Monday Devo
Scripture:
1 Samuel 9:1-18
There was a wealthy, influential man named Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. He was the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 His son Saul was the most handsome man in Israel—head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land.
3 One day Kish’s donkeys strayed away, and he told Saul, “Take a servant with you, and go look for the donkeys.” 4 So Saul took one of the servants and traveled through the hill country of Ephraim, the land of Shalishah, the Shaalim area, and the entire land of Benjamin, but they couldn’t find the donkeys anywhere.
5 Finally, they entered the region of Zuph, and Saul said to his servant, “Let’s go home. By now my father will be more worried about us than about the donkeys!”
6 But the servant said, “I’ve just thought of something! There is a man of God who lives here in this town. He is held in high honor by all the people because everything he says comes true. Let’s go find him. Perhaps he can tell us which way to go.”
7 “But we don’t have anything to offer him,” Saul replied. “Even our food is gone, and we don’t have a thing to give him.”
8 “Well,” the servant said, “I have one small silver piece. We can at least offer it to the man of God and see what happens!” 9 (In those days if people wanted a message from God, they would say, “Let’s go and ask the seer,” for prophets used to be called seers.)
10 “All right,” Saul agreed, “let’s try it!” So they started into the town where the man of God lived.
11 As they were climbing the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to draw water. So Saul and his servant asked, “Is the seer here today?”
12 “Yes,” they replied. “Stay right on this road. He is at the town gates. He has just arrived to take part in a public sacrifice up at the place of worship. 13 Hurry and catch him before he goes up there to eat. The guests won’t begin eating until he arrives to bless the food.”
14 So they entered the town, and as they passed through the gates, Samuel was coming out toward them to go up to the place of worship.
15 Now the Lord had told Samuel the previous day, 16 “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him to be the leader of my people, Israel. He will rescue them from the Philistines, for I have looked down on my people in mercy and have heard their cry.”
17 When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said, “That’s the man I told you about! He will rule my people.”
18 Just then Saul approached Samuel at the gateway and asked, “Can you please tell me where the seer’s house is?”
There was a wealthy, influential man named Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. He was the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 His son Saul was the most handsome man in Israel—head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land.
3 One day Kish’s donkeys strayed away, and he told Saul, “Take a servant with you, and go look for the donkeys.” 4 So Saul took one of the servants and traveled through the hill country of Ephraim, the land of Shalishah, the Shaalim area, and the entire land of Benjamin, but they couldn’t find the donkeys anywhere.
5 Finally, they entered the region of Zuph, and Saul said to his servant, “Let’s go home. By now my father will be more worried about us than about the donkeys!”
6 But the servant said, “I’ve just thought of something! There is a man of God who lives here in this town. He is held in high honor by all the people because everything he says comes true. Let’s go find him. Perhaps he can tell us which way to go.”
7 “But we don’t have anything to offer him,” Saul replied. “Even our food is gone, and we don’t have a thing to give him.”
8 “Well,” the servant said, “I have one small silver piece. We can at least offer it to the man of God and see what happens!” 9 (In those days if people wanted a message from God, they would say, “Let’s go and ask the seer,” for prophets used to be called seers.)
10 “All right,” Saul agreed, “let’s try it!” So they started into the town where the man of God lived.
11 As they were climbing the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to draw water. So Saul and his servant asked, “Is the seer here today?”
12 “Yes,” they replied. “Stay right on this road. He is at the town gates. He has just arrived to take part in a public sacrifice up at the place of worship. 13 Hurry and catch him before he goes up there to eat. The guests won’t begin eating until he arrives to bless the food.”
14 So they entered the town, and as they passed through the gates, Samuel was coming out toward them to go up to the place of worship.
15 Now the Lord had told Samuel the previous day, 16 “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him to be the leader of my people, Israel. He will rescue them from the Philistines, for I have looked down on my people in mercy and have heard their cry.”
17 When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said, “That’s the man I told you about! He will rule my people.”
