1 Samuel 9 Devotional

Led by Lost Donkeys

““At this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you are to anoint him ruler over My people Israel; he will save them from the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come to Me.””1 Samuel 9:16 (BSB)

The chapter reads like an ordinary errand. Kish's donkeys wander off, and Saul and a servant search through region after region without finding them (9:3-4). Saul is ready to give up. It is the servant who suggests asking the man of God in the nearby town, and the servant who has a little silver for a gift (9:6-8). Young women at the town tell them to hurry (9:11-13).

Then the curtain is pulled back. The day before, the LORD had told Samuel that he would send him a man from Benjamin to anoint as ruler, because the LORD had seen his people and heard their cry (9:15-16). Every wrong turn and empty field had been leading Saul to that gate. Saul protests that he comes from the smallest tribe and the least of its clans (9:21). God's purposes often move through things that look like accidents. The God who guided a search for lost donkeys is guiding your ordinary days too.

To think about: What ordinary detour or frustration in your week might God be using in ways you cannot yet see?