The Divine Appointment Bureau Text: 1 Samuel 9:15-21
Introduction: The Untraceable Threads of Providence
We live in an age that worships the god of happenstance. Our contemporaries, and far too many Christians who ought to know better, live their lives as though they were a collection of disconnected accidents. A traffic jam is just a traffic jam. A missed phone call is just a missed phone call. A lost set of keys is just a frustrating inconvenience. But the Scriptures teach us a radically different grammar of reality. The Bible teaches us that God is not a distant, absentee landlord, wringing His hands over a world that has spun out of His control. No, our God is the meticulous weaver of history, and every thread, no matter how mundane or seemingly insignificant, is placed by His sovereign hand. He is the God who works all things, not just the big, shiny things, according to the counsel of His will.
This is the doctrine of providence, and it is not a dusty theological concept for academics to debate. It is the bedrock of Christian sanity. It is what allows a believer to look at a world in chaos and not despair. It is what allows us to see a lost donkey and understand that it might be the very thing God is using to find a kingdom. Our text today is a masterclass in this very thing. It pulls back the curtain on the ordinary, humdrum events of one man's life and shows us the intricate, divine machinery whirring away just behind the veil.
Israel had sinned grievously. In the previous chapter, they had rejected Yahweh as their king. They were tired of being a peculiar people, governed directly by God through His prophets. They wanted to be like all the other nations. They wanted a king they could see, a king with a crown and a sword and a chariot, a king who would fight their battles for them. This was a profound act of covenant rebellion. It was spiritual adultery. And God, in His righteous judgment, decided to give them exactly what they asked for. But even in His judgment, God is sovereign. He does not simply let Israel run off and pick a king from a catalog of pagan options. No, God will give them their king, but it will be His choice, on His timetable, and for His ultimate purposes. And the way He brings this about is through a series of events so ordinary they would be utterly forgettable, were they not recorded here for our instruction.
We are about to see how God's eternal decree intersects with a young man's daily chore. We will see how a concern for livestock leads to the anointing of a monarch. This is how our God works. He does not despise the day of small things, because He is the one who orchestrates them for His great glory.
The Text
Now a day before Saul’s coming, Yahweh had revealed this in Samuel’s hearing, saying, "About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be ruler over My people Israel; and he will save My people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have regarded My people because their cry has come to Me." Now Samuel saw Saul, and Yahweh answered him, “Behold, the man of whom I spoke to you! This one shall restrict My people.” Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, “Please tell me where the seer’s house is.” And Samuel answered Saul and said, “I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today; and in the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is on your heart. As for your donkeys which were lost three days ago, do not set your heart on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father’s household?” And Saul answered and said, “Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak to me in this way?”
(1 Samuel 9:15-21 LSB)
The Backstage Revelation (v. 15-16)
The narrative gives us a glimpse into the spiritual realm, letting us in on a conversation we otherwise would never have known about.
"Now a day before Saul’s coming, Yahweh had revealed this in Samuel’s hearing, saying, 'About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be ruler over My people Israel; and he will save My people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have regarded My people because their cry has come to Me.'" (1 Samuel 9:15-16)
Notice the timing. A full day before Saul even knows he is going to the city of Zuph, God is already preparing Samuel for his arrival. Saul is plodding through the hills, worried about his father's donkeys and his dwindling food supply. He thinks he is on a fool's errand. But from Heaven's perspective, he is on a divine appointment. God says, "I will send you a man." Saul is making his own choices, following his servant's suggestion, walking with his own two feet, but behind it all, God is the one sending him. This is the beautiful mystery of divine sovereignty and human responsibility. Men plan their way, but the Lord directs their steps. To the secularist, this is a contradiction. To the Christian, this is the very fabric of reality.
And what is the purpose of this appointment? Saul is to be anointed "ruler over My people Israel." Even though the people have sinned in asking for a king, God still calls them "My people." He has not cast them off. And this king has a job to do. He is to "save My people from the hand of the Philistines." The Philistines were a constant, nagging, oppressive thorn in Israel's side. They were technologically superior with their iron chariots, and they were pagan idolaters to the core. Israel's cry under this oppression has reached God's ears. "For I have regarded My people because their cry has come to Me."
This is a great comfort. God hears the cries of His people. Even when they are suffering the consequences of their own foolishness and sin, as Israel was, God does not ignore their groaning. Their desire for a king was a rejection of Him, but their cry for deliverance from the Philistines was a cry He was willing to answer. This is mercy. God is giving them a king in His anger, yes, but He is also giving them a deliverer in His mercy. Saul is both a judgment and a grace. This is the kind of complex, multi-layered providence our God specializes in. He can use the same man to accomplish two seemingly contradictory purposes at once.
The Divine Identification (v. 17-19)
The next day, the divine plan unfolds with perfect precision. The backstage revelation becomes a front-stage reality.
"Now Samuel saw Saul, and Yahweh answered him, 'Behold, the man of whom I spoke to you! This one shall restrict My people.' Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, 'Please tell me where the seer’s house is.' And Samuel answered Saul and said, 'I am the seer.'" (1 Samuel 9:17-19)
Saul, tall and impressive, walks into the city, and Yahweh gives Samuel the divine nudge. "Behold, the man." There he is. This is not a random encounter. This is a meticulously planned rendezvous orchestrated by the King of the universe. Yahweh adds an interesting phrase: "This one shall restrict My people." The word can mean to rule or to restrain. It carries the idea of exercising authority. This man will hold the reins of power in Israel. This confirms the mission.
