That's Different!

By Pastor Dan Hickling

“Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, ‘Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over his inheritance? . . . The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.”—1 Samuel 10:1–6 (NIV)

1 Samuel takes a thematic turn at this point in the opening verse of the tenth chapter. If you’ve been tracking with us through this story, you know the Lord’s been laying the tracks for Saul (the second of three main characters in 1 Samuel) to become the first official king of Israel. And it’s here, as Samuel anoints Saul with oil, that Israel’s first king is finally identified.

This was “a first,” and as with every first thing, there will be a lot of growing pains that come along with it. Saul isn’t going to step into this new role seamlessly. But before that part of the story unfolds, we need to see something in Samuel’s words of instruction to Saul that has significant relevance for us.

As Saul is anointed and commissioned to serve God and His people in a new way, we also see that Saul is also anointed in a spiritual sense as Samuel proclaims the Spirit of the Lord, the Holy Spirit, would come upon him. And as a result of this supernatural anointing, Saul would be changed into a different person!

Pay close attention to the order here. For Saul, there was a calling to step into a new way of life, a life of serving others as their king. This was an unquestionably challenging task. To lead in any capacity is challenging, especially when it comes to a nation and to a role where you’re the first! Yet God didn’t leave Saul all alone in this calling. He does something we don’t see all that often in the Old Testament Scriptures. He fills him with His own Spirit, the Holy Spirit. This is God’s way of assuring Saul he wasn’t all alone in this new calling, but the Lord, Himself, was with him.

Now notice the effect of this anointing of the Holy Spirit: It results in changing Saul into a different person. And by “different,” we understand it to be a better different, less like the old Saul different, more like God different, Holy Spirit different; different in a way that would be necessary in order to accomplish the calling of leading God’s people God’s way.

This promise of the Holy Spirit to enable Saul in His calling foreshadows the promise given to every single believer in Jesus Christ! For it’s in the New Testament, centuries after Saul lived and on the other side of Christ’s work on the cross, that we’re given the assurance that the Holy Spirit comes upon us. And He does so in order to transform our lives so we can fulfill our calling to be living witnesses of who Christ is and what He’s done (Acts 1:8; Romans 8; Galatians 5)!

A lot of times, we can get overwhelmed when it comes to what this new life in Jesus entails. We know ourselves well enough to know that we don’t have what it takes to fulfill the calling He’s placed upon us. I’m sure Saul felt that way. But we need to remember the Lord is with us—and that He’s actually in us, changing us into different people who are able to live differently so those around us see us and say, “Hey, that’s different.” Trust His Spirit to be the difference that makes the difference in you!

Pause: What spiritual principle do we witness in the anointing and commissioning of Saul?

Practice: Consider some measurable ways in which the Holy Spirit has made you different from who you used to be.

Pray: Lord, thank You for not leaving us to ourselves, but for being so involved in our lives that You’re actually in us through the work of Your Spirit. Thank You for doing in us what we could never do in ourselves and for giving us the power that’s greater than any we could ever possess. Continue the good work You’ve begun in making us different in ways that make us more like You. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.