What is the meaning of 1 Samuel 9:27? As they were going down to the edge of the city • The moment is deliberately set outside the city’s bustle, a quiet margin where God can speak without distraction. Joshua had a similar encounter “when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a Man standing in front of him” (Joshua 5:13). • God often meets His people on the road or at a boundary: Isaac “went out to meditate in the field toward evening” (Genesis 24:63), and the risen Christ drew near to two disciples “as they talked and deliberated” on the way to Emmaus (Luke 24:15). • Leaving town marks the end of Saul’s search for lost donkeys (1 Samuel 9:3–20) and the threshold of a new calling. The edge of the city becomes the edge of his old life. Samuel said to Saul • Samuel, the prophet whom “the LORD was with… and let none of his words fall to the ground” (1 Samuel 3:19), now turns his full attention to Saul. • God regularly chooses a faithful servant to deliver pivotal truth: Moses to Israel (Exodus 3:10), Nathan to David (2 Samuel 12:7), Ananias to the other Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:15–17). • Saul must learn that true leadership begins by listening to God’s spokesman, not by relying on personal strength or pedigree (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:27–29). Tell the servant to go on ahead of us • Privacy signals importance. Like Abraham who told his servants, “Stay here… while I and the boy go over there to worship” (Genesis 22:5), Samuel clears the room for holy business. • Jesus practiced the same pattern, taking only Peter, James, and John up the mountain (Matthew 17:1) and excluding others from Jairus’s house (Mark 5:37). • The instruction reminds us that not every word from God is for public ears; some moments are reserved for the one being called. But you stay for a while • Saul is singled out. Remaining behind echoes the Lord’s command to Moses and Joshua: “Present yourselves… that I may commission him” (Deuteronomy 31:14). • Waiting prepares the heart. Mary “sat at the Lord’s feet listening to His word” (Luke 10:39); disciples were told, “Remain in Me” (John 15:4). • God calls leaders to linger with Him before they lead others. Haste would abort spiritual formation; lingering invites revelation. I will reveal to you the word of God • Revelation is the central promise. “The LORD continued to appear… for the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel by the word of the LORD” (1 Samuel 3:21). • Prophetic disclosure is God’s consistent pattern: “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). • For Saul, this means specific instructions (anointing, signs, kingship—1 Samuel 10). For us, it underscores that “All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable” (2 Timothy 3:16). • God’s word is authoritative, sufficient, and meant to be obeyed, not merely admired. So the servant went on • The unnamed servant’s obedience clears the stage. Like Philip who “rose and went” when the angel spoke (Acts 8:27), he shows quiet faithfulness. • His simple compliance reminds us that every role matters in God’s plan (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:22–25). • “A man’s heart plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps” (Proverbs 16:9); even a servant’s steps are woven into divine purpose. summary 1 Samuel 9:27 captures a sacred pause: leaving the city, dismissing the servant, Samuel positions Saul to hear God’s word alone. The verse teaches that genuine leadership begins in solitude with God, that revelation is given to attentive hearts, and that even the smallest acts of obedience (the servant walking on) advance God’s larger plan. |
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