← Back to sermon library

All right, you can turn in your 
Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 9. 1 Samuel chapter 9. There's a big 
chunk tonight, so we'll do our best to carve it up into some 
bite-sized pieces. It's kind of an interesting passage. 
Not kind of, it is. In chapter 8, the people of Israel 
demand a king, and in chapter 9, Kish, a Benjamite, looks for 
or wants his donkeys. We see how God works providentially 
through the normal events and through things that otherwise 
don't appear very glamorous. But in this search for donkeys, 
Israel does, in fact, identify her king. So I'll just begin 
reading in 1 Samuel 9, verse 1. There was a man of Benjamin whose 
name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of 
Bekorath, the son of Aphia, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. And he 
had a choice and handsome son whose name was Saul. There was 
not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. 
From his shoulders upward, he was taller than any of the people. 
Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. And Kish said 
to his son Saul, please take one of the servants with you 
and arise. Go and look for the donkeys. 
So he passed through the mountains of Ephraim and through the land 
of Shalisha, but they did not find them. Then they passed through 
the land of Shalim, and they were not there. Then he passed 
through the land of the Benjamites, but they did not find them. When 
they had come to the land of Zuf, Saul said to his servant 
who was with him, come, let us return, lest my father cease 
caring about the donkeys and become worried about us. And 
he said to him, look now, there is in this city a man of God, 
and he is an honorable man. All that he says surely comes 
to pass. So let us go there. Perhaps he 
can show us the way that we should go. Then Saul said to his servant, 
but look, if we go, what shall we bring the man? For the bread 
in our vessels is all gone, and there is no present to bring 
to the man of God. What do we have? And the servant 
answered Saul again and said, look, I have here at hand one 
fourth of a shekel of silver. I will give that to the man of 
God to tell us our way. Formerly in Israel, when a man 
went to inquire of God, he spoke thus. Come, let us go to the 
seer. For he who is now called a prophet 
was formerly called a seer. Then Saul said to his servant, 
well said, come, let us go. So they went to the city where 
the man of God was. As they went up the hill to the 
city, they met some young women going out to draw water and said 
to them, is the seer here? And they answered them and said, 
yes, there he is just ahead of you. Hurry now, for today he 
came to this city, because there is a sacrifice of the people 
today on the high place. As soon as you come into the 
city, you will surely 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 about 
this time, you will find him. So they went up to the city. 
As they were coming into the city, there was Samuel coming 
out toward them on his way up to the high place. Now the Lord 
had told Samuel in his ear that day, the day before Saul came 
saying, tomorrow about this time, I will send you a man from the 
land of Benjamin and you shall anoint him commander over my 
people, Israel, that he may save my people from the hand of the 
Philistines. For I have looked upon my people 
because their cry has come to me. So when Samuel saw Saul, 
the Lord said to him, there he is, the man of whom I spoke to 
you. This one shall reign over my people. Then Saul drew near 
to Samuel in the gate and said, please tell me, where is the 
seer's house? 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 tomorrow I will let you go 
and will tell you all that is in your heart. But as for your 
donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not be anxious about 
them, for they have been found. And on whom is all the desire 
of Israel? Is it not on you and on all your 
father's house? And Saul answered and said, 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 like this to me? Now Samuel took Saul and 
his servant and brought them into the hall and had them sit 
in the place of honor among those who were invited. There were 
about 30 persons. And Samuel said to the cook, 
bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, 
set it apart. So the cook took up the thigh 
with its upper part and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, 
here it is, what was kept back. It was set apart for you. eat 
for until this time it has been kept for you. Since I said, since 
I said, I invited the people. So Saul ate with Samuel that 
day. When they had come down from the high place into the 
city, Samuel spoke with Saul on the top of the house. They 
arose early and it was about the dawning of the day that Samuel 
called to Saul on the top of the house saying, get up that 
I may send you on your way. And Saul arose and both of them 
went outside, he and Samuel. As they were going down to the 
outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, tell the servant 
to go on ahead of us. And he went on, but you stand 
here a while that I may announce to you the word of God. And Samuel 
took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him 
and said, is it not because the Lord has anointed you commander 
over his inheritance? When you have departed from me 
today, you will find two men by Rachel's tomb in the territory 
of Benjamin at Zalzah. And they will say to you, the 
donkeys which you went to look for have been found. And now 
your father has ceased caring about the donkeys and is worrying 
about you, saying, what shall I do about my son? Then you shall 
go on forward from there and come to the terebinth tree of 
Tabor. There three men going up to God at Bethel will meet 
you, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three 
loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. And 
they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which 
you shall receive from their hands. After that, you shall 
come to the hill of God, where the Philistine garrison is. And 
it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that 
you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place 
with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them, 
and they will be prophesying. Then the Spirit of the Lord will 
come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into 
another man. And let it be when these signs 
come to you that you do as the occasion demands, for God is 
with you. You shall go down before me to 
Gilgal, and surely I will come down to you, come down to you 
to offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait till 
I come to you and show you what you should do. So it was when 
he had turned his back to go from Samuel that God gave him 
another heart. And all those signs came to pass 
that day. When they came there to meet 
to the hill, there was a group of prophets to meet him. Then 
the spirit of God came upon him and he prophesied among them. 
And it happened. when all who knew him formerly 
saw that he indeed prophesied among the prophets, that the 
people said to one another, what is this that has come upon the 
son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets? 
