Why are the three men carrying goats, bread, and wine in 1 Samuel 10:3? Canonical Context of 1 Samuel 10:3 After anointing Saul, “then Samuel took a flask of oil, poured it on Saul’s head, kissed him, and said, ‘Has not the LORD anointed you ruler over His inheritance?’” (1 Samuel 10:1). Samuel immediately furnishes three confirming signs (vv. 2-7). The second sign is v. 3: “Then you will go on from there until you reach the oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine” . The question concerns the men’s cargo. Geographical-Cultic Setting: “Going Up to God at Bethel” Bethel (“House of God”) lay roughly twelve miles north of Jerusalem, on the central ridge route. Bronze-Age and Iron-Age strata excavated by Albright and Kelso (1934-60) exposed a standing stone, cultic refuse, and four-horned altar fragments—all consistent with local sacrificial worship before Solomon centralized cultus at Jerusalem (cf. 1 Kings 12:28-33). Thus the three travelers are joining the routine pilgrimage cycle to a recognized high place where burnt, peace, grain, and drink offerings were rendered (cf. Judges 20:18, 26; 1 Samuel 7:16). The Items Explained 1. Three Young Goats • Mosaic precedent: goats served as sin or peace offerings (Leviticus 4:23-28; 9:3; 10:16; Numbers 7:16). • Quantity: “three” matches numerical symmetry of the loaves and triplet of worshipers, highlighting completeness (Hebrew poetic device of parallel enumeration, cf. Proverbs 30:18-19). • Practicality: young goats are light enough for foot-travel yet suitable for burnt or fellowship offerings upon arrival. 2. Three Loaves of Bread • Grain/meal offerings accompanied burnt and peace offerings (Leviticus 2). • Pilgrims brought finished loaves rather than raw flour when distance required portability. • The men will give Saul “two loaves” (10:4), symbolizing divine provision for the new monarch (cf. 1 Samuel 9:7-8 where Saul lacked provisions). 3. A Skin of Wine • Wine functioned as a mandated drink offering poured beside the altar (Numbers 15:5, 10). • A single skin (approx. 2-3 gallons) sufficed for the requisite libations associated with three goats. • Wine also signified covenant joy and blessing (Psalm 104:15). Sacrificial Protocol in Torah Perspective Numbers 15:3-11 prescribes that every burnt or peace offering shall be paired with grain and wine. In short, goat + bread + wine represents the minimum triad for lawful worship at a high place in the pre-temple period. Prophetic Purpose: A Sign for Saul Samuel’s predictions progress from ordinary (found donkeys, v. 2) to cultic (v. 3) to charismatic (prophetic band, vv. 5-6). The precise description of the pilgrims and their cargo, fulfilled to the letter, authenticates Samuel’s divine mandate and reassures Saul that the kingship is heaven-ordained (10:7 “do whatever your hand finds, for God is with you”). Symbolic-Theological Layers • Sacrifice—Substitution: The goats foreshadow the necessity of atonement, culminating in Christ’s substitutionary death (Hebrews 9:12-14). • Provision—Sustenance: Bread prefigures Christ the “bread of life” (John 6:35). Saul, like Israel, receives rather than produces the loaf, stressing grace. • Covenant—Joy: Wine anticipates the New Covenant cup (Luke 22:20). This triad (goat, bread, wine) therefore echoes Calvary where the final King offers Himself. Archaeological Corroboration Four-horned limestone altars at Tel Dan and Beersheba (10th-9th c. BC) match the Levitical template (Exodus 27:2), reinforcing the historicity of decentralized worship in Saul’s era. Pottery wine skins (torpedo amphorae) and carbonized barley cakes recovered at Shiloh and Mount Ebal align with bread-and-wine sacrificial accompaniments. Practical Discipleship Implications • God authenticates His word through observable fulfillment; believers may trust Scripture’s promises. • Worship incorporates sacrificial giving; modern disciples dedicate resources (Romans 12:1). • Leadership receives divine provision; those called by God need not self-manufacture legitimacy. Summary Answer The three men in 1 Samuel 10:3 carry three goats, three loaves, and wine because they are pilgrims en route to Bethel, transporting the standard sacrificial elements—animal, grain, and drink—required by Torah. Their meeting with Saul serves as a precise prophetic sign confirming his anointing, while the items themselves symbolically anticipate the ultimate atoning sacrifice, covenant provision, and joyous salvation fulfilled in Jesus Christ. |
    |