What’s the one word that no parent has to teach their child? “NO.” As children develop and begin to experience life, there are a lot of “no’s” that are told to them. “No, don’t touch that.” “No, don’t go there.” “No, don’t eat the cat.” “No” is one of the first words kids learn because its something that is used on them a lot. Then for the next sixteen years, as a parent, you try to unteach the “No” when you tell your kid to go to bed, or eat their vegetables, or clean their room.
Yet studies have been done that show saying “Yes” can be a better tool to boost someone’s creativity, reduce conflict, build rapport, and get people out of their comfort zones. INStead of saying “No, don’t rip that box apart,” because you don’t want to clean up the mess, tell the kid “yes, but you have to clean up afterward.” “No” is important, but so is “yes”. Sometimes the “yes” can get difficult, but it can also open up a new experience where things we once thought were often limits simply needed to be understood in light of boundaries.
And its this idea of saying yes that brings us back into our Samuel Series, where we’ll be picking it back up in the third section of First Samuel, starting in chapter 16 verse 1. As we head into First Samuel 16:1, let’s recap the overarching ideas of the last two sections.
In section one, we saw how God calls us to abide in his holy will, so that we might follow his direction and see his work. This was seen positively in the persons of Hannah and Samuel, while it was seen in the negative with Eli’s sons and the whole of Israel. When we follow God’s holy will, we will see his work play out in our lives. However, if we choose to go against his will, then we will see judgement and defeat.
This leads into the second section. Israel was given a human king who had the makings to be a good king. Yet, Saul eventually began to think of himself as wielding the seat of power in Israel, forgetting that it was God who was King over him, and he was an under-king to the true seat of power. Through several rebellious acts, God decided to take away Saul’s dynasty and give it to another. We could summarize this section as understanding that God calls us to freely accept his will, and not rebel against him. One leads to his blessings, the other leads to his judgment.
With the last two sections recapped, we can now dive into the life of David. Let’s read together starting in First Samuel 16:1.
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.
Here we have a pause in between the moments of God’s rejection of Saul. Between the moment where Samuel communicates God’s regret over Saul’s choices, and a future moment where the ramifications of that rejection are seen and felt. Though the thought of this moment and the next are a continuous one, we’re going to take a moment and look at David’s introduction in the same way that we looked at Saul’s. Except this time, we’re going to break these thirteen verses down.
v.1 The passage begins where the last one left off, with Samuel grieving over Saul. This shows us how deeply Samuel cares about the situation. The king that could have been, whom God called and Samuel mentored, was lost. Due to Saul’s rebellious choices, that dynasty never came to be, and so Samuel grieves over Saul on a deeply personal level.
Yet God calls him out of his grief. God isn’t done with Samuel, and so Samuel has to get on mission even as he grieves. This in and of itself is a hard lesson to learn: Sometimes we have to work in the pain we’re feeling because God has work to bring about a better situation.
v.2 It’s in verse 2 that we get a moment of concern from Samuel in asking God about Saul killing him. Remember, Samuel knows how far Saul has descended into his rebellion against godly actions. If Saul was willing to kill his own son, though he was acting in godliness, how much easier would it be for Saul to kill Samuel if he thought Samuel was leading a rebellion against him? The question is valid and shows us how far Samuel has watched Saul fall.
v.3 Verse 3 then gives us God’s instructions to Samuel to go and make a sacrifice. He was to continue to perform his regular duties as prophet, and God would work through it. Samuel’s godly consistency of leading the people in sacrifice to God, gave God the room to work without putting anyone into danger. In performing the sacrifice, Samuel could then invite others to be a part of it. So Samuel not only invites Jesse’s family, but also the elders of the city. This further insulates Samuel against any accusations of overthrowing Saul.
v.4 -5 But in verse 4, Samuel’s presence sends concern through the elders of the town. Remember, Samuel just laid out some pretty violent judgment on the king of the Amalakites in the last chapter. Even at the age of eighty, Samuel was still seen as God’s prophet and where Samuel went, God’s blessing or judgment followed. And the people of Bethlehem did not know which one, Samuel was bringing this time. But Samuel eases their fears in verse 5 and calls a large group to be a part of a sacrifice to the Lord.
This would have been seen as a great honor. The prophet of God coming to the out-of-the-way people in Bethlehem to offer sacrifice on their behalf. Samuel would have been seen as bringing God’s blessing upon the whole community, with a special blessing on the family of Jesse.
v.6-10, This special blessing on Jesse’s family can be seen in his calling on Jesse to present all his sons. One was to receive a special blessing from the Lord. And so Jesse begins to present his sons one-by-one.