Then a man from there answered and said, but who is their father? 
Therefore, it became a proverb, is Saul also among the prophets? And when he had finished prophesying, 
he went to the high place. Then Saul's uncle said to him 
and his servant, where did you go? So he said, to look for the 
donkeys. When he saw, or when we saw that 
they were nowhere to be found, we went to Samuel. And Saul's 
uncle said, tell me, please, what Samuel said to you. So Saul 
said to his uncle, he told us plainly that the donkeys had 
been found. But about the matter of the kingdom, he did not tell 
him what Samuel had said. Amen. Well, as I said, it's a 
lengthy portion of scripture, but it certainly all goes together. As I mentioned in chapter 8, 
Israel, as we recall, demanded a king. They rejected God in 
favor of an earthly king so that they would be like the nations 
around that. Remember, we considered that 
the king of Israel was not to be like the kings around that. 
He was to be a man who ultimately feared God and served God. After 
the people of Israel were warned what manner of king they would 
have, they nevertheless cried out that they would get a human 
king, an earthly king. And the end of chapter 8 tells 
us in verse 22, so the Lord said to Samuel, heed their voice and 
make them a king. So it's somewhat anticlimactic 
when we get to this search. for donkeys. It's typical of 
God in many ways to do great things through, as I said earlier, 
ordinary and normal means. We wouldn't imagine that the 
king of Israel would be selected or would be highlighted in this 
search for donkeys, but that is precisely how God works. He orders providence so that 
Samuel anoints Saul as the king Israel wanted. What starts out 
as a journey to find lost donkeys ends up in the anointing of the 
king of Israel. It really is an amazing situation. And I think as we move through 
the passage, you will see the hand of God throughout this because 
every detail, all of the little bits certainly add up to make 
the whole. So I want to carve up this section 
in three parts. First, the lost donkeys in chapter 
9, verses 1 to 14. Probably didn't think tonight 
you were going to hear a message with a point called the lost 
donkeys. But God certainly keeps things 
interesting. If we only read the very basic 
things in the Bible, we'd probably lose interest, but God gives 
us donkeys, He gives us Sauls, He gives us all manner of things 
to keep us excited about the truth of His Word. So we've got 
the lost donkeys, secondly, the meeting with Samuel in chapter 
9, verses 15 to 27, and then thirdly, the anointing of Saul 
in chapter 10, verses 1 to 16. If we had to summarize these 
three sections with one key word, the first section deals with 
providence, the second deals with interpretation, and the 
third deals with fulfillment. That's the movement in the narrative. But let's look first at these 
donkeys, or let's help Saul find these particular donkeys. He's 
introduced in chapter 9 at verses 1 and 2, certainly the place 
where Saul of Tarsus no doubt received his name. Saul of Tarsus 
was a Benjamite as well. And certainly, he's named after 
this particular Saul. So he is from the tribe of Benjamin 
and indicates that his father is Kish and that his father was 
a mighty man of power. Probably, as the margin reads, 
this means he was a wealthy man. It then indicates something about 
Saul. He had a choice and handsome 
son whose name was Saul. There was not a more handsome 
person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders 
upward, he was taller than any of the people. It indicates that 
probably if there was a popularity contest in Benjamin, if there 
was the most handsome man of the year contest, Saul would 
be your man. If it was the case that physical 
appearance evidenced legitimacy to the kingship, then Saul was 
the man. One commentator says if a king 
is to be distinguished by his physical appearance, then Saul 
is every inch a king. We notice then that there are 
these donkeys that are lost. Again, God comes to us in the 
normal things of life, the routine. Saul wakes up that morning and 
as he's eating and rubbing the muck out of his eyes, his father 
Kish tells him to go find lost donkeys. That may, in and of 
itself, seem an interesting exercise for us. We don't depend on donkeys. This would probably be akin to 
a farmer today losing a tractor or losing some other bit that 
is vital to his livelihood. You don't just write off donkeys 
in this society. You have to find them. And so 
Saul is rubbing his eyes. He's thinking through his day. 
And his dad says, I want you to go take one of the servants 
with you and go look for these donkeys. And as they go, they 
search, the text indicates what areas they traverse. We get to 
verse 5 and we see there is a concern that Saul has. When they had 
come to the land of Zuth, interestingly enough, precisely where Samuel 
is. You've got to think, all of these 
details converge to serve the overarching plan of God in his 
providence to bring Saul and Samuel together, right down to 
the fact that when Saul meets up with these young women and 
asks where the seer is, isn't it interesting that Samuel had 
just arrived that particular day? If Saul had arrived a day 
previous, now again, we're speaking as a man here, because God is 
absolutely sovereign. But if Saul had arrived the day 
previous, he would not have met with Samuel. Every detail is 
taken care of by our God when it comes to bringing this gift 
for the seer or the prophet. Probably just a sign of respect, 
a sign of Eastern courtesy, and those sorts of things, Saul rightly 
recognizes that we no longer have any bread. The servant actually 
happens to have a shekel of silver in his pocket. You see, each 
and every one of these details serves the larger plan of God 
Almighty to bring Saul to Samuel so that Israel will get the king 
that they are crying out for. In their rejection of Yahweh 
and their demand for an earthly king, God Most High nevertheless 
continues to show pity and mercy and kindness and love to these 
people. It truly is an amazing account 
as I hope you'll see as we move along. But notice the concern 
of Saul in verse 5. He said to his servant who was 
with him, come let us return lest my father sees caring about 
the donkeys and become worried about us. Saul's a bright fellow. He's not only handsome, he's 
not only tall, but he uses his melon. He realizes that Kish 
will be more concerned about his son dying than about his 
donkeys dying. And I think any of us, I hope, 
would agree with that, that this is a legitimate concern on Saul's 
part. That brings us to consider Saul 
and his servant with reference to this journey to Samuel. Notice 
the servant recommends that they seek out Samuel. Verse 6, Look 
now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honorable 
man. All that he says surely comes 
to pass. So let us go there. Perhaps he 
can show us the way that we should go. They talk again about this 
whole idea of bringing a gift. Saul identifies that we don't 
have anything. And the man roots around in his 
pocket and says, I have a shekel of silver. This will be sufficient 
to bring to the man of God. There is a parenthetical explanation 
concerning the prophetic office in Israel at this particular 
time. Notice in verse 9, formerly in Israel, when a man went to 
inquire of God, he spoke thus, come, let us go to the seer, 
for he who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer. So they decide and determined 
to go, and as I've already mentioned, they meet these young ladies 
on the way, and the young ladies describe in detail what they 
are looking for. Again, look at verse 12, they 
answered them and said, yes, there he is just ahead of you. Hurry now, for today he came 
to this city. Now remember that Samuel didn't 
just sit around. Samuel moved throughout the tribe. Samuel was a circuit judge. Samuel went from place to place. I mean, really, to find him in 
one particular location when he was on that circuit is nothing 
short of amazing, and in somewhat of what appears to be a haphazard 
way. Who would have ever thought these 
men wandering around looking for donkeys, that one of them 
was going to be the future king of Israel. You need to appreciate 
how God is working through all of these particulars. The young 
women describe what is going on in terms of the situation 
facing Samuel, the question is posed, the response is given, 
the directions are then offered, and then the meeting takes place 
in verse 14. So they went up to the city. 
As they were coming into the city, there was Samuel coming 
out toward them on his way up to the high place. I mean, again, 
this just doesn't fall into place. I think at times we often miss 
providence. At times, we can become somewhat 
thick-skulled. And at times, we don't always 
see how God is operating. God moves in a mysterious way, 
his wonders to perform. Donkeys lost provide the foil 
for a king found. And this is the means by which 
God executes His decree in history. That brings us secondly to the 
meeting with Samuel in verses 15-27. Before we look at 15-27, 
notice 15-17. Dale Ralph Davis calls this an intrusion. And what he means by that is 
that if you read the passage from 14 to 18, you wouldn't lose 
a stat. If you did not read 15 to 17, 
you would not miss the flow of the narrative. In verse 14, it 
says, as they were coming into the city, there was Samuel coming 
out toward them on his way up to the high place. We drop down 
to 18, we see then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate and 
said, Please tell me, where is the seer's house? So 15 to 17 
is an intrusion upon the otherwise smooth narrative. But it is a 
very specific intrusion. It is theological interpretation. This is the heart and the core 
of the entirety of the section, because it is the word of God 
explaining to Samuel the significance of his choice of Saul. Notice 
specifically verse 15. Now the Lord had told Samuel 
in his ear the day before Saul came saying. So Samuel is already 
alerted to the reality that something is going to happen. Samuel already 
knows, as we see from this feast later, he's already got it pre 
set up or the prepared, that's not the word I'm looking for, 
the cook had the food prepared at the beckoning of Samuel because 
Samuel knew there was going to be this feast. These 30 guests 
were probably 30 nobles in the region that no doubt would be 
necessary in the support of the new king of Israel. You see, 
Samuel's already got things going because the Lord had given him 
this information. the Lord had instructed him that 
he would make known to him the particular man that would be 
king. I did skip a very good quote 
concerning providence. Alexander McLaren said this with 
reference to this providence. He says, think of the chain of 
ordinary events which brought Saul to the little city. the 
wandering of a drove of asses, the failure to get on their tracks, 
the accident of being in the land of Zuff when he got tired 
of the search, the suggestion of the servant, and behind all 
these, and working through them, the will and hand of God, thrusting 
his man, all unconscious, along a path which he knew not. That 
is glorious. And I think as we consider the 
rest of the Bible, we see those very sorts of things. The Bible 
isn't just haphazardly thrown together. It's not a collection 
of men who got lucky and ended up in the right place at the 
right time for the right particular task. It is the work of a sovereign 
God. He governs all his creatures 
and all their actions. He purposes whatsoever comes 
to pass. He not only has determined the 
end, but he has decreed all of the means by which that end will 
be realized. And means include donkeys and 
servants and shackles and cities and Samuels and all those particulars. God is working out his plan in 
a normal situation to bring about something extraordinary for Israel. Now notice, as I already mentioned, 
the disclosure the day before. Verse 15, the Lord had told Samuel 
in his ear the day before Saul came, saying, notice secondly 
in this little bit, the sovereignty of God. Verse 16, tomorrow about 
this time, I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Make 
no mistake about this. Saul was God's man. Saul was God's choice. Was Saul the best king Israel 
ever had? No, he most certainly wasn't. Remember that part of their request, 
or part of the giving of their request for a king, was an act 
of chastisement. The people rejected Yahweh for 
an earthly king. And so God says, heed their voice. Remember we saw, be careful what 
you ask for, because you just might get it. You might get somebody 
that's not as consistent, someone that's not as upright, someone 
that is not as godly. We need to focus upon that. I 
will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. There is not 
a situation that God is not over. There is not an issue in our 
life that God does not control. There is not an event or a detail 
that takes place that God has not foreordained. When we get 
later in redemptive history, we see Nebuchadnezzar. Interestingly, 
a pagan king is referred to by God. the God of heaven and earth 
as my servant. Do you realize that Cyrus, the 
king of Persia, takes the title, or is given the title by God 
of Messiah, the Anointed One? If we were speaking Greek at 
the time of Cyrus, we would have called him Christ. That's what 
God calls him. It is a title concerning the 
fact that he is the Anointed One of Yahweh. He was raised 
up for a specific purpose. Cyrus specifically was to put 
down the Babylonians so that the children of Judah could be 
freed from the captivity and return to their home country. 
God is sovereign. Notice as well his purpose in 
all of this. In 16b, and you shall anoint 
him commander or prince or king over my people Israel, that he 
may save my people from the hand of the Philistines." Isn't that 
beautiful? The Lord God is rejected by these 
people, but the Lord God does not reject these people. That is grace. We'll see even 
more of that in just a moment. But he's got a divine purpose 
with Saul. Now Saul wasn't the bestest king 
ever, but Saul certainly knew how to kill Philistines. Saul 
certainly did do some damage to the Ammonites. Saul did bring 
a measure of relief and of help and of deliverance to the children 
of Israel. And that is precisely why God 
raised him up for this eventuality. Notice the pity or the mercy 
that is displayed at the end of verse 16. For I have looked 
upon my people because their cry has come to me. Brethren, 
he was just rejected in verse or chapter 8. He was just voted 
out of office, if that could be the case. He was just told 
by the people, no, we don't want Yahweh, we want the king that's 
going to exploit our families, that's going to enslave us through 
taxation, and that's going to bring us to the point of crying 
out. And yet Yahweh nevertheless says, I have looked upon my people 
because their cry has come to me. He is relentless in his mercy. He is relentless in his grace. He is relentless in his loving 
kindness and in his goodness. Davis says Israel's rejection 
does not paralyze Yahweh's providence. Although Yahweh sees Israel's 
idolatry in her cry for a king, he also hears her distress in 
her cry for relief. Israel's stupidity cannot wither 
Yahweh's compassion. Isn't that great? I find encouragement 
in that. Because I oftentimes, like Israel, 
do stupid things. I oftentimes, like Israel, sin 
against God. And I am thankful that He is 
most loving. I am thankful that He's most 
merciful. I'm thankful that He's most gracious. And I trust that you are as well. These are the very things that 
are the glories of our God, the perfections of our God. He is 
unchanged and unchanging in His covenant love toward His people. Once He covenants to save us, 
once He enters into that blessed union, He will not let us go. Paul is able to say, I am confident 
that He who began this good work in you will complete it until 
the day of Christ. What does Paul say in the latter 
part of Romans chapter 8? I am persuaded there is nothing 
that can come between us and the love of God in Christ Jesus 
our Lord. What do the scriptures testify 
concerning our God? Does He enter into salvation 
with us on Monday and we irritate Him on Wednesday so Thursday 
He sends us packing? Is that what God does? Is that 
the picture that is conveyed in the scripture? Or is it, I 
have loved you with an everlasting love. I have set my affections 
upon you before the foundation of the world. I have provided 
blood atonement through the son of my love. I was pleased to 
deliver up my son. How shall I not with him also 
freely give you all things? Learn in this search for donkeys 
that God Most High evidences great pity and great mercy and 
great kindness and great love. If I were God and chapter 8 had 
happened, I would say, forget it. I'm going to go find another 
nation that wants me to rule over them. If you cast me away, 
watch what I'll do. I'll cast you away. Not so with 
our God, for I have looked upon my people because their cry has 
come to me. I guess old habits die hard, 
don't they? Isn't this the continual refrain 
in the book of Judges? Isn't this continually what happens? 
The people sin. God brings in an oppressor. The people cry out, not in repentance, 
not because they want to honor the Lord, not because they want 
to get right with God, but they cry out because it hurts. They 
cry out because of the distress. They cry out because of the pain. 
And nevertheless, what does God do? He delivers them. Brethren, 
our God is infinitely good. Our God is infinitely kind. Our God is infinitely merciful. And our God has revealed this 
of Himself, not just in the New Testament via the cross, but 
in the Old Testament via a search for donkeys and a connection 
or a meeting between Saul and Samuel. And then notice the identification 
of God's choice in verse 17. So when Samuel saw Saul, The 
Lord said to him, there he is, the man of whom I spoke to you. 
This one shall reign over my people. And thus begins the monarchy 
after he is anointed. with the oil. What happens is 
that this sets in order that monarchical system that takes 
place in Israel for many, many, many years. It is a single kingdom 
until the division of the kingdom, and it is through the line of 
Judah, the line of David specifically, that the Messiah Christ would 
come. And so this is the inception 
of that monarchy. Now notice, as we consider the 
meeting with Samuel, we see the Lord's word to Samuel, verses 
15 to 17. Now note specifically the meeting 
in verses 18 to 27. It's interesting that Saul doesn't 
even know who Samuel is. I find that somewhat intriguing. 
Kish was a man of means. Kish was a man of might. Kish 
was a man of money. And yet Saul didn't know who 
Samuel was. He says, please tell me, where 
is the seer's house? Verse 19, Samuel answered Saul 
and said, I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place. 
And I know the word high place suggests something bad. High 
places in Israel aren't typically good places. High places in Israel 
are oftentimes suggestive of idolatry. But the text does not 
make that commendation or make that affirmation in this particular 
section. The high place could have just 
been a place. Now that Shiloh was not the central sanctuary, 
this could have been the place where Samuel did his business 
and where they had their feasts and that sort of thing. But anyways, 
he tells Saul to go to the high place. You shall eat with me 
today and tomorrow I will let you go and will tell you all 
that is in your heart. But as for your donkeys that 
were lost three days ago, do not be anxious about them, for 
they have been found." Isn't that kind? Even that. This little 
act of providence. What about the donkeys? Someone's 
kids might ask that, right? You're reading this story to 
your children. Guess what the kids are going to say? Did he 
ever find his donkeys? Yes, he found his donkeys. Why 
was that? Because God is good. God uses 
the donkeys to bring Saul to Israel as the king, and then 
he returns the donkeys back to Kish so they can do what donkeys 
do, and they can live happily ever after. You see, everything 
is under the plan and purpose and detail of a gracious and 
good God. Ask for your donkeys, do not 
be anxious, for they have been found as well your father, or 
I'm sorry, and then he says, and on whom is all the desire 
of Israel, is it not on you and on all your father's house? So 
he tips his hand there, he tells Samuel, or Saul rather, that 
there is something bigger in store for Saul than just the 
recovery of donkeys. You're going to do a bit more 
than just find donkeys, Saul. Not that there's anything wrong 
with just finding donkeys. If Saul had continued as a donkey 
pursuer for the rest of his life, there is no shame in that. Whether 
you're the king of Israel or you're pursuing donkeys in the 
mountains of Benjamin, that's okay. They're lawful callings, 
either or. There's a doctrine of vocation. 
God doesn't make every man president. God doesn't make every man prime 
minister. God doesn't make every man a 
doctor. There is a division of labor. Not everybody in society 
can be the chief. There has to be others that actually 
get things done. So we need to understand, whether 
Saul is king in Israel or Saul is working on the farm, these 
are positions of dignity under our good God. As long as you 
are not breaking the law, whatever your calling is, do it with your 
might, as Solomon bids us in the book of Ecclesiastes. There 
is honor. in all labor. There is this idea 
and this teaching that if you only do this, God's really pleased. No, if you're pursuing donkeys 
around the mountains of Benjamin, God is as good to you as if you 
were the king of Israel. I think if you went to Saul later 
in his life and said, what would you rather be doing? He might 
just say, chasing those donkeys around the mountains of Benjamin. 
That's probably the preferable job than being the king in Israel, 
but that's for another day. Notice, Saul answers and says, 
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 like this to me? He is in good company. Perhaps he overdoes it a little 
bit. I don't think Kish is as insignificant 
as he intimates here. But this is how Moses responds 
when God calls him to service. This is how Gideon responds when 
God calls him to service. And I think this is a good sign. The scriptures indicate in the 
book of Proverbs, a man's gift makes room for him. The man doesn't 
make room for his gift. Beware the man that comes and 
thrusts himself into a position of authority without first having 
been vetted, without first having been known, without first having 
gotten the consciences of brethren. A man who shows up at a church, 
for instance, and says, I'm here, and you should use me to teach 
the Bible. Well, yeah, maybe we should, 
but we want to get to know you first. We want to make sure that 
you're legit. We want to make sure that you 
have the gifts and the qualifications necessary. Humility is a good 
trait. If somebody wants to exalt you, 
it's not always the righteous path to run up there as soon 
as possible. We need to make sure that we 
understand we are lowly. We are insignificant. And I think 
that what Saul does here evidences this to some degree. Now notice, 
the feast, he has a place of honor among the 30 guests, the 
meal of honor among the 30 guests. The 30 guests I've already mentioned, 
most likely nobles from the region that represented the people. 
Saul would need their support. He's going to be anointed in 
a private ceremony and then taken to Mizpah. We didn't read that, 
but from 17 on to the end of the chapter, God willing, we'll 
look at that next week. That is the public ceremony, 
the public election. But what we have specifically 
in chapter 10 at verse 1 is a private ceremony with Samuel alone anointing 
Saul to the kingship. So they eat the feast, they engage 
in these blessings, and then we move to the return to the 
city. Notice in verse 27, as they were 
going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, 
tell the servant to go on ahead of us. And he went on, but you 
stand here a while that I may announce to you the word of God. 
Samuel the prophet is the man who's going to announce the word 
of God. Not generically, here's what God says about this, or 
here's what God says about this, but very specifically, Saul, 
you are going to be the king in Israel. And that brings us 
thirdly to the anointing of Saul. Notice in 10.1, Samuel took a 
flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, 
is it not because the Lord has anointed you commander over his 
inheritance? Saul is king. But notice, it's 
God's inheritance. You see, the king in Israel was 
not to function like the kings of the nations around them. What 
were the kings of the nations around them to their people? 
