There and Back Again
1. Introducing Saul (vv. 1-14)
Last week, we heard how the people of Israel asked for a king, and the chapter ended with Samuel sending every man to his city. He was going to take care of this. A king is coming.
So, when verse 9 begins with a seemingly random statement— “There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth” (1 Samuel 9:1)—we're not totally lost.
This, after all, is how the whole book of 1 Samuel began, with the family tree of a certain man named Elkanah. That seemingly random man went on to have an important son who has, more or less, been the main character of the story up until now.
So, as we're expecting a king, and we're introduced to another seemingly random but wealthy man, we might be wondering if maybe he'll have a son who might have something to do with this kingship business.
Sure enough, we're introduced to his son right away: “And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people” (1 Samuel 9:2).
There are a few really fascinating things going on here. The first is Saul's name. In Hebrew "Saul" (שָׁאוּל֙, Shaul) means something like "asked for." Hannah asked for a son from the Lord, and received Samuel—"heard of God." The people asked for a king from Samuel, and they got Saul—"asked for." It's as if his very name is saying, "This is what you asked for."
Second, we can't ignore that he's from the tribe of Benjamin. If we are looking for a good candidate for a king, this isn't the best place to look. Jacob blessed his son Judah with the promise that “the scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet” (Genesis 49:10). If someone was going to reign, it should be someone from Judah, not Benjamin—especially not after Benjamin triggered and lost a civil war just a few decades earlier.
Third, notice also how Saul is introduced to us. What are we told about him right away? His good looks and his height. He's handsome—and not just handsome, but the most handsome man in Israel. And he's not just tall, but he's head and shoulders taller than everybody else.
So he's tall and handsome. That's interesting. But that's it. Seems kind of shallow, right? Imagine you met someone for the first time and afterward a friend asked you, "Tell me about them." And all you said was, "Well, they're tall and good-looking." That's not a great answer. It either means that you're kind of shallow, focused on people's outward appearance instead of who they really are, or it means that you're being polite by finding something nice to say about someone who really doesn't have a lot else going for them.
And in the case of Saul, both are true. Not that the Biblical author is shallow, but rather this passage is reflecting the shallowness of the people who wanted a king who looked great. A king who looked impressive when he walked into the room with the kings of the other nations. Saul—"Asked For"—fits the bill of what they were looking for.
But beyond that, as we're going to find out in this passage, the Biblical author is tipping us off to something really important by focusing on Saul's physical appearance. Because, as we'll find out, he really didn't have a lot else going for him.
But even more than that, the fact that he's tall is worth thinking about, especially after Hannah's prayer back in chapter 2. Remember how Samuel's mom praised God the great reverser, who humbles the proud and arrogant, bringing them down while lifting up the poor and lowly? (1 Sam. 2:3–7).
That language of "up" and "down" matters. The root of the Hebrew word for "pride" literally means to be high or lifted up. This is an idea still preserved in English, when we talk about someone who "looks down on" people, or "looks down their nose" at people. Or when we say, "he thinks he's above people."
And with Hannah's prayer serving as something of an introduction to the book of 1 Samuel, we should be a little suspicious of someone singled out for being taller than anybody else from their shoulders upward. Because we're meeting someone primed for a fall.
And it would be really easy to say, at this point, that obviously the height of your body has nothing to do with the condition of your heart, but that's not actually true. Every man in the room knows that height is a thing.
This is pretty awkward to talk about as a tall guy, but the scientific literature tells us that on average, taller men tend to be more "forward," socially, and that this confidence is connected to an overestimation of their own abilities compared to men of lesser height. According to a source I read yesterday, at least one study indicated that taller men "judged themselves as more competent than shorter peers, even when performance was equal."
In other words, taller men are more likely to be arrogant.
This is not the only thing we could say about height. There are temptations and struggles particular to men who are not tall. Height—or lack thereof—is just one of the ways that fallen men experience pride or insecurity as they try to establish their identity by comparing themselves to other men instead of fixing their eyes on their Creator.
Brothers, our identity is found in Christ, not in the length of our femurs or the size of our muscles or our intellect or our accomplishments.
Any place where you find yourself comparing yourself to other men, either feeling better than them or feeling inferior to them, there's a pretty good chance you've just found an idol lurking, which the Lord invites you to lay at his feet and let him kill it.
Unfortunately for Saul, we're going to find out that his height is sadly a predictor of his heart, which was going to be increasingly lifted up over other people. And Hannah's prayer marks him out as a man ripe for humbling.
But that's not where Saul is where we first meet him. We first meet him in what is frankly a pretty funny situation. Verse 3: “Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, ‘Take one of the young men with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys’” (1 Samuel 9:3).
