“Sh’mu’el took Sha’ul and his servant, brought them into the room and had them sit in the place reserved for the most important of the invited guests, who numbered about thirty persons. Sh’mu’el instructed the cook, ‘Serve the portion I gave you and told you to set aside.'”-1 Samuel 9:22-23
The festivities had begun…
Saul was escorted to the banquet table reserved for the most important guests of which there were 30 in attendance.
Once Saul took his seat, something significant happened.
Samuel ordered the chef to serve Saul the thigh and shoulder portion of the cooked sacrificial animal.
By serving the choicest cut to Saul, Samuel was communicating to the roomful of dignitaries that they were now in the presence of Israel’s first king.
After the dinner, Samuel and Saul went down from the high place to the city and went up to a rooftop to talk.
Most likely, Samuel was telling Saul of all the great responsibilities he would now have to shoulder…
And how the people of Israel had fallen far from God’s ways and that it would be Saul’s duty to remedy the situation.
When the next morning came, Samuel woke up Saul and told him it was time for him to go.
But before he left there was one other matter of great importance that had to be discussed.
Apparently this was so important that Samuel told Saul to send the boy companion who had accompanied him on his way so the two could talk in private.
Here’s what was going on:
Saul was about to be anointed king over all Israel.
And Samuel was to be the prophet who delivered that king to Israel.
The desires of the people were about to be fulfilled.
What had for the longest time been a disorganized tribal community without any central leadership was about to transform into a full-fledged monarchy patterned after the gentile nations.
We’ll continue this story the next time we meet…
But before I close…
Let’s dive into the takeaway for today!
It is this:
Notice how Saul’s kingship was indicated by the cut of meat that was served to him.
To me this underscores the important role food plays throughout the entire Bible…
Starting from when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit…
To when God established which foods were clean and unclean…
To when Yeshua himself commanded his disciples to partake of the bread and wine because they symbolized his body and blood.
There has always been a strong spiritual connection between the food we eat and our relationship to God.
When we obey God’s commands concerning food, our relationship in Him is undoubtedly strengthened.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“While they were eating,
Yeshua took a piece of matzah,
made the b’rakhah, broke it,
gave it to the talmidim and said,
‘Take! Eat! This is my body!’
Also he took a cup of wine,
made the b’rakhah,
and gave it to them, saying,
‘All of you, drink from it!
For this is my blood,
which ratifies the New Covenant,
my blood shed on behalf of many,
so that they may have their sins forgiven.
I tell you, I will not drink this
‘fruit of the vine’ again until the day
I drink new wine with you
in my Father’s Kingdom.'”
–Matthew 26:26-29
Leave a Reply