Anointed!
1
Samuel 16:4-13
Context:
1 Samuel 16:1-23
Memory
Verse: 1 Samuel 16:7
Main
Idea: God desires people who seek to follow
Him with all their hearts.
FIRST
THOUGHTS
Research indicates that there is a
correlation between a person’s height and the salary he or she earns. This is
particularly true in occupations where the perception of others is crucial,
such as sales and management. It is also documented that height is seen as a
social asset and perceived as indicative of a person’s competence. Of course,
no research suggests that taller people actually fulfill these perceptions. It
is merely indicative of the way we often judge people.
How much does a person’s physical and outward
appearance contribute to your perception of him or her as a leader?
Even Samuel the prophet was not immune
to the persuasion of outward appearance. Saul, the first king of Israel, was
taller than most of his peers (1 Sam. 9:2). After God rejected Saul as king and
the spiritual search for a successor began, one might wonder if precedent had
an impact on Samuel’s expectations for a new king. It is easy to make
assumptions based on physical appearance or even birth order. God’s admonition
to Samuel (16:6-7) seems to indicate that even a godly prophet might be tempted
to assume leadership suitability based on stature or appearance. However, God
sought a certain type of heart in His next king of Israel. While it isn’t
necessary to assume that those who were rejected were sinful in heart, it is
apparent that God chose David because his heart was inclined to follow the Lord
unconditionally.
I. UNDERSTAND
THE CONTEXT
1
Samuel 16:1-23
By the time we get to 1 Samuel 16, it is
not clear how many years had passed since Saul was anointed as king. It was a
fairly extensive period, and it may have been decades. We first met Saul as a
young man who was sent out by his father to look for lost donkeys (1 Sam. 9).
The ceremony in which Saul was publicly hailed as king seems to have taken
place not too long after that. At that time, Saul was still fairly young and
was apparently somewhat timid. When he was selected as king, he was hiding
among the people’s baggage (10:20-22). On the other hand, Saul was not a child
at this time. One of his first acts was to lead Israel in a war against Nahash
the Ammonite, and that was not the work of a boy (1 Sam. 11).
At 1 Samuel 14, we are obviously at a
time much later than Saul’s coronation. In chapter 14, he has a son, Jonathan,
who is old enough to serve in the army and to attack a Philistine garrison
single-handedly. Assuming that Jonathan was at most a small boy when Saul was
inaugurated, we can probably say that at least 15 years elapsed between chapter
10 and chapter 14. By the time we get to the anointing of David in chapter 16,
more time had passed.
This is important because we can see
that a major change had come about in Saul’s life in the intervening years.
When first told that he would become king, he protested that he was unworthy
(9:21). When his supporters wanted to kill some men who had opposed the choice
of Saul as king, he spared his opponents (11:12-13). But years of ruling had
turned Saul into a different man. He became so entrenched in his position that
Samuel feared that Saul would kill him in order to hold on to his throne
(16:2).
Our story begins in a politically tense
situation. The once humble Saul is now determined to hold on to power, and he
knows that Samuel no longer supports him (1 Sam. 15:28). God has commissioned
Samuel to anoint a new king. Samuel, being as fallible as any other man, needs
God’s guidance in making his choice of whom to anoint.
II. EXPLORE
THE TEXT
A. Samuel’s Assignment (1 Sam. 16:4-5)
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.
Verses 4-5
God commanded Samuel to go
to Bethlehem and anoint one of the sons of Jesse to be the next king of Israel
(1 Sam. 16:1). Samuel protested, fearing that Saul would kill him as soon as he
heard what Samuel had done (v. 2a). God replied that Samuel should take a young
cow with him and tell people that he had come to Bethlehem to make a sacrifice
(vv. 2b-3). Readers cannot fail to notice that this is something of a
subterfuge. Although Samuel did make a sacrifice, that was not his real reason
for going to Bethlehem. Some readers wonder how God could command this. Some
would say that it involved a half-truth if not an outright act of deceit.
Others would say that since Samuel did, after all, make a sacrifice, there was
no real deceit.
We should begin by making
two observations. First, the Bible is entirely unabashed in telling this part
of the story. It does not excuse or justify God’s action in any way. Either the
author was untroubled by God’s action, or he felt that there was a profound
truth here that should be left unstated so that the reader would ponder the
story. Second, as a historical fact, it was far too soon for Israel to be made
aware of David’s anointing. David would first need to build up the people’s confidence
by his great deeds, such as the slaying of Goliath. Apart from how Saul would
react to hearing that this boy in Bethlehem had been anointed, the people of
Israel as of yet had no reason to embrace young David as their king. At this
time, even David’s brothers had little use for him (see 17:28).
