Year One, August 11

He Knows the Way That I Take1

1 Samuel 9:1-6; 14-21; 26-27

1There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish…a man of wealth. 2And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. (It would have been better if he had been godly as well as handsome.) 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.

3Now 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.” (A quaint writer2 says, “Saul’s obedience was a proper way to begin his reign as king. The job was not all that important for the son of a great man, yet, he does not refuse to go with his father’s servant on such a humble errand. The disobedient and scornful are good for nothing. They are not ready to be subjects or governors. Kish was a great man in his country, yet he was not above sending his son Saul on a simple errand; neither does Saul plead that it would disgrace him. Pride and love of pleasure have marred our times. Great parents count it a dishonor to employ their sons in honest labor, and their pampered children think it is shameful to do anything, and so they behave as if they considered it a glory to be idle or wicked.”)

4And 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.

5When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come, let us go back, lest my father cease to care about the donkeys and become anxious about us.” 6But 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.” (They came to the man of God about donkeys, and learned something about a kingdom. Many go to hear preachers out of idle curiosity, but God leads them into the kingdom of his dear Son.)

14So 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.

15Now 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 over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come to me.” 17When 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.” 18Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, “Tell me where is the house of the seer?” 19Samuel 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. (That he did, and very much more. God’s ministers are enabled by his Spirit to expose the secrets of people’s hearts, and then they tell them about the kingdom of heaven.)

20As 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?” (Who cares about finding donkeys when a kingdom is on the horizon? Who cares about earthly joys when heaven is nearby? How foolish are those who spend all their thoughts on this world’s stray donkeys, and lose the unfading crown of glory.) 21Saul 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?”

26Then at the break of dawn 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.

27As 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. (Today, let each of us do our best to have a little time for thought and prayer; while we keep these words in our hearts, “Stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the word of God.”)

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¹ Job 23:10

² The original quote is found in a volume by Joseph Hall (circa 1650).