Joel M Bradshaw

1There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth. 2And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people….20…And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father’s house?” 21Saul answered, “Am I not a Benjaminite, from the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this way?”-1 Samuel 9

The rest of the book of 1 Samuel is going to detail the reign of Saul and ultimately contrast it with David. Saul was impressive at the beginning.

1. OUTSIDE. He was the most handsome guy in all Israel and from a rich family. That would have made him today the cover of magazines. Saul would be considered today the most eligible bachelor by women. He was also the tallest man in the land. He must have cut a striking figure. We will remember Tall Saul during the Goliath story.
2. INSIDE. Best of all, Saul starts with humility. Saul was humble and gracious with Samuel when he came to anoint Saul king. Now we do wonder based on the rest of the book if Saul is being falsely humble here. But at face value, Saul seemed to be operating from a good position before God. Asking who am I is better than stating I deserve this.

Tall, humble, handsome. An impressive beginning for Saul. Samson had an impressive beginning too. But we know how thing ended for him. If you lived in Saul’s day, he might have been your favorite celebrity. He gives us an example here. Our insides and outsides need to be consistent and glorify God. We are watching you, Saul. God was too.–JMB