Reading for today: 1 Samuel 8 – 9.
I’m trying to read through the entire Bible…not within a year or 2 years or one of those deadlines, but just period. Up until now, and I don’t remember when I started, I have read until the book of 1 Samuel. I don’t really have a set number of verses or chapters I read, but I try to read at least one chapter. Today, I read 2.
Let me give you some background. The people of Israel have been long ago freed from the Egyptians and have been established as their own people who can defend themselves, with the help of God, of course. As of this reading, Samuel was the prophet of Israel. God audibly spoke to him. Now, I feel like God speaks to me, and every Christian I talk to says God speaks to them, but it is NOT audible. We hear this little voice inside of our head…sometimes it isn’t God, sometimes it’s Satan. We have to learn to discern which voice is which and which one to listen to. Anyway, I used to wonder about a lot of people in the Bible that “heard” from God. Well, Samuel definitely heard an actual voice, because the first time he heard God, he got out of bed three times thinking it was his mentor, Eli calling him. (That’s not in today’s reading verses I have at the top, but just background.) Anyways, that’s when Samuel was chosen to be a prophet over Israel. God only spoke to one man during those days. And that man was the one who spoke to all the Israelites.
On to the verses for today…the people of Israel, after Samuel had been a prophet for some time for some time, and was old, he put his sons as rulers over Israel. However, Samuel’s sons did not follow God like Samuel had and they were corrupt rulers. The elders asked for Samuel to give them a king instead, saying “now make us a king to judge us like all the other nations.” (1 Sam 8:5). God was not happy with this that they wanted a king instead of a prophet. He said to Samuel to let the people get what they wished for and that they had not rejected Samuel, but had rejected God, that God shouldn’t be the ruler over them.
Now this is interesting to me and the first revelation I had so to speak. It’s funny, because the people wanted to be like the rest of the world, with a king. They wanted to be like everybody else. How often do we want to just be like everybody else? We probably don’t see it as wrong, but just wanting to fit in and as a way to get ahead in the world. The Israelites wanted a King to lead them in battle. And although Samuel warned them that if they had a king, he would take all the sons to battle, he would have the women working all the time to be cooks and bakers, he will take a tenth of their increase from their fields and flocks, and will put everyone to work for him. He warned that the people will cry out to God during that time for relief, but that God would not hear them. Now I don’t see this as harsh, I see it as a fair warning. God basically said, ok, if they is what you really want, this is what is going to happen, if you still choose it, you have made your decision and an “I told you so” is all you’re going to get in the end. I see this as a characteristic of God. He let’s us make our own decisions, but we do live with the consequences. He allows us to reject Him and choose something lesser than Him, because He would not force us to choose him.
The Israelites still wanted a king.
And now to get on to the part that has something to do with my title. God chose Saul. Saul was from the smallest tribe of Israel – the tribe of Benjamin. And not only that, he was from one of the lowliest families. One day the donkeys got loose and Saul’s dad asked him and a servant to go look for the donkeys. They traveled very far and could not find them. After they had looked throughout all of Benjamin, they…
5 When they reached the district of Zuph, Saul said to the servant who was with him, “Come, let’s go back, or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us.”
6 But the servant replied, “Look, in this town there is a man of God; he is highly respected, and everything he says comes true. Let’s go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take.”
7 Saul said to his servant, “If we go, what can we give the man? The food in our sacks is gone. We have no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?”
8 The servant answered him again. “Look,” he said, “I have a quarter of a shekel [a] of silver. I will give it to the man of God so that he will tell us what way to take.” 9 (Formerly in Israel, if a man went to inquire of God, he would say, “Come, let us go to the seer,” because the prophet of today used to be called a seer.)
10 “Good,” Saul said to his servant. “Come, let’s go.” So they set out for the town where the man of God was.
