1 Samuel 9:11 says, And as they went up the hill to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said unto them, Is the seer here? Saul and his servant went looking for the man of God, Samuel. Though we as followers of Christ should be reaching out to the lost, it is even better when they come seeking us, and if you are struggling in life today and do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, if you have questions about how to do so, seek out a Christian to help you understand how. Verse twelve adds, And they answered them, and said, He is; behold, he is before you: make haste now, for he came to day to the city; for there is a sacrifice of the people to day in the high place: The young maidens told Saul and his servant that the man of God was there, and to hurry because he had come early to make a sacrifice for the people. Though he was getting older,Samuel was still performing his duties as a priest. Since as Christians we are all a part of the priesthood of believers, we should start early every day doing what God has called us to do. Verse thirteen continues, As soon as ye be come into the city, ye shall straightway find him, before he go up to the high place to eat: for the people will not eat until he come, because he doth bless the sacrifice; and afterwards they eat that be bidden. Now therefore get you up; for about this time ye shall find him. The maidens emphasized the need for them to hurry, to catch Samuel before he went up to the high place offer his sacrifice for the people. The rest of the people would not eat of the feast from the sacrifice until Samuel did, which would be another reason for them to hurry. We should respect God's ministers today, though we should also never put them on a pedestal. Verse fourteen states, And they went up into the city: and when they were come into the city, behold, Samuel came out against them, for to go up to the high place. When they got to the city, they caught Samuel as he was about to go to the high place. Samuel was going about his routine day, but Saul was about to interrupt him. We may at times be interrupted on our way to worship God, but we should always have time to answer the questions of lost people. Verse fifteen adds, Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying, Verse sixteen continues, Tomorrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me. God had spoken to Samuel the day before, telling him that today he would meet a man from the tribe of Benjamin, and that Samuel was to appoint him as the captain of His people. I don't know that God has ever spoken into my ear, but He does speak in a still, quiet Voice to my soul, if I am listening. Samuel was still the man in charge in Israel, but that was about to change. God said He had heard the people of Israel wanted a king, and that He heard them crying out for deliverance, and that the man that Samuel appointed as captain, or king, would deliver them from the Philistines. God may have been displeased with their desire for a king, but He still called them His people and sent the man to fulfill their request. If we ask amiss for something today, something that is less than what God may have been ready to bless us with, He may grant our wish, and we as Christians will never stop being His children. Verse seventeen states, And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people. When Samuel saw Saul, which should have been easy enough to do since he stood a head taller than the other Israelites, God told him that Saul was the man that He had chosen to lead His people. Matthew Henry points out that Saul would have been a likely choice of the people because of his stature. Of course, we cannot pick leaders of the church, or even the nation, based on the way they look. Verse eighteen adds, Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer’s house is. Saul did not recognize Samuel, but instead asked him where he could find the seer`s house. Saul didn't know Samuel, and God had not pointed Samuel out to him. We may not recognize God's preachers today just based on physical appearance, but if we have a concern about some issue in life, hopefully we will seek one out. God may have already prepared them to meet us and answer our questions. Verse nineteen continues, And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer: go up before me unto the high place; for ye shall eat with me today, and to morrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thine heart. Samuel told Saul that he was the seer that he sought, and then invited him to go with him to the high place, where Saul would eat with him, and Samuel would tell him all that was in his heart the next day. This was not why Saul was seeking Samuel, but Samuel promised him even more than what he was looking for. God still does the same with us today as followers of Christ at times. Verse twenty says, And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father’s house? Samuel then answered the question that Saul had yet to ask and was the reason Saul had sought him out. Samuel told him not to worry about the asses that he was hunting, because they were safely at home. This should have been proof to Saul that Samuel was indeed a seer, or prophet. Samuel then told Saul that since the people wanted a king that they would find no better man than him. We today may find that sometimes God answers our prayers even before we ask them and gives us an even greater blessing than we are looking for. Also, if God is calling us to a particular position, there is no better person to fulfill that position. Verse twenty-one adds, And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me? Saul was modest in his answer. He said that he was from the smallest tribe of Israel and that his family was the least of the families of that tribe, and then asked Samuel why he would say these things. Though by answering Saul's unanswered question about the asses Samuel had proven himself to be a seer, Saul still questioned His ability. We should be modest in our view of ourselves, but never to the point of questioning what God has called us to do.
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