CHAPTER 9

(1095 B.C.)

THE GENEALOGY OF SAUL

¹Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, and mighty man of power (of wealth).

²And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the Children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people. (It is believed that Saul was about 7 feet tall. For a moment, let us look at the contrast to the Apostle Paul. Both men had the same name; both were members of the same Tribe, Benjamin; but the one exhibits the power of the flesh, the other of the Spirit. As to physical strength and personal attractive appearance, Saul of Tarsus was wholly unlike King Saul, for Pauls bodily presence was weak [II Cor. 10:10]; King Saul was a work of the flesh, and would bring only destruction. Paul of the New Testament was a work of the Spirit, and would bring only life. Beauty and height of stature distinguish the son of Kish, but his life illustrated the fruitless effort of the old man to live as the new man [Rom., Chpt. 7].)

THE LOST ANIMALS

³And the asses of Kish Sauls father were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with you, and arise, go seek the asses. (The entire Passage from Verses 3-27 illustrates the Gospel Message. It pictures a wanderer vainly seeking a lost possession. So man vainly seeks lost innocence.)

⁴And he passed through Mount Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalisha, but they found them not: then they passed through the land of Shalim, and there they were not: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not.

⁵And when they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, Come, and let us return; lest my father leave caring for the asses, and take thought for us (be concerned that we met with trouble).

⁶And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable man; all that he says comes surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can show us our way that we should go. (It is amazing! Saul seemed to have little knowledge of Samuel, if any at all. He was totally ignorant of the man of God. The servant had to tell Saul as to who exactly Samuel was, a man of God. Likewise, we must be Christs servants and tell the lost about Jesus.)

⁷Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what have we? (As Saul, man tries to purchase Redemption, when he does hear of it. Saul would try to purchase Samuels favor. Sinners conceive that it is possible to purchase Salvation by religious efforts and emotions which are absolutely valueless.)

⁸And the servant answered Saul again, and said, Behold, I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way.

⁹(Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spoke, Come, and let us go to the Seer: for he who is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer [one who sees into the future].)

¹⁰Then said Saul to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went unto the city where the man of God was.

¹¹And as they went up the hill to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said unto them, Is the Seer here?

¹²And they answered them, and said, He is; behold, he is before you: make haste now, for he came to day to the city; for there is a sacrifice of the people today in the high place (these young ladies pointed the way; the Lord can use any Believer to point the way; we are way-showers, while Jesus is the Way [Jn. 14:6]):

¹³As soon as you be come into the city, you shall straightaway find him, before he go up to the high place to eat: for the people will not eat until he come, because he does bless the Sacrifice; and afterwards they eat that be bidden. Now therefore get you up; for about this time you shall find him.

¹⁴And they went up into the city: and when they were come into the city, behold, Samuel came out against them, for to go up to the high place (the Tabernacle had been destroyed by the Philistines, so, as of now, this place at Ramah was where Sacrifices were offered and, at this time, sanctioned by the Lord).

ANOINT SAUL

¹⁵Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying (simply refers to the fact that the Lord told Samuel as to what would transpire the next day regarding Saul),

¹⁶Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man out of the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be Captain over My people Israel, that he may save My people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon My people, because their cry is come unto Me. (Though Samuel had lightened the yoke of the Philistines by his victory at Mizpeh, yet he had by no means altogether broken their power. Saul, as a Benjamite, belonged to the bravest and most warlike Tribe of Israel, and one whose country was the seat of perpetual combat with the Philistines; therefore, whatever victory that Samuel had won in the recent past, still, Israel was again suffering from Philistine domination. The Lord desires that His People be free; and freedom can only come by the Believer placing his Faith exclusively in Christ and the Cross, through which the Holy Spirit works. The victory we need and, in fact, everything we receive from the Lord, has to be accomplished in our lives by the Power of the Holy Spirit, and the Cross is the Means by which this is done, which ever requires the Cross as the Object of our Faith, and the only Object of our Faith.)

¹⁷And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spoke to you of! this same shall reign over My people.

¹⁸Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray you, where the Seers house is (as stated, Saul had little or no knowledge at all of Samuel, which, within itself, tells us volumes).

¹⁹And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the Seer: go up before me unto the high place; for you shall eat with me today, and tomorrow I will let you go, and will tell you all that is in your heart. (Of course, the Lord knew exactly what the future held; still, as the record will show, He will do everything to try to make it work, but, as we shall see, all to no avail!)

²⁰And as for your asses that were lost three days ago, set not your mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on you, and on all your fathers house? (Saul evidently looked great to Samuel, considering that he was imposing, actually, about 7 feet tall. So, the Lord would also teach Samuel a lesson in all of this. It is so easy for even the best of us, whoever that might be, to look at the outward appearance of something, and be fooled thereby!)

²¹And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the Tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the Tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speak you so to me? (Saul was right about the Tribe of Benjamin, it almost having been destroyed some years earlier [Judg. 21:6].)

²²And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the parlour, and made them sit in the chiefest place among them who were bidden, which were about thirty persons. (Saul being seated in the chief place and, as well, given a portion of the Sacrifice, i.e., the Peace Offering, stated, within itself, that Saul was the chosen one, with all present understanding that.)

²³And Samuel said unto the cook, Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said unto you, Set it by you.

²⁴And the cook took up the shoulder, and that which was upon it, and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, Behold that which is left! set it before you, and eat: for unto this time has it been kept for you since I said, I have invited the people. So Saul did eat with Samuel that day. (When, on the previous day, the Revelation was made to Samuel that Israels future king would present himself the next day, the Prophet at once made preparations to receive him with due solemnity, and for this purpose arranged a Sacrifice, and invited thirty of the chief citizens of Ramah to assemble at the high place, and to sit at the banquet with him.)

²⁵And when they were come down from the high place into the city, Samuel communed with Saul upon the top of the house (houses in that part of the world are normally flat on top; oftentimes, especially during the summer, people slept on top of the house to catch the cool breezes).

²⁶And they arose early: and it came to pass about the spring of the day, that Samuel called Saul to the top of the house, saying, Up, that I may send you away. And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad. (Evidently, Saul and his servant had slept on the top of the house that night.)

²⁷And as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us, (and he passed on), but stand you still a while, that I may show you the Word of God. (Samuel will now tell Saul that he is to be king.)