Perhaps we have all seen it happen or we have experienced it ourselves. Some person is “super-Christian,” does all the right stuff, doesn’t cuss, doesn’t drink, doesn’t hang out with the wrong crowd, knows all of the Sunday School answers to all of the super spiritual questions, knows the content of the Bible, probably does well on the Bible drill team, sings in the church band or choir, and generally does all the stuff that Christians are supposed to do. One day, super-Christian is no longer in church and maybe even no longer identifies with Jesus Christ and is living life in a way that seems very non-Christian. What is going on with those who seem to start so well in the faith but don’t even finish? Are they still saved? Were they ever?

Last week, we were introduced to Saul. Saul seems to be kingly material and an all-around good guy. Samuel has predicted that he will be a ravenous wolf. Today, we read about Saul and Samuel connecting. 

1 Samuel 9:15-27

Now a day before Saul’s coming, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel saying, “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over My people Israel; and he will deliver My people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have regarded My people, because their cry has come to Me.”

When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, “Behold, the man of whom I spoke to you! This one shall rule over My people.”

Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, “Please tell me where the seer’s house is.”

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 mind. As for your donkeys which were lost three days ago, do not set your mind 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?”

Saul replied, “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?”

Then Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall and gave them a place at the head of those who were invited, who were about thirty men. Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion that I gave you, concerning which I said to you, ‘Set it aside.’”

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.

When they came down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul on the roof. And they arose early; and at daybreak Samuel called to Saul on the roof, saying, “Get up, that I may send you away.” So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out into the street.

As they were going down to the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Say to the servant that he might go ahead of us and pass on, but you remain standing now, that I may proclaim the word of God to you.”

God chose Saul (v. 15-17)

Now a day before Saul’s coming, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel saying, “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over My people Israel;

As Saul is looking for his father’s donkeys, he decides to ask the seer named Samuel, hoping that Samuel will reveal where his father’s donkeys are. Saul is making his way to the place he hears Samuel will be. As Saul is going to find Samuel, God speaks to Samuel, telling him that He is sending a Benjamite to Samuel. This Benjamite, Saul, is the one God has chosen and Samuel will anoint to be prince over god’s people, Israel.

Here, we learn something about God’s providence. We remember that God’s sovereignty and providence are key themes through the First Book of Samuel (and, really, the whole of Scripture). As He speaks to His prophet, Samuel, God takes direct credit for sending Saul to Samuel. Saul entered into the narrative at the beginning of chapter 9, in the previous passage. Here is what we saw:

• Saul’s father’s donkeys ran away.
• Saul’s father sent him to look for the donkeys.
• Saul traveled through a few territories looking for these donkeys and could not find them.
• Saul’s servant came up with the idea of going to see the seer.
• Saul agreed and they went to find the seer.
• Saul took the initiative to find where the seer was at the moment he and his servant needed his prophetic gift.

In the previous passage, Saul seems to be the one actively searching for Samuel. Yet, God claims that He is sending Saul to Samuel. This is one instance in which God did not appear to someone in a dream and tell him to go to a certain place and seek out a certain person. God’s hand was in the circumstances of Saul’s life such that Saul would go to Samuel. This is the perfect example of God’s providence. God works together the circumstances of history and of our lives in such a way that we are exactly on the path He has for us to be on. It is not always the case, in Scripture, that God speaks plainly to someone telling him or her where to go and who to meet. Many times, God simply works out circumstances to get people to where He wills for them to be, with whom He wants them to be, for the purpose He desires them to be. That is why, in our own lives, what seems like an accident of chance is actually the providence of God according to Scripture. In this text, God is working together even the losing of Kish’s donkeys to send Saul to Samuel.

Saul is to be anointed as prince over Israel. This word, נגיד, is different from the word used for king earlier in the story (מלכ). The Hebrew word נגיד means prince and refers to a high ranking official or ruler of a people. So in the Hebrew, prince is a synonym for king even though “prince” refers to a wider range of offices. All kings are princes, but not all princes are kings. In english, we have differentiated between these terms, such that a prince is the son of a king. This is not the case in the Hebrew of 1 Samuel.

and he will deliver My people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have regarded My people, because their cry has come to Me.”

This guy, Saul, is going to Samuel. He simply wants to find his father’s donkeys. So, he’s going to ask the man of God to locate these donkeys. How often are our prayers like this? “God can you please help me succeed at this thing. I really need your help to get this done.” Sometimes we are desperate and sometimes not. Saul has no clue what is about to happen. God is using his agenda to place him precisely where he needs to be for the accomplishing of God’s plan. I have certainly seen this play out in my own ministry. I make a plan and have an agenda. I pray for God’s blessing. God uses my agenda to accomplish His own plan and purpose for my life and I have never seen my plan actually work out. That’s part of God’s providence. I think He does this to bring His people into salvation as well. People come to Christ for any number of reasons. The prospect of Hell scares them. They were raised in a Christian home. They are disenchanted with the ways of the world and with other religions. They had a near death experience. Every person has his or her own agenda when coming to Christ. The truth of the matter is that God is using our agendas to work together His plan. Maybe we don’t get to see our plans come to fruition or succeed. Saul will not find his father’s donkeys. They will return on their own. Still, we can rest assured that there is no wasted time in God’s economy. He doesn’t fail. We are exactly on the path God has for us to be on by His working providence. There are no coincidences.

This also explains how God is working together the “cry of the people” to bring about His own plan, which He revealed 200 years before this. God is doing this because it is His plan. He is also doing this because the cry of Israel has gone to Him. There is no incoherence or contradiction, here. Scripture explains God’s providence clearly.

When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, “Behold, the man of whom I spoke to you! This one shall rule over My people.”

If we diminish Saul’s reign to  “God just wanted to show Israel what it was like to have a bad king,” then we  have not understood God’s work. Most of Saul’s reign was positive. Saul was the one God had chosen to, at this time, govern His people according to His ways. Saul would deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.

Saul honored (v. 18-27)

Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, “Please tell me where the seer’s house is.”

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 mind. As for your donkeys which were lost three days ago, do not set your mind 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?”

Saul meets Samuel and Samuel honors Saul. Samuel promises to give Saul the answers he is looking for, then instructs Saul not to think about the donkeys because they have been found. This is one of those really funny parts of God’s story. I think God does this with us, too. “I’ll give you the answers you seek, but I want you to seek different answers.” After instructing Saul not to set his mind on the donkeys, he now asks two probing questions. “…for whom is all that is desirable in Israel?”, and “Is it not for you and for all your father’s household?” Samuel takes Saul’s simple search, Saul’s agenda, and redirects Saul’s attention to the inheritance of Israel. 

This is another picture of Christ. Whereas Saul would inherit Israel for a time, Christ will inherit His people eternally. The chosen people of God are Christ’s forever inheritance. So, this sort of language is utilized to describe the throne that the Father is preparing through Israel for Jesus Christ.

Saul replied, “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?”

I do not know if Saul knows the Law intimately or not. I don’t know if Genesis 49 is on his mind here. He is, though, surprised to be honored because he is a Benjamite and because his family is not well known. He wouldn’t have the opportunity to run for office because he hasn’t made a name for himself and he doesn’t come from a prominent family. It must be the most ridiculous thing for Saul to hear that he and his family will inherit all the good things of Israel. As Samuel, the seer, redirects Saul’s attention to these things, Saul’s response is a simple “Why?” 

Then Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall and gave them a place at the head of those who were invited, who were about thirty men. Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion that I gave you, concerning which I said to you, ‘Set it aside.’”

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.

When they came down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul on the roof. And they arose early; and at daybreak Samuel called to Saul on the roof, saying, “Get up, that I may send you away.” So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out into the street.

As they were going down to the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Say to the servant that he might go ahead of us and pass on, but you remain standing now, that I may proclaim the word of God to you.”

At this point, Saul was humble. He was a member of a lowly family. He came bringing gifts to Samuel and was surprised to have been seated in the place of honor and given the reserved piece of meat. He slept that night still oblivious to why he had been honored in such a way.  Later in his life, Saul would become prideful, arrogant, and self-serving according to the prediction God made through Samuel in chapter 8. When God places us in any position, this is always a danger because we easily forget that it is only by God’s mercies and only at His good pleasure that we get to do anything. Whereas Saul starts well here, he will give in to pride as he gets older and is used by God to deliver the people of Israel from the Philistines. 

Apostasy

When we think about Saul’s life, how he seems to start out well but will become the ravenous wolf prophesied by Jacob in Genesis 49 and by Samuel in 1 Samuel 8, we must think about the tendency we see in this world that people have to start well and not finish. I know of many people who once said they were Christians and seemed to be strong Christians outwardly. Perhaps they were even sincere. Now, they are the furthest thing from Christian someone can get. We don’t know from Saul’s story in this passage and leading up to it whether he is elect or not. This story paints a picture for us, doesn’t it? There is a word we have for this tendency. If someone once classified him or herself as a Christ follower but now does not follow Christ, he or she has committed the sin of apostasy. Jesus will teach about this tendency. When he will teach His disciples about the things they will endure in the end times, which will begin in that generation (Matthew 24:34), he teaches about apostasy:

“At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:10-14).

Notice that falling away begins with false teaching or unsound doctrine and leads to lawlessness and cold love. Notice, also, that it is the one who endures to the end who will be saved. The one who endures what? The one who will be saved is the one who endures through cold love, lawlessness, and false teaching in this text’s immediate context. Apostasy isn’t merely the sin of leaving the faith, but involves being misled by one of the many false prophets in the world.

This is where we see people who, early in the Christian life, seem like “super Christian.” Now, they are not even in church participating with Christ’s body. What happened was they outwardly looked like a Christian, doing all the right super-Christian stuff, they burned out because that’s what happens when we rely on our own works, and fell away. Whether this falling away means that the person has rejected the faith entirely or has simply slipped away from participation with Christ, Jesus’ teaching is the same. It is those who endure to the end who will be saved, which means those who don’t endure to the end will not be saved. Endure with what? Our works or religiosity? No. That’s not what the text says. That would be an example of unsound doctrine or false teaching. The pointings of the text, here, seem to indicate a perseverance in simple belief in Christ and in sound doctrine. If we read on in Matthew 24, we see that perseverance depends on the election of God by His grace (Matthew 24:22). The super-Christian is a myth. No one can do the right stuff to endure and be saved. That’s the wrong ordering of things. Those who are not being saved will not be able to endure no matter how well they appear to begin.

We see the same thing with any works-based religion, which is most religion in the world. Since more and more Muslims have been engaging the blog, I find myself diving into Muslim teaching. The majority Muslim message is practically the same as 99% of ‘Christian’ messages and exactly the thing that leads to apostasy- “I must do [this thing] in order to accomplish [this end].” According to Jesus, we can’t do enough and we shouldn’t believe those who tell us that we can or who tell us that salvation depends on anything we can do. God alone saves His people. He does not depend on us. He is the one who causes His people to endure. He does not need us. We need Him.