It never really was about the donkeys.
Scripture for today-1 Samuel 9
Seed Basket Devotional is starting a new series on the kings of Israel. These stories are filled with demonstrations of God’s great power and love. They feature true stories of brave heroes and heroines of the faith.
God’s Word also clearly reveals the wicked actions of His enemies. Some of the kings that we will learn about were godly men, with human tendencies to sin.
But many more of the kings rejected God and chose to emulate the pagan cultures around them.
The first king, chosen by God, was Saul, a man from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest of all the Hebrew tribes.
Let’s get started with a passage from the book of Proverbs. By the end of chapter 9 you will understand how this little verse relates to our study today.
A person’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps.
Proverbs 16:9
Saul may have come from the smallest Hebrew tribe, but he also came from a prominent family. His father was Kish.
Saul was impressive. In fact, the scripture says that he was more impressive than anyone in all of Israel. He was very tall, handsome and strong.
Saul must have been an obedient and faithful son to his father. When Kish asks Saul to retrieve some of his donkeys that have wandered away, Saul doesn’t hesitate to obey.
Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go look for the donkeys.”
Saul’s simple and straightforward journey begins. He must find the lost donkeys and return them to Kish.
Saul and his servant travelled through many regions in search of the wandering donkeys.
After many days or weeks, Saul reasons that his father may be more concerned about himself and the servant than even those willful donkeys.
Although we don’t know the servant’s name, God included him in this story for a reason. I think it may be because he showed a godly heart of wisdom. Regardless, he proves to be an invaluable asset to Saul.
Look,” the servant 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.”
We should always go to the Lord, but especially when we simply don’t know what to do next.
“Good,” Saul replied to his servant. “Come on, let’s go.” So, they went to the city where the man of God was.
Then God invites others into His story. Some women drawing water from a well meet Saul. They are nameless to you and me. This is a divine encounter, planned by the Lord. God saw them. They weren’t just some random strangers.
“…they found some young women coming out to draw water and asked, “Is the seer here?” The women answered, “Yes, he is ahead of you. Hurry, he just now entered the city, because there’s a sacrifice for the people at the high place today. As soon as you enter the city, you will find him before he goes to the high place to eat.“
Saul and his servant soon caught up with the man of God that they were looking for.
The story of Israel’s first king is beginning to unfold. Small steps of faithful people are ordered by God. We have an awesome responsibility as believers to never waver from even the simplest plan for our day.
When we follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit, we will always obey God. Who knows how He will use any of us in His plan?
Now the day before Saul’s arrival, the Lord had informed Samuel, “At this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him ruler over my people Israel. He will save them from the Philistines because I have seen the affliction of my people, for their cry has come to me.” When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, “Here is the man I told you about; he will govern my people.”
Events and people who seem so random to us, have always been known by God. His plan is so intricate. Every story and word are woven together revealing a magnificent design.
The Spirit teaches us so many things when we walk in obedience.
For now, Saul seems to be heading in the right direction. He has been obedient to his father, he has taken the great advice of his servant, and he did not disregard the women who gave him directions.
When Saul finally encountered the old prophet, Samuel told him that he would answer all his questions the next day. He assured him that God’s divine plan included him.
Saul is mystified.
The next day, Samuel brought Saul to the banquet hall, and there, they joined thirty other men. Saul was seated in a place of honor and given a special serving of meat.
Saul still did not have all the details, yet. But Samuel had more to share.
They got up early, and just before dawn, Samuel called to Saul on the roof,
“Get up, and I’ll send you on your way!” Saul got up, and both he and Samuel went outside.
As they were going down to the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us, but you stay for a while, and I’ll reveal the word of God to you.”
So, the servant went on.
Amazingly, Samuel told Saul that the wayward donkeys had already been recovered, too. God cares about all of our concerns, no matter how small they may seem.
Go back to the opening verse from the book of Proverbs. You can see how God’s plan is never dictated by the steps of man.
People make plans. God determines the outcome.
Come back next week for more of the story of how Saul assumed the throne as the first king of Israel.
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Isaiah 52:7
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
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Statement of Faith
Getting the Seed out of the basket and into hungry hearts. Matthew 13 