1 Samuel
Below is the outline I gave earlier of the Book of First Samuel. Today I would like to fill in some notes for you on chapter 9, which would come under Roman numeral II, Alphabet letter A, and number 2.
Chapters 1 - 31
I love this book for many reasons, but most of all because it shows the response of two men to success and failure - God showed grace upon Saul even though he was not God's choice for Israel's king, but that grace was rejected and Saul became haughty. On the other hand, David saved the nation from the Philistines when no one else would face Goliath. He received the grace that God extended and did the job in humility. Both men had the same opportunity to serve God but one became haughty and was rejected and the other remained humbled and was respected for his dependence and devotion. It is a powerful lesson for all of us. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
I. The Record of Samuel: The Prophet 1:1 - 7:17
A. His Ancestry 1:1 - 2:10
B. His Anointing of God 2:11 - 3:21
C. His Affirmations 4:1 - 7:17
II. The Reign and Ruin of Saul: The Proud 8:1 - 31:13
A. His Arrives on the Scene 8:1 - 15:35
1. He is Demanded 8:1-22
2. He is Determined 9:1 - 14:52
3. He is Doomed 15:1-35
His Arrogance and Anger begin to Surface 16:1 - 31:13
III. The Run and Rise of God's Selection, David: The Proven Pick 16:1-31:13
A. His Foes - Goliath 16:1 - 17:58
B. His Friend - Jonathan 18:1 - 19:17
C. His Flight - Saul 19:17 - 30:21
IV. The Results of Hating and Hiding (Saul vs David) 31:1-13
A. It is obvious that the proud is excluded and the humble is exalted!
Today's TEXT:
1 Samuel 9:1 There was an influential man of Benjamin named Kish son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, son of a Benjaminite. 2 He had a son named Saul, an impressive young man. There was no one more impressive among the Israelites than he. He stood a head taller than anyone else. 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." 4 Saul and his attendant went through the hill country of Ephraim and then through the region of Shalishah, but they didn't find them. They went through the region of Shaalim-nothing. Then they went through the Benjaminite region but still didn't find them. 5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to the attendant who was with him, "Come on, let's go back, or my father will stop [worrying] about the donkeys and start worrying about us." 6 "Look," the attendant said, "there's a man of God in this city who is highly respected; everything he says is sure to come true. Let's go there now. Maybe he'll tell us which way we should go." 7 "Suppose we do go," Saul said to his attendant, "what do we take the man? The food from our packs is gone, and there's no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?"
Introduction: There is certainly clear evidence here that Saul was a very determined young man, but one may be determined yet be unwise. We might even consider him a bit hard headed. Our observation of his youth can give us insight into how he will reign as king.
He is sent on a task by his father and gives us along the way when he can't accomplish the task, but fortunately with him was a persistent attendant who sought the man of God -
The Men - vss 1-2
So we have the order as follows: Benjamin fathered Aphiah, who fathered Becorath, who fathered Zeror, who fathered Abiel, who fathered Kish, who fathered Saul. Hence, Saul's great, great, great grandfather was Benjamin who was - The second son Rachel bore to Jacob (Gen. 35:17-18). He became the forefather of the tribe of Benjamin. His birth was difficult, and his mother named him Ben-oni, which means “son of my sorrow.” She died giving him birth. His father Jacob, however, did not let that name stand. He gave the child the name Benjamin.The tribe of Benjamin occupied the smallest territory of all the tribes.Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary.
Remember that the Apostle Paul came from the tribe of Benjamin.
The Mission - vss 3-4
It use to happen far more frequently than it does now, but living in the South, it has not been unusual to see livestock break through a fence and roam the roadway. It is certainly common in many other countries. So, we can get the picture here of what happened to the donkeys of Kish. BUT beyond that we see the Sovereign will of God in the guiding of the donkeys, so that Saul, through the persistence of his attendant, might come face to face with the man of God. There are no coincidences with God.
The Misunderstanding - vs 5
Saul was ready to give up and go back! Pity! He never was quite willing to TRUST God completely. He never quite understood the Sovereignty of God. Hence he couldn't face Goliath without David, he went to the witch of Endor for counsel rather than the prophet of God, he sought to kill his son's best friend, David, simply because the people loved David and Saul of jealous, and he ended up falling on his own sword in order to take his own life. He simply misunderstood how God works.
The Mistake - vss 6-7
Here we see a mistake that comes from a misunderstanding about God - "a gift for the prophet". True men of God are not prostitutes who sell themselves. That is certainly a lesson we need to learn today. I drive an hour to and from a near-by town once a week for a Bible Study at my own expense and someone asked what I am selling. My reply was I came to GIVE, not SELL! Many of today "men of God" will answer for prostituting themselves in the name of God because they will only go where they can GET the most! Pity! It is a MISTAKE to think this way for those giving or those receiving. There is certainly nothing wrong with the ACT, but there is something wrong if the ATTITUDE is selfish!
Conclusion: Here we have great insight into the life of a boy before he became a man, and it is quite a revelation. He is determined, BUT his determination is not to finish the task. He has to have someone else to bolster or blame.
BLESSINGS!
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