And then we see the beautiful irony of the situation. Saul, the future king of Israel, is completely in the dark. He walks up to the most powerful man in the nation, the king-maker himself, and asks for directions like a lost tourist. "Please tell me where the seer's house is." He is looking for a prophet to help him find his donkeys, and he stumbles right into the prophet who is going to give him a kingdom. Saul is thinking about the mundane; God is thinking about the monarchical.
Samuel's response is direct and startling: "I am the seer." Imagine Saul's surprise. He was looking for some local mystic, and he finds the great judge of Israel. Samuel immediately takes charge, inviting Saul to the high place for a feast and promising to tell him everything on his heart in the morning. Saul came with a simple question about livestock, but Samuel knows there are deeper things stirring in his heart, things related to the destiny of a nation.
From Donkeys to Destiny (v. 20)
Samuel then demonstrates his prophetic credentials by addressing the very issue that brought Saul on this journey in the first place.
"As for your donkeys which were lost three days ago, do not set your heart on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father’s household?" (Genesis 9:20)
With one sentence, Samuel lifts the burden of the donkeys from Saul's mind. "They have been found." This is a small miracle, a sign to Saul that he is dealing with a true man of God. But it is also a theological lesson. God is not just the God of kingdoms and covenants; He is the God of lost donkeys. His providence is not just general; it is meticulous. He cares about the great and the small. And here, He used the small to accomplish the great. The donkeys were the divinely appointed bait to get Saul to the right place at the right time.
Then Samuel pivots from the donkeys to the destiny. "And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father’s household?" This is a staggering statement. Samuel is telling this young man from an obscure family that the desire of the entire nation, their collective longing for a king, is about to be fixed squarely on him. All the hopes, all the ambitions, all the aspirations of Israel are for Saul. This is the first hint of the crown. Samuel is moving Saul's focus from the pasture to the palace, from the mundane to the magnificent.
The Protest of Humility (v. 21)
Saul's reaction to this astonishing news is one of profound self-deprecation.
"And Saul answered and said, 'Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak to me in this way?'" (1 Samuel 9:21)
On the surface, this appears to be a wonderful display of humility. Saul is not puffing out his chest. He is not saying, "It's about time someone recognized my potential." Instead, he points to his own insignificance. He is from Benjamin, the smallest tribe. And not just any family in Benjamin, but the least of all the families. The tribe of Benjamin had been nearly wiped out in a brutal civil war generations earlier (Judges 20-21). They were the runt of the litter. So Saul's protest seems right and proper. Who am I for such a high calling?
And we should grant that at this moment, this was likely genuine humility. God often chooses the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He delights in exalting the lowly. This is a pattern throughout Scripture, from Gideon hiding in the winepress to David the shepherd boy. God does not call the qualified; He qualifies the called. Saul's initial response fits this pattern perfectly.
But there is a tragic irony here. This humility, which was his greatest asset at the beginning, will eventually curdle into a man-pleasing fear that becomes his downfall. The man who starts by saying "Who am I?" will end up so consumed with his own position and honor that he will disobey God for fear of the people (1 Samuel 15:24). This is a solemn warning for all of us. A humble beginning does not guarantee a humble finish. Humility is not a one-time vaccination; it is a daily diet. The man who starts small in his own eyes can, if he is not vigilant, become a giant in his own estimation. Saul's story is a tragedy, and the seeds of that tragedy are visible even here, in what looks like his most virtuous moment. His focus is on his tribe, his family, himself. A truly humble man might have said, "How can God use such a man as me?" Saul says, "Why are you talking to me this way?" The difference is subtle, but it is everything.
Conclusion: Your Own Lost Donkeys
So what are we to do with this? This story is not just an interesting historical account of Israel's first king. It is a lesson in how the living God governs His world and our lives.
First, we must learn to see the hand of God in the mundane. You have your own lost donkeys. They are the frustrations, the interruptions, the unplanned detours, the inconvenient tasks that make up so much of our lives. Our temptation is to see them as meaningless annoyances that get in the way of our "real" life. But this passage teaches us that those very things may be the primary vehicle God is using to get you where He wants you to go. Your frustrating job might be the very place God has appointed for you to bear witness. Your difficult neighbor might be your divine appointment for mercy. Your unexpected illness might be the very thing God uses to teach you dependence on Him. We must stop despising the ordinary, because God is the Lord of the ordinary.
Second, we must recognize that God's plan is always bigger than our own. Saul was looking for donkeys; God was establishing a dynasty. You are worried about paying the mortgage this month; God is building a legacy of faithfulness in your family for generations to come. You are struggling with a particular sin; God is conforming you to the image of His Son. We see the little picture; He sees the whole canvas. Our task is not to understand every detail of His plan, but to trust the Planner. It is to be faithful in the small thing, the donkey-chasing, knowing that He is working out His great and glorious purposes.
Finally, this story points us forward to a greater King. Saul was the king the people asked for, a tall and handsome man who looked the part. He began with humility but ended in pride and rebellion. He was a flawed savior who ultimately could not deliver God's people. But he was a type, a foreshadowing, of the King that God would send. Jesus Christ did not come from a mighty tribe, but from Nazareth, from which nothing good was expected to come. He did not protest with false humility but demonstrated true humility, emptying Himself and becoming a servant. He did not come looking for a kingdom but to establish one through His own death and resurrection. He is the King who does not fail, the deliverer who truly saves. And He is sovereign not just over Israel, but over all creation, from the turning of galaxies down to the wandering of every lost donkey.