Ok, let’s look at this a moment. The “seer” they spoke of was Samuel. But this is interesting to me. This was just an ordinary day for Saul. He got up one morning and the donkeys were gone. It appeared this had happened before. I wonder if Saul was a little pissed off about it? Maybe, or maybe not. It doesn’t say, but I can see how it might would throw a wrench in his day. How often does that happen to us? As we read further, we see that God was leading Saul straight to Samuel…and he did it by causing a problem to interrupt Saul’s day. A typical, annoying problem. Something that you would just rather not deal with. A problem he almost gave up on…but he had encouragement from a friend to try one more thing. We need friends for stuff like this. If it were not for that servant, Saul would have just gone home. He may have tried another day, perhaps, but it was this particular day that he was to see Samuel. I believe God may have put on that servant’s heart the idea to go see Samuel. Another important point is that Saul was willing to take the suggestion. He wasn’t hard headed. I imagine he was also very tired by this point, after looking for these donkeys for three days! (see verse 20). So they go to see Samuel. Saul had no idea what was coming to him. He was just trying to find his donkeys.
11 As they were going up the hill to the town, they met some girls coming out to draw water, and they asked them, “Is the seer here?”
12 “He is,” they answered. “He’s ahead of you. Hurry now; he has just come to our town today, for the people have a sacrifice at the high place. 13 As soon as you enter the town, you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will not begin eating until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; afterward, those who are invited will eat. Go up now; you should find him about this time.”
They were still searching. God didn’t just automatically lead them to Samuel. There was still some work involved. But here is the cool part…
14 They went up to the town, and as they were entering it, there was Samuel, coming toward them on his way up to the high place.
15 Now the day before Saul came, the LORD had revealed this to Samuel: 16 “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him leader over my people Israel; he will deliver my people from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked upon my people, for their cry has reached me.”
17 When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the LORD said to him, “This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people.”
All this time, God actually says that he was going to send a man to Samuel. He told Samuel this the day before...perhaps right before he allowed the donkeys to escape from Saul’s house. Saul had no clue! Saul didn’t even probably acknowledge that God was thinking of him at that moment. Saul was trying to solve an everyday problem. And God was using it and had allowed this problem in order to lead him straight to Samuel so that Saul will become the ruler over the whole nation!! Wow. It’s an eye opener to me. I realize that my everyday problems could be leading me to somewhere grand. I know nothing about it, just like Saul, but God knows what He’s doing all along. God is sending Saul to Samuel, and He tells Samuel about it and to expect him, but Saul is just looking for the seer. He probably is planning to go home that evening, find the donkeys and be done with it.
The last of this chapter:
18 Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and asked, “Would you please tell me where the seer’s house is?”
19 “I am the seer,” Samuel replied. “Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you are to eat with me, and in the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is in your heart. 20 As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been found. And to whom is all the desire of Israel turned, if not to you and all your father’s family?”
21 Saul answered, “But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?”
22 Then Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the hall and seated them at the head of those who were invited—about thirty in number. 23 Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the piece of meat I gave you, the one I told you to lay aside.”
24 So the cook took up the leg with what was on it and set it in front of Saul. Samuel said, “Here is what has been kept for you. Eat, because it was set aside for you for this occasion, from the time I said, ‘I have invited guests.’ ” And Saul dined with Samuel that day.
25 After they came down from the high place to the town, Samuel talked with Saul on the roof of his house. 26 They rose about daybreak and Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get ready, and I will send you on your way.” When Saul got ready, he and Samuel went outside together. 27 As they were going down to the edge of the town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us”-and the servant did so-”but you stay here awhile, so that I may give you a message from God.”
Let me point out first, God took care of Saul’s problem without Saul having to do anything at all. The donkeys had returned home. The whole point of the problem in the first place was to lead Saul in the right direction.
Secondly, let me point out that Saul knew he came from the smallest tribe and from the lowliest family. Yet, God chose him. This, if you are familiar with the Bible, is a recurring theme. God chooses the least for his best work. Why? So He can demonstrate His power through them so that no man can boast. God is all powerful and we are lowly, but He best demonstrates this by using the most lowly in human eyes so that we can actually see it. God says if you are weak, rejoice, for you are strong in Christ.
Our God is an awesome God. Notice at the end of the passage, Samuel still hasn’t told Saul that he is to be king. Samuel, I’m assuming by God’s command, waits til the next morning. However, until then, Saul has been enjoying the blessings of God by dining with Samuel.
God, may I not be annoyed by the problems put before me. May I realize that you may have allowed them to shape me into the person you want me to be or to lead me to something really great. You are an awesome God.
