1 Samuel 8 - 10

When Samuel is advanced in years, he tries to put his sons in as judges in Israel, but they are wicked, and the people despise them.  It’s an interesting thing to realize how often the men in the Bible had blind spots regarding their own children, and we are no different today.  No one can assume that their children will be like themselves, as every person must come to God in repentence, and in the faith of Jesus Christ.

The people demand that Samuel give them a king to rule in Israel, and God allows this to happen, telling Samuel that they have not rejected him, but they were rejecting God as their leader.  The Lord causes Samuel to anoint Saul as king of Israel, and His Spirit is placed upon Saul for that purpose.  This anointing will eventually be lifted when Saul’s heart is lifted up, and he turns away from following God, but that will not happen for many years.