1Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it over Saul’s head. He kissed Saul and said, “I am doing this because the Lord has appointed you to be the ruler over Israel, his special possession. 2When you leave me today, you will see two men beside Rachel’s tomb at Zelzah, on the border of Benjamin. They will tell you that the donkeys have been found and that your father has stopped worrying about them and is now worried about you. He is asking, ‘Have you seen my son?’3“When you get to the oak of Tabor, you will see three men coming toward you who are on their way to worship God at Bethel. One will be bringing three young goats, another will have three loaves of bread, and the third will be carrying a wineskin full of wine. 4They will greet you and offer you two of the loaves, which you are to accept.

5“When you arrive at Gibeah of God,* where the garrison of the Philistines is located, you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the place of worship. They will be playing a harp, a tambourine, a flute, and a lyre, and they will be prophesying. 6At that time the Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them. You will be changed into a different person. 7After these signs take place, do what must be done, for God is with you. 8Then go down to Gilgal ahead of me. I will join you there to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. You must wait for seven days until I arrive and give you further instructions.”

9As Saul turned and started to leave, God gave him a new heart, and all Samuel’s signs were fulfilled that day. 10When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, they saw a group of prophets coming toward them. Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy. 11When those who knew Saul heard about it, they exclaimed, “What? Is even Saul a prophet? How did the son of Kish become a prophet?”12And one of those standing there said, “Can anyone become a prophet, no matter who his father is?”* So that is the origin of the saying “Is even Saul a prophet?”13When Saul had finished prophesying, he went up to the place of worship. 14“Where have you been?” Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant.“We were looking for the donkeys,” Saul replied, “but we couldn’t find them. So we went to Samuel to ask him where they were.”

15“Oh? And what did he say?” his uncle asked.16“He told us that the donkeys had already been found,” Saul replied. But Saul didn’t tell his uncle what Samuel said about the kingdom.17Later Samuel called all the people of Israel to meet before the Lord at Mizpah. 18And he said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has declared: I brought you from Egypt and rescued you from the Egyptians and from all of the nations that were oppressing you. 19But though I have rescued you from your misery and distress, you have rejected your God today and have said, ‘No, we want a king instead!’ Now, therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by tribes and clans.”

20So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel before the Lord, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by lot. 21Then he brought each family of the tribe of Benjamin before the Lord, and the family of the Matrites was chosen. And finally Saul son of Kish was chosen from among them. But when they looked for him, he had disappeared! 22So they asked the Lord, “Where is he?≥?”÷And the Lord replied, “He is hiding among the baggage.” 23So they found him and brought him out, and he stood head and shoulders above anyone else.24Then Samuel said to all the people, “This is the man the Lord has chosen as your king. No one in all Israel is like him!”And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

25Then Samuel told the people what the rights and duties of a king were. He wrote them down on a scroll and placed it before the Lord. Then Samuel sent the people home again.26When Saul returned to his home at Gibeah, a group of men whose hearts God had touched went with him. 27But there were some scoundrels who complained, “How can this man save us?” And they scorned him and refused to bring him gifts. But Saul ignored them.

Chapter 11

1About a month later,* King Nahash of Ammon led his army against the Israelite town of Jabesh-gilead. But all the citizens of Jabesh asked for peace. “Make a treaty with us, and we will be your servants,” they pleaded.2“All right,” Nahash said, “but only on one condition. I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you as a disgrace to all Israel!”3“Give us seven days to send messengers throughout Israel!” replied the elders of Jabesh. “If no one comes to save us, we will agree to your terms.”4When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the people about their plight, everyone broke into tears. 5Saul had been plowing a field with his oxen, and when he returned to town, he asked, “What’s the matter? Why is everyone crying?” So they told him about the message from Jabesh.

6Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he became very angry. 7He took two oxen and cut them into pieces and sent the messengers to carry them throughout Israel with this message: “This is what will happen to the oxen of anyone who refuses to follow Saul and Samuel into battle!” And the Lord made the people afraid of Saul’s anger, and all of them came out together as one. 8When Saul mobilized them at Bezek, he found that there were 300,000 men from Israel and 30,000* men from Judah.9So Saul sent the messengers back to Jabesh-gilead to say, “We will rescue you by noontime tomorrow!” There was great joy throughout the town when that message arrived!

