Why do you suppose Saul was hiding among the equipment when it was time for the people to see who it was that God had chosen to be their king? Doesn’t that strike you as an odd thing for Saul to do at this particular time?

So get the picture. Samuel has already anointed Saul’s head with oil and confirmed that he was the one whom God has chosen, but this was done when it was just the two of them. There were no witnesses. And then Saul has had several miraculous things happen that have really transformed him. And now, Samuel has called all the nation of Israel to Mizpah, and he has given them a message from God: I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all kingdoms and from those who oppressed you.’ 19But you have today rejected your God, who Himself saved you from all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us!’

So what do you think is going through Saul’s mind at this point? I don’t know about you, but I’d be thinking, “Wait a minute. God has just announced through Samuel that these people, who are about to become my responsibility, have up until now been taken care of by the Lord God Almighty. He took them out of Egypt after bringing some terrible consequences to Pharaoh. He brought them to this land that had been inhabited by some very scary people, and He defeated those people to give the land to them. How in the world am I going to even begin to be worthy to be their leader? Oh, and God isn’t very happy with them, by the sound of things. They have just insulted Him by their rejection of His leadership. Do I really want this job? And by the way, the Philistines have been a real problem lately. How am I going to deal with them? Maybe I’ll just hide over here. Maybe if I don’t show myself, God will have to choose someone else.”

Sound about right to you? It’ll be fun to see how Saul’s reign progresses, won’t it?