Lost and Found 1 Samuel 9

 

Introduction

 

It is in those times of hopeless chaos — when the sovereign hand of God is most likely to be seen.

So said the great Scottish Churchman Thomas Chalmers.

We can imagine he would say it of the days we live in. I know many of us feel a sense of hopelessness in the apparent chaos of our world today. Personally, we face uncertainty in our families or about our health. Globally we fear what the months ahead may mean economically and politically.

Today we need to know and experience the truth of which Chalmers spoke. We need to believe that God is at work in every detail of this world. We need to know that every detail of our lives is being used by God to accomplish His perfect purposes for our good and His glory.

Today, as we turn to 1 Samuel Chapter 9, we see a true story from the Bible illustrate this truth: when we feel lost in times of hopeless chaos we can find hope in the gracious sovereignty of God.

Last time we saw God’s People- facing an impending leadership crisis and the ongoing Philistine threat- demand king like the other nations have. This could rightly be described as a time of hopeless chaos. However, today we see God’s gracious sovereignty as He uses the very ordinary aspects of life to provide Saul, through whom Israel will learn the foolishness of demanding a king like all the other nations. In our passage we will see:

… A (Deceptively) Promising Beginning

… An (Extra)ordinary Expedition

… A Revealing Flashback

… An Intentional Cliffhanger

Having insisted on having a king like all the other nations, the elders get what they asked for in Saul. As we carefully watch events of Chapter 9 unfold, we learn that Saul is not really the True King of God’s People. But we do see, again and again, that our God is gracious and sovereign- always at work for His glory and our God.

So, let us begin with…

A (Deceptively) Promising Beginning

I wonder if anyone has ever been on a date which began so well but ultimately ended in disappointment?

At first, they seemed like they would be ‘the one’. But as the date went on you noticed little things seem ‘off’- perhaps a strange sense of humour, or frustrating habit- and then you knew they weren’t really the one. That promising beginning ended in disappointment.

Something similar happens when it comes to Saul. Our first impressions of Saul lead us to believe he is the one chosen by God for Israel. But as we read on we see that this not the case- God has other plans, better plans.

But our story does begin with a sense of optimism; in verses 1 and 2 we read:

There was a Benjamite, a man of standing, whose name was … He had a son named Saul, an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites-a head taller than any of the others.

The opening words of Chapter 9 give the impression something new is happening; notice how these verses echo the opening words of Chapter 1: ‘There was a man…’. The narrator is making us aware the story is advancing, and we should pay attention to this Benjamite and his son.

Chapter 9 begins with the events of Chapter 8 firmly in mind. We are aware of the questions that were raised at Ramah: Will Israel be given a king? Who will it be? However, we must be patient. The questions will only be answered through the complex story that begins with this Benjamite and his son.

Now, those of us who have been reading this story will be putting the pieces together and seeing the patter. We will notice we have another father-son story. The first two that we’ve had haven’t been particularly good. Eli and his sons was a disaster, Samuel and his sons had not ended well. Now we have Kish, he has a son- and what about his son?

Well, in verse 2, we learn that He is tall and handsome. From an earthly point of view Saul looked like an impressive candidate for king- the kind of specimen that could lead the people in battle. One commentator has noted of Saul: People would have voted him Mr. Israel had there been such a contest.

Saul was, outwardly at least, a very impressive young man. He was head and shoulders above any other Israelite. In a world that valued physical stature, Saul was someone who looked like he would be chosen by all the nations. Saul was, in a sense, exactly what Israel had asked for: the kind of person admired according to the standards of the day.

Looks can be deceiving. Saul looked the part of a king. But, in the end, we will see he wasn’t the king Israel needed.

In contrast, Jesus didn’t look the part of a king- he was humble and lowly, and His earthly ‘rule’ ended on a Cross. But at the Cross, and in His resurrection, we learn that Jesus is the king everyone needs. It is in this humble Rescuer-King that we must put our trust- He must be our King.

