#419 I Was Looking For My Donkeys

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. 2 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.

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.” 4 And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then they passed through the land of Benjamin, but did not find them.

5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant[a] who was with him, “Come, let us go back, lest my father cease to care about the donkeys and become anxious about us.” 6 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.” 7 Then Saul said to his servant, “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?” 8 The servant answered Saul again, “Here, I have with me a quarter of a shekel[b] of silver, and I will give it to the man of God to tell us our way.” 9 (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he said, “Come, let us go to the seer,” for today's “prophet” was formerly called a seer.) 10 And Saul said to his servant, “Well said; come, let us go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was.

11 As they went up the hill to the city, they met young women coming out to draw water and said to them, “Is the seer here?” 12 They answered, “He is; behold, he is just ahead of you. Hurry. He has come just now to the city, because the people have a sacrifice today on the high place. 13 As soon as you enter the city you will find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat till he comes, since he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now go up, for you will meet him immediately.” 14 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.

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[c] over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen[d] my people, because their cry has come to me.” 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.” 18 Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, “Tell me where is the house of the seer?” 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. 20 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?” 21 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?”

22 Then Samuel took Saul and his young man and brought them into the hall and gave them a place at the head of those who had been invited, who were about thirty persons. 23 And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion I gave you, of which I said to you, ‘Put it aside.’” 24 So the cook took up the leg and what was on it and set them before Saul. And Samuel said, “See, what was kept is set before you. Eat, because it was kept for you until the hour appointed, that you might eat with the guests.”[e]

So Saul ate with Samuel that day. 25 And when they came down from the high place into the city, a bed was spread for Saul on the roof, and he lay down to sleep.[f] 26 Then at the break of dawn[g] Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Up, that I may send you on your way.” So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out into the street.

27 As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to pass on before us, and when he has passed on, stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the word of God.” 1 Samuel 9 ESV

Saul was from a wealthy home, an ideal candidate for that show "The Bachelor", easy on the eyes, and as the saying goes, head and shoulders above the rest. You say, "careful where you go with this, for didn't God choose him?" There is no authority under heaven that God does not allow to be in authority but also none by which men can be saved from God's holiness. Saul is Israel's choice not only in wanting a king, but also fitting to that image; he is the outside of the cup, tall, handsome, a physical specimen. He is about his father's business, and like Nazareth though, one could well ask, can anything good come of Gibeah? Saul himself ask, am I a not a Benjamite? There is so much here it is overwhelming, but remember, lineage is not itself a preserver of anything except sin. As the next king will attest after Saul, "in sin my mother conceived me." I was born this way, into life a sinner, to the spiritual a still born. Saul is chasing his father's donkeys, this is what he knows and how far he sees. In the law it was provided that a neighbor return or keep the strays of another till that true owner be found, but the law is only as good as the practice of it, insufficient in itself beyond a sign. This is God drawing Saul to this duty, to seek the Seer, and to be anointed as king over Israel. Saul did not choose this appointment, only little steps along the way, as the Son of God said, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you', and likewise, 'no one comes to me unless the father who sent me draws him." 

Where are those donkeys? I know of a guy, he sees things, and everything he says comes to pass. Well then, let's find this guy and ask him the most important question we can think of, where's the donkeys? Saul takes out a bit of coin to give him and they ask some local women, where is the prophet? The women can point him straight to the man of God and bid them speed. How prepared am I in that way, to give directions that send people to where the Word of God is actually being taught, where they can actually grow? Do you know who the pastors are in your town that actually fear God, who actually fall under the authority of Holy Scripture? Who is not afraid to teach the whole counsel of God in your town? Saul takes their direction and approaches Samuel not knowing who he is, there must be nothing special about him, like Christ, no beauty that we should desire him, nothing of outward sign conforming him to our image of greatness. Yet he sees, because God shows him, and he knows because God tells him, so he has something to say that is worth hearing. Saul doesn't even get to ask his question, and it is put to rest, your donkeys are fine, don't worry about the donkeys. What would you ask, if you could stand before Christ now, what would be your question? What weighs most heavily upon your heart?

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

³⁴ “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 6: 31-34

Samuel had set aside a place of honor and a particular cut of meat, the shoulder, for Saul would restrain the people, he would be the arm of the law. Men have needed some sort of restraint ever since the fall. There are never better times enjoyed then when men restrain themselves, for the law should be only for the lawless. Those that rule should also be exemplary of the law, men of self control, women of sound mind, held accountable to the law. Will he stay humble? Samuel is going to tell him the word of the Lord, will he apply it, will it stay close to his heart? 

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Psalm 1