Have You Seen My Donkey?

When we want to be like the world, we will not exhibit godly qualities.   ~~~   1 Samuel 9 begins by listing off all the characteristics that the world may think would make a great leader. Saul is wealthy, Saul is tall, and Saul is incredibly handsome. But can he be a great leader? Are these qualities of a great leader? As the story continues, Saul’s father has some donkeys that get out of the barn and get lost. So Kish sends out Saul to find the animals. But this story actually speaks to Saul’s inability to lead… When they go looking for the donkeys, and Saul wants to give up the search and return home, it is the servant who brings up the possibility of seeking out the prophet. And the question is, “Why doesn’t Saul do this? Why isn’t Saul’s solution to seek God, and why doesn’t Saul know he is in Samuel’s land?” Samuel had been traveling throughout all of Israel. Samuel’s word and prayer is what sustained and delivered Israel into victory in chapter 7. Why is Saul not aware of any of this? He is not even aware that it is Samuel that he runs into in the road. All of this is the author’s way of pointing to the fact that Saul is spiritually bankrupt, or at the least, spiritually shallow and immature, not the type of leader Israel needs, but it is actually what they want if they want a king like the nations.