18 Just then Saul approached Samuel at the gateway and asked, “Can you please tell me where the seer’s house is?”
Commentary:
9:6 The servant knows they are close to a town where a well-respected “man of God” lives. “Man of God” designates one who serves God and usually possesses prophetic insight into God’s Word and purposes. Since this prophet has a proven track record, the servant argues that it makes sense to consult him. In this episode, his servant’s knowledge and resourcefulness highlight Saul’s deficiencies by way of contrast. Saul is obviously an exception to the universal recognition accorded to Samuel (3:20), even though he lives nearby. Moreover, the leader-to-be is portrayed as prodded into action at his subordinate’s initiative.
9:7 Saul still seeks to go home (is he hungry?) and so raises a difficulty. “What can we bring?” involves an element of Hebrew wordplay, as “can we bring?” sounds identical to “prophet” (nabi’; v. 9). When one consulted a seer in that day, it was customary to bring a gift as a gesture of goodwill (cf. 1 Kings 14:3; 2 Kings 4:42; 5:5; 8:8), but they have no bread (used for provisions in general) nor anything else, so far as Saul can tell, to give. The son of a wealthy man, Saul is without resources, having failed to make adequate preparations for travel.
John L. Mackay, “1-2 Samuel,” in 1 Samuel–2 Chronicles, ed. Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, vol. III, ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2019), 112–113.
9:7 Saul still seeks to go home (is he hungry?) and so raises a difficulty. “What can we bring?” involves an element of Hebrew wordplay, as “can we bring?” sounds identical to “prophet” (nabi’; v. 9). When one consulted a seer in that day, it was customary to bring a gift as a gesture of goodwill (cf. 1 Kings 14:3; 2 Kings 4:42; 5:5; 8:8), but they have no bread (used for provisions in general) nor anything else, so far as Saul can tell, to give. The son of a wealthy man, Saul is without resources, having failed to make adequate preparations for travel.
John L. Mackay, “1-2 Samuel,” in 1 Samuel–2 Chronicles, ed. Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, vol. III, ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2019), 112–113.
Questions:
Saul was a Hebrew by birth, but he didn’t recognize God’s prophet when he stood right in front of him. He was an Israelite. He belonged to the people of God. Yet when he met Samuel, he had to ask, “Tell me, where is the seer’s house?” Saul was associated with the things of God without actually knowing God.
Many people grow up in church, know the songs, hear the Bible every week, serve in ministry, know the right answers, and allow "Christianity" to become a religious routine than a personal relationship. We can be comfortable around holy things while our hearts slowly become passive toward God.
Jesus did not come to make us people who are just familiar with Him. He came to bring us into relationship with Him. He is the Good Shepherd who seeks the lost, and He gave Himself on the cross so that sinners like us could be welcomed into God's presence, not because we earned a place there, but because He gave it to us.
So we can't measure our relationship with Jesus by how long we've been around Christianity. Being close to the things of God is not the same as being close to God.
Many people grow up in church, know the songs, hear the Bible every week, serve in ministry, know the right answers, and allow "Christianity" to become a religious routine than a personal relationship. We can be comfortable around holy things while our hearts slowly become passive toward God.
Jesus did not come to make us people who are just familiar with Him. He came to bring us into relationship with Him. He is the Good Shepherd who seeks the lost, and He gave Himself on the cross so that sinners like us could be welcomed into God's presence, not because we earned a place there, but because He gave it to us.
So we can't measure our relationship with Jesus by how long we've been around Christianity. Being close to the things of God is not the same as being close to God.
- Where has Christianity become familiar or routine for you? Be honest about the places where you may be relying on what you know, what you’ve always done, or how long you’ve been around church rather than actively pursuing Jesus. What has become easy to do without requiring much of your heart?
- Think about your normal rhythms with God: prayer, Scripture, worship, church, serving, or other spiritual habits. Have you noticed yourself going through the motions instead of actually engaging with Jesus? How do you switch your heart from routine to real relationship?
- Familiarity can make it easy to assume we're spiritually healthy because Christianity is already part of our lives. What is one area where you need to move from familiarity to active pursuit of Jesus? What intentional steps do you need to take?
Prayer Topics:
- Confess the times you have settled for religious routine instead of pursuing Jesus.
- Ask God to help you genuinely desire and seek Him.
- Ask Jesus to help you follow Him with a sincere and surrendered heart.
- Thank Jesus for bringing you near to God through His sacrifice.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
4. Can a person be good enough to go to heaven? No. Because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He is God, I believe a person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
No Comments