1 The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over 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, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2 And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ 3 And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.” 4 Samuel did what the LORD commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5 And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him.” 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” 10 And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.” 11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 13 Then 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 rose up and went to Ramah.
14 Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the LORD tormented him. 15 And Saul’s servants said to him, “Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you. 16 Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.” 17 So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me a man who can play well and bring him to me.” 18 One of the young men answered, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the LORD is with him.” 19 Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.” 20 And Jesse took a donkey laden with bread and a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them by David his son to Saul. 21 And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. 22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.” 23 And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Sometime after Saul had been rejected as king, the Lord sent Samuel to go and anoint a new king to lead Israel. He was sent to Jesse the Bethlehemite because God had chosen one of his sons. Jesse was the grandson of Ruth and Boaz (Ruth 4:18-21) and was in the line of the promise (Gen 35:11; 49:10). Samuel was concerned because Saul would hear if he traveled outside of his usual judging circuit and it would be seen as a threat to his throne. So the Lord gave Samuel a second task, to go and offer a sacrifice which would not be seen as suspicious.
When Samuel arrived in Bethlehem the elders were concerned whether Samuel came in peace. An unexpected sacrifice could have been an indication of some sin issue in their town that needed to be dealt with. Samuel assured them he came in peace and invited them to consecrate themselves and attend the sacrifice. Samuel then consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
When Jesse and his sons arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and was impressed by his appearance and height and thought he must be who the Lord had chosen (Saul was tall and good-looking). But God made clear a very important lesson. Man judges by the outward appearance, but God judges a man’s heart. Samuel went through the rest of Jesse’s sons who were there and God indicated that He had rejected each of them. This left Samuel with a conundrum. God had said that He had chosen one of Jesse’s sons but now He had rejected all of them. There must have been one missing. They hadn’t bothered to bring the youngest but had left him tending the sheep. Samuel sent for David and they waited until he arrived. When he arrived David was also described as good looking but that is not what qualified him as God’s choice. What mattered was his heart which only God could judge. David was anointed with oil and the Holy Spirit came upon him and stayed with him from that day forward. David was not the first person God had chosen outside of the societal norm of selecting the firstborn. Others God chose over their older brothers included Seth, Noah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Ephraim, and Moses.
While the Holy Spirit came upon David, He departed from Saul. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came upon people for special service and not as a sign of whether they were believers or saved. This also explains why the Holy Spirit could depart from Saul even though He remains with believers today forever (John 14:16). In His place, the Lord sent a harmful spirit to torment Saul. This harmful spirit could have been a demon but it could also have been an angel of judgment. Saul’s servants recognised what had befallen him and suggested having someone who could play the lyre or harp to ease his suffering. This was a remedy understood by the Israelites to have power in the spiritual world (2 Kings 3:15). Immediately one of Saul’s aids suggested David as the person for the job. He was not only skilled at playing but also qualified for the king’s service in other ways, most importantly, the Lord was with him. Saul was so impressed with David that he made him a permanent part of his court and assigned him as one of his armour-bearers so he was always close by and able to play whenever the harmful spirit came upon Saul.
Do you find yourself making the mistake of judging someone based on their stature or popularity instead of examining their character? More importantly, when others judge you, perhaps unfairly, remember that God is most concerned with the state of your heart.
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Warnings from Jesus: Mark 9-10