They were gods. They were divine. They were deity. When Nebuchadnezzar set up that 
image out in the plains of Dura, what do you think it was an image 
of? It was most likely an image of 
him. You see, God owns Israel. God possesses his inheritance. So even the King of Israel, the 
King of Israel, finds himself in a servant role. This makes 
sense when we consider Jesus Christ. He is the King of kings 
and the Lord of lords, but the chief servant, isn't he? I mean, 
the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to 
give his life a ransom for many. The kings of Israel were to function 
typologically for that very purpose. Yes, you're a king, but you're 
ultimately a servant of Yahweh and a servant of his people. 
The king isn't just supposed to sit there and have people 
fan him and rub his feet and feed him grapes and say what 
a great king you are and how wonderful you are and you're 
an awesome king and you're like a god to us. No, the king is 
to legislate and administrate and orchestrate and run the kingdom 
in such a way as to bring glory and honor to God most high. So 
we mustn't ever forget this. Is it not because the Lord has 
anointed you commander over his inheritance? If you're using 
the New King James, you'll notice an extended marginal note from 
what's called the LXX. The LXX is what's called, or 
it's an abbreviation for the Satuagen. The reason it's the 
LXX is because that's the Roman numeral for 70. And traditionally, 
70 persons work on this Septuagint. And what it is, is a Greek translation 
of the Old Testament. Jesus and his apostles were familiar 
with the Septuagint. There are instances and times 
in New Testament quotations where it would appear that the Septuagint 
is being quoted. Well, here specifically, it does 
provide a helpful link to the next section in verses 2 to 6. 
The Septuagint reading says, And you shall rule the people 
of the Lord, and you shall deliver his people from the hands of 
their enemies all around them. And this shall be a sign to you 
that God has anointed you to be a prince. That sets us up 
well for two to six because that is precisely what happens. These 
are the signs that God the Lord is in fact confirming or affirming 
you to the kingship. Now imagine if you're Saul for 
a moment. You've rubbed the eyes. You've searched for the donkeys. 
You've given up in futility. Your servant has said, let's 
go visit Samuel the seer. You meet with Samuel the seer, 
a man you had never known before. Samuel the seer takes you to 
this particular meal. He sets you in a place of honor. 
He gives you the best cut of meat. And then he pours oil on 
your head and says, welcome to the kingship. Now, if I were 
Saul, I'd probably think, this is not typical. This is not what 
happened to me yesterday. How do I know, Samuel, that you, 
because of your age, aren't starting to say things that evidence is 
perhaps you're not with it with us anymore, right? I mean, think 
about it, brethren. He goes from looking for donkeys 
to a choice meal as the guest of honor, and then he gets oil 
poured on his head, and Samuel says, welcome, you are now the 
king, to deliver Israel from their oppressors. That would 
probably be a little difficult for one of us to get our minds 
wrapped around. Hence, verses 2 to 6, Samuel's 
prediction. When you have departed from me 
today, three things are going to happen to you. And when these 
three things happen to you, you will know of a truth that God 
has in fact confirmed this activity of me pouring oil on your head. Perhaps Samuel had to stand on 
something because Saul was head and shoulders taller than all 
the other men of Israel. So it probably took a little 
bit for Samuel to get up there with that oil and pour it on 
his head. So notice, these three things are going to happen to 
indicate or evidence to Saul that this was, in fact, God's 
will for him. He says, when you depart from 
me today, you will find two men by Rachel's tomb in the territory 
of Benjamin at Zelza. And they will say to you, the 
donkeys which you went to look for have been found. And now 
your father has ceased caring about the donkeys and is worrying 
about you, saying, what shall I do about my son? Now that's 
interesting because these young men didn't know anything about 
Saul and about his donkeys and about this whole situation. In 
920 Samuel had already announced to him that the donkeys had in 
fact been recovered. So this is sign number one. When 
you bump into these guys and they want to talk donkey, this 
will be evidence that this is in fact of God. Notice secondly, 
then you shall go forward from there and come to the terebinth 
tree of Tabor. Their three men going up to God 
at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three young goats, another 
carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of 
wine. And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, 
which you shall receive from their hands. Sign number two. You're wandering down the street, 
you happen to see a few guys, and they hand you two loaves 
of bread. Again, things like this don't typically happen every 
day, do they? The oil, the goats, the donkeys, 
and then the loaves of bread. There's a third sign. After that, 
you shall come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison 
is. And it will happen when you have come there to the city that 
you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place 
with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them, 
and they will be prophesying. Then the Spirit of the Lord will 
come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into 
another man. And the rest of the passage then 
highlights that third sign. So you see these three things 
signified the reality of what Samuel did in pouring the oil 
on Saul's head. This is of God. You are the king 
of Israel. You have ascended from a pursuer 
of donkeys to the king over a people. Now, when he says you will become 
a new man or turned into another man, it'll also say he's been 
given another heart. We need to understand that this 
is probably not spiritual in terms of the ordo salutis that 
we are used to. The idea probably is not regeneration 
onto everlasting life. What it probably evidences is 
that a call and equipping for public service. Because that's 
what we find that this is about in Saul's life. John Gill says, 
for the Spirit of God would not only operate on him in that way 
as to fit him for composing and singing psalms and hymns, but 
inspire him with wisdom and prudence and greatness of mind and with 
every qualification necessary for a king. so that he would 
appear quite another man than he was before, in his outward 
behavior, as well as in the endowments of his mind, and from a rustic 
husbandman, a farmer's son, would appear with the air of a prince 
and in the majesty of a king." There's a change going on. When 
you go into the kingdom, when you become the monarch, you're 
probably not going to go out and looking for donkeys anymore. 
