August 17

2013 1 Samuel 9 This story of Saul marks the end of the judges. A member of the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest of the tribes, one of Saul’s ancestors would have been one of the few surviving men of the tribe when the other tribes almost wiped them all out in punishment for not bringing justice against the men of Gibeah. One of Saul’s ancestors would have been one of the virgins stolen from Jabesh-Gilead in order to be given as wives to the surviving men of Benjamin. Kish means ‘bent.’ Kish’s father’s name was Abiel, which means God is my Father. Do you suppose Abiel named his son ‘bent’ in memory of the travesty that had taken place in the Tribe? Maybe, maybe not. Saul’s name means ‘desired.’ Why did Kish name him ‘desired?’ Had he been difficult to conceive and thus desired and prayed for? At any rate, Benjamin is the least of the tribes and Saul was desired. Kish apparently was a wealthy man. The text says that Kish was a mighty man of power. That could mean that he had a small army, or it could mean that he had a small fortune, or both. Saul, the ‘desired’ one, was looking for his father’s lost female donkeys. TWOT indicates, “She-asses are listed among Job’s possessions but not male asses. . . Female asses are mentioned because. . . of their milk and their breeding. They are also better for riding than male asses.” Hence one only needed one male ass in a herd. If you had more than one, to lose a male was no big loss, but to lose several female asses was to lose much. Saul, the ‘desired’ one, was on a journey to recover his father’s wealth. Israel desired a king like the other nations. God gave them what they desired. Saul was tall, handsome, from a rich family. Everything you would want for a king. So the desired one, on a journey to recover his father’s wealth, finds not the she-asses, but the desire of Israel, the crown of the country. Everybody but God gets what they desired. Kish gets his donkeys; Saul gets a crown, and Israel gets their king. What does God get? He already had it, rejection. Where is the glory in that? Our Lord works through our rejection to accomplish His will. He would one day reject the desire of the nation to provide a King of His choice, David. He would promise to David to bring of his seed, the Messiah. He provided Jesus as that seed. The nation rejected Him. Yet still as many as receive Him, to them He gives the right to become children of God. Saul was desired and wanted, but evil. Jesus was despised and rejected, but good. Saul was handsome. Jesus was one from whom we hid our eyes. Saul was acclaimed; Jesus was mocked. Saul sought David’s death; Jesus endured the cross and loved us still. It is easy to love those who love you. Jesus loved us even while were yet sinners and hated him. What a contrast in glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john