Saul’s Initial Problems: The relationship between chapters 10 and 11 and what is described in chapters 13 through 15 is obscure. First Samuel 13:8 appears to indicate that these events are related to Samuel’s call to Saul to meet him at Gilgal (10:8). But if this is seen as an imminent appointment, it is hard to connect it with the events in the second half of chapter 10, the battle and further ceremony described in chapter 11, or the military activity found in 13:1–7a. The problem is solved if there was a second or a regular appointment to meet Samuel after waiting seven days.

Another solution is to see 10:8 as being misplaced at Samuel’s first encounter with Saul and originally connected with a later meeting. It could also be that 10:8 was intended to imply that any time Saul sent to say …