At first blush, Saul appears to be a rather reluctant king. When talking with his uncle, he doesn't say anything about Samuel's anointing of him to be king (vs. 16), and when all Israel gathers for the choosing of the king by lot, Saul hides himself among the baggage (vs. 22).
While Saul may have some desirable physical characteristics to be king (height, strength, attractiveness), he does not seem to possess the heart or confidence. Perhaps this should serve as a warning sign, but Samuel chooses instead to emphasize his outward attributes: "Do you see the one whom the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people" (vs. 24).
In spite of being a "seer", Samuel seems to miss the big picture sometime. He can be guilty of "judging a book by its cover." Later, when it comes time to anoint another young man to be king, he will again jump to conclusions based on outward appearances. But God's word will come to him, "The Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart" (I Samuel 16:7)
There is mixed reaction to Saul's coronation. The people acclaim him by shouting, "Long live the king!" (vs. 24) Some warriors whose hearts God had touched go with him. But others, "worthless fellows" according to the Bible, doubted and despised him, and gave him no gift. As chapter 10 closes, the jury is still out on how good of a king Saul will be.
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