1 Samuel 9:22

SAUL WAS HONORED AT THE DINNER WITH SAMUEL

"Then Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall and gave them a place at the head of those who had been invited, who were about thirty persons. And Samuel said to the cook, "Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I told you, `Put it aside.'" So the cook took up the leg and the upper portion and set them before Saul; and Samuel said, `See, what was kept is set before you. Eat, for it was kept for you until the hour appointed, that you might eat with the guests.'"

The portion of meat reserved for Saul was the shoulder, which was usually the priests portion of the sacrifice, and the meaning of this might be either one of two things: (1) Samuel, to whom the shoulder properly belonged, gave it to Saul as a compliment; or (2) there was a symbolical meaning that Saul would have some kind of superiority over the priests of Israel in the future. It seems to this writer that the first of these is the more probable.