Example #1
Introduction: The story about Saul how he became king of Israel is examined here as an example of how God used prophecies to steer the history of his people. If “prophecy is a sign for believers, not for unbelievers”, 1Cor 14:22, how does that materialize in this or similar stories?
The goal of this and the next study (example #2) is to observe and discuss how Samuel’s prophecies were proven to be genuine, how they influenced Saul, and what might be their meaning as a sign for those who believe that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior.
Read: 1. Samuel 9
1) Before Saul even appears on the scene, Samuel states that God disapproved of the wish for such a king, 1Sam 8:6-7, 18. Why?
- Who was Samuel that he could know?
- Fast forward to how Saul’s career ended (1Sam 28:6; 31:1-6). What do you think about that tragedy and what led to it?
2) Being the elder statesman and spiritual leader, Samuel was led to appoint Saul as king nonetheless, 8:7. Why?
- Didn’t God foresee the tragic outcome of Israel’s desire to elevate a man as their king? 8:17-18
- Since God knew Saul’s tragic end in advance, why did He demand of Samuel to go along with it anyway? 9:16-17
- What role did the prophecy by Samuel play to make it happen?
3) In anticipation of events to come, the story continues with signs for believers only. To see it, we need to ask why did Samuel even tell us about Saul’s search for a herd of straying donkeys?
- How did Saul’s appointment to rule Israel (lit. restrain, 9:17) resemble a task of having to corral the donkeys of his earthly father? How are donkeys here and throughout the Bible a metaphor for idolatry and unbelief? Gen 16:12; Jer 2:24; in contrast to sheep who hear and are attracted to the voice of their shepherd, Jn 10:27
- How is this a sign, and why only for those who have set their hope on Christ? In other words, why will no one else see what the sign means?
- Hint: If Saul’s task was to bring back a people that went astray (see below), and if even he failed despite his stature (9:2), what else does it take to succeed? cf Isa 49:5-6
4) For advice to find their donkeys, Saul’s servant suggested to visit Samuel. As a man of God, Samuel was famous for seeing the signs that God gives ‘to direct our way’, 9:9-10. Why did Samuel want us to know that such prophets used to be called seers?
- Hint: How do you tell the difference between genuine and counterfeit prophets?
- Why will believers run away from ‘prophets’ who neither see the signs themselves, nor rightly explain them to others? Mt 15:14; Jn 10:5
5) Saul could not recognize Samuel as the seer, even when he stood right before him (9:18), and even after a group of maidens had pointed at the house where he was about to step out (9:12). Why not?
- How was this possible for someone like Saul who grew up in Gibeah (10:26) only 5 miles south of Samuel’s home in Ramah?
- What is needed to be cured from such blindness? =>
- OT believers like Joshua and Samuel trusted Jesus based on God’s promises to the patriarchs, and because they understood Moses (Deut 18:15-19; Jn 5:46). Why is faith in Jesus essential to not only see prophetic signs, but to also understand their meaning? cf Mt 13:10-15
6) Did Samuel simply promise Saul to “answer all his questions”, as some translate 9:19? *
- Literally, the Hebrew states: “All that is in your heart I declare to you”. What did Samuel declare already on the spot, 9:20?
- Does this mean that prophets are privy to the secret thoughts of other people? Why or why not?
- Read 1Cor 14:24-25. Is this talking about the heart of just any ‘other people’, or of the conviction of unbelievers? How did genuine prophecy convict you when you did not yet believe the gospel? cf Jn 16:8
7) How was Samuel’s prophecy about Saul’s donkeys a ‘sign for believers, and not for unbelievers’?
- How did it affect Saul who was blind in matters of saving faith?
- To believers who stop and read the sign, what does it mean if God appointed one as blind as Saul to rule Israel for a time, 10:1?
* Good News Translation. However, Saul asked only one question, and this went unanswered: Why me? Instead, he is only told later what for, 10:1.
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