1 Samuel 9:16
To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me.
The verse was given as God's answer after all the elders of Israel gathered together at Ramah and demanded a king to judge them like all the nations. The bribe-taking and perverted judgment of Samuel's sons furnished only a pretext for a change long secretly desired, and their evil course had never been brought to Samuel, who would have removed them without delay. There was no complaint against Samuel's own integrity and wisdom, for the real motive was discontent and pride and a deliberate and determined purpose. Samuel felt the request as censure upon himself and a direct effort to set him aside, yet he uttered no reproach and carried the matter to the Lord alone in prayer for counsel.
God told Samuel in advance that about that time on the next day a man from the land of Benjamin would be sent to him to be anointed captain and leader over Israel. God chose Saul to rule His people and to save and deliver them from the hand of the Philistines, because He had looked upon His people in their distress and their cry had come to Him.