This is our first introduction to Saul: a donkey hunter. Donkeys are animals that, in this culture and time, were associated with royalty. Which makes it pretty funny that Saul can't find the donkeys. Verse 4, he passes through Ephraim and the land of Shalishah, "but they did not find them." They pass through the land of Shalishah, "but they did not find them." They go through Shaalim, "but they were not there. Then they passed through the land of Benjamin, but did not find them" (v. 4).
Don't miss this. Our first introduction to Saul is at a job he's failed at. That's intentional. And then in verse 5, we get his first words. Remember that in Biblical stories, a character's first words are often a good indicator of who they really are. And here, Saul's first words are words of defeat. “When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, ‘Come, let us go back, lest my father cease to care about the donkeys and become anxious about us’” (1 Samuel 9:5).
Saul was someone who, when he was out for too long, his dad got worried about. Interesting. And so he wants to give up and go home.
It's his servant, interestingly, who knows something he doesn't know. “But he said to him, ‘Behold, there is a man of God in this city, and he is a man who is held in honor; all that he says comes true. So now let us go there. Perhaps he can tell us the way we should go’” (1 Samuel 9:6).
"Man of God" is a term for a prophet in the Old Testament. There's a reliable prophet here; let's ask him about the donkeys. Saul didn't seem to know this, but his big concern? Verse 7: “But if we go, what can we bring the man? For the bread in our sacks is gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?” (1 Samuel 9:7).
Saul is not just bad at finding donkeys, he's also unprepared. They've run out of food at the halfway point of a return journey, and he has no money or plan for how they're going to eat on the way back, let alone hire a prophet. This is a guy who hadn't thought ahead.
His servant had. Verse 8: “The servant answered Saul again, ‘Here, I have with me a quarter of a shekel of silver, and I will give it to the man of God to tell us our way’” (1 Samuel 9:8). The servant is way ahead of Saul on every count. “And Saul said to his servant, ‘Well said; come, let us go.’ So they went to the city where the man of God was” (1 Samuel 9:10).
And they find out, in verses 11-13, that they've shown up just in time. A "chance" conversation with some young women heading out to draw water—one of many similar "chance" meetings in the Bible—tells them that they've come to the city just as the seer is about to leave the city for a special sacrifice at the high place. “Now go up, for you will meet him immediately’” (1 Samuel 9:13).
“So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the high place” (1 Samuel 9:14).
Oh wow. This "man of God" they've been talking about is Samuel. Talk about a punch line. The Biblical authors do this all the time—hold back key information until just the right part of the story to make our jaws drop.
Samuel, the judge of all Israel, the man whose words have gone out to all Israel, the one who has delivered Israel from the Philistines, the one to whom the elders of Israel went to ask for a king—he lives right here in this city, and Saul had no idea that this person even existed.
This all of a sudden makes Saul's conversation with his servant seem all the more humorous. It's like visiting the White House in Washington D.C. and overhearing someone say to their friend, "This is a special house. Someone important lives here. He makes big decisions that we hear about in the news sometimes."
I don't want to overstate it, but the pretty strong sense here is that in addition to being not very thoughtful, not very resourceful, not very accomplished, not very ambitious, Saul is also not very aware of some of the most basic and obvious things that people should have known. He's completely clueless.
2. Saul, Meet Samuel (vv. 15-25
And now, he's about to meet Samuel. And it's right here, in verse 15, that we get some back story, which again has been saved until now on purpose to help us feel the drama in this story. “^15^Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed to Samuel: ^16^“Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come to me’” (1 Samuel 9:15–16).
Here we find out that God has been directing the steps of this clueless Benjaminite. His search for the lost donkeys has not been random or pointless. God has led him to this place at this time so that Samuel can anoint him king, so that Saul can be the Lord's instrument to deliver Israel from the Philistines—who, apparently, at the end of Samuel's life are becoming a threat again.
Verse 17: “When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, ‘Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall restrain my people’” (1 Samuel 9:17). Everybody was doing what was right in their own eyes, and this man—this man—will be the one to hold back their rebellion.
Now just bring together everything that we've heard already. Clueless Saul who didn't even know that Samuel existed until a little earlier that day, and Samuel, deliverer of Israel, who knows that this man is going to be king. There couldn't be a greater difference between what these two men bring to this meeting. Which makes verse 18 another great moment of comedy in this story:
“Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, ‘Tell me where is the house of the seer?”’” (1 Samuel 9:18).
This is like walking up to King Charles and asking if he can tell you where the king lives. This is so great.
Verse 19: “Samuel answered Saul, ‘I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for today you shall eat with me, and in the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is on your mind. As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father’s house?”” (1 Samuel 9:19–20).
