The Donkey and the Crown: On Sacred Secrets Text: 1 Samuel 10:14-16
Introduction: The Noise of Self-Promotion
We live in an age that despises secrets. Our world is one of relentless, noisy, and shameless self-promotion. Men are encouraged to "build their brand," to "market themselves," and to ensure that no good deed, no clever thought, and certainly no spiritual experience goes undocumented for public consumption. The smartphone is the modern trumpet, sounded in the digital marketplace to announce our piety, our wisdom, or our latest accomplishment. To have a significant experience and not immediately post about it is considered by many to be a waste, as though a thing is not truly real until it has been seen and "liked" by the anonymous multitude.
Into this clamor, the Word of God speaks with a quiet and startling restraint. The kingdom of God, we are told, does not come with observation. It is not a spectacle. It is a seed growing secretly, a treasure hidden in a field, a little leaven working its way silently through the whole lump. God's greatest works often begin in the deep quiet, away from the prying eyes and wagging tongues of the world. The anointing of a king, the incarnation of the Son, the regeneration of a soul, these are profound and holy mysteries that are first transacted in secret, between God and the individual.
The story of Saul's initial response to his anointing is a potent rebuke to our exhibitionist age. Here is a man who has just been given the most significant news of his life. He has been privately anointed by the prophet Samuel to be the first king of Israel. He has been filled with the Spirit of God and has prophesied. He has been transformed. And when his uncle, full of natural curiosity, presses him for the details, Saul's reply is a masterclass in what we might call sanctified discretion. He tells the donkey-truth, but he keeps the kingdom-truth locked in his heart. This is not dishonesty; it is the holy wisdom of knowing what is for public consumption and what is to be treasured before God alone.
This short account is a crucial diagnostic for our own hearts. It forces us to ask whether we are more concerned with the reality of God's calling or with the reputation that might come from it. Are we content to be faithful with the mundane "donkeys" while we wait for God to reveal the "kingdom" in His own time? Or are we in a frantic hurry to tell everyone about the kingdom before we have even learned how to rule ourselves?
The Text
Now Saul’s uncle said to him and his young man, “Where did you go?” And he said, “To look for the donkeys. And we saw that they were not anywhere, so we went to Samuel.”
And Saul’s uncle said, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.”
So Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But he did not tell him about the matter of the kingdom which Samuel had said.
(1 Samuel 10:14-16 LSB)
The Mundane Inquiry (v. 14)
We begin with the return to ordinary life.
"Now Saul’s uncle said to him and his young man, “Where did you go?” And he said, “To look for the donkeys. And we saw that they were not anywhere, so we went to Samuel.”" (1 Samuel 10:14)
Saul has just had the most extraordinary day of his life. He has been anointed, kissed by the prophet, given signs that were fulfilled, and he prophesied under the power of God's Spirit. He was given "another heart." But the moment he returns to his family, the first question he faces is not about the state of his soul, but about the state of the livestock. "Where did you go?" It is a question rooted in the practical, the mundane, the world of chores and responsibilities. This is a critical point. God’s calling does not abrogate our ordinary duties; it consecrates them. The search for lost donkeys was the very instrument of God's providence that led Saul to Samuel in the first place.
Saul's answer is simple, direct, and truthful. He does not begin with the spiritual fireworks. He begins with the donkeys. "We went to look for the donkeys." He is still grounded in the task his father gave him. He then explains the logical progression of his journey: the search was fruitless, so they sought the help of a seer, Samuel. This is a man who is not yet carried away by the grandeur of his calling. He can still give a plain account of his day without needing to put the supernatural headline first. This demonstrates an early and commendable humility. The anointing has not yet made him "too spiritual" for the donkey business.
This is a lesson for all of us. We are often tempted to think that a great calling from God means we can now neglect the small things. But God's economy works the other way around. He who is faithful in little will be entrusted with much. Before God made David king over Israel, he was a faithful shepherd of a few sheep. Before Jesus began His public ministry, he was a faithful carpenter in Nazareth. Saul's journey to the throne began with a faithful search for his father's donkeys.
The Prying Question (v. 15)
The mention of Samuel's name naturally escalates the uncle's curiosity.
"And Saul’s uncle said, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.”" (1 Samuel 10:15)
The uncle's interest is understandable. Samuel was not some local fortune-teller. He was the Judge of all Israel, the prophet of the Lord, the most significant man in the nation. For a young man from a small clan in the smallest tribe to have a private audience with Samuel was big news. The uncle wants the scoop. He wants the inside story. This is the voice of the world, always interested in the latest news, the gossip, the report that can be passed along at the city gate.
There is a pressure in this question. "Please tell me." It is the pressure of familial expectation, of social curiosity. The world always wants to know what God is doing, not so that it can worship, but so that it can evaluate, commentate, and domesticate the work of God. The world wants to turn a sacred anointing into a topic of conversation. And this is the first test of Saul's new heart. Will he treat the holy word of God as common gossip, or will he guard it as a sacred trust?
The Prudent Answer (v. 16)
Saul's response is a masterpiece of godly discretion.
"So Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But he did not tell him about the matter of the kingdom which Samuel had said." (1 Samuel 10:16)
Notice what he does. He answers his uncle's immediate and practical concern. The donkeys, the reason for the whole trip, have been found. This is a true and sufficient answer to the presenting problem. He gives his uncle the "donkey news." It is a kindness. He puts his family's mind at ease about their lost property. He is still a responsible son and nephew.
But then we have the crucial statement: "But he did not tell him about the matter of the kingdom." This silence is golden. Why did he keep quiet? We can see at least two profound virtues at work here. The first is humility. A proud man, a man already puffed up by his new station, would have been bursting to tell. The secret would have been burning a hole in his pocket. "Uncle, you're not going to believe this, but you are looking at the next king of Israel!" The desire for recognition, for the immediate honor of men, would have been overwhelming. Saul's silence indicates that, at this point, he was still "little in his own sight" (1 Sam. 15:17). The anointing was a heavy weight, not a shiny medal. He felt the gravity of the calling more than the glory of the position.
The second virtue is wisdom. The anointing was a private act. The public revelation of the king was God's business, to be done in God's time and in God's way, which we see happen shortly after at Mizpah. For Saul to have announced it prematurely would have been to seize the prerogative from God. It would have invited scorn, disbelief, and jealousy from his own family before God had prepared the hearts of the people. A secret from God is a trust to be stewarded, not a prize to be flaunted. A new work of God is like a seed; it needs to be hidden in the dark soil for a time before it can break forth into the light. To dig it up and show everyone is to kill it. Saul, in this moment, is wisely protecting the seed of his kingship.
Conclusion: Stewards of the Mystery
This brief episode is a powerful portrait of the kind of character God looks for in a leader. And it is a tragic foreshadowing of the very quality Saul would later lose. His reign began with a humble silence and a willingness to wait for God. His reign ended because he grew impatient, refused to wait for Samuel at Gilgal, and began to act out of fear of men rather than fear of God. He lost the ability to keep quiet and wait. He started to listen to the noise of the people instead of the word of the Lord.
We must contrast Saul's initial, flawed humility with the perfect humility of the true King, Jesus Christ. Throughout His ministry, Jesus consistently guarded the "matter of the kingdom." He would heal a man and command him, "See that you say nothing to anyone" (Mark 1:44). He silenced the demons who knew who He was. He kept the "messianic secret" because He was not running on the world's timetable. He was not seeking the applause of the crowds. He was a steward of the Father's plan, and He would not be rushed into a premature revelation. His kingdom was not to be built by a public relations campaign, but by a cross.
The application for us is straightforward and deeply counter-cultural. When God moves in your life, when He calls you, when He gives you a promise, your first responsibility is not to broadcast it, but to treasure it. You are to be a steward of the mystery. Talk to God about it far more than you talk to men about it. Let the reality of His work take root in your soul before you are in a hurry to receive a reputation for it. Be faithful with the donkeys. Do the next, mundane, obedient thing. Change the diapers, balance the spreadsheet, fix the leaky faucet, and do it all to the glory of God.
If God has called you to a kingdom, He is the one who will announce it in due time. Our job is to be found faithful in the small, hidden things. The world will always be pressing us, asking, "What did the prophet say?" We must have the wisdom to tell them that the donkeys are found, and the humility to keep the matter of the kingdom between us and God, until He Himself decides to set us on the throne.