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Samuel chapter 9 reminds me of the age old battle of predetermination
verses free will. Some will argue that since God controls all
things, we really have no choice; we are simply destined to follow
the path that is already set. Others will argue that free will is a
main tenant of faith; without free will it is impossible to choose to
worship God. In the chapter, we see Saul guided by circumstances,
his decisions and the unfaltering companionship of his servant, all
working together to bring him to an exact place at a specified time.
The chapter begins, “There
was a Benjamite, a man of high standing, whose name was Kish… he
had a son named Saul, an impressive young man without equal… a head
taller than any of the others“.
Saul’s qualifications for becoming Israel’s first king are: he
is tall, good looking and comes from a wealthy family. There is no
reference to his relationship with God; in fact, God is not mentioned
at all. Next we read, “Now
some of the donkeys belonging to Saul’s father were lost“.
Saul is instructed to “take
one of the servants with you and go find the donkeys“.
Saul does not realize he is on a spiritual journey, but don’t miss
the importance of the servant as his companion. There are very few
times in the Bible when anyone is directed to do something alone.
Saul
and his servant, “pass
through Ephraim… but the donkeys were not there… Shaalim, but the
donkeys were not there… the territory of Benjamin, but they did not
find them…“.
Saul said to his servant, “come,
let’s go back“.
He even reasons, he is only thinking of others, “My
father… will start worrying about me“.
However, Saul’s faithful servant encourages him not to give up the
quest. He leads Saul to inquire of “a
man of God… everything he says comes true“.
The servant even tells Saul HE will provide the gift of thanks to
the man of God. With his anxiety overcome, Saul decides, “Good…
come, let’s go“.
As they entered the town, “There
was Samuel walking toward them on his way to the high place“.
We also learn that the previous day, God had spoken to Samuel and
said, “About
this time tomorrow, I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin.
Anoint him leader of my people… for their cry has reached Me“.
Even though the people had rejected God, He still responds with
compassion. When Samuel caught sight of Saul, God spoke to him,
“This
is the man I spoke to you about“.
Samuel invites Saul to “eat
with me and in the morning I will… tell you all that is in your
heart“.
But he also calmed his immediate fears, “As
for the donkeys… do not worry about them, they have been found“.
Saul and his servant are given the seat of honor and served a
portion of meat “that
was set aside for you for this occasion“.
In the morning Samuel spoke to Saul, “Stay
here a while, so that I may give you a message from God“.
And there the chapter ends.
Some
of us have been frustrated by searching on our own for something
important that is missing from our life. Like Saul, we have given up
at times for what we believe are unselfish reasons. In the Gospel of
John, Jesus speaks extensively about The Holy Spirit of God. He is
called “the
Helper“,
“the
Comforter”
and “the
Enabler“.
Jesus explains that we are not alone in our spiritual search, “I
will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may
be with you forever”
(John 14:16-20). Our relationship with God is not by chance
circumstance, but guided by understanding the truth of scriptures.
“But
when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the
truth”
(John 16:13). “But
the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He
will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I
said to you”
(John 14:26). Jesus even explains His desire to answer the prayer of
faith, “And
I will do whatever you ask in My name”
(John 14:11). If you are frustrated in your search, call on the
name of Jesus and He will give you the Helper. There is no need to
search alone.