Another famous Benjaminite

let’s take a closer look at another famous Benjaminite with a wolf personality. This is from 1 Samuel 9:1-2, “There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of influence and wealth. Kish had a son named Saul, a choice and handsome man; among the sons of Israel there was not a man more handsome than he. From his shoulders and up he was taller than any of the people”

Changed heart

The seer Samuel anointed Saul to be king and later elected the first king of Israel and he came from the tribe of Benjamin, a “Wolf”. Before they elected Saul to be king, God changed Saul’s heart as we see in 1 Samuel 10:9-10, “Then it happened when Saul turned his back to leave Samuel, God changed his heart; and all those signs came to pass that day. When they came to the hill, behold a group of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came on him mightily, and he prophesied among them”

Words from his heart

God gave Saul a new heart, that is a new spiritual center where the words of God is stored and where these words from God could be fetched and spoken. And that is exactly what happened, Saul prophesied, (to prophesy is to speak words from God). This happened when he met some prophets with the same spirit which Saul now had and he was influenced by their spirit and spoke from his heart words from God.

Stored in your heart

In The Old Testament times, you needed Spiritual influence from God to be able to speak words from God, that is to prophesy. In The New Testament times we can move the spiritual words of God from our heart to our soul, our mind, by spiritual understanding of the Bible, which is by the salvation in Jesus stored in your heart.

Should have learned

Saul should have learned from this experience and surrounded himself with prophets and stayed close to Samuel the seer. However, he did not, and his soul and mind and body took the lead by his Wolf personality as we can see in 1 Samuel 10:16, “And Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But he did not tell him about the matter of the kingdom which Samuel had mentioned”

Gather the wolf-pack

Saul had a wolf way of thinking and did not tell his uncle about him being anointed king, Saul kept it to himself, it could be it was not true and if he stood up to the words of Samuel the seer and it did not come true he would make a fool of himself. If it happened to be true, then Saul the wolf would gather the wolf-pack and stand up.

King Nahash, the city of Jabesh and the city of Gibeah

Later Nahash the Ammonite king came up, and encamped against Jabesh-gilead in Israel and threatened the men in the city of Jabesh that he would pluck out the right eye on every man in the city and Jabesh men sent a messenger, throughout Israel and he also came to Gibeah of Saul and told the news to the people; and all the people raised their voices and wept aloud.

Fear of “YHWH”

Saul herd of it and got furious “And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly. And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the fear of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out with one consent.”

Heavenly wolf-tactic

This is the Wolf Saul snarling and showing of teeth scaring and intimidate the inhabitants of Israel and this was the result, “Then fear of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out as one man. ⁸ He assembled and counted them at Bezek; and the sons of Israel numbered 300,000, and the men of Judah 30,000” this time the Spirit of God empowered Saul and the fear of YaHaWaH prepared 330,000 soldiers for war. The heavenly wolf-tactic worked to perfection.

To his wolf-pack

However, Saul also needed his wolf-pack to mingle among and to use for his private purposes as we can see here in 1 Samuel 13:2, “Saul chose for himself 3,000 men of Israel; of whom 2,000 were with him in Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, while 1,000 were with Jonathan at Gibeah of Benjamin” And every time king Saul saw a capable man for war he took him to his guard, his wolf-pack.

priority

Saul did not fully trust in God and did not accept the line of authority from God through Samuel, the seer, and then to the king. Wolves do not accept orders; they always consider their own plan of gain and security as priority.

Pleased the wolf-pack

Once, Samuel gave king Saul order to wait for him to prepare for war, sacrificing to God and ask of his advice before going against the enemy. Samuel was delayed and Saul waited for some days, however got tired of waiting and did the sacrificing himself which he had no authority to do. The men around him did not like waiting for Samuel and Soul the “prophet” lost the battle against the “wolf” and pleased the wolf-pack.

A Benjaminite

Saul did this several times and God took the kingship from him and gave it to David. King Saul lost the most important battle, the battle against the wolf in him, and Samuel and the wisdom of God left him. Saul started to reign when 30 years old and reigned forty-two years over Israel, he was a Benjaminite.

Questions

1. Do we have to fight our personality?
2. How do we move into the spiritual area?
3. The sin is like a crouching lion, however where is this lion crouching?