THE FIRST KING

THE FIRST KING

(I Samuel 10-11)

Israel wanted a king,

Which made God feel rejected.

He decided to grant their request,

Even though He greatly objected.

He instructed the prophet Samuel,

To anoint Saul the first king.

Saul came from the tribe of Benjamin;

Both good and bad he would bring.

Samuel prepared a dinner,

And put Saul at the head of the table.

He gave him the choicest leg of meat,

Though as king, Saul felt unable.

Samuel anointed Saul the next day,

More or less against Saul’s will.

He thought himself not important enough,

For such a role to fill.

But God filled Saul with His Spirit,

And he appeared like royalty.

He was a head taller than everyone,

But he lacked loyalty.

Though anointed, Saul kept it quiet,

‘Til Samuel showed up one day,

And had each tribe march before him;

Much to Saul’s dismay.

After every tribe and clan had passed,

And Saul was named as king,

He could not be found,

For he was cowardly hiding.

The Lord revealed his hiding place;

He was cowering behind the supplies.

Though he stood a head taller than everyone else,

He was small in his own eyes.

Samuel talked him up to the crowd,

Then they shouted, “Long live the king.”

Samuel stated the rules of kingship,

Only trouble would such power bring.

Saul would obey the Lord,

But rarely all the way.

He liked to do things differently,

Which caused God much dismay.

His confidence grew stronger,

So much so that he became evil.

Eventually he was full of himself;

And turned into a weevil.

He tried to take the life,

Of the boy who played a harp.

He even tried to spear his own son,

But his son was a little more sharp.

Saul’s moods often changed with the wind,

For God’s Spirit was no longer with him.

He was nice one minute; the next he was not;

He knew his future looked grim.

The boy that played the harp for him,

Would one day take his place.

Because Saul did things his own way,

His life would end in disgrace.

--Becky Wall