1 Samuel 11:5
And, behold, Saul came after the herd out of the field; and Saul said, What aileth the people that they weep? And they told him the tidings of the men of Jabesh. And, behold, Saul came after the herd out of the field; and Saul said, What aileth the people that they weep? And they told him the tidings of the men of Jabesh.
Saul is coming in from quiet work as a farmer in the field, following his oxen and herds after the day's husbandry. By that time swift messengers have carried the Ammonite threat against Jabesh-gilead through Israel to Gibeah, and the people there are weeping and wailing aloud in terror and consternation over the great calamity. The threat behind their cries is a cruel and shameful demand that the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead submit to having their right eyes put out. Hearing the loud wail as he enters, Saul asks what troubles the people and what ails them that they weep.
When the tidings of the men of Jabesh are repeated to him, all his dormant powers are roused and he stands up as a hero and a king to act for their rescue. At that moment the Spirit of God comes upon him as it had come upon Samson. The scene thus introduces his deliverance of Jabesh-gilead, in which he shows energy and military skill, yet the victory is wrought by the Lord with Saul only as His agent, and Saul at first ascribes the glory to God. That success becomes a turning point, for the nation extols Saul and forgets God's part, and Saul grows self-confident and takes the honor to himself, so that though humble and self-distrustful when first called to the throne, his pride after this victory leads directly to presumption and sacrilege.