A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns

finding the lost asses; however, his servant proposed visiting the prophet of the city to seek help.
The response of Saul in this situation suggests a lack of deep spiritual commitment on his part.
This appears to have been the first time there was any interest in turning to God for a
solution to their problem, and that was only after they had exhausted their own resources
unsuccessfully. Also, Saul objected initially to seeking out the man of God, arguing, “If we go,
what shall we bring the man? For the bread in our vessels is gone, and there is no present to
bring to the man of God” (v. 7). Like many carnal Christians and unsaved people today, Saul had
apparently concluded the prophet would only help them if they gave him a substantial gift. Only
when the servant promised to come up with the fourth part of a shekel of silver (v. 8) did Saul
agree to go to the prophet for help. A shekel of silver was the basic coin in the economy of Israel
in the Old Testament. As Jesus later observed, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will
be also” (Matt. 6:21). The insignificant value of Saul’s “offering” is emphasized when compared
to David’s willingness to spend fifty shekels of silver to offer burnt and peace offerings to the
Lord (cf. 2 Sam. 24:24-25). Their lack of spiritual commitment is further emphasized by the fact
that they were unaware of the significant religious celebration about to take place in the city and
had to be instructed by a group of girls on their way to draw water at the community well (1
Sam. 9:1113).
What Saul did not realize at the time was that God had already talked to Samuel about
him the day before. As Saul and his servant approached the aging prophet, the Lord said to
Samuel, “There he is, the man of whom I spoke to you. This one shall reign over My people” (v.
17).
Despite the fact that Samuel was and had been for a generation a well-known and loved
prophet, Saul was unable to recognize him when he met him face-to-face. He actually stopped
Samuel to ask him for directions to the seer’s house (v. 18). Samuel responded by identifying
himself, telling Saul the asses had been found, and inviting him to be his guest. Saul, who had
gone to find Samuel with his fourth of a shekel of silver as an offering, suddenly found himself
the guest of honor in the prophet’s residence in that city. He was given a seat of honor at a
banquet of about thirty persons and given a prime cut of meat for a meal. That night, Samuel
gave both Saul and his servant lodging before sending them home the next day. Interestingly
enough, Saul apparently forgot to give his gift to Samuel when he became the recipient of the
gifts of honor, food, and housing.
As Samuel escorted Saul and his servant out of the city the next day, Samuel requested a
private audience with Saul. The servant was sent on ahead to wait for Saul as he heard “the word
of God” (v. 27). “Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and
said: `Is it not because the Lord hath anointed you commander over His inheritance?’ “ (10:1)
Samuel then gave Saul instructions as to where he should go from their meeting. The route
Samuel gave to Saul involved the mention of four places which represented four disciplines of
the spiritual life Saul needed if he would be a good king over Israel.
The first place mentioned was Zelzah, which was the location of the tomb of Rachel (v.
2). There he would be told the asses had been found and that his father was sorrowing for his
son. The implication of the father’s sorrow suggests he may have feared his son had run into foul
play and was dead. This and the emphasis on Zelzah as the place of Rachel’s tomb suggest the
meaning of this place as death. Saul was a man consumed with pride which would destroy him if
he did not come to the place of death to self. Sadly, there appears to have been no effort on
Saul’s part to deal with his pride.