I Samuel 9

Hook

Have you ever had a day where absolutely everything seemed to go wrong? You wake up late, you lose your keys, your computer crashes, and you end up spending hours running stressful errands that feel like a complete waste of your precious time. We have all been there, sighing at the ceiling, wondering why we are stuck dealing with tedious chores when we have so many other important things to do.

In the Jewish tradition, there is a comforting and surprising story about a young man named Saul who went through the ultimate bad day. He was sent by his father to find a group of runaway farm animals. It was hot, dusty, and incredibly boring. He wandered through the hills for days, feeling like a complete failure because he could not find them.

Yet, this exact annoying detour was actually the secret pathway to his life's true calling. If you have ever felt like you are wandering in circles, chasing after things that seem totally insignificant, this ancient text is for you. It shows us that our most frustrating daily detours might actually be the runway to our greatest personal breakthroughs. Let us look at how a search for lost donkeys can help us find our own sense of purpose, even when we feel completely lost.

Context

To help us understand this ancient story, let us look at the background of where, when, and why these events took place:

• Who is who in this story: The main character is Saul, a young man from the tribe of Benjamin. A tribe is an ancestral family division within the ancient Jewish nation I Samuel 9:1. Saul is remarkably tall and handsome, but he is also quiet and prefers to stay out of the spotlight. His father is Kish, a wealthy landowner. Along for the journey is a nameless, highly practical family servant. Finally, we meet Samuel, an aging seer. A seer is an old term for a prophet who sees spiritual truths I Samuel 9:9. Samuel is the spiritual guide of Israel, and he is looking for the nation's very first king.
• When and where this takes place: This story is set around 1000 BCE in the rugged, rocky hill country of ancient Israel I Samuel 9:4. At this point in history, the Jewish people do not have a king. They live as a loose confederation of different tribes. They are constantly being threatened by powerful neighboring nations like the Philistines. The people are anxious, scared, and looking for stability. They want a strong leader to guide them through the chaos.
• The political crisis: The people of Israel have begged Samuel for a king so they can be "like all the other nations." Samuel is hesitant because he worries a human king will become corrupt. But God tells Samuel to listen to the people. God promises to send a young man who will be anointed as their ruler I Samuel 9:16. To anoint means pouring oil on a leader's head to show divine choice. The stage is set for a massive political shift, but it starts with a simple family chore.
• The key term we need to know: As we read, we will encounter the Hebrew word Mashiach, which translates to "anointed one" or "messiah." In ancient Israel, anointing was not about magic; it was a physical sign of responsibility. It meant you were chosen to serve the public, protect the vulnerable, and lead with integrity. Saul has no idea that his search for lost animals is about to turn him into the very first Mashiach of Israel.

Text Snapshot

Here is a quick look at the moment Saul's ordinary search collides with his extraordinary destiny, from the Bible translation on Sefaria:

Once the donkeys of Saul’s father Kish went astray, and Kish said to his son Saul, “Take along one of the servants and go out and look for the donkeys.” He passed into the hill country of Ephraim... but they did not find them... When they reached the district of Zuph, Saul said to the servant who was with him, “Let us turn back, or my father will stop worrying about the donkeys and begin to worry about us.” But he replied, “There is an agent of God in that town... let us go there; perhaps he will tell us about the errand on which we set out.”

— I Samuel 9:3-6, Sefaria Link to I Samuel 9

Close Reading

To find the hidden gems in this story, we can turn to the classical commentaries. These are Jewish scholars from history who looked at every single word of the text to find deep life lessons. Let us explore three powerful insights we can use today.

Insight 1: The Legacy of the Lantern-Lighter

When we first meet Saul, the text does something that might seem a bit dry at first: it lists his family tree. It tells us that he is the son of Kish, who was the son of Abiel, and it goes back several generations I Samuel 9:1.

Why does the Bible care so much about Saul's grandfather, Abiel?

The great commentator Radak, a medieval French rabbi, shares a beautiful Midrash about this. A midrash is ancient Jewish creative stories that explain Bible texts. Radak explains that Saul's grandfather Abiel had a second name: "Ner," which means "lamp" or "candle" in Hebrew.

Why was he called Ner? The Midrash tells us that Abiel was famous because he used to go out into the dark, gloomy alleyways of his town and light lamps for the public. He did this so that people would not trip, fall, or hurt themselves when they walked at night.

Think about this beautiful image for a moment. Long before Saul was ever chosen to be a king, his family was already famous for doing quiet, anonymous acts of kindness. They did not build giant monuments or win massive wars. Instead, a grandfather simply went out into the dark streets with a small flame to make sure his neighbors could walk safely.

Another great commentator, the Malbim, notes that God chose Saul to be the leader of Israel precisely because of these inherited character traits. In Jewish thought, true greatness is not about flashy victories or standing on a big stage. It is built on a quiet foundation of daily kindness and care for the community. The strength of the father breeds strength in the child.

The modern scholar Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz also points out that Saul's father, Kish, was a highly respected and capable man I Samuel 9:1. The commentator Metzudat David explains that the Hebrew phrase "ben ish yemini" means Saul came from a family of great, noble people. Metzudat Zion adds that the word "chayil" used to describe his father means strength, courage, and integrity.

This family legacy teaches us something profound about our own lives. We often think our family background is just about genetics, social status, or the mistakes our parents made. But this text suggests our real inheritance is the quiet goodness of those who came before us.

