And the cook took up the shoulder, and set it before Saul. And Samuel said: Behold what is left, set it before thee, and eat; because it was kept of purpose for thee, when I invited the people. And Saul ate with Samuel that day.
וַיָּ֣רֶם הַ֠טַּבָּח אֶת־הַשּׁ֨וֹק וְהֶעָלֶ֜יהָ וַיָּ֣שֶׂם ׀ לִפְנֵ֣י שָׁא֗וּל וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הִנֵּ֤ה הַנִּשְׁאָר֙ שִׂים־לְפָנֶ֣יךָ אֱכֹ֔ל כִּ֧י לַמּוֹעֵ֛ד שָֽׁמוּר־לְךָ֥ לֵאמֹ֖ר הָעָ֣ם ׀ קָרָ֑אתִי וַיֹּ֧אכַל שָׁא֛וּל עִם־שְׁמוּאֵ֖ל בַּיּ֥וֹם הַהֽוּא׃
3 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Samuel extended his support to Saul, acting as a leader who must take risks on behalf of the people. He further declared, “This is the testimony: ‘Offer before me, and eat, for a testimony is offered to thee of the people’” (1 Sam. 9:24).
Those who ascend to the highest levels of pastoral leadership must exemplify moral excellence and possess a deep empathy for the frailties of others. Consider Saul, who accompanied Samuel to the heights and subsequently descended to the city. The overseer ought to skillfully manage both sacred and ordinary matters. As Paul affirms, “But our dwelling is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). Yet, he must also acknowledge, “I am a wretched man! Who will rescue me from this body of death? But in my members I see another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me a captive to the law of sin” (Romans 7:23-24).
This genuine leader imparts wisdom among the mature; he operates in the everyday realm while accommodating physical needs, stating, “to avoid fornication, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband” (1 Corinthians 7:2). He also ascends spiritually as he proclaims, “neither height, nor depth, nor any other creature, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:39). Simultaneously, he descends to meet others where they are, saying, “to the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men” (1 Corinthians 9:22). Just as Samuel elevated Saul to the heights and brought him back to the city, so too do the esteemed leaders of the holy Church instruct those they mentor to aspire toward lofty ideals, to communicate clearly, to maintain personal discipline, and to exercise greater prudence with those under their care. In this way, they strive for their own redemption, seeking to identify with the weak and embody humility themselves.
Saul shared a meal with Samuel on that day, and they descended from the high place into the city. During the time when God's mercy was made manifest, the Lord proclaimed His message alongside John the Baptist until John was imprisoned. The Lord stated of those who had faith in Him, "Verily I say unto you, Moses gave you not bread out of heaven, but My Father giveth you the true bread out of heaven" (John 6:32). Both John and the Lord communicated not only with the righteous and the virtuous but also extended His care to the vulnerable, addressing the ordinary aspects of life. To the former, it is instructed: "Sell your possessions and give alms" (Luke 12:33). For the latter, it is commanded: "Thou shalt not murder; thou shalt not commit adultery; thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not bear false witness" (Matt. 19:18).
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS