Saul meets Samuel

Kish was a rich, influential man from the tribe of Benjamin. His son Saul was the most handsome man in Israel, head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land.

One day Kish's donkeys strayed and he told Saul to take a servant and go look them. So Saul traveled all through the hill country of Ephraim and all of Benjamin but couldn't find them. Finally they entered the region of Zuph and Saul gave up and wanted to go home. But his servant said that there was a man of God in the town and the people there believe everything he says comes true. He suggested that they go find this man and ask him which way to go.

Saul had nothing to offer this holy man, not even food. But his servant had one piece of silver and suggested they go ask the seer. As they were climbing a hill near the town, they met some young women coming to draw water. Saul and his servant asked if the seer was in town and they said yes, he was at the town gate and would soon take part in a public sacrifice, but hurry because the seer must bless the food before anyone could eat.

So they entered the town and saw Samuel coming toward them. The day before this, the Lord had told Samuel that tomorrow he would meet a man from the land of Benjamin who Samuel should anoint as the leader of Israel. The Lord said this man would rescue the people from the Philistines, for the Lord had decided to show mercy on the people.

When Samuel noticed Saul, the Lord told him this was the man he had talked about. At this moment, Saul approached Samuel and asked the way to the seer's house. "I am the seer," said Samuel. And he proceeded to tell Saul to go up the hill to the place of sacrifice and they would eat together, then in the morning he would tell them about the donkeys whereabouts because they had been found. Samuel told Saul that his family was the focus of all of Israel's hopes.

Saul was humble, insecure and confused at what Samuel was telling him and in an outburst, he insisted he was from a small tribe and his family the least important of all families in that tribe. But Samuel brought Saul and his servant to the great hall and placed them at the head of the table honoring them. Samuel had the cook bring Saul the finest cut of meat and after the feast, they returned to town where Samuel took Saul to the roof of his house to sleep. In the morning Samuel told Saul to be on his way. He and Saul walked together to the edge of town and Samuel told Saul to send his servant on ahead. After the servant was gone, Samuel said, "Stay here, for I have received a special message for you from God."

BIBLE NOTES SHOW: Saul was sent on an important mission- to find the donkeys. Donkeys were valuable assets, a sign of wealth and to lose them was a disaster. Often we think that events just "happen", but here we see that God uses common occurrences to lead us where he wants us.
Saul's lack of knowledge about Samuel shows his ignorance of spiritual matters. They both lived in the same territory, but he didn't know of the seer.
Saul's outburst revealed a problem he would face repeatedly - feeling inferior. He would vacillate between his feelings and his convictions. Everything he said or did was selfish because he was worried about himself. He would find it difficult to commit to God wholeheartedly.

HOW DOES THIS CHAPTER RELATE TO US TODAY? Nothing just "happens", God divines all things and shapes our lives. Think of all the bad and good things that have happened to your lately. Can you see God's purpose in them? Sometimes it is hard to see. Sometimes it takes many years to see them. Saul did not commit to God fully. So he would be besieged with insecurity and deceit. That can happen to us too if we don't commit to our Lord. HE is called our Lord and Savior. SAVIOR as in SAVING us. This is what he does for us. If God calls you, answer and don't be afraid. Be confident. Follow his lead.

Yours in Christ,
Mary


SUCESSFUL HEALING REPORT: Thanks to your prayers, Al’s cancer is gone! His tumor, however remains inoperable and he is home living as normal a life as can be expected. Continue to pray for him. Gene’s biopsy proved his tumor was benign and he has been removed from our prayer list. Barb has been moved to a rehab facility to work on her speech etc., keep praying for her.

Prayer Requests are needed for:
HEALTH: Gabe, Wanda, Janice Long’s parents, Arlene’s nephew David, Lori (who suffered a terrible accident)and her family and my neighbor Al who is nearing the end of his life. And Barb who went in for back surgery and had a heart attack and stroke. Also for Robert Sargent with lung cancer and Marthaline Sargent with serious health issues. Update on Stella: She is 10 weeks old and has her own room at the hospital. The doctors continue to experiment with respirators, but her parents can see progress in her lung activity. Pray also for healing of Mark after brain surgery. These folks need your prayers so badly. Let’s all raise our voices to God to hear our prayers.
SPIRITUAL UPLIFTING: Gail, Mary
RESTORATION OF FAITH: Al, John
LOVE AND SUPPORT: Claire, Hunter
SUPPORT: Haiti, Chile, those who need jobs, those who are about to lose or have lost their homes. Pray too, for our country’s leaders and our military people who die each day for our freedom.