I SAMUEL 9-10 Lesson # 10
BEING FOUND, THE CALL: PRIVATE CONFIRMATION
I. Greetings.
II. Introduction: The selection and ratification of leadership.
Q How does one know they are selected for ministry or leadership in the church?
Q How does one know they are called?
An = Let your group give their points of view but do not answer yourself. Point out that maybe there are more than one way to look at this: How do I the person called know it is a call from God and how does the group I lead know that I am called from God. What we are going to read in the next few chapters is an extensive example of the answer to that question. According to I Samuel 9-11 it is a three step process. We will look at the first step in this study.
III. Saul's Personal Call and Its Ratification: I Samuel 9:-10:16
A. Innocuous beginnings: Searching for Lost Items.
>>>> Have someone read I Samuel 9:1-5.
Q What does Saul look like?
An = He is a good looking and tall man. He also comes from a good family.
Q What is Saul looking for? Was he looking for advancement or the kingship?
An = No, he was merely doing his duty and looking for some of his father's property. The best way to hear the call of God is to be about our duty.
Q Why does the narrator spend talk about lost property? What importance does that have for the selection of kings?
An = The story is an idyllic one, full of old world color and stresses trying to "find" something, when it might be leading to being "found".
B. Finding the Prophet
>>>> Have someone read I Samuel 9:6-14.
Q Why did they seek out the prophet?
An = They were looking for their property: their donkeys.
Note: Notice how well regarded the prophet is. They will not eat until he has arrived.
C. The Providence of God.
>>>> Have someone read I Samuel 9:15-17.
Q Samuel is to anoint Saul for what purpose according to 9:16?
An = "He shall deliver My people from the hand of the Philistines." Leaders are not given their positions so they can be special but so they can specially "help" others. We are to lead for the "sake of others" needs. Leadership has no validation except in "serving".
Note: Even though Israel has rejected God's better of way of providing leadership He still loves His people. Look at the end of 9:16. He has heard their cries. He is modeling for us real leadership qualities. God knows they are worried about the Philistine threat, and though they have not shown Him the trust that they should have He is still worried about their needs.
Q How did Samuel know Saul was the man?
An = God told the day before Saul arrived and from what tribe he would be from (9:16). Also, God reaffirmed the selection when Samuel saw Saul (9:17).
Q How did Saul happen to be where the prophet was? What occasioned the fateful meeting of Samuel and Saul?
An = From one point of view it was the search for donkeys! There is another point of view. Theologians have another word for this: "providence". God especially provides for us with His sovereign will through the minutest details. What seemed like a chance meeting between Samuel and Saul due to Saul's search for donkeys was actually the hand of God.
EX Give an example of God's providence from your own life and see if someone else would like to share one as well. >>If time allows have them look at Proverbs 16:9 and 20:24<<.
Note: If you look at 9:16 and 9:17 the author is clearly telling us that it is God's initiative that is behind all of this. What Saul thought was a donkey hunt became the beginning of his anointing as king over all Israel (Brueggemann, p. 76.)
D. Preferential Treatment by Samuel: I Samuel 9:18-27.
>>>> Have someone read I Samuel 9:17-21.
Q How did Samuel know about the donkeys?
Q What did that prove to Saul about Samuel?
Q According to 9:21 is Saul aggressively seeking position or honor?
An = He certainly is caught off guard. His modest response could be interpreted as appropriate politeness or that Saul is really a bit shy and not a very aggressive or self-confident man.
>>>> Have someone read I Samuel 9:22-27.
Note: Samuel gives Saul great courtesy: he sees that he gets special food and show concern over his lodging, etc. Samuel knows what Saul does not: namely that Saul will be a king and so Samuel treats him well.
E. Anointing and Proof of Anointing: the Giving of the Three Signs:
>>>> Have someone read I Samuel 10:1-8.
Q What are the three signs that are given to Saul?
An = 1) The meeting of the two men at Rachel's tomb who will speak about the found donkey (10:2). 2) The meeting of the three men going to Bethel who will give him two loaves (10:3,4). 3) The meeting of the group of men who are prophesying and that Saul will join them (10:5-6).
Q Why did Samuel give these signs to Saul? What did they do for him?
An = They seem to be for the confirming in Saul's mind that what is said in 10:1 by Samuel is true. It was such a far-fetched thing from being a country kid to a king that Saul needed the confirmation.
Q What are the place of signs in our lives today?
Q Do people still have them? Have you ever heard of someone being given a sign as a confirmation to do a particular task?
An = If you wish you could share a sign if one has happened in your own life. Try and keep the discussion on track. The issue is about a sign for a task for delivering others, not a chance to share every para-psychological experience that everyone has had.
F. A Changed Man: A Spiritual Anointing. I Samuel 10:9-13.
>>>> Have someone read I Samuel 10:9-13.
Note: It is the third sign that draws the attention of our author. He elaborates on this one only, c.f. 9:9. Let us see what is so important about this particular experience.
Q Why is it important that Saul has a changed heart?
Q Who changed his heart? Can we earn such a change?
An = God changed Saul's heart and he did not earn it. It is grace that calls. We know of nothing that Saul did to deserve the "call".
Note: It ancient Hebrew the word "prophesying" refers to ecstatic behavior or charismatic behavior. What form it took in those days is not fully clear but Saul' joining them caused quite a surprise to his community. What is clear is that Saul has been truly spiritually anointed as well as personally anointed by the prophet Samuel (10:1). In between the two anointings has come the confirming signs that let Saul know he is to be king.
Q Does such "charismatic behavior" cause you alarm? Would it scare you to do what some believers seem so free in doing? (Speaking in tongues, etc.)
An = The Bible does not condemn such behavior, that is clear from this text, but notice it is sympathetic to those who are a bit surprised by it as well.
Note: So far our text has told us that Samuel knows with double confirmation (9:16,17) that Saul is the man for the job of kingship and Saul knows he is the man with the confirmation of the three signs and the experience of prophesying with the prophets.
Q Do you think this would convince you to take on such a monumental task if you were in Saul's situation?
An = Let's see.
G. A Quiet Man Stays Quiet.
>>>> Have someone read I Samuel 10:14-16.
Q Does Saul tell all of the truth? Why not?
An = After their answers have been given then if they haven't come up with the idea that some people are by nature shy, share this. Saul was a quiet man (see 10:22) it seems naturally and he was not willing to share with his uncle these strange happenings about kingship. This might seem odd, but when you think about it, this is quite in keeping with how things really happen.
Note: God has called a man. Someone of authority in the things of God (Samuel) has chosen him (Saul) and this has been confirmed privately to that man of God twice (Samuel) and three times in highly personal ways to the man called of God (Saul).
This is private confirmation. This is step one.
Note: Next week we will look at step two and step three.
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