Back to our story. So far, Saul made a good first impression. Our expectations have been raised that Israel will shortly have a king. Let us read on. In verses 3 to 10 we read of…

An (Extra)ordinary Expedition

The story of the impressive son of Kish begins on a remarkably ordinary note; in verse 3 we read:

Now the donkeys belonging to Saul’s father Kish were lost, and Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys.”

The future of Israel was in the balance. But we are taken out into the country, to a rural family who had lost some donkeys. This is as far from the crisis of Chapter 8 as you could imagine!

Kish sent Saul, with a servant, to find the lost animals. It will turn out to be the story of much more than a search for some lost donkeys.

In verse 4 we see that Saul and his servant searched far and wide, but in vain. The donkeys were nowhere to be found. However, these men did find themselves, eventually, in the ‘…district of Zuph…’- the homeplace of Samuel.

As we journey with Saul in verses 5 to 10 we see more promising signs that he may be ‘the one’. In verse 5 Saul shows respect and concern for his father. Then, in verse 6, Saul is careful to honour the ‘man of God’ with a gift.

However, in this search for lost donkeys we also see that Saul, while humanly impressive, was not a true spiritual leader. Firstly, we see that despite searching high and low Saul could not find the lost donkeys. We are left to wonder: if Saul cannot even look after his father’s donkeys, how will he lead God’s People?

Secondly, throughout the whole expedition Saul seems completely ignorant of what is really going on. It appears Saul had been too busy becoming outwardly impressive to take any interest in spiritual matters. This spiritual blindness will play a significant role in events to come- not least his own downfall.

Finally, we observe that while Saul was in charge, it was his servant who led while Saul followed. It was the servant who insisted that they inquire of God’s prophet. Later, when Saul became king, he would frequently be influenced by others, the fear of man, rather than being obedient to God’s Word and God’s will.

So this expedition for lost donkeys is far from ordinary. It is revealing something of Saul. More importantly it reveals a vital truth about God: God directs every detail of His People’s lives according to His sovereign will.

Searching for donkeys was a common event. But the way the story is told makes clear that God had ordained every detail of this journey and directed the path of these men to accomplish His perfect will.

And, in verse 14, we see Saul arrives at the town gates at precisely the moment Samuel walked through them. God has been at work in these apparently ‘ordinary’ events to do something extraordinary. God has brought Saul to Samuel. In the search for lost donkeys, a candidate for king has been found.

Here we are reminded of God’s gracious sovereignty over every detail of life. Often, like Saul, we are blind to God’s wonderful and mysterious ways of ruling His world and caring for His People. Often we forget the glorious truth in Romans 8 verse 28 that:

…in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who^[i] have been called according to his purpose.

In God’s provision of Saul, the king His People wanted, we are pointed to God’s provision of Jesus, the Rescuer-King His People need. As we saw in our studies in Mark, while the religious leaders were scheming, God was working out His eternal plan of redemption. Jesus’ crucifixion was not the result of a tragic accident, or treacherous plans, but the fulfilment of a divine plan to deliver a Chosen People. God is always at work for the good of His People and the glory of His name.

God is graciously sovereign, and sovereignly gracious. We see this in…

A Revealing Flashback

Flashbacks are a device used in storytelling to help the audience make better sense of what is happening in a particular moment in the story. Like when we see into a character’s past- perhaps a trauma- and this helps us understand why they act the way they do. Or, in those heist movies when we are taken back to when the key characters are making their plans, and it reveals the trick or twist of how the plan worked just perfectly.

In verses 15 and 16 we read of Samuel’s perspective on the events of our passage:

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 leader over my people Israel; he will deliver my people from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked upon my people, for their cry has reached me.”

This revealing flashback to the day before Saul had arrived at Ramah changes everything!

It is now made clear to us that, in this apparently ordinary sequence of events, the Lord was sending Saul to Samuel! All that has happened so far in this chapter (the lost donkeys, the failure to find them, the servant’s idea of consulting a seer, and the timing of their arrival at Ramah) can now be seen from a more significant point of view: the Lord was providing for His People.

So, here we see the gracious sovereignty of God. We also see the sovereign grace of God.

In verses 16 and 17 we see that God was at work to save His People. Saul was the kind of leader who could rally a nation for battle, and God would use him to this end. Indeed, saving His People is what God had been doing for Israel since He brought them out of Egypt.

Why was God doing this?

Well, we know that God was not sending Saul because the people had asked for a king. Instead, as the end of verse 16 indicates, God had seen their need. The Lord had heard their cry and was sending Saul.

How precious is this truth when we consider how many times Israel had angered God and rebelled again Him. But God, in His grace, is faithful and hears His People.

Indeed, God had often heard the cry of His People and had come to save them; the sending Saul was in keeping with the Lord’s grace toward His People in the past. Even when His People are unfaithful and faithless He remains faithful and gracious. And this grace should stir us to increased obedience, rather than taking His grace for granted.

Before moving on, we should notice that three times in His message to Samuel, the Lord refers to Israel as ‘…my people…’. This shows that however rebellious His People might be, God had no intention of giving up on them. They were God’s People, His treasured possession, held in God’s love by His unchanging, sovereign grace.

What a blessing it is for us as Believers today to know that we are God’s People, His, called to proclaim His excellencies and point others to His grace.

Are you a part of the people of God, by grace, through faith in Jesus? Are you numbered among His treasured possession? Then cherish this thought: even in the worst of your days, even in the darkest of your moments, He sees you, He hears your cry, He cares, He is working for good.

Our story is moving along, teaching us much along the way, but then there is…

An Intentional Cliffhanger

So far in our story Saul seems to completely ignorant of what is going on. In the events of verses 19 to 24 Saul continues to be swept along without much clue as to what is happening.

Saul simply had no idea what was going on. Samuel’s enigmatic words- in verses 19 to 20- and actions- in verses 22 to 24- make no sense to Saul who reluctantly goes along with what Samuel is doing and saying.

Saul ends up as guest of honour at an elaborately prepared feast- and he had only been looking for his dad’s donkeys! We are not told much about the feast. Instead we follow Saul’s moves after it was over. In verse 25 we hear that Samuel talked with Saul on the roof of his house. We are told nothing of what was said.

Then at daybreak Samuel called to Saul on the roof and sends him on his way. The suspense must have been intense for Saul. Was the mysterious seer ever going to tell him what was going on?

Our passage ends in verse 27 with Samuel saying to Saul,

“Tell the servant to go on ahead of us”-and the servant did so-“but you stay here awhile, so that I may give you a message from God.”

We cannot help wondering whether someone put the chapter break at this strange point to draw attention to this moment.

The very ordinary life of Saul, who three days earlier had set out to search for nothing more significant than donkeys, was about to encounter ‘…a message from God…’. And as we will soon see, he would never be the same again. This strange story has been leading to this point: the word of God that is going to change everything for Saul and change everything for Israel.

As we pause, only partway through this story, it is worth reflecting on the Word of God. We see the significance of the events recounted in 1 Samuel 9 only when we see that the word of God was at the heart of it all. Everything that happened in this chapter was according to the word of God.

The contrast between the beginning and the end of this chapter is astonishing- from lost donkeys to the word of God, from the utterly mundane to the infinitely significant! The chapter shows, however, that the God whose word was about to be made known to Saul was sovereign over every mundane detail that had occurred. God was directing all things for His purposes.

God’s rule over the mundane details to bring Saul to be Israel’s leader points us to God’s rule over all things that happen to us to achieve God’s purpose for us. We must never forget that our God is a God of awesome power and amazing grace. He is a God of sovereign grace and gracious sovereignty. He has shown this at the Cross. And He displays it in our lives when we trust and obey; when we make Christ our True-King.

Conclusion

As we have watched events unfold in Chapter 9, we learn that Saul is not really the True King of God’s People- he may seem outwardly impressive but he is ignorant to the things of God. Still, God will use him powerfully to achieve His purposes. God is always at work to achieve His purposes.

Today, and in the chapters to come, we see that our God is gracious and sovereign- always at work for His glory and our good. Indeed, this is the message of the whole Bible and the message of the Gospel: our God of awesome power and amazing grace is always at work to bless His People and bring Glory to His name. Let us rest in this truth today and every day.