The First Book Of Samuel. Day 24, The Lord Prepares Samuel To Meet The King

The donkeys of Saul's father have gone missing and Saul and a servant have been searching for them in several regions with no luck. Saul is concerned that by now his father is far more worried about him and the servant than the donkeys, so he suggests they go home. But the servant remembers that there is a man living nearby who is a prophet and he says they should see whether he can help them.

Saul is willing to go see this man but doesn't want to go empty handed. "Saul said to his servant, 'If we go, what can we give the man? The food in our sacks is gone. We have no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?'" (1 Samuel 9:7) It was customary to take a gift to a prophet as thanks for his help, according to several passages of the Bible we'll study later in the Old Testament. It's not that Samuel (or any other prophet) wouldn't have rendered aid when needed, whether or not a gift was involved. But "the laborer deserves his wages", as the Lord Jesus said (Matthew 10:10, Luke 10:7) and as the Apostle Paul said (1 Timothy 5:18). If Saul and his servant are going to ask Samuel for help, they should recognize the value of his time with a gift.

Saul seems like a person who is willing to give up on a task when inconveniences arise. I can relate to that because a series of small inconveniences will sometimes discourage me quicker than one big problem will. In Saul's defense he's probably weary from traveling from town to town searching for them. I don't know how many days it took to travel through the regions mentioned in the first half of Chapter 9 but he and his servant are out of the supplies they packed for what they thought would be a quick journey. Saul is tired of looking for the wayward animals and wants to call it quits. He briefly rallied when the servant mentioned calling on the prophet but upon realizing his pockets are empty he thought, "We have nothing of value with us to give him. We might as well go home and tell my father the donkeys can't be retrieved." 

But Saul's servant has a more persistent character. He seems to possess a more positive attitude and it so happens that he's quite practical too: he's brought a little money along on the journey. "The servant answered him again. 'Look,' he said, 'I have a quarter of a shekel of silver. I will give it to the man of God so that he will tell us what way to take.' (Formerly in Israel, if someone went to inquire of God, they would say, 'Come, let us go to the seer,' because the prophet of today used to be called a seer." (1 Samuel 9:8-9) The author adds a little footnote here to tell us that earlier in Israel's history they referred to prophets as "seers". These two words can be used interchangeably and often will be as we continue traveling through the books of the Old Testament. 

The servant only has about three grams of silver but it's the only thing the two men have with them that's acceptable as a gift. "'Good,' Saul said to his servant. 'Come, let's go.' So they set out for the town where the man of God was. As they were going up the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to draw water, and they asked them, 'Is the seer here?'" (1 Samuel 9:10-11) This is the town of Ramah, which is Samuel's home base, and we were told earlier in 1 Samuel that he built an altar at Ramah. The Philistines evidently burned the town of Shiloh, where the people used to worship at the tabernacle, so the center of worship has apparently been moved to Ramah where the Lord's prophet and last judge of Israel lives. The ark of the covenant is also no longer at Shiloh; after it's capture and return by the Philistines it has been kept at Kiriath Jearim. The importance of knowing that there is a major altar of worship at Ramah is that it explains the answer of the young women below.

When asked if the seer is in town, the women answer in the affirmative and provide additional information. "'He is,' they answered. 'He's ahead of you. Hurry now; he has just come to our town today, for the people have a sacrifice at the high place. As soon as you enter the town, you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will not begin eating until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; afterward, those who are invited will eat. Go up now; you should find him about this time.'" (1 Samuel 9:12-13) We previously learned that in his role as judge Samuel had to make a circuit of the towns and villages to hear legal cases. It just so happens (because the Lord made it happen this way) that the donkeys became lost at the same time Samuel would be returning home to officiate over what may have been a special holy day.

Not only has the Lord set up the circumstances that will cause Saul and Samuel to cross paths, but He has prepared Samuel ahead of time to meet the man who will be king. "They went up to the town, and as they were entering it, there was Samuel, coming toward them on his way up to the high place. Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel: 'About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him ruler over My people Israel; he will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked on My people, for their cry has reached Me.'" (1 Samuel 9:15-16) Just as the Lord used Samson to help the Israelites in their fight against the enemy Philistines, even though Samson was not a very godly man, the Lord intends to use Saul for the same purpose. Saul will turn out to have a knack for planning battle strategies. He is not a very godly man but he's a man who will be able to inspire and command the soldiers of Israel. There will be things the people won't like about Saul but he will be able to accomplish some important feats for national security. 

When Samuel arrives at Ramah, the man the Lord told him about is already there. "When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord said to him, 'This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern My people.'" (1 Samuel 9:17) Samuel isn't happy about the Israelites' demand for a king but the Lord has already told him to give them what they want. He will be obedient to the Lord. He will do what the Lord tells him to do and anoint Saul of the tribe of Benjamin as the first king of Israel. As for Saul, he thinks he's only consulting the prophet about some lost donkeys. He has no idea the Lord has set up a divine appointment. Imagine his surprise in tomorrow's text when he learns he is about to be anointed king of Israel! Had he known this ahead of time, I have a suspicion he would have stayed as far away from Ramah as possible. He will be reluctant to take on this daunting task. I think this is why the Lord prepared Samuel ahead of time for the meeting but said nothing to Saul about what he is soon to be asked to do. 

The Lord tells us what we need to know when we need to know it. Like a good father, He doesn't give us more information than we're ready to handle. When the time comes for us to take on the task He's calling us to perform, He will supply the grace and strength to complete the task. He knows we have a human tendency to fear the unknown and will worry about how everything is going to come together if He tells us about things too far ahead.