God Chooses Saul

God's Exceptional Choice  Out of Slavery - Into Nationhood Who Is King Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5)  1 Samuel 9:3-17 The Message 3-4 Some of Kish's donkeys got lost. Kish said to his son, "Saul, take one of the servants with you and go look for the donkeys." Saul took one of the servants and went to find the donkeys. They went into the hill country of Ephraim around Shalisha, but didn't find them. Then they went over to Shaalim—no luck. Then to Jabin, and still nothing. 5 When they got to Zuph, Saul said to the young man with him, "Enough of this. Let's go back. Soon my father is going to forget about the donkeys and start worrying about us." 6 He replied, "Not so fast. There's a holy man in this town. He carries a lot of weight around here. What he says is always right on the mark. Maybe he can tell us where to go." 7 Saul said, "If we go, what do we have to give him? There's no more bread in our sacks. We've nothing to bring as a gift to the holy man. Do we have anything else?" 8-9 The servant spoke up, "Look, I just happen to have this silver coin! I'll give it to the holy man and he'll tell us how to proceed!" (In former times in Israel, a person who wanted to seek God's word on a matter would say, "Let's visit the Seer," because the one we now call "the Prophet" used to be called "the Seer.”) 10 "Good," said Saul, "let's go." And they set off for the town where the holy man lived. 11 As they were climbing up the hill into the town, they met some girls who were coming out to draw water. They said to them, "Is this where the Seer lives?" 12-13 They answered, "It sure is—just ahead. Hurry up. He's come today because the people have prepared a sacrifice at the shrine. As soon as you enter the town, you can catch him before he goes up to the shrine to eat. The people won't eat until he arrives, for he has to bless the sacrifice. Only then can everyone eat. So get going. You're sure to find him!" 14 They continued their climb and entered the city. And then there he was—Samuel!—coming straight toward them on his way to the shrine! 15-16 The very day before, God had confided in Samuel, "This time tomorrow, I'm sending a man from the land of Benjamin to meet you. You're to anoint him as prince over my people Israel. He will free my people from Philistine oppression. Yes, I know all about their hard circumstances. I've heard their cries for help." 17 The moment Samuel laid eyes on Saul, God said, "He's the one, the man I told you about. This is the one who will keep my people in check." For Reflection Saul was as lost as the donkeys he was sent to find. At a last desperate moment and at the advice of his servant, Saul sought the council of a seer, a prophet. Little did Saul know that God had prearranged a meeting with the prophet Samuel. God vowed to bestow divine strength to protect the people from the Philistines. The people who wanted a King got one. Pray Pray, rejoice, and give thanks for the gift of God's merciful response. Pray and know that what may seem to be a desirable ask may turn out to be a temporary blessing. God is the only sovereign king. Forward to a friend Sign up for our mailing list!