10The men of Jabesh then told their enemies, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you can do to us whatever you wish.” 11But before dawn the next morning, Saul arrived, having divided his army into three detachments. He launched a surprise attack against the Ammonites and slaughtered them the whole morning. The remnant of their army was so badly scattered that no two of them were left together.12Then the people exclaimed to Samuel, “Now where are those men who said, ‘Why should Saul rule over us?’ Bring them here, and we will kill them!”
13But Saul replied, “No one will be executed today, for today the Lord has rescued Israel!”14Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us all go to Gilgal to renew the kingdom.” 15So they all went to Gilgal, and in a solemn ceremony before the Lord they made Saul king. Then they offered peace offerings to the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites were filled with joy.

John 6:43-71

43But Jesus replied, “Stop complaining about what I said. 44For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. 45As it is written in the Scriptures, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46(Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.)47“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. 48Yes, I am the bread of life! 49Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. 50Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”

52Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they asked.53So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. 54But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. 55For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. 58I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever.”

59He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.60Many of his disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?”61Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, “Does this offend you? 62Then what will you think if you see the Son of Man ascend to heaven again? 63The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64But some of you do not believe me.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning which ones didn’t believe, and he knew who would betray him.) 65Then he said, “That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to me.”

66At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. 67Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?”68Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. 69We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.”70Then Jesus said, “I chose the twelve of you, but one is a devil.” 71He was speaking of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, one of the Twelve, who would later betray him.

Psalm 107:1-43
 
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
 
2 Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!
Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.
 
3 For he has gathered the exiles from many lands,
from east and west,
from north and south.
 
4 Some wandered in the wilderness,
lost and homeless.
 
5 Hungry and thirsty,
they nearly died.
 
6 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
and he rescued them from their
distress.
 
7 He led them straight to safety,
to a city where they could live.
 
8 Let them praise the Lord for his great love
and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
 
9 For he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.

10 Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom,
imprisoned in iron chains of misery.

11 They rebelled against the words of God,
scorning the counsel of the Most High.

12 That is why he broke them with hard labor;
they fell, and no one was there to help them.

13 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.

14 He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom;
he snapped their chains.

15 Let them praise the Lord for his great love
and for the wonderful things he has done for them.

16 For he broke down their prison gates of bronze;
he cut apart their bars of iron.

17 Some were fools; they rebelled
and suffered for their sins.

18 They couldn’t stand the thought of food,
and they were knocking on death’s door.

19 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.

20 He sent out his word and healed them,
snatching them from the door of death.

21 Let them praise the Lord for his great love
and for the wonderful things he has done for them.

22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving
and sing joyfully about his glorious acts.

23 Some went off to sea in ships,
plying the trade routes of the world.

24 They, too, observed the Lord’s power in action,
his impressive works on the deepest seas.

25 He spoke, and the winds rose,
stirring up the waves.

26 Their ships were tossed to the heavens
and plunged again to the depths;
the sailors cringed in terror.

27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards
and were at their wits’ end.

28 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.

29 He calmed the storm to a whisper
and stilled the waves.

30 What a blessing was that stillness
as he brought them safely into harbor!

31 Let them praise the Lord for his great love
and for the wonderful things he has done for them.

32 Let them exalt him publicly before the congregation
and before the leaders of the nation.

33 He changes rivers into deserts,
and springs of water into dry, thirsty land.

34 He turns the fruitful land into salty wastelands,
because of the wickedness of those who live there.

35 But he also turns deserts into pools of water,
the dry land into springs of water.

36 He brings the hungry to settle there
and to build their cities.

37 They sow their fields, plant their vineyards,
and harvest their bumper crops.

38 How he blesses them!
They raise large families there,
and their herds of livestock increase.

39 When they decrease in number and become impoverished
through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,

40 the Lord pours contempt on their princes,
causing them to wander in trackless wastelands.

41 But he rescues the poor from trouble
and increases their families like flocks of sheep.

42 The godly will see these things and be glad,
while the wicked are struck silent.

43 Those who are wise will take all this to heart;
they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.

Proverbs 15:1-3
 
1 A gentle answer deflects anger,
but harsh words make tempers flare.
 
2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing,
but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness.
 
3 The Lord is watching everywhere,
keeping his eye on both the evil and the good.