So the contact with the Spirit of the Lord will cause you to 
prophesy and be turned into another man. And then notice, so we've 
got that prediction or those three signs that would affirm. 
Now Samuel gives Saul two specific orders. Notice in verse 7. And 
let it be when these signs come to you that you do as the occasion 
demands, for God is with you. You shall go down before me to 
Gilgal, and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings 
and make sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days you shall 
wait till I come to you and show you what you should do." Now 
notice, what we find here is that the King of Israel is certainly 
subject to the God of Israel, as well he is subject to the 
prophet of God. The king does not operate as 
a renegade or as a maverick. Remember we saw in Deuteronomy 
17, when the king assumed his throne, he was to write out the 
law for himself, and that was to be his personal marching orders. 
Well, along with the monarchs, you had the prophets. And the 
prophets weren't there simply to encourage, they weren't there 
simply to coddle, but rather they were there to set forth 
the Word of God before the King of Israel. Davis makes a very 
interesting observation here, and I'm going to quote him at 
length. Notice we have contact with the Spirit in verse 6. to affirm or confirm that these 
signs were in fact of God. But in verse 8, what we essentially 
have is Samuel saying, you need to do what I tell you. So we 
have this convergence of the spirit and the Word. We have 
this interrelatedness of the Spirit and the Word. Davis says 
we should properly balance this note of assurance, talking about 
the Spirit, in verse 6. Saul is to receive both the power 
of the Spirit and the direction of the Word through Samuel. You see, it's never an either 
or in our Christian life. Wow, I'm so full of the Spirit, 
I don't need to read my Bible. I know my Bible so well, I don't 
need the Holy Spirit. You see, the Spirit and the Word 
are not enemies. The Spirit and the Word are friends. 
The Spirit and the Word work together for the good of King 
Saul. Of course, the Spirit and the 
Word work together for the good of our own hearts and our own 
souls. We have some churches out there that only emphasize 
the Spirit. Let's just find the Spirit. We 
have other churches that emphasize sound doctrine. Let's just have 
doctrine. The Bible envisions both. We 
have the word and we have the spirit. It's not like you want 
the soup or the salad. I'd like the soup and the salad. 
Thank you very much, because God is not miserly. When he comes 
to serve at his table, he gives to us abundantly. So again, Davis 
says, a good deal of debate rages around verse 8. And I'm going 
to tell you, throughout Samuel, there are these verses along 
the way that have a lot of debate concerning that. I'm not skilled 
enough or probably have the ability to work through all of the technical 
details on some of these things. But suffice it to say, he says, 
a good deal of debate rages around verse 8. It may form part of 
a plan for striking a decisive blow against the Philistines, 
but this much is clear. Saul, the king who has promised 
Yahweh's power, is to submit to Samuel, the prophet, who brings 
Yahweh's word. I shall make known to you what 
you are to do. Yahweh's spirit gives power, 
but that power is to be exercised in obedience to God's word. The 
spirit and the word must never be separated. What right have 
we to think we can enjoy the Lord's power and presence when 
we deny His Lordship by trampling on His Word? One cannot help 
but think this union of Word and Spirit is a word and season 
for the contemporary Church. Many crave dramatic signs of 
the Spirit's power, but have little enthusiasm for common 
obedience to the Lord's Word. I think that is a very accurate 
description of what is true in the church today and what we 
do see balanced out very clearly in this particular section. The 
Spirit of the Lord comes upon him, he in turn prophesies, but 
Samuel says, you need to listen to me, the Spirit and the Word 
in that blessed interplay under God Almighty to bring good to 
his people. And then the narrative ends with 
Saul's return back to his home. Verse 9, so it was when he had 
turned his back to go from Samuel that God gave him another heart 
and all those signs came to pass that day. Again, Gill, I think, 
summarizes it well. Not in a moral or spiritual sense, 
not a new heart and a new spirit as in conversion, but in a civil 
sense, a right heart, a heart fit for government, filled with 
wisdom and prudence to rule a people, with courage and magnanimity 
to protect and defend them against their enemies and fight for them. 
