In I Samuel 9, we get our first glimpse at the prospective candidate. We are told (v. 2) that Saul, the son of Kish, was an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites. We are told that he was head and shoulders over all the other people. In other words, he was tall and good-looking, a striking man, with a full physique. His father, Kish, was a man of standing, which is the Bible's way of saying that Saul was from a wealthy family.
Saul, for his day, was, in all probability, an educated and sophisticated young man. He was, no doubt, schooled in all that was proper and appropriate. Probably, his father saw to it that he had the proper opportunities to develop himself intellectually, physically, and spiritually.
If you search the Scriptures carefully, there is nothing to indicate that Saul was indulged by his father. He was definitely no aristocratic, playboy type. In fact, in the portrait that we have of him here, Saul is working for his father. He has responsibilities, and he is held accountable. In verse 3, we see Kish giving his son a very specific assignment. Saul was to take a servant and go out and look for his father's herd of donkeys, which had wandered off their grazing land. You will note that his son does not say, "Oh, gee, Dad, what a pain. I got a big date tonight, and what about the game tomorrow afternoon? You know how my allergies are. The ragweed is a killer this time of year. Do I have to go? Can't you just send some servants out?"
There is none of that spirit in young Saul. He is responsible. He is not a "do nothing," "sit on your duff" type of young man. There is no hiding. He immediately went out. For three days, he searched hill and vale, looking for dear old dad's donkeys. Though he was diligent, responsible, and dutiful in the dispatch of his duties, he was not very successful.
Note verse 5: We get a tremendous insight into the thoughtfulness of this young man. Saul says, "Come, let's go back, or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us." Here was a young man who wanted his father to know of his whereabouts; that he and his servant were all right. He did not want to put his father through any unnecessary anxiety. He did not want his father daring to entertain even the slightest thought that some harm had befallen him.