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      "The Discovery of Saul"
      I Samuel 9:1-27
      Theme: God expects more from those he places in leadership than what human effort can achieve.

      1. The Provision of God often Reflects our Priorities – 9:1-10

        1. The Impressiveness of Externals – vv. 1-2

          1. Having totally rejected God’s role as their nation’s king, Israel demanded a "regular" king – "that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles." – cp. 8:20
          2. God essentially identifies that the reason they desire to dethrone Him and replace Him with their own king was that they wished to be freed from their moral accountability to Him.
          3. Consequently, He gives them a King that perfectly fits their desire -–realizing that such a man would in himself be a form of discipline to the people.
          4. The people of Israel were caught up in the desire to be like everyone else – not in possessing a heart complementary to God.
          5. In light of this, God gave to them a King that possessed every trait that they esteemed and who lacked every trait they deemed unimportant.
          6. What are some of the external traits that men tend to value when they are impressed mostly by externals?
            1. Prestigious family – "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 Benujamite …"
            2. Prosperous finances – "… a might man of valor" – lit. "great man of wealth"
            3. Popular favoritism - "He had a son whose name was Saul, a choice and handsome man …" – "Saul" – literally means "asked for"
            4. Physical features – "… 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."
          7. In other words, no emphasis is made of wisdom or virtue, piety or faith, spirit or character – only that he was a tall, proper, handsome man that had a good face, and a good shape, and a good presence about him.
          8. As we see later in the account of the Kingdom, he fails miserably the tests of character and faith because there is no spiritual integrity and strength.

        2. The Inducement of High Expectations – vv. 3-10

          1. With the above characteristics as the primary features, and the emphasis on external appearances, we are now introduced to some of the characteristics that ostensibly confirmed him as a desirable candidate for King.
          2. First, he was cooperative with authority figures – "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’."
            1. Saul was already married and the father of children – possibly as old as 45 when this charge was given to him.
            2. He was willing to obey and accept his father’s direction.
          3. Second, he was committed to his responsibilities – "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."
          4. Third, he was compassionate – "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’."
          5. Fourth, he was congenial – his servant was able to approach him to give a suggestion without fear of rejection - "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’."
          6. Finally, he was charitable – "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?" When he finds out they have some money to give him, Saul responds: "’Well said; come, let us go.’ So they went to the city where the man of God was’."
          7. Despite all of these tremendous characteristics, there lacked what was most important to God – a heart that truly walked with Him.
          8. But, God gave the people of Israel everything that they thought a good king should have – in part as a form of judgment.

      2. The Providence of God Influences our Way – 9:11-21

        1. The Providential Arrangement of Circumstances – vv. 11-14

          1. God, having committed Himself to giving His people the king they deserved, God supernaturally directed and influenced the people involved to accomplish Saul’s anointing as King.
          2. His arrangement of the circumstances begins in this narrative with the disappearance of the donkeys, and extends to the selection of Saul to hunt for them, the inability to find them, and the servant’s suggestion that they consult with Samuel.
          3. There are incidents in our lives which appear to us to be the natural outcome of ordinary circumstances, that are in reality, the supernatural orchestration of God’s will for our lives.
          4. So it is as the circumstances in Saul’s hunt for the donkeys leads him to the city where Samuel was observing the feast – "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’? 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’."
          5. Essentially, these women tell Saul – "You’re in luck – he has happened to come into the city today for this special event!"
          6. So, Saul follows the directions the women provide him and even the timing demonstrates God’s direction – "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."
          7. God directs our steps and allows us to know His leading that His will might be accomplished – cp. Philippians 2:13

        2. The Providential Announcement – vv. 15-21

          1. Not only did God direct Saul without him understanding what was happening, but He also directed Samuel clearly through direct revelation.
          2. We are told that "Now a day before Saul’s coming, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel saying, ‘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 shall deliver My people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have regarded My people, because their cry has come to Me’."
          3. We see God confirming Saul’s identity for Samuel – "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’."
          4. As Saul was "innocently" approaching the prophet in order to ask him for help in finding some donkeys, the prophet is approaching Saul in order to anoint him king of Israel - "Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, "Please tell me where the seer’s house is".
          5. So, Samuel invites Saul to spend the day with him, and provides a demonstration that validates him as a prophet in the eyes of Saul – primarily so that Saul will believe the message the Lord had given to him through Samuel – "… and in the morning I will let you go, and will tell you all that is on your mind. As for your donkeys which were lost three days ago, do not set your mind of them, for they have been found."
          6. Samuel then "breaks the ice" in delivering the message from the Lord to Saul – "And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not your you and for all your father’s household?"
          7. Saul is fairly shocked at such a statement – and truly conveys a humble spirit – realizing that the tribe of Benjamin has never been identified as deserving special favor or treatment – even to the point that they had not yet fully recovered from the massacre – "Saul answered and said, ‘Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and may family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak to me in this way’?" – cp. Judges 20:43-48
          8. So, the connection has been made between the man picked by God who had no idea of what was happening, and the messenger of God who revealed the will of God to him.
          9. "So the supernatural revelation to Samuel was the link out of sight, and in the region of the higher law of God’s working, and the loss of the asses was the visible link in the lower law, but the one was as much a part of the chain which brought Saul to his kingdom as the other was.".

      3. The Privileges from God Result in Responsibilities – 9:22-27

        1. The Responsibility to Honor Those Privileged by God – vv. 22-24

          1. Samuel demonstrated right away the godliness of his heart – realizing that Saul was the person that was replacing him, he models the proper respect for those chosen by God to lead.
          2. He begins by granting Saul honor at the feast – "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."
          3. He then gave him the piece of meat that culturally went to the one most respected – it would have normally gone to the priest, but since Samuel offered the sacrifice it fell to him.
          4. However, he deferred to the honor of the man who God had chosen to become the leader of Israel – which models the fact that there is to be respect for God ordained leadership initially because of the position they have been given by God.

        2. The Responsibility to Hold the Priorities of God – vv. 25-27

          1. At the same time that people are compelled to honor those whom God has honored, those being honored have the tremendous responsibility to honor the Lord by heeding His Word.
          2. We are told that "when they came down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul on the roof."
            1. It is assumed here that this was not some chit-chat, casual conversation, but that Samuel poured his heart’s burden out to the man who would become the leader in Israel.
            2. He would have discussed the problems facing Israel:
              1. The spiritual bondage of Israel
              2. The political oppression by the heathen
              3. The inter-connection between the two
            3. In essence, he was calling on Saul to be a leader who was entirely devoted to the Lord
          3. The day had come for the anointing of Saul – the act whereby he was officially setting him apart for service to the Lord.
          4. So Samuel – who recognized that this day was the last of his office as the divinely ordained leader of Israel, is ready while Saul, who seemed to remain somewhat oblivious continues to sleep – "And they arose early, and it came about at daybreak that Samuel called to Saul on the road, saying, ‘Get up, that I may send you away.’ So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out into the street."
          5. Samuel dismisses their companions so that he can be alone with Saul – for the specific purpose to establishing Saul’s accountability before the Lord by "proclaim[ing] the Word of God to you."
          6. The greatest responsibility of the servant of God is to heed the Word of God – to desire it as well as obey it.
          7. In Saul’s case, he would have difficulty with this the rest of his life – mainly because his heart was not truly bent toward a relationship with God – he tended to represent the best that man has to offer independently from God.

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