The moral dilemma we are
dealing with is often described with a hypothetical situation: Imagine you are
living in Nazi-controlled territory and you are hiding a family of Jews in your
house. The Gestapo bangs on your door, and an officer asks if there are any
Jews here. You are able deceive him, because the hiding place is very secure.
But you have to make a decision. You can lie and save the lives of a Jewish
family, or you can tell the truth and condemn them to a horrible death.
Some Christians say that you
should lie but then confess your sin of lying to God. This is an understandable
but difficult position, since it asserts that we are sometimes under a moral
obligation to sin. Some say you should tell the truth but pray that God
miraculously intervenes to save the family. Others say that you should boldly
lie, telling the Gestapo that no Jews were in the house. This latter view
regards the moral law as a hierarchy. It argues that lying is wrong, but that
allowing the innocent to be murdered is much worse. When there is no
alternative, saving a life outweighs deceit, even though under normal
circumstances deceit is wrong. We see this moral dilemma actually played out in
the Bible at Exodus 1:15-21, when Pharaoh commanded the Hebrew midwives,
Shiphrah and the Puah, to kill all the newborn Israelite boys.
Regardless of what we make
of the moral issue here, the simple fact of the story is that one day Samuel
showed up unexpectedly at the town of Bethlehem. This alarmed the townspeople,
who felt that his arrival could portend no good. Prophets so often brought bad
news with them—messages of doom and judgment—and people preferred not to see
them at all. When Elijah turned up at the court of Ahab, he received the
greeting, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?” (1 Kings 18:17).
In what
ways does pursuing the call of God upon one’s life bring isolation from others?
What are the risks and rewards of such a pursuit?
Samuel assured the people of
Bethlehem that he was there to make a sacrifice and that they should not be
frightened. He told them to sanctify themselves in preparation for the event,
but he also made sure that the Jesse and his sons were invited and
properly sanctified. He wanted to be sure that Jesse’s sons were in attendance.
That, after all, was his real reason for being there.
The sanctification involved
ritual preparation, since no one who was unclean could participate. If they
were defiled (for example, by touching a dead body, or if a woman had just
finished her monthly period), they had to go through cleansing. People also had
to refrain from any ritually defiling activity, such as sexual activity, prior
to such a sacrifice (see Ex. 19:15; 1 Sam. 21:4). The preparation would have
taken several days, but Samuel did all that God had told him. He was ready both
to make the sacrifice and to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as the next king.
Samuel
did all that God told him, as the story narrates. Yet he did raise an objection
at first, saying Saul would kill him for anointing a new king (1 Sam. 16:2).
Does Samuel’s initial question in verse 2 imply that he did not fully trust
God, or was it simple prudence? Can following God involve forethought and
questioning? What are examples of this in our lives?
B. God’s Criteria (1 Sam. 16:6-10)
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.”
Verses 6-10
When Samuel saw Jesse’s
eldest son, Eliab, he was sure that this was the man he should anoint.
Verse 7 implies that Eliab was tall, and this was also a trait of Saul (see
10:23). It looks as though Samuel was as likely as anyone to be swayed by
appearances. But if height had not enabled Saul to be a good king, it was
unlikely to make a real difference in Eliab. It turns out, moreover, that Eliab
did not have a particularly strong character. In the Goliath episode, Eliab
proved himself to be petty and jealous. He said to David, “Why have you come
down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know
your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the
battle” (17:28). A man who could be so unfair and spiteful toward his own
brother would not refrain from vengeful recriminations against anyone else. He
would not have been a good king. In the same measure God rejected all the sons
of Jesse who were present at the sacrifice.
After God rejected Eliab, He
said to Samuel that For the Lord
sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. God did not
say that what is visible is meaningless. If a person who is not in dire poverty
habitually wears disheveled, dirty clothes, people are right to suspect that
what is on the outside is a manifestation of something wrong on the inside.
Part of what makes for a mature, socially adjusted adult is awareness that
appearances do matter and that we should not be indifferent to how people
perceive us. In addition, the cultivation of good habits in grooming, dress,
demeanor, tact, and so forth reflects self-discipline. But appearances are only
hints at the true character, intelligence, grace, and virtue of a person. They
can be misleading. God sees directly into the heart. He has no need to use the
outside as an indicator of what may be on the inside, because the inside is
fully exposed to Him.
For example, consider a
church that is evaluating two men for the job of pastor. Each comes with good
recommendations and with support from the search committee. They both preach to
the congregation, and both have good content and good delivery. One is tall,
athletic looking, and strikingly handsome, but the other is overweight and
physically unimpressive. Which one is likely to get the call? How might someone
justify voting for the more handsome candidate?
What
dangers lie in assuming that certain individuals are suited for leadership
based on appearance or a generalization?
What
criteria do we use to select our leaders? How does God’s choice open the door
for Him to be honored?
