Commentary - 1 Samuel 9:22-24

Bird's-eye view

In this brief but dense narrative, the private anointing of Israel's first king is prefaced by a public, yet veiled, act of honor. Saul, a man searching for his father's lost donkeys, finds himself providentially seated at the head of a feast, eating a portion of meat that God had set aside for him before he even knew he was invited. This entire scene is a masterclass in divine sovereignty. Not a single detail is left to chance. The meeting with Samuel, the feast, the guest list, the seating arrangement, and the specific cut of meat are all meticulously arranged by God to communicate a singular point: God appoints kings. The event serves as a tangible, physical confirmation of the spiritual reality that is about to be formally declared. It is a covenant meal, establishing a bond between the prophet and the new king, and demonstrating to the principal men of the city that this tall son of Kish is a man whom God has determined to honor.

What Saul experiences here is the objective reality of God's election before the subjective understanding of it has fully dawned on him. God acts first. He reserves the portion, He sets the time, He arranges the meeting. Saul is simply the recipient of this determined grace. This passage is a picture of how God works in history, arranging all the mundane details of lost livestock and chance encounters to accomplish His unalterable redemptive purposes. The man who will be king is first fed by the prophet, a picture of the truth that all authority must be sustained by the Word of God.

Outline

Context In 1 Samuel

This passage is the culmination of a series of seemingly random events that are, in fact, anything but. Israel has sinfully demanded a king "like the other nations" (1 Sam 8:5), and God has agreed to give them one. Saul, a man from the smallest tribe, Benjamin, is introduced as a tall and handsome man, the very picture of the kind of king the people would want (1 Sam 9:2). He is sent by his father on a mundane errand to find lost donkeys. When the search proves fruitless, his servant suggests consulting the local seer, Samuel. Unbeknownst to them, God had already told Samuel the day before that He was sending the man who would be king (1 Sam 9:16). This meeting, therefore, is a divine appointment. The meal in our text immediately follows this meeting and precedes the private anointing of Saul in the next chapter (1 Sam 10:1). It is the bridge between Saul the donkey-herder and Saul the Lord's anointed, a public and ceremonial elevation that sets the stage for the formal anointing to follow.

Key Issues

The Reserved Portion

At the center of this scene is a piece of meat. But it is not just any piece of meat. It is a portion that Samuel had commanded the cook to set aside before the feast even began, before Saul had even arrived in the city. This is theology you can eat. The reserved portion is a tangible symbol of God's predestinating purpose. Before Saul was chosen by the people, before he was even aware of his calling, God had already made provision for him. His portion was reserved.

This is how God's election always works. He doesn't look down the corridors of time to see who might show up for dinner and then quickly tell the cook to save a plate. He is the one who invites the guest, sets the menu, and reserves the portion from the foundation of the world. The entire Christian life is lived in the good of a reserved portion. Our inheritance is "imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you" (1 Peter 1:4). Our place at the wedding supper of the Lamb has been set. The provision was made in Christ before we ever felt the first pangs of spiritual hunger. Saul was given the shoulder, a portion of strength and honor. In Christ, we are given Christ Himself, the bread of life, reserved for us to sustain us for the task to which He has appointed us.

Verse by Verse Commentary

22 Then Samuel took Saul and his young man and brought them into the chamber and gave them a place at the head of those who were invited, who were about thirty men.

The action is decisive. Samuel, the established authority in Israel, takes the initiative. He brings Saul and his servant not just into the feast, but into the main chamber, the place where the important business was done. And there, he seats them in the place of highest honor, at the head of the table. The guest list is significant; these thirty men were likely the elders and chief men of the city. So, this is a public act. Before this assembly, a young man from an insignificant tribe, a man who just moments before was worried about lost donkeys, is publicly elevated above everyone else. This is an objective, observable fact. God, through His prophet, is bestowing honor. Saul has done nothing to earn this; he has simply shown up. This is a picture of grace. God seats us with Christ in the heavenly places not because of our resume, but because of His sovereign choice.

23 And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion that I gave you, concerning which I said to you, ‘Set it aside.’ ”

Here we see the clear evidence of forethought and divine arrangement. This was not a spontaneous gesture. Samuel's instruction to the cook had been given earlier, in anticipation of Saul's arrival. The Hebrew for "Set it aside" has the sense of "keep it with you," an instruction for special care. This was not just leftovers; it was a deliberately sequestered portion. God had told Samuel that the king was coming, and Samuel, in obedience, made the necessary arrangements. This demonstrates that the events unfolding are not a series of happy accidents but the execution of a divine plan. God is never caught by surprise, and His provisions are always prepared in advance for those He calls.

24 Then the cook took up the leg with what was on it and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, “Here is what has been reserved! Set it before you and eat, because it has been kept for you until the appointed time, since I said I have invited the people.” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

The cook brings out the specific portion, the leg or shoulder, which was a choice cut often designated for the priest or a guest of great honor. It represented strength and leadership. Samuel's words to Saul are the theological center of the passage. "Here is what has been reserved!" This is a declaration of divine provision. And the reason it was reserved is explicit: "it has been kept for you until the appointed time." God's providence operates on a precise timetable. There was an appointed time for Saul to arrive, an appointed time for him to be honored, an appointed time for him to eat. All of Saul's wandering in search of donkeys was simply the means God used to get him to the right place at exactly the right time. The final sentence, "So Saul ate with Samuel that day," is freighted with meaning. This is not just sharing a meal; it is an act of communion, of covenant. The prophet of God and the king-elect are brought into fellowship over a meal that God Himself provided. This is how God establishes His kingdom, through covenant fellowship.

Application

There are at least three direct applications we should take from this. First, we must learn to see the hand of God in the mundane details of our lives. Saul was looking for donkeys, but God was making him a king. We are often consumed with our daily tasks, our worries, our frustrations, and we fail to see that God is weaving all of it into a much larger and more glorious purpose. Your frustrating job, your difficult commute, your unexpected detour, these are all the modern equivalent of chasing donkeys. And in the middle of it all, God is guiding you to your appointed time and your reserved portion. We must learn to trust His meticulous, sovereign care.

Second, this passage is a rebuke to all our man-centered ideas about leadership and honor. Saul was chosen and honored before he had done a single kingly act. His honor was not based on his performance but on God's appointment. In the church, we are constantly tempted to honor the wealthy, the charismatic, the successful, the ones who look the part. But God's economy is different. He gives the place of honor to whom He will. True leadership is not something we achieve; it is a stewardship we receive. Our response should be the humility of Saul, who was simply bewildered by it all, not the arrogance of one who thinks he deserves the head of the table.

Finally, we must understand the gravity of our meals, particularly the Lord's Supper. When we come to the table of the Lord, we are partaking of a reserved portion. The body and blood of the Lord Jesus were set apart for us from before the foundation of the world. It is our appointed time to eat with the King. This is not a mere religious ritual; it is a covenant meal, a renewal of our fellowship with the God who has called us, chosen us, and made full provision for us in His Son. Like Saul, we come having done nothing to deserve our seat. And at that table, God feeds us and strengthens us for the royal task to which we have been called as a kingdom of priests.