1 Samuel 9 – Study

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: 1 Sam 9:1-14

1 There was a Benjaminite, a man of standing, whose name was Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bekorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. 2 Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else.

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.’ 4 So he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and through the area around Shalisha, but they did not find them. They went on into the district of Shaalim, but the donkeys were not there. Then he passed through the territory of Benjamin, but they did not find them.

5 When they reached the district of Zuph, Saul said to the servant who was with him, ‘Come, let’s go back, or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us.’

6 But the servant replied, ‘Look, in this town there is a man of God; he is highly respected, and everything he says comes true. Let’s go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take.’

7 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?’

8 The servant answered him again. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I have a quarter of a shekel[g] of silver. I will give it to the man of God so that he will tell us what way to take.’ 9 (Formerly in Israel, if someone went to enquire of God, they would say, ‘Come, let us go to the seer,’ because the prophet of today used to be called a seer.)

10 ‘Good,’ Saul said to his servant. ‘Come, let’s go.’ So they set out for the town where the man of God was.

11 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?’

12 ‘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. 13 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; afterwards, those who are invited will eat. Go up now; you should find him about this time.’

14 They went up to the town, and as they were entering it, there was Samuel, coming towards them on his way up to the high place.

A. Find Out:

1. How is Saul described? v.2
2. What promoted the trip away from home? v.3
3. What point did Saul come to? v.5
4. What suggestion did his servant make? v.6
5. When had Samuel arrived? v.12
6. When did they meet him? v.14

B. Think:

1. What chain of events brought the meeting between Saul and Samuel?
2. Why might Saul be a likely candidate to satisfy the people’s desire?
3. What do we learn of Samuel’s position in Israel from this passage?

C. Comment:

     Enter Saul stage left! From being an unknown individual, he steps into the arena of national leadership, completely unknowingly! As far as Saul is concerned his family has problems – the donkeys have gone astray, possibly someone has taken them, so he is sent looking for them, for they are valuable.  Saul and his servant look and look and look, and he is just on the verge of giving up and returning home.  It is then his servant comes up with a bright idea: let’s go and ask the seer (for that is how they viewed Samuel).

     Samuel obviously wasn’t that well known, and Saul obviously hasn’t had anything to do with him so far. In what follows we have coincidence after coincidence that culminates in a meeting between Saul and Samuel. So far there has been nothing to indicate that the hand of God is behind all this, but then so many sorts of “coincidences” appear like that! We’ll soon see that this is a divine appointment being set up. This tall young man is just the sort of man Israel is looking for as a king, so he’s the one God will give them, not the best but just what Israel want.  They’ll learn!

D. Application?

1. God often moves through what we might call “coincidences”.
2. God often gives us just what we want, either as blessing or bane (to discipline us).

Passage: 1 Sam 9:15-24

15 Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel: 16 ‘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.’

17 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.’

18 Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and asked, ‘Would you please tell me where the seer’s house is?’

19 ‘I am the seer,’ Samuel replied. ‘Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you are to eat with me, and in the morning I will send you on your way and will tell you all that is in your heart. 20 As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been found. And to whom is all the desire of Israel turned, if not to you and your whole family line?’

21 Saul answered, ‘But am I not a Benjaminite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?’

22 Then Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the hall and seated them at the head of those who were invited – about thirty in number. 23 Samuel said to the cook, ‘Bring the piece of meat I gave you, the one I told you to lay aside.’

24 So the cook took up the thigh with what was on it and set it in front of Saul. Samuel said, ‘Here is what has been kept for you. Eat, because it was set aside for you for this occasion from the time I said, “I have invited guests.”’ And Saul dined with Samuel that day.

A. Find Out:

1. What had the Lord told Samuel He would do? v.15,16a
2. What did He tell Samuel to do? v.16b
3. How did Samuel recognise Saul? v.17
4. How did Samuel first reassure Saul? v.20a
5. How did Samuel bring concern to Saul? v.20b
6. How had Samuel clearly prepared for Saul? v.22-24

B. Think:

1. What part does the Lord claim in this meeting?
2. How is Samuel shown to be a man with an open ear to the Lord and what benefit comes from that?
3. What sort of man is Saul seen to be in this passage?

C. Comment:

      First note that quite clearly this is a meeting brought about by God (v.16). God is responding to His people’s cry even while they are rejecting Him. Note how he refers 3 times in v.16 to “my people”, indicating that grace still prevails.

      Second, note Samuel’s ability to hear the Lord. There is no indication that God’s words came in any way other than directly through Samuel’s spirit. It was that ability that allowed him to be known as a “seer”, one who received revelation from God. It is that ability that enables him to bring a word of knowledge to Saul, that the donkeys had been found. It is that ability that enables him to declare, “you are the one all Israel is asking for”.

     Third, note Saul’s response; he can’t see how such a thing can possibly be. He only sees the negatives about himself, like so many of us do, but the Lord sees his potential, just as He sees ours! 

       Note finally that Samuel treats Saul as the person he is going to be, and with honour he prepares a banquet for him. If only we were able to do that with people, how different life would be!

D. Application?

1. Even though we are far from the Lord, He still loves us. That’s grace!
2. God sees as more as we will be than what we were. Can we do that with other Christians?

(For remaining verses, see next chapter)