Week 14 1 Samuel 11
There’s a strange conversation recorded near the end of the chapter:
The people then said to Samuel, “Who was it that asked, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring these men to us and we shall put them to death.”
But Saul said, “No one shall be put to death today, for this day the Lord has rescued Israel.”
Then Samuel said to the people, “Come and let us go to Gilgal and there reaffirm the kingship.”
You have to read chapter 10 for the backstory. But 10’s not really the point. The point is that the people asked Samuel a question. But Saul answered it.
When I’m reading the OT histories I’m making mental adjustments allowing for the fact that the material is three-thousand years old. I guess it’s possible triangulated interrogations took place in the ancient near east. But I figure that normally when “A” asked “B” a question that he expected “B” to answer…not “C”.
So I’m not exactly sure what-all to make of this.
Samuel was a Priest / Prophet.
Saul was a King.
What did the Handbook of Division of Responsibilities say about who could do what (apart from answering the other guy’s question)?
I wonder if there was already an edginess between Samuel and Saul. More important – was there a point of conflict growing between the two power-roles?
I know that eventually kings and prophets will lock horns. And chapter eleven might be an early warning of just that.
Note: quote from 1 Samuel 11:12-14 (NIV)