1 There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth. 2 And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.
3 Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, “Take one of the young men with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys.” 4 And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then they passed through the land of Benjamin, but did not find them.
5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come, let us go back, lest my father cease to care about the donkeys and become anxious about us.” 6 But he said to him, “Behold, there is a man of God in this city, and he is a man who is held in honor; all that he says comes true. So now let us go there. Perhaps he can tell us the way we should go.” 7 Then Saul said to his servant, “But if we go, what can we bring the man? For the bread in our sacks is gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?” 8 The servant answered Saul again, “Here, I have with me a quarter of a shekel of silver, and I will give it to the man of God to tell us our way.” 9 (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he said, “Come, let us go to the seer,” for today’s “prophet” was formerly called a seer.) 10 And 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 hill to the city, they met young women coming out to draw water and said to them, “Is the seer here?” 12 They answered, “He is; behold, he is just ahead of you. Hurry. He has come just now to the city, because the people have a sacrifice today on the high place. 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 till he comes, since he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now go up, for you will meet him immediately.” 14 So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the high place.
15 Now the day before Saul came, the LORD had revealed to Samuel: 16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come to me.” 17 When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall restrain my people.” 18 Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, “Tell me where is the house of the seer?” 19 Samuel answered Saul, “I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for today you shall eat with me, and in the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is on your mind. 20 As for your donkeys that 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 house?” 21 Saul answered, “Am I not a Benjaminite, from the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this way?”
22 Then Samuel took Saul and his young man and brought them into the hall and gave them a place at the head of those who had been invited, who were about thirty persons. 23 And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion I gave you, of which I said to you, ‘Put it aside.’” 24 So the cook took up the leg and what was on it and set them before Saul. And Samuel said, “See, what was kept is set before you. Eat, because it was kept for you until the hour appointed, that you might eat with the guests.”
So Saul ate with Samuel that day. 25 And when they came down from the high place into the city, a bed was spread for Saul on the roof, and he lay down to sleep. 26 Then at the break of dawn Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Up, that I may send you on your way.” So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out into the street.
27 As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to pass on before us, and when he has passed on, stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the word of God.”
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Just as with Samuel at the beginning of the book, Saul is introduced through his father, Kish. The introduction informs us that Saul came from a wealthy and influential family of the tribe of Benjamin. Saul was also tall and handsome. He stood head and shoulders above everyone else. It is interesting that no other Israelite is noted in the Bible as being tall, only their enemies are. Perhaps God was answering Israel’s request for a king like the other nations down to the physical details.
Many of the great leaders of Israel were also skillful shepherds (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses—and David). Saul is introduced as someone who couldn’t find a few donkeys—not a great shepherd. He searched a large area and could not find them. Eventually, after three days Saul decides to call off the search reasoning that his father would begin worrying about him more than the lost donkeys. Saul’s servant spoke of a man of God who was held in high honour who lived in the city they were in and suggested they go see him for help. Though Samuel was known to all Israel (1 Sam 3:20), Saul did not know about him. Saul had also not considered seeking divine help with his problem. Finally, Saul thought that it was necessary to buy spiritual help. Saul showed a complete lack of spiritual maturity.
They arrived in Ramah in the early evening and met some young women drawing water. They asked the women where they could find Samuel and they were directed to a high place where he was going to bless the evening sacrifice. At this point, we find out that the day before God had told Samuel that he would send a man from the tribe of Benjamin that Samuel would anoint to be the leader of His people and he would save Israel from the hand of the Philistines. Saul was not chosen because he met God’s ultimate requirements for a king but because God was letting His people have their own way. God made it clear that while He was relenting to the will of the people He was not relinquishing them as His own special possession. Four times God refers to Israel as His people. To further illustrate Saul’s ignorance of who Samuel was, he met Samuel at the city gate and asked him to direct them to the seer’s house. Samuel introduced himself as the seer and invited him to the sacrificial meal and told him he no longer needed to worry about the donkeys because they had returned to his father’s house (without his help). Samuel suggests that Saul is to be Israel’s new king. Saul wonders why Israel would want him, a Benjamite, as their king. He rightly recognised that Benjamin was a notorious tribe who had sinned greatly (Judg 20:35, 48). Not only that, but Saul’s hometown, Gibeah, had committed one of the most heinous crimes in Israel’s history (Judg 19:22–26).
Samuel didn’t answer Saul but took him to the hall where he was seated as the guest of honour before about thirty people who had been invited to the meal. He was even given the choicest piece of meat. God had told Samuel that he was sending him a guest and Samuel had prepared for his visitor’s arrival including a place to sleep. Then next day Samuel spoke with Saul alone to reveal to him God’s word.
Those who rise to prominent leadership positions are not always the godliest people. God also uses the ungodly and the spiritually weak for His purposes. Sometimes that purpose is to punish those who insist on having what God has declared is not best. What are you doing to make sure that if God chooses to use you, you will be a godly leader?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
The Triumphal Entry: Matthew 21-22