1 Samuel 9:1-14

May 14, 2008

Good Evening Brothers and Sisters,

1 Samuel 9:1-14 (NASB95)
¹ Now there was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor. ² He had a son whose name was Saul, a choice and handsome man, and there was not a more handsome person than he among the sons of Israel; from his shoulders and up he was taller than any of the people. ³ Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. So Kish said to his son Saul, “Take now with you one of the servants, and arise, go search for the donkeys.” ⁴ He passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. Then they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they did not find them. ⁵ When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come, and let us return, or else my father will cease to be concerned about the donkeys and will become anxious for us.” ⁶ He said to him, “Behold now, there is a man of God in this city, and the man is held in honor; all that he says surely comes true. Now let us go there, perhaps he can tell us about our journey on which we have set out.” ⁷ Then Saul said to his servant, “But behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? For the bread is gone from our sack and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?” ⁸ The servant answered Saul again and said, “Behold, I have in my hand a fourth of a shekel of silver; I will give it to the man of God and he will tell us our way.” ⁹ (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he used to say, “Come, and let us go to the seer”; for he who is called a prophet now was formerly called a seer.) ¹⁰ Then Saul said to his servant, “Well said; come, let us go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was. ¹¹ As they went up the slope to the city, they found young women going out to draw water and said to them, “Is the seer here?” ¹² They answered them and said, “He is; see, he is ahead of you. Hurry now, for he has come into the city today, for the people have a sacrifice on the high place today. ¹³ “As soon as you enter the city you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat, for the people will not eat until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now therefore, go up for you will find him at once.” ¹⁴ So they went up to the city. As they came into the city, behold, Samuel was coming out toward them to go up to the high place.^[1]

This story has been a favorite of mine due to the fact that Saul has no idea what he is getting in to.  It seems funny that he leaves his father's farm hunting for lost donkeys when he later becomes a king who takes care of the lost donkeys of God, Israel.  Consider also the unlikely situation that he was facing.  He took one servant with him to search for lost donkey's.  It is odd that he traveled in a straight line to neighboring cities unles we are told of his points of contact with civilization.  Another thing that could have been going on is that Saul was traveling from city to city to find out if anyone had located the donkeys.

God granted Israel a king through an unlikely candidate.  It is interesting that God will use circumstances to move people into the place where He can use them.  Another interesting note is that Saul was not seeking a position of leadership in any way.  The servant that he has with him knows about Samuel and knows that Samuel has a special connection with God.

The whole situation is rather funny.  The servant has about a quarter in his hand which he offers as an acceptable offering to a "seer" who was a prophet in those days.  According to "A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments", money was the most acceptable form of offering for a "man of rank".  Saul was on a mission to find the donkey's, and seemed willing to give it a shot. 

They entered the city searching for Samuel.  God had already revealed to Samuel that they were on thier way.  Samuel was basically waiting for them to show so that they could enjoy the sacrifice according to God's revealed will. 

I am going to stop here.  The thing that I would like to drive home today is that Saul was directed by seeming circumstances that positioned him exactly where God desired to use him.  Many times we may feel as if God is asleep in our lives or that God is not using us.  Some may feel that they have reached a point where they are no longer effective or able to minister in any way.  I hold that God will use each one of us right where we are at.  No matter what circumstances that we face, God has placed us there for a reason.  It is impossible to guess the wide possible reasons that each of us are in our situations.  One thing is certain, God is in control. 

Father, as we consider the humorous story of Saul, we ask that rather than grumbling about our circumstances that you will reveal to us how that we can be used where we are planted.

In Him,

Joe Turner.

