotion. Viewing this from a point of grace, Samuel offered the promotion with love and grace. If you ever find yourself in this situation, remind yourself of Samuel. I’m not saying to kiss your new boss, but be someone God would be pleased with.

The Lord uses the word “captain” and not the title of king; the two have different meanings. A captain from the Hebrew word “naw-need” designates that Saul is to occupy the front line; the kiss in Hebrew, “naw-shak’” means to weapon up/or fasten up. God is compassionately sending Saul out to battle and arming him with spiritual weaponry, almost as if He knows this soldier may not return from battle. Not long after Saul was anointed king, he became royalty, which appeared to be one of Saul’s character deficits. And was later removed by God.

Here, we see the dichotomy between Saul and Samuel; one steps down with grace and love, the other with bitterness, jealousy, and hatred, which leads to his eventual death. Saul forgot he was protecting God’s kingdom. Instead, Saul was trying to protect his own throne. When you get that coveted promotion, be like Samuel, knowing that the devil does not come in with an announcement that he will bring you down through your character flaws; that trumpet was sounded the day you received Christ as your savior.

In order to take on the promotion, you must be prepared to take on the battles.

He is: YHWH Tseva'ot

The LORD of Hosts

Blessings