A NOBODY FOR SOMEBODY
(9-minute read)
Most commentaries about 1 Samuel 9 (the first book of Samuel, chapter 9) focus on the introduction of Saul as a good looker who stood out for his height and handsome looks, and how God revealed to Samuel that he would become Israel’s first king. By all accounts, it is one of those Bible stories which starts with an ordinary event (Saul on a donkey recovery mission) before it turns into a life-changing experience for the main protagonist (Saul).
Yet readers and students of the Word would be seriously remiss to overlook one critical character in the plot: the unnamed servant that Saul’s father had instructed him to take along with him. In fact, Kish had told his son Saul “Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys.” (v3). Indeed, "take one" was an appropriate expression because servants were at the beck and call of their masters, serving their needs in their best interests.
As it turned out, Saul picked a particular servant whose knowledge of God changed the trajectory of his donkey recovery mission at a crucial point that would set him on a new path of life.
Who was this servant?
1 Samuel 9 opened with three verses describing Saul’s image, lineage and family background. The servant, on the other hand, was a nobody: there was no record of his name or title. He was just one of the many minions in Saul’s father’s household. Compared to Saul, he was a nobody but he was a spiritual man who knew about a respected and renowned man of God called Samuel.
And he was a servant who was determined to serve the mission that he was given. By day three of their hunt for the lost donkeys (v20), they reached the district of Zuph where Saul decided that it was time to abandon their mission and return home. He was confident that his father would be happy enough to know that they survived the two-man expedition in spite of their failure to recover the lost livestock (v6). But because the servant was a spiritual man, he knew that they could get help instead of turning back empty. So he interjected to reverse his master’s plan by saying, “Look, in this town there is a man of God; he is highly respected, and everything he says comes true. Let’s go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take.” (v6).
How did the servant (who was a nobody) serve his master?
Clearly, he served with diligence, dedication and distinction! He embraced the mission that he was given and knew by faith that trying hard alone was not enough to ensure the success his master needed. After all, they had already travelled three days on foot through four different regions before they arrived at the district of Zuph. Involving God in his job was never an option, yet he knew from experience that sometimes he just had to let the boss’ ideas run its course before it was time to offer a better solution. It did not matter that he had a smaller and less impressive build than Saul or other servants, he had a larger faith than most men and it showed in how he served his master.
When tasked to “... go and look for the donkeys”, he provided not just lip service but personal service from the heart. He was determined to find those lost donkeys and was confident that Samuel, the man of God, would be able to point them in the right direction. In fact, putting his faith and money where his conviction laid, he volunteered his own possession of “a quarter of a shekel of silver” so that he and his master could approach the prophet with proper decorum. That must have been a precious sum to a lowly-paid servant!
Consider how often we prefer to offer suggestions, views, ideas and nothing more. But this servant was different: he served over and beyond his pay grade and call of duty. After searching for the lost donkeys on foot for three days, in arid land and harsh weather conditions, he did not jump at the chance to turn back and go home as soon as his master gave up. Instead, he was committed to his master’s success and would not let him go home empty-handed.
Where was God in all this?
Everywhere! From the very beginning, God had a hand in determining that this particular servant would be selected among the many servants in the household. And what about the mysterious disappearance and reappearance of the donkeys three days later – not a single one was missing! In fact, God showed His involvement in three ways:
The Plan of God was clear: If Saul had picked any other servant, his story would have been very different. It speaks to those of us who are facing less than ideal workplace situations that we should stop doubting if we are in the right place the moment we find ourselves in a predicament. We could very well be in the divine plan of God – positioned and placed for a reason.
The Timing of God was clear: A day before Saul reached Zuph, God revealed this to Samuel: “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him ruler over my people Israel; he will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked on my people, for their cry has reached me.” (v15-16).
Was it a coincidence that Saul and his servant met a few young ladies who had come out to draw water (a common domestic chore for women) and they knew where Samuel was because he happened to pass them by just moments ago (v11-13)? In fact, the time the donkeys disappeared, the time Saul’s father became so concerned about the missing donkeys that he sent his son to go look for them, the time Saul and his servant set out on their journey, the time they rested during their journey, the time they took to travel through five towns – every move, every minute and every day was considered by God up to the time when ‘about this time tomorrow’ became the moment they appeared to meet Samuel face to face.
As long as we rise to every occasion that God calls us into, we can be sure that we are in the centre of His plans - set in divine timing to be fulfilled through us. Fighting back with gossips, mental and emotional freezing, or looking for the first door out of difficult people situations are not productive moves. In the same way, some may be seriously considering changing jobs (again) to get out of unfair situations because it has been rough. But if you stop to reflect, do you see a pattern of immature behaviour that keeps emerging? Have you ever considered that God might be telling you to experience it, lean on Him for wisdom and strength till it produces the fruit of the Spirit in you?
The Favour of God was clear: Saul and his servant were both invited by Samuel to join him in a religious private dining reserved for only thirty people. God had placed them on Samuel’s heart to make up the headcount of thirty guests. They were not additional guests or ‘fillers’ to replace others who could not attend. They were on God’s original guest list!
“Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the hall and seated them at the head of those who were invited – about thirty in number.” (v22).
Notably, the unnamed servant was not banished to eat in the kitchen but he was given a place to sit at the table with other guests as equals! Everyone had the same food except for a special piece of meat that was reserved only for Saul.
Presently, you may feel you are a nobody where you are working but you have a name. God has called you by name. You may feel you are a nobody but you are the child of a living God. You may not have a business card with a fancy title. But we don’t serve others with excellence only for career advancement – whatever we do, we do it to advance God’s plans and His desires; even if it is to fulfill His divine plan in someone’s life. The question is: would you allow Him?
If Saul’s servant had not served his master with distinction, the outcome would have been different. So even if you feel like a nobody today, God can still involve you to make a difference.
The Bible has very specific encouragement for us to live successful lives for God. Colossians 3:16-17 teaches us to “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, …Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”
Colossians 3:22-24 (emphasis added) also points out the same godly attitude: “Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”
Like Saul, the people we report to and work with can be clueless about who Jesus is. You will have your own version of ‘lost donkeys’ in your place of work. Your boss may be experiencing great stress or anxiety, and even a personal crisis. Being followers of Jesus Christ, we are the church right where we find our livelihood. We don’t stand out just by attending church, wearing a cross pendant, displaying artefacts of faith in our homes or office cubicles. It is about living out our faith with authenticity, in the here and now of real life.
The unnamed servant stood out because God could trust him with hard challenges, even when He did not reveal His entire plan to him. Yet he honoured God's divine purpose when the man of God needed personal time to reveal some things to His master and he obediently went ahead to let them speak in private (v27). In summary, God could not have picked a better servant to fulfill His mission.
What about you?
This is a summary and reflection based on a virtual BIR Session held on 19 November 2022.
