This page gives you a set of study questions for 1 Samuel 9, the chapter where a young man named Saul goes looking for his father’s donkeys and ends up meeting the prophet Samuel. It works for a small group, a Sunday school class, or personal reflection, and each section includes answers and discussion notes you can use or adapt.
1 Samuel 9 at a Glance
The chapter opens with Kish, a Benjamite, sending his son Saul to find some lost donkeys. Saul and a servant search through several regions without success, and when they near home Saul wants to turn back. The servant suggests they consult the local man of God, Samuel, who is known for his accuracy. They discover that Samuel is about to host a sacrifice at the high place, and Samuel reveals that God has already told him the young man’s coming.
The rest of the chapter shows Samuel welcoming Saul as an honored guest, giving him the choicest portion of the meal, and talking with him privately on the housetop. The narrative ends with the two leaving the city early in the morning, with Samuel asking Saul to send the servant ahead so he can receive a message from God. Readers should notice that the chapter is about an ordinary errand that becomes the doorway to a much larger calling.
Observation Questions
Use these questions at the start of the session to make sure everyone has the facts of the story straight before anyone interprets anything. Let people answer from the text first, and only then look at the notes.
1 Samuel 9:2
He had a son, whose name was Saul, an impressive young man; and there was not among the children of Israel a better person than he. From his shoulders and upward he was taller than any of the people.
(WEB)
Reading this verse aloud introduces Saul in his physical and personal stature. It gives the group a clear picture of the man God is about to choose and sets up the contrast with his humble self-description later in the chapter.
1 Samuel 9:6
The servant said to him, “Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is a man who is held in honor. All that he says surely happens. Now let us go there. Perhaps he can tell us which way to go.”
(WEB)
This verse shows the servant’s suggestion and the reputation Samuel carried in the land. Reading it aloud helps the group see how a simple recommendation from an ordinary person became the turning point of the whole story.
1 Samuel 9:16-17
16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man out of the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He will save my people out of the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon my people, because their cry has come to me.” 17 When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said to him, “Behold, the man of whom I spoke to you! He will have authority over my people.”
(WEB)
These verses record God’s direct words about the man who is coming and about the care God has for his suffering people. Reading them aloud reminds the group that the meeting was arranged by God and rooted in his compassion for Israel.
1 Samuel 9:21
Saul answered, “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 to me like this?”
(WEB)
Saul’s humble reply is the emotional center of the feast scene. Reading it aloud invites the group to reflect on how easily we dismiss God’s calling because we feel too small to be used.
1 Samuel 9:27
As they were going down at the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us.” He went ahead, then Samuel said, “But stand still first, that I may cause you to hear God’s message.”
(WEB)
The chapter closes with Samuel asking for stillness so God’s word can be heard. Reading this verse aloud gives the session a quiet transition into personal reflection and prayer.
Memory Verse for 1 Samuel 9
1 Samuel 9:17
When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said to him, “Behold, the man of whom I spoke to you! He will have authority over my people.”
(WEB)
This verse captures the heart of the chapter: God points out the person he has chosen and announces his authority over his people. Memorizing it helps you remember that God’s purposes are often revealed in the ordinary moments of life.
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we thank you that you see the people you call before they see themselves. Like Saul, we often feel small and unready, and we ask you to quiet our fears and help us receive what you give. Teach us to pay attention to the ordinary errands of our days, because you may be leading us toward something larger. Give us hearts that honor others without waiting for them to earn it, and give us the patience to stand still and listen for your word. Be with each person here this week, and let what we have read become part of how we live. Amen.
