3 Faith-Strengthening Lessons from Samuel Anointing Saul

Could you use help living with purpose? Do you need encouragement in your work? The Bible story of when Samuel anoints Saul in 1 Samuel chapters 9 and 10 presents important lessons that can strengthen your faith and give you more confidence in your own walk with God.

What Is the Story Behind Samuel Anointing Saul?

God calls the prophet Samuel, a judge in ancient Israel, to anoint Saul as Israel’s first king after the Israelite people expressed their desire for a king. Saul hadn’t expected to be king, nor had he sought the position. But God chooses Saul. 1 Samuel 9:15-16 records: “Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel: ‘About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him ruler over my people Israel; he will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked on my people, for their cry has reached me.’”

After Samuel tells Saul about God’s calling for him, Saul is surprised, pointing out that he came from a small tribe and clan rather than a prominent one. However, Saul is open to doing whatever God asks him to do. After Samuel anointed Saul, the Holy Spirit transformed Saul, so he had new spiritual power. In the Bible, anointing someone with oil is a sacred ritual to ask for God’s blessing on that person’s work as they begin a new position.

1 Samuel 10:1 describes the moment when Samuel anoints Saul: “Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, ‘Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over his inheritance?’” Although it’s Samuel who physically anoints Saul, God is the one who spiritually anoints Saul.

Verses 2 through 6 describe prophecies about the future that Samuel tells Saul – specific events that God has revealed to Samuel about what will happen shortly after Saul leaves him on that day. Samuel describes the people Saul will meet and what they will say and do, even down to the details of how many goats one person will be carrying and how many loaves of bread Saul will accept from them. As Saul approaches a certain town, Samuel prophesies in verses 5 and 6, “… you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, timbrels, pipes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying. The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.”

Then, in verse 7, Samuel tells Saul: “Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.” The story of Samuel anointing Saul concludes in verse 8, when Samuel gives Saul these instructions: “Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do.”

Lesson 1: God Has Good Plans for You

God reveals many specific details about Saul’s future to Samuel through prophecy, and everything that God said came true. Just as God had good plans for Saul, God has good plans for you too. In Jeremiah 29:11-13, God promises: “'For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.’” God has ordained (determined to be part of your destiny) every single one of the days of your life, Psalm 139:16 reveals: “… all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Also, Ephesians 2:10 says that God has prepared good works for you to do in your earthly lifetime: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

While you can’t see all the details of your future, you can trust God like Saul did and say “yes” whenever you learn that God wants you to do something important.

Lesson 2: If you Seek God with Purpose, the Holy Spirit Will Change You for the Better

Samuel tells Saul that after the Holy Spirit comes powerfully upon him, Saul will receive the power to prophesy, and then “you will be changed into a different person” (1 Samuel 10:6). Whenever we cooperate with the Holy Spirit’s work, we can all be changed for the better as a result. The Holy Spirit is the ultimate agent of positive change. Jesus says in John 14:26 that the Holy Spirit “will teach you all things.” 1 Corinthians 6:11 mentions that the Spirit will cleanse you spiritually, and 1 Corinthians 12:4-13 describes how the Spirit gives spiritual gifts. Romans 8:26-27 describes how the Spirit will help you pray. Acts 9:31 mentions the Spirit’s work strengthening and encouraging people. In Acts 1:8, the resurrected Jesus describes how the Holy Spirit will empower his disciples: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Galatians 5:22-23 describes specific character qualities that the Holy Spirit will help you develop in your life so you can live with purpose and become the person God wants you to be: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…”. 

Well-being research I explain in my book Wake Up to Wonder shows that the more we pursue God and seek inspiration from his Holy Spirit, the more power we receive to live with purpose and experience positive change as a result. As I write in the book, God’s purpose for us goes beyond what we do to who we are. Our purpose is ultimately about the kind of people God wants us to become. While you’re pursuing God, you will be changed into a different person just as Saul was when he sought God.

Lesson 3: God Is Always with You

The story of when Samuel anoints Saul also shows the power of God’s constant presence. As Samuel tells Saul in 1 Samuel 10:7, “Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.” God has promised to always be with us. In fact, one of Jesus’ names – Immanuel – means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). In Joshua 1:5, God declares: “… I will never leave you nor forsake you.” If you have a saving relationship with God, the Holy Spirit lives within you, as 1 Corinthians 6:19 points out: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?....”

You can be confident that God is right there with you whenever you take action on something you sense God calling you to do. You never have to do your work alone. Instead, you can rely on God – who is all-powerful – to be with you and available to help you.

Conclusion

The Bible story of when Samuel anoints Saul shows God working in powerful ways that you can experience in your own life. As 1 John 2:20 proclaims, all Christians “have an anointing from the Holy One.” You can always count on God to empower you to do whatever he calls you to do. Let this story of Israel’s first king inspire you to seek God and live out his good plans for you!

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/yelo34 

Whitney Hopler helps people discover God's wonder and experience awe. She is the author of several books, including the nonfiction books Wake Up to Wonder and Wonder Through the Year: A Daily Devotional for Every Year, and the young adult novel Dream Factory. Whitney has served as an editor at leading media organizations, including Crosswalk.com, The Salvation Army USA’s national publications, and Dotdash.com (where she produced a popular channel on angels and miracles). She currently leads the communications work at George Mason University’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being. Connect with Whitney on her website at www.whitneyhopler.com, on Facebook, and on  X/Twitter.