1 Samuel 9:19–24

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 tomorrow I will let you go and will tell you all that is in your heart. But as for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not be anxious about them, for they have been found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on you and on all your father’s house?”

And Saul answered and said, “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 like this to me?”

Now Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall, and had them sit in the place of honor among those who were invited; there were about thirty persons. And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, ‘Set it apart.’ ” So the cook took up the thigh with its upper part and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, “Here it is, what was kept back. It was set apart for you. Eat; for until this time it has been kept for you, since I said I invited the people.” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

This feels like many of the conversations Jesus had with people. They’d be expecting something mundane (like drawing water from a well), and the next thing they know, their whole world is turned upside down.

Likewise, Samuel jumps this conversation to the next level when he announces that he is the seer and then says a bunch of seer stuff. Saul’s donkeys that were lost three days ago (how does he know that?) have been found. (How does he know that either?) Samuel also says that he, “will tell you all that is in your heart.”

But first, let’s eat.

The meal turns out to be loaded with symbolism. Saul has to be sitting there with his mind reeling, wondering what’s going on. The end of the first paragraph above (“And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on you and on all your father’s house?”) is so puzzling that Saul questions Samuel about it. That must have taken great courage as he’s basically arguing.

But Samuel ignores Saul’s questions and focuses on dinner. From Saul’s point of view, this is as nutty as a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.

Then Samuel drops a bomb on Saul by giving him the upper thigh portion and, just in case Saul doesn’t realize the significance, announces, “Here it is, what was kept back. It was set apart for you. Eat; for until this time it has been kept for you, since I said I invited the people.” The upper thigh was often kept back because it’s the choicest cut.

Saul now realizes that this meal is in his honor.

But why? He’s done nothing.

These Monday—Friday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. The Weekend DEEPs are written by Matt Richardson. To subscribe to all the DEEPs click here:

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.