C. David’s Selection (1 Sam. 16:11-13)
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.
Verse 11
Aware that God had not
chosen any of the sons of Jesse he had yet seen, Samuel asked if there were any
others. David was then brought to him, and apparently as soon as he saw the boy
Samuel heard the voice of God telling him that this was the one to anoint. The
main lesson is that the choice of David was entirely God’s; Samuel was merely
the agent for designating him as the next king.
Verse 12
It is curious that, right
after telling us that people look on external appearance but that God looks on
the heart (v. 7), the passage says that David was ruddy and had beautiful
eyes and was handsome. The implication may be that God had so endowed David
as a concession to human weakness. God chose David to be the next king, but the
people probably would not have accepted him if he had been plain or homely.
After the monarchy and a system of succession were well established, the
physical appearance of a king was of less importance. It is no doubt
significant that Absalom, David’s son, who with popular support illegally
seized the throne, was a man of striking physical beauty (2 Sam. 14:25).
Verse 13
Then Samuel … anointed David as king. Centuries later, another King would
come from Bethlehem—God’s Anointed One (“Christ” means “anointed one”). Jesus
Christ is our perfect, eternal King.
Immediately after Samuel
anointed him, the Spirit of the Lord
came upon David. In earlier times, the Spirit came upon various judges,
including Othniel (Judg. 3:10), Gideon (Judg. 6:34), Jephthah (Judg. 11:29),
and Samson (Judg. 13:25; 14:6,19; 15:14). In every case, the Spirit enabled the
judge to overcome his enemies or some immediate danger. (Judges 13:25 might be
an exception; it literally says that the Spirit began to “agitate” Samson, but
even this seems to mean that it stirred him to seek out battle with the
Philistines.)
The case of King Saul was
somewhat different. The Spirit enabled him both to prophesy and to fight. He
prophesied soon after Samuel anointed him (1 Sam. 10:10-11). The Spirit also
prompted Saul to lead a military expedition against Nahash the Ammonite in
order to save the people of Jabesh-gilead (11:1-6). We do not see any
indication that the Spirit specifically empowered David when he went into
combat, although David did attribute his victories to the Lord (17:37). The
Spirit is not mentioned even in David’s most famous fight, his battle with
Goliath. Yet the Spirit did enable David to prophesy (2 Sam. 23:2). The Spirit
came upon one of David’s leading soldiers, Amasai, and prompted him to declare
allegiance to David (1 Chron. 12:18). Apart from Saul and David, the Bible
never says that the Spirit came upon any king of Israel or Judah. In other
places in the historical narrative, the Spirit of God comes upon prophets (1
Kings 18:12; 2 Kings 2:16; 2 Chron. 15:1; 20:13-15; 24:20).
Immediately after Samuel
anointed David and the Spirit came upon him, the Spirit abandoned Saul (see 1
Sam. 16:14). Later, however, Saul prophesied again by the power of the Spirit
(19:23). David, after his sin involving Bathsheba, was fearful that God would
take away His Spirit (Ps. 51:11). Thus, it appears that the Spirit could come
and go in the lives of kings. This is analogous to what we see in Samson, whom
the Lord abandoned (Judg. 16:20), but later strengthened (Judg. 16:28-30).
All in all, it seems that
the Spirit had a task-oriented relationship with these Old Testament heroes.
Similarly, Exodus 31:2-5 says that God’s Spirit enabled Bezalel to build the
sacred objects of the tent of meeting. The main job of the judges was to fight
off various oppressors, and the Spirit empowered them to do this. Saul and
David had much larger roles in governing the people, and it may be that the
prophetic gift enabled them to function as effective leaders at a time when
people may have doubted their legitimacy. After David’s death, the office of
king was fully entrenched among the institutions of Israel, and the legitimacy
of their kings no longer depended on a visible sign of the presence of God’s
Spirit.
On a
scale of 1 to 10, how important is it for a leader to be sensitive and
responsive to the Holy Spirit? Would you consider their willingness to follow
Him as a requirement for being an effective leader? Explain.
In the New Testament, the
Spirit dwells within believers primarily for their sanctification (Rom. 8; 1
Cor. 6:18-20; Gal. 5:22). Even the gifts of the Spirit are primarily for the
edification of the church, and they were given to all rather than to a select
few (1 Cor. 12:8-13). Paul indicated that believers can grieve the Spirit (Eph.
4:30), but he does not say that the Spirit might abandon us.
KEY
DOCTRINE
The Church
Each congregation operates
under the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes. In such a
congregation each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord.
BIBLE SKILL
Read for emphasis.
Read aloud 1 Samuel 16:7
several times, placing emphasis on different words or phrases in different ways
with each reading. You may want to emphasize nouns, then verbs, and then
prepositional phrases. Record how each reading gives a different insight into
the verse.
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