1 Samuel 9:15-27

May 15, 2008

Good Evening Brothers and Sisters,

1 Samuel 9:15-27 (NASB95)
¹⁵ Now a day before Saul’s coming, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel saying, ¹⁶ “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over My people Israel; and he will deliver My people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have regarded My people, because their cry has come to Me.” ¹⁷ When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, “Behold, the man of whom I spoke to you! This one shall rule over My people.” ¹⁸ Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, “Please tell me where the seer’s house is.” ¹⁹ Samuel answered Saul and said, “I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today; and in the morning I will let you go, and will tell you all that is on your mind. ²⁰ “As for your donkeys which were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father’s household?” ²¹ Saul replied, “Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak to me in this way?” ²² Then Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall and gave them a place at the head of those who were invited, who were about thirty men. ²³ Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion that I gave you, concerning which I said to you, ‘Set it aside.’ ” ²⁴ Then the cook took up the leg with what was on it and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, “Here is what has been reserved! Set it before you and eat, because it has been kept for you until the appointed time, since I said I have invited the people.” So Saul ate with Samuel that day. ²⁵ When they came down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul on the roof. ²⁶ And they arose early; and at daybreak Samuel called to Saul on the roof, saying, “Get up, that I may send you away.” So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out into the street. ²⁷ As they were going down to the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Say to the servant that he might go ahead of us and pass on, but you remain standing now, that I may proclaim the word of God to you.”^[1]

The people had called for a king.  Samuel was not willing to appoint a king quickly. Notice that God chose a king for Israel.  In this passage, you be the judge if Saul was a good pick for a king. 

Picture the situation in your mind, Saul and servant are traveling along, quarter in hand to try to bribe the "seer" for the location of their donkeys.  Saul is completely unaware of being appointed as king.  Look carefully at the words of Samuel in verse 18, Saul is concerned with more than the donkeys.  In verse 19 Samuel clarifies that the donkeys have been found. Saul has a right to be puzzled by Samuel's actions.  The story is rather amazing when you think of it from Saul's perspective.  He has been on a journey through the desert searching for lost donkeys and now a prophet is treating him like he is royalty.  Saul was picked out to be king and Samuel was treating him as if he were already the king of the land. I think that part of easing Saul into the mindset that God had something prepared for him, Samuel needed to help him understand that the kingly portion had been reserved for him before he even arrived.  God picked Saul as a special person for a special job.

Another interesting point in Saul's defense is the attitude that he had about being a Benjamite (verse 21).  Remember that previously the tribe of Benjamin had protected the homosexuals who raped to death the Levite's Concubine in Judges 19-20.  As a result of the rape and eventual murder of the Levite's concubine, all of Israel rose against the tribe of Benjamin and nearly wiped them out.  In order for the tribe to continue, they had to steal their wives from other tribes (Judges 21).  When Saul said that he was from the least of the tribes, it was truly the least.  This was not far down the historical road from the incident at Gibeah, and the sting of the social stigma still remained.  Saul was from the wrong side of the tracks, his tribe was seen as the literally least desirable in all of Israel. God often uses the least and the worst to produce his best work.  Men's standards of status are often not considered as important by God.  For example, the Apostles represented a good example of undesirables by the religious standards of the day.  Saul certainly does not seem to be royalty from a human perspective.  If men were picking a king, they might have chosen Judah with the lion emblazoned on their flag.  They might have picked the natural rulers, the Levites due to their connection with God.  Instead God chose the filth, the lowest of low, the tribe of Benjamin.

 It would be interesting to hear what went on when Samuel and Saul had the conference on the rooftop.  I would guess that Samuel revealed to Saul what God had called him to do and educated Saul on what would take place.  But that is speculation.  Rooftops presented a safe place where people could hang out to talk the evening hours away as well as a safe place to sleep for travelers.  One thing seems obvious from the text, Samuel spent a considerable amount of time with Saul that evening and the next morning.  

Lastly, Saul was not forced into a decision. We will look at that a bit more in the next chapter.  I am going to close here for today.  All comments are welcomed.

Father, as we consider Your word and consider that You use the lowest to do your Good work, draw each of us to follow You and devote our lives to you.

In Him,

Joe Turner.