Just imagine the look in Saul's eyes here. Imagine what's going through his mind. "This man is the seer. He seems to know who I am. I'm invited to this special meal I've just heard about? He knows about the donkeys—and they're okay? He's telling me this for free? And all the desire of Israel is turned to and focused on me and my father's house?
This is one of history's great, "I think you have the wrong guy" moments. “Saul answered, ‘Am I not a Benjaminite, from the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this way?’” (1 Samuel 9:21).
Samuel says nothing. But he "takes" Saul and his servant and brings them into the hall and gives them the seats of honour in this invitation-only celebration. I want to know what Saul's servant was thinking this whole time. Like is he just sitting there grinning thinking "Oh yeah, did we ever luck out today"? But then imagine Saul's growing surprise when the prime piece of meat—the leg and what was on it (v. 24)—is set before him.
This is the priest's portion of the sacrificial animal (Ex 29:27, Lev 7:32). Whatever is going on here is really serious. And Samuel tells him that this was kept for him so that he could eat it with these guests (v. 24). This whole thing is a celebration planned around him!
"So Saul was with Samuel that day," ends verse 24, leaving out the part about his head spinning. After that, he went down into the city where a bed was spread out for him to sleep. I wonder how much sleep he got that night. What a day.
3. Saul the Messiah (9:26-10:16)
In the morning, Saul gets a wake-up call from the old prophet, who wakes him up, walks with him into the street, and tells his servant to go on ahead of them so that he might share with him a message from the Lord (vv. 26-27).
And then it happens. “Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, ‘Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over his people Israel?’” (1 Samuel 10:1).
Saul is a messiah now—an anointed one. Up until this point, the only people in Israel who had been anointed were the high priests. The symbol here communicates that the king is not just a human political office. God is choosing this person and dedicating them to this sacred office as His servant and agent.
We shouldn't read too much into the word "prince." It is not quite the same word as king, but it doesn't necessarily communicate anything less than king. It means a "leader," and the same word is used several times with David.
Saul is God's chosen leader—that's the point. And without pausing or letting Saul respond, Samuel goes on to give Saul a sign that this is indeed true.
By this point, we know how this kind of story goes. God tells ordinary people that He's going to use them for something extraordinary, and they ask, "How can I know this to be true?" And they ask for a sign.
So Samuel doesn't wait for Saul to ask. He gives him a sign. And the sign is a series of events that are about to happen to him—events that only God could know in advance. If these events do in fact take place as Samuel predicts, then Saul can know that God really has anointed him to be king.
The events that Samuel foretells come in three groups and involve three groups of people. First, he's going to meet two men by a specific location that are a search party, sent out by Saul's dad to find him and tell him that the donkeys are found and it’s time to come home (v. 2). Then, he's going to meet three men at another location who are going to be carrying specific items and are going to give him two loaves of bread (vv. 3-4). And finally, as he gets to his home city, he's going to meet a group of prophets, and the Holy Spirit is going to rush upon Saul and he himself will prophesy and be transformed into a whole new person.
And then—and here's the important piece—Saul, having had his faith confirmed by these signs, must respond to God's anointing. “Now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you. Then go down before me to Gilgal. And behold, I am coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do’” (1 Samuel 10:7–8).
So, what happens? These signs all come true. It starts with God giving Saul another heart in verse 9. "And all these signs came to pass that day" (v. 9). The text focuses us specifically on the third sign, which took place when Saul got home. “When they came to Gibeah, behold, a group of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them. And when all who knew him previously saw how he prophesied with the prophets, the people said to one another, ‘What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”’” (1 Samuel 10:10–11).
Saul was not the prophesying type. He was not the kind of person who had spent time with the prophets. But here he is, filled with the Spirit, speaking out God's word like one of them. And the event is so unusual that it becomes a saying among the people of Israel. "Is Saul also among the prophets?" Which kind of means something like, "Now I've seen everything."
The day finishes up with Saul going to the high place at Gibeah, where he meets his uncle, who asks him about everything that happened. Saul mentions that he saw Samuel, but "about the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel had spoken, he did not tell him anything” (1 Samuel 10:16).
Compare that with what Samuel had told Saul to do. "Do what your hand finds to do." We don't have to guess too hard what that meant. Samuel had told Saul that he would save Israel from the hand of their enemies (v. 1). In verse 5, he reminded him that, right in his hometown, there is a garrison of the Philistines. Saul had these three signs to confirm his faith.
Now is his test. Now is his chance to prove himself as king material. Go take on the enemies of God.
