Keeping Up Appearances
Now we are getting to the good stuff. 1 Samuel 16:5-13.
5And 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.
6When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him.” 7But 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.” 8Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” 9Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” 10And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.” 11Then 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.” 12And 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.” 13Then 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.
That’s a lot of young men. Samuel was sent to anoint one of the sons of Jesse – but he didn’t know which one. When God brought Saul before him, he saw a young man that was very tall, well built and handsome. I guess he assumed he would find another tall, well-built and handsome young man again in one of Jesse’s sons.
But not a boy.
The passage says that David was “ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome” – but it also says that he was the youngest. Young enough to still be the one out keeping watch over the flocks of sheep. Young enough to be kept back from battle. Just barely no longer a child.
I’m not sure I would be ready to place a 12-15 year old boy on the throne of a country – would you?
God wasn’t ready to do that either.
He was, however, ready to begin preparing David for the court. He used Saul to teach David how to be king – without Saul realizing it for a long time. He directed Samuel to anoint him as the next king of Israel… and then David went back to watch the sheep.
Somehow this makes me think of Joseph. He too was the youngest – but the one destined for greatness. When he told his brothers of his dreams, they set out to remove him. I wonder how it is that David and his brothers reacted so differently.
The bible never says that David began behaving like everyone needed to give him more honor. It doesn’t say that he tried to use this anointing to get out of doing chores.
But what does the bible say?
And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward.
Maybe that was the difference. The Spirit of God was upon David. He was being directed in heart and mind. He was submitting himself to God’s will and God’s timing, and allowing God to prepare him for the role he would eventually fill.
And he went back to the fields and the sheep.
1 comment
You have a knack of making things clear to the simple minded
keep up the good work. Thanks for clearing up the Amalekite question for me. I had forgotten about the King they didn’t kill. and so many years later here comes Haman… What a jerk!!! The one guy you just love to hate!
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