A heart not taken up with the affairs of husbandry, with care 
for his father's asses, and looking after his herds, but filled with 
concern for the civil welfare of Israel, and with schemes and 
contrivances for their good, and with warm resolutions to 
deliver them out of the hands of their enemies." And then in 
verse 10, the Spirit of God came upon him and he prophesied among 
them. And this is an intriguing passage. It's Saul among the prophets. This blew them away. They were 
not expecting this particular thing. But it is the case. The 
Spirit comes upon him, and thus he prophesies. This, under God, 
is converging to indicate to him that he is, in fact, the 
king for Israel. So the people marvel, the people 
question, and then notice this particular question concerning 
his father. It says in verse 12, then a man 
from there answered and said, but who is their father? It's an interesting question. At least a couple of interpretations 
have been given. Sometimes a prophet or a head 
of the prophets is called father. Remember, Elisha calls Elijah 
my father. It could be God the father, however. Father of Heaven, or the Father 
in Heaven, has given these gifts to this school of prophets and 
Saul himself has participated in it. And then it says, therefore 
it became a proverb. Is Saul also among the prophets? We might say something like Well, 
stranger things have happened, or wonders never cease. It was 
odd to them, and so it became idiomatic or proverbial in this 
particular time. So if somebody ever says to you, 
is Saul among the prophets? That's just an expression of 
surprise about a current situation. That's how proverbial it became, 
and this is what the author tells us. And so then he returns home 
and he interacts with his uncle. He tells him about the donkeys, 
but he's silent about the kingdom. Notice in verse 16, he told us 
plainly that the donkeys had been found. But about the matter 
of the kingdom, he did not tell him what Samuel had said. There might be many reasons why 
probably the most evident is that he knew or he suspected 
that there was a public ceremony that was going to come. And he 
didn't want to tip his hand at this particular point. Well, 
brethren, in this passage, we certainly see the providence 
of God. I hope you do see that. What do donkeys have to do with 
kingdom? God makes it work. Secondly, we ought never to forget 
the lesson at the end of verse 16 in chapter 9. For I have looked 
upon my people, because their cry has come to me. of people 
who in the chapter previously reject him and rebel against 
him and nevertheless find mercy? How much more the blood-bought 
children of God? Doesn't Jesus make such an implication 
when he tells the story of the importunate widow? She goes to 
the judge to render a verdict in her particular case. The judge 
did not fear God, neither did he regard man. But the woman 
didn't stop. She kept coming to him. She kept 
supplicating him. She kept saying, please render 
for my particular verdict. Finally, the judge, who even 
realized that he didn't fear God nor regard men, said, I am 
going to give her what she wants lest she weary me with this constant, 
constant petition. What is Christ's implication? 
Shall not God avenge his own elect who cry to him day and 
night? Brethren, if in chapter 8 the 
people reject Yahweh as King, and in chapter 9 He says, I can't 
stand to see them in misery. I have pity and mercy upon them. Shall He not see us in that way? Shall He not hear the prayers 
and the petitions that we offer up as those who are washed in 
the blood? As those who have the righteousness 
of Christ? We ought to get great encouragement 
in our God to go to prayer, to go to Him, to cast our burdens 
upon Him, to cast our aches and our pains and our longings and 
our troubles on Him. He may not alleviate everything 
with the snap of a finger. He might not make everything 
right overnight, but He bears our burdens. He knows that we're 
but dust. He pities us the way that a father 
pities his children, and He knows and He is committed to doing 
that, which is ultimately for our good. We need to believe 
that. Romans 8.28 needs to get off 
of our magnets on our refrigerator and into our hearts. You know, 
I've read several times in several, well, I don't know if several, 
at least twice, I think, I've read where when somebody is suffering, 
sometimes it can be a bit trite and a bit somewhat minimal to 
say to somebody, well, you need to buck up and remember Romans 
8.28. Now, brethren, I realize we don't ever want to be trite 
or we want to be minimal, but for a blood-bought child of God 
who owns the Holy Spirit and is owned by the Holy Spirit, 
what better remedy is there than Romans 8, 28? If all manner of 
evil falls on us and somebody comes to me and says, you need 
to remember that God causes all things to work for good. My desire 
isn't going to be to want to punch you in the nose. It's going 
to be to hug you and thank you for reminding me of a truth that 
will steady my soul in the midst of the trial and calamity and 
the difficulty that comes. You see, it's not trite, and 
it's not trivial, and it's no small thing to offer Scripture 
as a means of comfort for the people of God. If we don't derive 
comfort from the Scriptures, brethren, we need to repent. 
This is our life. This is our hope. This is our 
encouragement. Paul tells us specifically in 
Romans 15, the Scriptures are given to us for this very reason. for hope, for encouragement, 
for our consolation. It's not trivial to encourage 
the people of God with the word of God. And may I suggest adding 
1 Samuel 9.16b to your arsenal when you go about the task of 
encouraging people. And then finally, we see or we 
saw this emphasis on spirit, and Word, and certainly we want 
to maintain that as well. We don't want to be over here 
saying, we only need the Spirit, we don't need the Scriptures. 
But on the same token, we don't want to be over here with some, 
we just have this cerebral attachment to study. No, we want spirit-filled 
study of God's holy word and sound doctrine that will provide 
the stuff that we desperately need to traverse this earth in 
pursuit of our heavenly kingdom. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you for your word and we thank you for this passage 
that goes from a search for donkeys to the identification of a king. 
Certainly you are glorious and wondrous and almighty and we 
ask almighty God that you'd help us to recall these lessons. If 
we can't articulate all the particulars in chapters 9 and 10 of 1 Samuel, 
may we take away from this the reality that our God is good 
and our God is kind and merciful. that our God is gracious to us. 
And as well, our Father, help us to see that in every detail 
and in every event in our lives, you are sovereign over these 
things and you are working out your purpose and your plan. And 
if you have called us by grace, then your purpose and plan certainly 
includes good for your people. We ask now that you would go 
with us, that you would watch over us in the remainder of this 
week. Bring us together on the Lord's Day, that we may worship 
you in spirit and in truth. And we ask through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen.