Saul and Samuel Meet

A Seeking Son

Interpretation:

Saul seems like the kind of man you’d look for—attractive and physically imposing, literally standing head and shoulders above the rest. But, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. The story of Israel’s first king begins not with his grand entrance but with some wandering donkeys — a detail that feels oddly fitting. Saul is sent to find them, but he can’t, not until a man of God steps in and reveals their location. These donkeys are “lost,” no longer in their master’s possession, a word that carries both literal and figurative weight. It's a picture, perhaps, of Saul’s larger task: he’s appointed to rule over a stubborn and wandering people who repeatedly resist God’s good rule. Can he lead them back to YHWH? Probably not.

As the narrative progresses, and Saul is unable to find these donkeys, his servant says maybe we should ask somebody who has God’s ear. (Side note: the fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much, but that doesn’t limit each and every person’s access to God. Strive for righteousness, and that verse applies to you. It’s not a distinction between the haves and the have-nots in the faith, and you don’t NEED a pastor to pray for you. Instead, earnestly seek God.) He wants to find a “seer.” The terms “seer” and “prophet” are used almost interchangeably in the Old Testament. But tellingly, Saul only refers to God as Elohim—a perfectly fine name for God, but it’s not the covenant name YHWH. Samuel, by contrast, uses YHWH, and this distinction does appear to be intentional.

Back to Saul, and from the outset, we’re left sensing that Saul is not the king we need. And David, he’s leaps and bounds better, but still incomplete. Then, the monarchy falls to chaos. We really should remember that only Jesus will be the King our hearts truly long for.

Saul’s introduction leaves us with a stark warning: Beware of leaders who look the part but lack the heart, particularly for God. Isn’t it interesting that by the time we get to the NT, the qualifications for a leader in the church center on character more than anything else?

It has more to do with the person than it does the proclamation.

It has more to do with the person than it does the programming.

It has more to do with the person than it does the production.

There truly is no substitute for genuine love for Christ.

Illustration:

I’ve heard it said in the used car world that $100 detail job is worth $1,000 in your pocket.

Application:

That’s because we buy with our eyes. Scripture even warns us:

1 John 2:16 ESV

For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.

We see, we want.

But, beware of picking leaders who look the part. Instead, focus on their heart. What should they look like? Find and follow the person who:

Loves Christ over and above anything else.

Strives to be like Jesus in both attitude and action.

Absolutely loves the Word of God.

Is firmly committed to following God’s will, even if it’s unpopular.

But, what if he doesn’t wear designer clothes, doesn’t practice body building as a side hobby, doesn’t own a pair of $5,000 shoes, and who’s family doesn’t all look like Instagram models? Trust me, there are churches who’d never give me a second look because I don’t look the part. That’s okay. My response is, “Follow me as I follow Jesus.” And may that always be what we’re looking for.

A Prepared Prophet

Interpretation:

The scene transitions to Samuel, and it becomes clear that God had been orchestrating the entire situation, as He had already revealed the whole thing to Samuel the day before. From this vision, we learn two important things: first, that God would use Saul to deliver Israel from the Philistines; and second, that God listened to the cry of His people. Whether that cry came from the misguided elders or a faithful remnant, the key takeaway is that God hears and responds to the prayers of His people.

Meanwhile, Samuel’s reputation precedes him — he’s held in high honor, known for speaking truth that comes to pass (v.6). But, it seems Saul may not have even known him. Still, providence has brought these two men together at just the right time. They met some young women coming out to draw water and they point him in Samuel’s direction who was heading up to the high place.

Though worship at the “high place” would later become problematic after the temple’s construction, it was still a legitimate practice at this stage in Israel’s history. Samuel, acting in a priestly role, blesses the sacrifice — another sign that God has sovereignly orchestrated this moment.

After the previous day’s revelation, YHWH speaks again to Samuel, confirming that Saul is the man He has chosen. Samuel, evidently attentive and responsive, models the kind of spiritual readiness we should have but often lack. It raises a convicting question: how often does God speak — through prayer, Scripture, or quiet prompting — yet we miss His movement because our focus fades when He feels out of sight?

Back to God’s word about Saul, the ESV says he will “restrain” (v.17) the people of God. The Hebrew verb yasor carries the idea of exerting control — like placing an animal in restraints, typically for the master’s purposes. It’s a strong, almost mechanical term, hinting that in the end, Saul’s leadership may be more forceful than faithful.

Through all of this, God had sovereignly prepared Samuel for this divine appointment, and Samuel was ready — ready to speak, ready to host, ready to obey. The matter of the missing donkeys was now resolved; they had been found. But clearly, the donkeys were never the point. They were simply the tool God used to bring Saul to this moment.

When Saul and Samuel finally speak, Saul is likely caught off guard. Samuel tells him the donkeys have been found before Saul even has the chance to ask. But there’s something greater at stake: “And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel?” (v.20). Samuel's message is clear — what Israel longs for, leadership and security, is now being offered to Saul and his father’s house.

Saul’s response appears humble: how could this be, since he comes from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest and most diminished tribe in Israel? Benjamin, after all, was nearly wiped out in the civil conflict during the days of the Judges.

That night, Saul stayed with Samuel. Early the next morning, as they left the city together, Samuel asked Saul to send his servant ahead so he could reveal the word of God to him. Samuel was faithful from start to finish—listening to God, recognizing His hand, and speaking His word at the right time.

Application:

So, how do we ready our hearts to respond to God? Here’s a couple of suggestions:

Maintain a posture of prayer. Our truest and best prayer is to be mindful of God’s presence, keeping it as the backdrop of every thought and action. The flip side of this is to beware of distractions.

Think about how hard it is for us to focus. Just for a moment, we’re going to take 15 seconds and think of nothing but God. Silence, and God…ready? Go.

How hard was that? Anybody have a wandering mind? In just 15 seconds? Did you think only about God, or how many of you wondered about what was for lunch? Or if the kids are safe on their way to camp? How many of you dozed of in that short time?

One of the enemy’s greatest ploys is to keep God out of our minds. C.S. Lewis, in The Screwtape Letters, does a wonderful job of imaging spiritual warfare. He says in one of the letters,

“It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out."

Be mindful in the mundane. Maybe that chance encounter wasn’t so “chance.” Maybe there’s a song on the radio that reminds you of a deeper truth. Maybe it means embracing an inconvenience. The truth of the matter is the more we are looking for God in the mundane, the more we will find Him.

A Sovereign Savior

Interpretation:

The deeper issue at the heart of this entire passage is the sovereignty of God. This is God’s providence at work.

Providence = God’s sovereign, if not sometimes mysterious, way of ruling over His people and His world as a whole, both through our obedience and also in spite of our disobedience.

In this passage, God used the common things of a normal day in Saul’s search. Lost donkeys? Check. An extensive search? Yep. Help from the locals? Got it. Looking for a little divine intervention? Again, yes. We’d look at that and say, “Well, of course. That’s what you do when something that valuable is missing.” However, the thing that seems common and casual was actual the hand of the Creator.

Also in this passage we get a glimpse behind the curtain. Scripture sometimes gives us those glimpses to better help us understand. It’s a little like Jesus taking the disciples aside to explain a parable. We get one of those glimpses in the book of Job where we get let in on the secret of the divine drama from the very beginning. The curtain here gets pulled back in verses 15-17. You could read the text and skip over those verses, and the narrative would still make sense. However, this parenthetical note…this behind the scenes peek…clues us in to who’s truly pulling the strings: YHWH. He is preparing Samuel for everything.

Now, our temptation may be to read this and think, “Well, sure God intervenes in major moments in salvation history, but I don’t think I’m a character in His story as big as Saul or Samuel.” Well, fret not, my friends. God is absolutely just as concerned with your daily life as He is the grand moments of salvation history. He absolutely is mindful of your everyday affairs, of your daily temptations and trials and triumphs. After all, listen to the counsel of Proverbs:

Proverbs 16:9 ESV

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

Proverbs 20:24 ESV

A man’s steps are from the Lord; how then can man understand his way?

It seems to me that God oversees the daily steps of man, not just the major moments.

Last, we may be asking why God does this? Last chapter, it was pretty clear that the monarchy was not the best idea. It meant that the people were rejecting God’s rule and it meant that they would face hardships because of the king. Why does YHWH provide one? Is God now FOR the king? No. Plain and simple. What God is for is mercy…and kindness…and compassion. Notice why God moves — latter part of verse 16 — to “save” His “people form the hand of the Philistines.” He has heard their “cry,” and He’s moved to do something about it, exercising His rule all over in the process. You see, not detail left to chance.

Illustration:

In 2009, Michael Bay directed Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Now, the first Transformers movie to be played out in live action, I got chill bumps when Optimus Prime transformed from a semi to his robot form…awesome! And, I’m not going to say I didn’t enjoy the big budget blow-ups from Michael Bay’s movie. But, neither of these flicks do anything to inspire or move the audience. Bay’s Revenge of the Fallen particularly felt like, “Hey, nothing’s blown up in about 5 minutes. Let’s get back on track.”

Contrast that with Sixth Sense. When it came out, and when you realized the twist at the end, and then you heard some of the interviews with M. Night Shyamalan, you realized that there wasn’t much wasted space in the story. It seemed everything had a point…a reason for its inclusion.

Application:

That’s what we must understand about God. There’s not a wasted minute. He absolutely uses the mundane moments in life. He absolutely cares about what is happening right now, and He intends to use it for our good and His glory. And, because He cares about the trivial, He is moved with compassion when we cry out, no matter the situation. So, what’s stopping you from entrusting “whatever it is” into the hands of a sovereign Savior?