So, what does a king look like?
What does a president look like?
This is a question Samuel faces when God sends him to anoint a new king for Israel.
Remember in chapter 15, God rejected Saul as king because he did not obey.
Now, Samuel’s task is to anoint a new king to follow Saul — A task not very appealing to Samuel.
An important side note: As always, Samuel went against his own human judgement and anointed the one God chose — David!
Samuel Anoints David the King of Israel
“Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel?
Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, because I have chosen a king for Myself among his sons.”
But Samuel said, “How can I go? When Saul hears about it, he will kill me.” But the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’
And you shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will let you know what you shall do; and you shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate to you.”
So Samuel did what the Lord told him, and he came to Bethlehem. Then the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, “Do you come in peace?”
And he said, “In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.”
He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is standing before Him.”
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God does not see as man sees, since man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass before Samuel. But he said, “The Lord has not chosen this one, either.”
Next Jesse had Shammah pass by. And he said, “The Lord has not chosen this one, either.”
So Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.”
Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the boys?”
And he said, “The youngest is still left, but behold, he is tending the sheep.” So Samuel said to Jesse, “Send word and bring him; for we will not take our places at the table until he comes here.”
David Anointed
So he sent word and brought him in. Now he was reddish, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance.
And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is he.”
So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward.
And Samuel set out and went to Ramah.” – 1 Samuel 16:1-13 NASB
Ask the Tall One…
Do you & I judge by outward appearance? Before you answer, consider this:
You’re driving through a strange town (before GPS) and you are completely lost.
So, you drive by a house and see kids playing in the yard.
Naturally, you ask the tallest boy for directions, don’t you?
Sadly, he could be the dumbest kid in the whole town, couldn’t he?
And, by the way, Saul was tall (pardon the rhyme), wasn’t he?
Judging Leaders
Yes, we judge by appearance — But God doesn’t!
God sees our hearts. It doesn’t matter what we look like on the outside. No matter what our job or position in society.
Leaders come from all walks of life. Some are great; some are despicable but all rose to great heights just the same.
Good or bad, God worked His will throughout history.
We don’t always understand His purpose. But, it’s not up to us to question what God wants for us.
David – The Chosen One for Christians
Samuel anointed David because God commanded him to do so.
Did Samuel truly understand the amazing events to come because of David? I don’t think so.
But, we have the value of hindsight. We know that Christ our Savior came from the line of David.
Some people place the Old Testament in the past and only study the Bible after Christ was born.
But, the Old Testament gives us a history of how God works out His plans.
In future Bible study lessons, we’ll learn how David (with all his flaws) becomes the man after God’s own heart.
And, he gives us hope along with the blessed assurance that God forgives our many shortcomings.
Isn’t God magnificent?
In Christ,
Bob
If you have never made the commitment to receive the love and life-changing experience of Jesus Christ, please take a moment to read John 3:16.