Ep. 83 - David Anointed King

Last we left our story, King Saul had failed his final test, and God had finally rejected him as king over Israel. And while Samuel and Saul hadn’t been getting along for a quite long time, Samuel was still pretty upset about Saul being rejected as king. Samuel had anointed Saul…Samuel had tried to mentor and guide Saul. But despite all the time and effort, Saul had decided to go his own way. What a waste. It was even more tragic because Saul had every advantage one could think of…he was tall, he was handsome…he just looked like a king. God had even given Saul the blessing of his spirit. But as it turned out, it was all for nothing. Now even though God had rejected Saul as king, it didn’t mean that Saul was going to be out of the street tomorrow. God did indeed have another king in mind for Israel…but it would take some time to get him ready. So, who would be the next king? Which one of Saul’s “neighbours” would take his place? Well, let’s find out.

After Samuel had confronted Saul and delivered the bad news, Samuel went back home. And while he was home, it seems that Samuel spent quite a bit of time…sulking. Samuel was…kinda depressed about the whole Saul thing. And it got to the point where God eventually came to Samuel and said, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel?”” (I Sam. 16:1) So basically, God was coming to Samuel and saying, ‘Hey big guy…I know that you feel real bad about what happened to Saul…but you can’t sulk forever…and it’s time to get up get things moving forward.’ And maybe this is a quick lesson for us too kidzos. Ya know, sometimes we get really upset about things that happen in our lives…maybe we’re having trouble at school, maybe we’re having trouble with friends, maybe we’re having trouble with our families. And there’s nothing wrong with feeling upset when something bad is happening in your life. But at some point, it’s time to stop sulking, and it’s time to get moving again. Sometimes God says to us (like he’s saying here to Samuel), hey kiddo…I know that you feel really bad about what happened…but it’s time to get up and it’s time to move forward. And a lot of times, just getting things going again can make you feel a lot better.

So, what was it that God wanted Samuel to get up and start doing? Well, God continued and said, “Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king from among his sons.” (16:1) Alright…so it was time to get out there and anoint the next king of Israel. But at first, Samuel was a bit scared to do this. I mean, now that Saul knew his days as king were numbered, he was watching Samuel very closely. Because as Saul well knew from his own experience, if there would be another king, Samuel would need to anoint him. And now that Saul had been officially rejected by God, following God’s commandments didn’t seem to be a thing for him anymore (if it ever was). So Saul would have had no problem doing whatever he wanted…including killing God’s prophet…Samuel…if it suited him. And so, Samuel replied to God and said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” (16:2)

But of course, God had a plan. And God relied to Samuel, “Take a heifer with you (by the way a “heifer” is just a young female cow), and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; you shall anoint for Me the one I name for you.’” (16:2-3) Ok so Samuel was supposed to take a heifer with him so that it looked like he was going to Bethlehem for a sacrificial service. This way, if anyone was watching him, they would just think that Samuel was going around doing normal prophet stuff. But let’s pause here for a quick side note. I was in a Bible study once and someone said that it’s ok to lie sometimes because here in this story God is telling Samuel to lie. I mean after all, sacrificing wasn’t the real reason that Samuel was going to Bethlehem…right? And what some people take from this is that, while it might usually be a sin to lie…when your life is in danger or if something bad might happen to you…well then it’s ok to lie…just like Samuel is apparently doing here. But, let’s think about this for a second. Is God actually telling Samuel to lie? As in, is God telling Samuel to say that he’s going to make a sacrifice in Bethlehem…when in fact he had no intention to actually make a sacrifice in Bethlehem? No! Samuel was indeed going to sacrifice the heifer in Bethlehem. Now was that the only reason that Samuel was in Bethlehem? No. But where in the Bible does it say that we have to tell everyone everything that is going on in our lives whenever they ask? I mean…I don’t think I’ve ever read that in the Bible. So, maybe what we should take away from this conversation between Samuel and God is not that it’s ok to lie sometimes (and I don’t think it’s ever ok to lie), but that there’s a big difference between lying and not volunteering information that people don’t need to know. Ok…end of side note…back to the story.

So, Samuel followed God’s instructions and took a heifer to Bethlehem to sacrifice it. But when Samuel arrived in the town, the elders of the town were a bit…afraid. And it was kinda understandable, because everyone knew Saul and Samuel weren’t getting along all that well, and they were afraid that Samuel was going to do something that would get them into trouble with King Saul. I mean, if Saul was willing to kill Samuel, what might he do to regular old town elders? But Samuel put their fears to rest, and said, “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. ” (16:5) Relieved, the people of Bethlehem dutifully got themselves ready for the sacrificial service.