But instead, Saul just goes home, keeping the whole thing one big secret. He did whatever his hands found to do—which was put them in his pockets and do nothing. And, as we find out very clearly next week, he does not go down to Gilgal. He just does nothing, forcing Samuel to take action instead.
Which we'll pick up on next week when Dylan Hamata will be preaching on the rest of chapter 10 for us.
4. What Is Going On Here?
But here we are, at the end of Saul's journey there and back again, wondering, "what are we supposed to make of all of this?" How do we put together the pieces in this chapter?
And what I mean specifically by that is, how do we reconcile two major elements in this story that seem so in tension with one another? On the one hand, there is the clear hand of God, who has sovereignly chosen Saul, speaks to Samuel about him, providentially leads Saul right to Samuel to be anointed, and even comes upon Saul by His Holy Spirit so that Saul himself is, at least temporarily, transformed into a prophet.
And on the other hand, there are all of these giant red flags with Saul, all of these warning signs that this “asked-for" king is not the best guy for the job. How do we put these pieces together?
Maybe the solution is to point out that Saul is young. Maybe he's just figuring out how to adult, and whatever immaturity we see here is just going to be worked out as he grows older.
The problem there is that he's not super young. He's not an old man, but we find out in the next chapters that within 2 or 3 years his oldest son is commanding military units and fighting battles. So Saul can't be any younger than his late 30s. He's not a young "lad" like his servant.
And so, in this passage, we get a picture of someone who is uncertain, unprepared, and unaware. And let's be kind for a moment: there are people who tend to be like this. God loves them, and we love them too, but they probably shouldn't be on the short list for potential kings, no matter how tall or good-looking they are.
And yet, God gives Saul a fighting chance. By His Spirit, He gives him the resources he needs. There's a genuine offer. The sense is that, if Saul chose differently, this could have turned out differently. But all of the signs are here that, instead, Saul's life is going to be a slow-motion train wreck of a man who never rises above his weaknesses.
And knowing all of this, still God works! Still God makes this happen! Knowing all of this, God still leads Saul to Samuel and has him anointed and gives him these signs. Because Saul's very failure, just like Israel's request for a king, is a part of God's plan. It's all a part of setting up the better king—first David, and then Christ—who we can appreciate so much more against the backdrop of Saul's failure.
So a big lesson here for us is to be careful in interpreting God's providence. When circumstances really work out well, isn't it common to hear Christians say things like, "That was a God thing"? And don't we assume that, when a "God thing" happens, that's a sign that it's all going to work out just great? And when things don't work out great, we assume that we must have done something wrong to get ourselves out of God's will?
Brothers and sisters, this is not biblical thinking. This is thinking that has more in common with paganism than Christianity. Because according to what God has told us, everything is a "God thing." Not just the amazing signs, but according to Jesus, the number of hairs on your head and the falling of a sparrow to the ground (Matt 10:29-30). This is God's world and there's nothing that is not a "God thing."
So when you're in the city and you get 10 green lights in a row so that you show up exactly on time for your important meeting, where you happen to bump into an old friend in the lobby who happens to know the CEO who happens to help you get your dream job—yes, that is a "God thing." But so is the time that you hit every single red light so that you're late for your appointment and you don't get the job. In both sets of circumstances, God is directing and leading you as He does for all things.
And if you get the dream job, that doesn't mean it's going to be what you dreamed. Maybe it's going to turn out to be a huge trial, and you'll come home crying every day, and that doesn't mean you misunderstood God's will. It means that God got you through those ten green lights precisely because He had lessons He wanted to teach you through the suffering.
God moves in a mysterious way. We don't always know what He's doing. But we can trust Him, and obey His word, and believe that He's working all things—even the difficult things, even the suffering—to make us more like His Son.
And it's that Son that this passage is really about. Unlike tall and handsome Saul, Jesus had “no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2). Far from being the king that Israel asked for, “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isaiah 53:3).
But Jesus is a better Messiah in every respect. A true prophet, who—not just once, but always—speaks the word of God and in fact is the word of God. A true priest who doesn't just eat the chosen portion once, but who offers Himself up for our sins. And a better king who doesn't slink around, but takes action against our enemies and rushes to save us.
Whatever is going on in your life right now, whether the "God things" have been green lights or red lights, whether you can't believe how great things have been going, or you can't believe how hard things have been, whether God is saying "yes" to every prayer or "no" to every prayer, God is working to make you see Jesus more clearly, and love Jesus more clearly, and become more like Jesus yourself.
So look to Jesus now. He's what you need. More than ease, more than comfort, more than relief from pain. You need Him. So in these next minutes, whether you sing along with the team or not, would you pray and ask God to help you see, know, and enjoy Christ more in this next week than you did last week? And to use whatever circumstances He needs to to make that happen?