JAMES A.E. MACLELLAN: The Mundane and Irrelevant

Wednesday, July 31, 2019

The Mundane and Irrelevant - 1 Samuel, Part 18

“And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city”” (1 Samuel 8:22, ESV). In the previous blog, the events that led up to this decision were discussed. Now the search for the king starts.

Read 1 Samuel 9:1–14 (ESV)

Here we are introduced to a man named Saul whose father is Kish. The four-pedigree illumination of the family roots his ancestry in the tribe of Benjamin. Benjamin, the tribe of Israel named after Jacob’s beloved son was also the tribal roots for Saul, later named Paul in the New Testament (Philippians 3:5). Kish was a man of wealth (Some translations say “valor”.). Saul is twice mentioned as being “handsome” and it’s noted that he was tall. His father sent him on a mission to locate some missing donkeys. “And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then they passed through the land of Benjamin but did not find them.” (1 Samuel 9:4, ESV)

Discouraged and concerned that his father would be anxious, Saul thought it best to go home. His unnamed servant suggested seeing a prophet, a seer, a man of God, who might be able to help them. Saul was concerned that they had no gift to give such a man if they found him. A gift would express thankfulness and gratitude. “The servant answered Saul again, “Here, I have with me a quarter of a shekel of silver, and I will give it to the man of God to tell us our way.”” (1 Samuel 9:8, ESV).

They determined to go to see the man of God. It being Samuel would lead us to conclude they went to Ramah. Meeting some young women coming out to water, they confirmed the prophet was in the city and were encouraged to hasten to him for they knew of a religious ceremony that he was to be leading. “So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the high place.” (1 Samuel 9:14, ESV)

At this point, before we read of the interaction of Samuel and Saul, one must ask themselves of what benefit did the Holy Spirit conceive of that we should read all these details of Saul’s lineage and all the details of the lost donkeys and the choice to seek a prophet and the help of the young women?

Matthew Henry helps us here to see that these events, seemingly irrelevant and incidental are “but the divine providence ordered it for the forwarding of this great event. The wise God serves very great and certain purposes by very small and casual occurrences.”^{^[1]} These circumstances simply show that it was God and His Providence that were the occasion for Saul and Samuel to meet.

Henry C. Thiessen writes, “God exercises sovereign rule over all the physical universe, over plant and animal creation, over the nations of the earth, and over all individuals . . . over all areas of each man’s existence. . . (3) Over the most trivial of circumstances. He is concerned with the sparrow, and more so the hairs of our head (Matthew 10:29f) He determines the way the lot falls (Proverbs 16:33). He even gives and withholds sleep (Esther 6:1).”[2]

As I sought to apply in an earlier Blog, this means there are no “accidents” per se. This means that things don’t happen by chance. And for the Christian, Christ applies this truth this way: ““Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, . . . Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:25–34, ESV); and “Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:31, ESV).

Don’t fear, don’t be anxious. Not a detail – not the tiniest of details, mundane and ordinary is not superintended and supplied by our Heavenly Father.

Therefore, we do not fear nor worry.