Of course, Samuel made sure that this guy Jesse, and all of his sons, were invited to the service. And when they showed up, Samuel, probably trying not to make it obvious, began the inspection. First he looked at Jesse’s oldest son…a man named Eliab. And when Samuel first saw Eliab, he was like wow…this guy is super impressive! Now the Bible doesn’t tell us exactly why Samuel was so impressed with Eliab, but probably the young man looked tall, strong, and handsome…ya know…like how you would expect a king to look. But…hmmm…tall and handsome…where have we heard that before? Oh yah…Saul! Saul was tall and handsome. And Samuel had been super impressed with Saul too before he anointed him as king. And how did that turn out? Yah…not the best. And so, God gently rebuked Samuel, and said, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (16:7) When God had anointed Saul as king, He’d given the Israelites the king that they wanted. Tall and handsome. And even though Saul had maybe started off well, once he’d gained power, pride had crept in…he stopped depending on God…and he started doing his own thing. This next king would be different. This next king wouldn’t necessarily look super impressive…but he would follow God’s commandments…he would do what God wanted him to do…he would be a man after God’s own heart.

After dismissing the Eliab, Jesse presented his next oldest son – Abinadab. But God’s answer for Abinadab was the same. So, Jesse presented the next son, and the next and the next…until 7 of Jesse’s sons had passed by Samuel with none of them being chosen. Now Samuel had been quite sure that God had told him that one of Jesse’s sons would be anointed king that day. So, a puzzled Samuel turned to Jesse, and asked, “Are all the young men here?” (16:11) And Jesse answered, and said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.” (16:11) As it turned out, there was indeed an eighth son. Being the youngest, Jesse had told this last son to stay home and watch over the sheep. And a probably slightly irritated Samuel replied to Jesse, and said, “Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here.” (16:12) And they rushed off to get this youngest son and bring him to Samuel.

Now, spoiler alert, Jesse’s youngest son…this kid who was left behind even when his father had been told to bring all his sons…well his name is David. And David would indeed eventually become the king of Israel, and will be one of the most written about characters in the Bible. We are probably going to be spending the next 20-30 episodes talking about this kid that we are meeting for the first time. But at this point in his life, David didn’t exactly look like he was going to be anyone important. First of all, David was a shepherd…already not exactly the highest of callings (most people looked down on shepherds). Second, David was kind of like a poet. He loved to play the harp and to sing and compose songs (which by the way, around half of the book we call Psalms in the Bible, which is basically a book of songs, was written by this kid David). And third, the Bible describes David as being “ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking.” (16:12) So this kid was noticeably smaller than his brothers, and he had sort-of a of red-ish face, and he was kind of…beautiful. He didn’t have the rugged handsome-ness of his older brothers or the commanding height of someone like Saul.  So David wasn’t exactly the manliest looking kid in the world. Instead, you might say was more good-looking.

And this is the kid that came running up to Samuel to be anointed king. And Samuel probably looked at David, and probably thought to himself, ‘This kid? But he doesn’t look at all like king material. Actually, he looks like the opposite of king material.’ But as soon as David arrived in front of Samuel, God gave Samuel the signal, and said to him, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” (16:12) And a surprised Samuel dutifully obeyed. And the Bible says that Samuel, “took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.” (16:13)

Have you kidzos ever felt judged because of what you look like? Have you ever been made fun of because you looked a little different from everyone else? Kids can be ruthless, right? I remember growing up that I was a bit shorter than most of my friends. And boy, sometimes they went to town on me for that. No fun for sure. And as you get older, the teasing stops.. But just a heads up, even as an adult people will still tend to judge you based on your appearance…based on how you look, how you dress, what car you drive. And it’s not a good feeling. No one wants to feel like their being judged. But thankfully we serve a God who isn’t so concerned about what we look like. Have you kidzos ever heard the saying ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover?’ God said something like that to Samuel when He said, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” What matters to God is not what’s on the outside, but what’s on the inside. What matters to God is what is in your heart. And if you are careful about what you let into your heart, and if you let God shape and mold your heart…to change you on the inside, maybe one day God will call you to something great…just like He did with David…all those years…ago.