Even if your family history feels complicated or messy, you have the power to carry forward the "lamps" of those who tried to make the world a little brighter. You do not need a crown to be a leader; you just need to light a lamp in a dark alleyway for someone else.

Insight 2: The Spelling of Identity

There is a fascinating, tiny detail in the spelling of the very first verse of this chapter. The Hebrew text describes Saul's tribe as "miben yemin," which means "from the son of the right hand" I Samuel 9:1.

The classical commentators Minchat Shai and Radak both point out an orthographic anomaly here. In the handwritten Torah scrolls, this phrase is written as two separate words: miben yemin. However, when we read it out loud during synagogue services, we are instructed to read it as one single word: mibinyamin (which means "from Benjamin").

Why would the text write it as two words but tell us to read it as one?

This is a beautiful metaphor for human identity and personal growth. Very often, we feel fragmented. We feel like we are made of separate, clashing pieces. We have our private doubts and our public faces. We have our past mistakes and our future hopes. We might feel like we are living in two different worlds at the same time.

The text visually keeps these words separate on the page, representing the individual, messy parts of who we are. Yet, when we speak, we are told to unite them into one harmonious name.

This teaches us that personal growth is not about erasing our struggles or pretending we are perfect. It is about integration. It is about taking the separate, scattered pieces of our lives—our humble moments, our lost donkeys, and our grand potential—and reading them together as one beautiful, unified story. You do not have to be perfectly put together to be worthy of a great destiny. God uses the fragmented pieces of our lives to build something whole.

Insight 3: Leading from the Back

As Saul and his servant wander the hills looking for the lost donkeys, they run out of food and hope. Saul is ready to give up and go home. He says, "Let us turn back, or my father will stop worrying about the donkeys and begin to worry about us" I Samuel 9:5.

But the nameless servant has a different idea. He suggests they visit a local "seer" to ask for help, and he even offers to pay for it using his own tiny silver coin I Samuel 9:6-8.

Look at the dynamic here. Saul is the wealthy master, yet he is ready to quit. The servant is the employee, yet he has the spiritual sensitivity, the financial resourcefulness, and the optimism to keep going.

How does Saul react to his servant taking charge? He does not get defensive. He does not pull rank or say, "I am the boss here, we do what I say." Instead, Saul simply says, "A good idea; let us go" I Samuel 9:10.

The Malbim writes a gorgeous commentary on this moment. He notes that Saul immediately recognized the beauty of the servant's advice. Saul was completely willing to let the servant take the lead. In Hebrew terms, Saul made himself the "secondary" traveler (tafel) and let his servant be the "primary" guide (ikar).

The Malbim explains that this was actually a test from God. Saul's natural humility made him want to hide, to remain an ordinary traveler rather than a VIP. He was not looking for power or prestige.

This is a radical view of leadership! True leaders do not need to be the smartest people in the room. They do not need to have all the answers, and they do not need to take credit for every good idea. A real leader is someone who is humble enough to listen to good advice, even when it comes from someone who has less social status.

When Saul finally met the prophet Samuel, he was not wearing fancy clothes or acting important. He was just a dusty guy who had been chasing donkeys, walking behind his servant. It was precisely this lack of ego, this willingness to let others shine, that made him ready to wear a crown.

Apply It

How can we bring this ancient wisdom into our busy, modern lives? We can practice the legacy of Saul's grandfather, Abiel, who lit lamps in dark alleys so others would not fall.

This week, try The 60-Second Alley-Lighting Practice. It requires no money and takes less than a minute a day.

How to do it:

1. Identify a "dark alley": Every day, look for one small, quiet spot in your home, office, or community where someone might "trip" or feel stressed. This could be a messy sink, a lonely coworker, a door that is hard to open, or an inbox filled with unanswered questions.
2. Light the lamp: Spend up to 60 seconds quietly clearing that path for someone else, without telling anyone you did it.
   • Option A: Quietly wash a dish that is not yours.
   • Option B: Send a quick, warm text to someone who is going through a tough time, just to say, "I am thinking of you."
   • Option C: Hold the door open, pick up a piece of trash, or leave a kind sticky note on a colleague’s desk.
3. Keep it quiet: Do not look for credit or post about it on social media. Do it simply to make the path a little safer and brighter for the next person, just like Abiel did.

By doing this, you might find that your own daily chores and detours start to feel less like a waste of time and more like a holy opportunity to bring light into the world.

Chevruta Mini

A chevruta is a traditional Jewish study partner for discussing texts Mishnah Avot 1:6. Here are two friendly questions to discuss with a friend, a family member, or even to think about on your own over coffee:

1. Saul was looking for lost donkeys when he stumbled into his destiny as a king. Can you think of a time in your own life when a frustrating detour—like a canceled flight, a lost item, a rejected application, or a boring chore—ended up leading you to an unexpected friend, a new opportunity, or a beautiful realization? How did your feelings shift from the beginning of that detour to the end?
2. Saul’s grandfather, Abiel, became famous in Jewish tradition not for winning battles, but for lighting dark street corners so his neighbors would not trip. In our modern world, we often celebrate people who are the "tallest" or the "loudest" in the room. Who are the quiet "street-lighters" in your life, and what are some simple ways we can notice and honor their quiet contributions?

Takeaway

Remember this: Your most frustrating daily detours are not a waste of time; they are often the exact paths where you will find your greatest opportunities to bring light to the world.