MembersPopular Vote, or Divine Lot?

It was was a brilliant tactic. If Samuel had called Saul out from the Tribe of Benjamin as king without an election procedure, the other tribes and families would have been dissatisfied and jeal- ous. “Now therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your clans” (1 Samuel 10:19). Among the twelve tribes, step-by-step, he selected one tribe, then one family and finally one candidate. Once again, Samuel makes it clear to the people that God had cast the lot on King Saul: “‘Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? Surely there is no one like him among all the people.’ So all the people shouted and said, ‘Long live the king!’” (1 Samuel 10:24) The people had to agree to Saul being crowned king, and for this reason Samuel declared there to be no one like him. The people cheered and assented with “Long live the king!” To a...