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Then "the Spirit of Jehovah" would "seize upon him," and he would "be turned into
another man." The obvious import of this "sign," in combination with the others,
would be: royalty not only from God and under God, but with God. And all the more
significant would it appear, that Gibeah, the home of Saul, where all knew him and
could mark the change, was now held by a garrison of Philistines; and that Israel's
deliverance should there commence^97 by the Spirit of Jehovah mightily laying hold
on Israel's new king, and making of him another man. When all these "signs happen
to thee," added the prophet, "do to thyself what thy hand findeth" (as circumstances
indicate, comp. Judges 9:33); concluding therefrom: "for God is with thee."
The event proved as Samuel had foretold. Holy Scripture passes, indeed, lightly over
the two first signs, as of comparatively less importance, but records the third with
the more full detail. It tells how, immediately on leaving Samuel, "God turned to
Saul another heart" (ver 9); how, when he met the band of prophets at Gibeah (ver.
10, not "the hill," as in our Authorised Version), "the Spirit of Elohim" "seized"
upon him, and he "prophesied among them;" so that those who had so intimately
known him before exclaimed in astonishment: "What is this that has come unto the
son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?" Upon which "one from thence,"
more spiritually enlightened than the rest, answered: "And who is their father?"
implying that, in the case of the other prophets also, the gift of prophecy was not of
hereditary descent.^98 Thus the proverb arose: "Is Saul also among the prophets?" to
indicate, according to circumstances, either a sudden and almost incredible change in
the outward religious bearing of a man, or the possibility of its occurrence.
But there are deeper questions here which must, at least briefly, be answered.
Apparently, there were already at that time prophetic associations, called "schools of
the prophets." Whether these owed their origin to Samuel or not, the movement
received at least a mighty impulse from him, and henceforth became a permanent
institution in Israel. But this "prophesying" must not be considered as in all cases
prediction. In the present instance it certainly was not such, but, as that of the
"elders" in the time of Moses (Numbers 11:25), an ecstatic state of a religious
character, in which men unreservedly poured forth their feelings. The characteristics
of this ecstatic state were entire separation from the circumstances around, and
complete subjection to an extraordinary influence from without, when thoughts,
feelings, words, and deeds were no longer under personal control, but became, so to
speak, passive instruments. Viewing it in this light, we can understand the use made
of music, not only by true prophets, but even among the heathen. For the effect of
music is to detach from surrounding circumstances, to call forth strong feelings, and
to make us yield ourselves implicitly to their influence.
In the case of the prophets at Gibeah and in that of Saul, this ecstatic state was under
the influence of the "Spirit of Elohim."^99 By this, as in the case of the judges,^100 we
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