Commentators often take two different stances when it comes to evaluating Saul. Some look to this verse (and others) as evidence of a bad character. He is said to be passive,1 unfamiliar with spiritual things (see 1 Samuel 9:6–7) and a poor farmer. Others argue that his concern for his father and willingness to listen to his servant (1 Samuel 9:10) are exactly the things you would want from a leader. It is not possible to make definitive judgments about Saul at this point in time. He is presented to us as an ordinary young man who has much potential to do good and we must be careful about allowing later incidents to colour our interpretation.
5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come, let us go back, lest my father cease to care about the donkeys and become anxious about us.”