1 Samuel 10:9
And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day. And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day.
When Saul turned to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart, and all the signs foretold to him came to pass that day. The gift was a new and converted heart by the renewing power of the Holy Spirit, a being born again to see the kingdom of God. The Spirit fitted him for the work of king by changing his temperament, thoughts, aims and desires, showing him his sinfulness and the beauty of holiness, teaching him his dependence on God for strength against sin, and giving him courage, wisdom and understanding of duty while leaving him free to obey. The inward change became outwardly visible, giving him influence, turning the farmer into a ruler, and causing him to join the prophets in speaking divine truth with a fluency that astonished those who knew him. God stood ready to continue that equipping, but keeping the new heart and succeeding as king depended on remaining humble, teachable and obedient rather than trusting his own judgment, and Saul's later presumption forfeited the Spirit and the kingdom.
The Heart God Gave
When Saul turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart, and all the signs Samuel had foretold came to pass that day. The gift was a changed heart, and by it he became a converted man and a new man through the renewing power and operation of the Holy Spirit. That change is connected with being born again to see the kingdom of God, for the Lord looks upon the heart.
The Spirit so molded him for the responsible position of king that his natural temperament was transformed, and he was not left to struggle alone with old tendencies. He was given a new spirit with new thoughts, aims and desires, placing him on vantage ground to bind his will to God's will. He was shown his own sinfulness before God and the beauty of holiness, and he began to understand the plan of salvation clearly. He learned that strength for the conflict against sin and Satan must come from God, and he was given courage and wisdom for his royal calling, with enlightenment about divine claims and duty while left free to obey.
That inward change fitted and equipped him for the calling to which he had been appointed. Divine grace at work in his heart produced a visible change in his spirit that gave him influence with Israel's armies. It turned an untaught farmer into one ready to rule. As he traveled home to Gibeah the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he joined the company of the prophets in praising God and speaking of divine truth with fluency and wisdom, to the astonishment of those who knew him. The Holy Spirit was granted as guide and helper for developing the qualities needed to rule, by which good qualities would grow stronger and evil traits and tendencies lose power.
This change came because the Spirit of the Lord rested upon him, and it was from God and meant to reform and save him. It stands in contrast to the change in Brother Chadwick, which came from a different source and from the influence of surroundings and was not from God nor for the better.
Keeping the New Heart
God was ready to equip Saul for his work as king, and He stands ready to do the same for any of His workers, for He can change the heart of anyone who serves Him. The gift of a changed heart when Saul turned from Samuel, with all the foretold signs coming to pass that day, shows both a converted man under the Spirit's influence and God's readiness to fit men for service.
Continued service and blessing depended on obedience in all things, and success depended on remaining humble and teachable, seeking divine wisdom rather than relying on his own strength and judgment. Had he obeyed God in everything and remained humble, he would have retained the Spirit's inspiration and help as guide, developed the character and qualities needed to rule, and been a blessing to Israel by leading the people to greater loyalty to God. Under divine grace his good qualities would have grown stronger and his evil traits would have lost their power.
Saul's sparing of lives after the victory over the Ammonites showed that his heart had been changed by the Spirit molding him for his responsible position, bringing a visible change in his spirit that fitted him for his work and gave him influence with Israel's armies. Yet he later failed when he presumptuously followed his own judgment instead of being bound in will to God by the new Spirit, thoughts, aims, desires, and enlightenment placed on vantage ground at his calling. Under pressure he disobeyed God's express command and acted presumptuously, giving Israel a ruinous example and forfeiting his right to the kingdom, and a further transgression showed he was unfit to rule.
Though the Holy Spirit was given to enlighten his understanding and soften his heart, with instruction added, that gift did not overcome the effects of habits formed in youth without the love and fear of God. His course shows that powers long misdirected cannot simply be made fresh for a different course when a person later chooses to change. By withholding his service and rejecting allegiance to God he became instead a curse to Israel and a source of harm rather than a blessing.