Finally, they entered the region of Zuph, and Saul said to his servant, “Let’s go home. By now my father will be more worried about us than about the donkeys!”
1 Samuel 9:5 NLT
It’s not used so much now, but one of the definitions of the word ‘dear’ is expensive. Nowadays it is used more when describing something as cherished and loved. The word ‘valuable’ has similar double meanings but it is more split between expensive and treasured – a diamond ring can be valuable, but so can a good employee. We also talk about someone being worth his weight in gold. The point of all this is that we tend to confuse people with things in how we value them. How can we describe someone in the same way we describe an inanimate object like a ring? How can we put a price on someone by saying that he is worth 12 stones of gold?
Saul knew that his father thought that he was more important than a few donkeys and that he should therefore call a halt to the search.
I get attached to inanimate objects. I like having them and using them. A few days ago I was in a panic because my mobile phone developed a fault and I couldn’t use it. The thing is that I couldn’t use it to keep in touch with people and that is the most important matter – people! I need to get my priorities right. People matter more than any matter. It’s not that they are more valuable than any item, or worth their weight in any substance. They are people. They are God’s children. They are the ones for whom God sacrificed his one and only son. They are more precious to God than Jesus!
It’s all about people. The things in life don’t matter.