1 Samuel 9

1 Samuel 9

Guzik says "There is nothing said because there was nothing to say. Saul reflected the spiritual state of the whole nation of Israel. There may have been some spiritual image present, but the heart was far from where God wanted it to be." Dale Ralph Davis - What a handsome fellow! People would have voted him Mr. Israel had there been such a contest. A shame they didn't have basketball at Gibeah High School; with his height Saul would have been a star center. The writer passes on into his story; but you must keep in mind this description of Saul in 1Sa 9:1-2, his ideal appearance and his physical impressiveness. File it away; it will prove important much later in our story. (Focus on the Bible Commentary – 1 Samuel: Looking on the Heart) 1 Samuel 9:3 Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. So Kish said to his son Saul, "Take now with you one of the servants, and arise, go search for the donkeys." BGT 1 Samuel 9:3 καὶ ἀπώλοντο αἱ ὄνοι Κις πατρὸς Σαουλ καὶ εἶπεν Κις πρὸς Σαουλ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ λαβὲ μετὰ σεαυτοῦ ἓν τῶν παιδαρίων καὶ ἀνάστητε καὶ πορεύθητε καὶ ζητήσατε τὰς ὄνους KJV 1 Samuel 9:3 And the asses of Kish Saul's father were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses. NET 1 Samuel 9:3 The donkeys of Saul's father Kish wandered off, so Kish said to his son Saul, "Take one of the servants with you and go look for the donkeys." CSB 1 Samuel 9:3 One day the donkeys of Saul's father Kish wandered off. Kish said to his son Saul, "Take one of the attendants with you and go look for the donkeys." ESV 1 Samuel 9:3 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." NIV 1 Samuel 9:3 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." NLT 1 Samuel 9:3 One day Kish's donkeys strayed away, and he told Saul, "Take a servant with you, and go look for the donkeys." NRS 1 Samuel 9:3 Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, had strayed. So Kish said to his son Saul, "Take one of the boys with you; go and look for the donkeys." 1Sa 10:2 Jdg 5:10 10:4 1 Samuel 9 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE PROVIDENTIAL DONKEY "DEBACLE" Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost - Donkey’s were prized animals and used by royalty, which is interesting for these lost donkeys will lead to the discovery of royalty! Why were the donkeys lost? Sure there were human reasons, but remember that ultimately Jehovah is sovereign over every event in every life, all the time (good for all of us to remember)! He is in control of donkeys that have gone out of control! We will watch how God uses this seeming negative event to providentially being Saul into contact with the man of God, Samuel. THOUGHT - There were no chance occurrences in Saul's life nor are there in our lives. We need to remember that truth. My son called me this morning and related how he was served with a lawsuit on January 1, 2023, a Sunday! What are the "chances? But then he said something that shocked me. After his initial shock and "Are you kidding me" response, he opted to thank God for the "pop test," and prayed God would use it to order his steps according to God's will. This is a response only the Holy Spirit could have enabled, for he is the son who had been on drugs and alcohol for 20 years before coming to his senses. God is good! So if you have some situations that seen hopeless, let me encourage you to put your hope in God, the God of hopeless situations. I make no guarantees on the outcome of the situation, but am confident that if your confidence and hope are in the only Hope of the World, Jesus Christ, your inner being will not react to your external circumstances in the ways you may have reacted in the past. Just a thought to ponder. Smith notes that these were "Hebrew, "she-asses." As used for riding (Judges 10:4), the ass was valuable, and as these were probably kept for breeding, they were allowed more liberty than the males, and so strayed away." (The Pulpit Commentary) So Kish said to his son Saul, "Take now with you one of the servants, and arise, go search for the donkeys." - We don't know how many donkeys made a break for freedom, but we do know that in the ancient world donkeys were valuable pieces of property and so Kish was likely more than just a little upset! And so he assigned Saul an important task. The father sent his son Saul on a search and rescue mission, not knowing that he is doing the Lord's work to send him on a mission to meet the prophet Samuel who will anoint him as the first king of Israel. God's unusual ways of accomplishing His purposes in our lives reminds me of Isaiah's words "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. " (Isaiah 55:8-9) Guzik makes an excellent point "Israel’s first king will be led to the throne by three lost donkeys. We have no idea how God will use the seemingly normal and annoying circumstances of life. There are two mistakes people make regarding God’s guidance through circumstances. One mistake is to think every event of life is heavy with meaning from God. This is wrong, because though nothing happens by accident, not everything happens for a great purpose. The second mistake is to ignore the moving of God in our lives through circumstances. God wanted to use this situation to guide Saul, and God will often use circumstances in our lives the same way. We need to trust in God’s goodness and in His ability to make all things work together for good (Romans 8:28)."