The Anointing of Saul: With chapter 9 the focus moves from Samuel, although he still has a significant role to play, to Saul. In verse 3 Saul, in spite of his imposing physical presence and his good family background, enters the picture as a rather insignificant young man looking for lost donkeys. God’s concern for and use of the powerless can be seen again here. It may be, therefore, that the grandiose introduction in verse 2 is inserted into an earlier account to serve as an introduction to Saul the king at the point when he is first mentioned. The presentation both of the significance of Saul’s tribe and lineage and of his impressive character seems at odds with the picture that initially emerges of an indecisive and unconfident young man with what he sees as an insignificant background…