The Dream Setting/Backstory

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When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons Joel and Abijah as Israel’s leaders but they proved unworthy. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice. Because of this the people of Israel wanted a king  they could see, the same as other nations. Samuel was angry at this request but God allowed the people their wishes. He had Samuel explain the cost of their rejecting Him as King.  

God then chose Saul to be their king.  Saul appealed to the fleshly choice of the people.  He was a handsome young man, a head taller than anyone else. Scripture never mentions anything positive about Saul’s mental, spiritual or moral nature. 

This dream came forty five years after Samuel’s first dream. The Scripture doesn’t specifically say it was a dream but this complex revelation came after a good night’s sleep.  Samuel was a seer prophet and seer prophets tend to dream a lot. Please see chapter called Definition Of A Dream. I suspect this message from God came in the form of a dream. 

The Dream Scripture

1 Samuel 9:25-10-12

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After they finished eating, they came down from the place of worship and went to the town. Then Samuel talked with Saul on the roof of his house.  At dawn they got up, and Samuel called to Saul on the roof. He said, “Get up, and I will send you on your way.” So Saul got up and went out of the house with Samuel.  As Saul, his servant, and Samuel were getting near the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us, but you stay, because I have a message from God for you.” 

Samuel took a jar of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head. He kissed Saul and said, “The Lord has appointed you to lead his people.  

After you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb on the border of Benjamin at Zelzah. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you were looking for have been found. But now your father has stopped thinking about his donkeys and is worrying about you. He is asking, “What will I do about my son?”’ “Then you will go on until you reach the big tree at Tabor. Three men on their way to worship God at Bethel will meet you there. One man will be carrying three goats. Another will be carrying three loaves of bread. And the third will have a leather bag full of wine.  They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you must accept.  

Then you will go to Gibeah of God, where a Philistine camp is. When you approach this town, a group of prophets will come down from the place of worship. They will be playing harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres, and they will be prophesying.  Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you with power. You will prophesy with these prophets, and you will be changed into a different man.  After these signs happen, do whatever you find to do, because God will help you. 

“Go ahead of me to Gilgal. I will come down to you to offer whole burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. But you must wait seven days. Then I will come and tell you what to do.” 

When Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart. All these signs came true that day.  When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, Saul met a group of prophets. The Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied with the prophets.  

When people who had known Saul before saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What has happened to Kish’s son? Is even Saul one of the prophets?” 

A man who lived there said, “Who is the father of these prophets?” So this became a famous saying: “Is even Saul one of the prophets?”  When Saul finished prophesying, he entered the place of worship.

The Problem

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The people were offended with the leadership of Samuel’s ungodly sons. Instead, they wanted a king like the nations round about them.  God absorbed their rejection and gave them their heart’s desire although it was far from His perfect will for His beloved nation. 

The Dreamer’s Metron

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Samuel had a deep and wide metron in a range of leadership roles.  He was a seer, priest, nazarite, judge, prophet, and military leader. God used Samuel to set up Israel’s monarchy.  Initially he resisted Israel’s desire for a king but conceded after God said it was okay.  

He then anointed Saul as king and later David. Afterwards he prophesied Saul’s rejection as king three times.  The third rejection occurred after the Witch of Endor conjured up Samuel’s spirit at King Saul’s insistence.  

Samuel has the distinction of being only one of two ghosts, apart from the Holy Ghost, who appears in Scripture. The other is Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration. Remember Elijah never died.

Samuel arrived on the scene at a pivotal time in Israel’s history.  After Joshua’s death Israel entered the days of the judges, a time without a centralised government. During this era, God in response to the peoples’ prayer would raise up certain individuals like Gideon to deliver Israel from her enemies for a time.  

The Book of Judges records twelve judges and First Samuel presents Eli and Samuel. Samuel was the last judge. After Samuel’s time Israel was led by kings.  

Samuel was born when words from the Lord were rare and scarce.  God used Samuel to usher in the era of the prophets, a time when Israel was awash with prophets and revelation that still blesses the whole world today. 

The Message

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The message was that God was granting the people’s request for a king and He had sovereignly chosen Saul to be that king. This declaration was then confirmed by a dozen accurate words of knowledge.

• You will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb on the border of Benjamin at Zelzah. 

• They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you were looking for have been found. But now your father has stopped thinking about his donkeys and is worrying about you. He is asking, “What will I do about my son?”’ 

• Then you will go on until you reach the big tree at Tabor. 

• Three men on their way to worship God at Bethel will meet you there. 

• One man will be carrying three goats. 

• Another will be carrying three loaves of bread. 

• And the third will have a leather bag full of wine.  

• They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you must accept.  

• Then you will go to Gibeah of God, where a Philistine camp is. 

• When you approach this town, a group of prophets will come down from the place of worship. 

• They will be playing harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres, and they will be prophesying.  Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you with power. 

• You will prophesy with these prophets, and you will be changed into a different man.  

God’s Purpose

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God’s purpose was to anoint and appoint Saul as Israel’s first king. God did this in a spectacularly supernatural manner  in order to encourage and empower Saul who was anointed by the Holy Spirit and became a different man. 

Satan’s Purpose

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Satan stole the people’s heart away from their Covenant Keeping God.  He wanted them to look to a mere man rather than God for security. Satan was evident in the sin of Joel and Ibijah. He was also the author of Saul’s timidity and unbelief.

Dreamer’s Eyes Enlightened

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Unlike when he was a child the adult Samuel now perfectly understood God’s revelation.

Dreamer’s Response and Application

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After a good night’s sleep Samuel boldly and clearly shared the dream revelation with Saul and anointed him to be king. 

Know God Better

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God is still the covenant keeper and promise keeper to Israel. He is also willing to work with their lack of faith and honour towards him. God is also able to show His prophet and King that He is totally sovereign. He knows all things. 

The Dream Process

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Although there are some symbolic things like, bread, wine and three goats this is a literal dream that doesn’t require an interpretation.  

The Usual Suspects

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God displayed His sovereignty and His omniscience. Satan is seen in lives of Samuel’s sons and the fear of Saul and the unfaithful attitude of the people. Jesus is symbolically referenced by the bread and wine of sacrifice. The Holy Spirit fell upon Saul and empowered him to prophesy. 

Takeaways

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God knows all things! No one can teach him. He has never discovered anything new because He has always known everything.  God is omniscient.  He is all-knowing with a perfect knowledge of all things, past, present and future. His knowledge is absolute. The psalmist said, Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; his understanding is infinite. [1] 

So much for Open Theism!  Open theism is a modern heresy that claims God does not exhaustively know the future, because the future is “open”: what will happen tomorrow is not yet fully determined, but depends in part on the free decisions of God’s creatures. Obviously, Samuel’s God was not an open theist!

1 Psalm 147:5