The first born was similar in look to Saul, he looked the part of a king. However, God gives us this profound theological insight into the difference of how the world looks upon people, and how he does. “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. (v.6)”
Saul was a good looking and tall man. To the world around them, this is what it meant to be a king. But to God, a godly king is one whose heart will be fixed on him. So God rejects the first son, as his candidate for king, and then proceeds to reject six more of Jesse’s sons, because, though they look the part, they do not have the inner look that God sees. And for the briefest of moments there is a question of why did God send Samuel to anoint one of Jesse’s sons just for all of them to be rejected?
v.11-12, But then, in verse 11, we learn there is one more son. The youngest, who is out with the sheep. Everything is put on hold until the boy arrives. And it’s here that we get his description. “Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. (v.12)”
There are several Hebrew words at play here that we need to talk about to get the full picture of what is being communicated in comparison to Saul. Remember the description of Saul that we got: he was taller than most and handsome.
David is first described as the youngest of the sons. What’s interesting about the word used here to communicate young is that there are about 300 ways to say young in Hebrew. One of the most common ways was tsa’ir (tsaw-eer'), which just mean’s youngest of a group. That should be the word used here, as David is the youngest of his brothers. Except it isn’t. The word here is the root word, qatan (kah-TAHN) which literally means “diminutive in stature” and figuratively as “least important.” There seems to be a little word play going on. David isn’t just the youngest of his brothers, he’s probably the smallest and least important. That’s why he’s out in the fields and not around with the others. Very different than Saul, who is taller than everyone else.
But then we’re told that David is ruddy. This word in Hebrew is admoniy (ad-mo-NEE) and means having a reddish complexion. It is only used three times in the Bible: two of which to describe David in this chapter and the next. The only other time it is used is to refer to Esau’s red hair when he’s born. Now there are two interpretations to this, first, David had red hair. Which might not be so hard to imagine because he had two non-Israelite ancestors in Rahab and Ruth. So there might have been some DNA crossed in there. The other interpretation is that his ruddiness is due to him being youthful and his cheeks being red from exerting himself. This second interpretation is what most scholars believe, as it shows a distinction between Saul and David. Saul just kind of went along with life and let things come as they may; whereas David chose to live life to its fullest, taking chances along the way. This is why David’s ruddiness and bright eyes are paired with each other. David was young and full of energy ready to embark on an adventure, where Saul, had to be forced into it.
But what we’re seeing is the difference between Saul, who was the biggest and strongest, but had no desire for the life God called him to, compared to David, who wasn’t the biggest or strongest, but ready to embark wherever he was needed.
This is the Captain American story. A frail Steve Rogers gets injected with a super soldier serum to become a great hero. The movie “Captain America: The First Avenger” plays out this theological truth of a the youth who doesn’t seem to fit what the world thinks a person should look like for the calling of God, and what God sees on the inside.
The description that a bad men getting power amplifies his evil is what we see in Saul. Saul had everything going from him, and he didn’t seek the Lord to work out the weaknesses that led to his downfall. David doesn’t have everything going for him. He isn’t the biggest or strongest, but there is something inside that only God sees, and what will be revealed to us in later chapters, which is a desire for God and his will. The very thing that the last fifteen chapters have been calling us to do.
v.13 Verse 13 ends our passage with David receiving the special blessing by being anointed with oil in front of his entire family and presumably in front of the town’s elders. Once the anointing is done, God’s Spirit rushes upon David. And it’s the Spirit’s movement that links David’s anointing to Saul’s downward spiral in next week’s passage.
But what can we walk away with from this passage? There has been a lot to say about David’s anointing. Most of which focuses on God seeing beyond our outward appearance to what lies underneath. We could walk away with the typical understanding that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Instead, to look at people the way God does, and this is a valid and important point. We should seek to see people the way God does. He sees the sin and yet loves us enough to die for us. We too should see and love people beyond their outward appearances.
However, there’s another teaching in this passage. We need to have the passion for life that David did. The zeal for God that says, “Wherever you want me to go I will go.” “Whatever you would have me do, I will do.” In the passage we have two people that respond to God. The first is Samuel. Eighty years old, he is called again to be faithful. He’s called out, in the midst of his grief, to possible death, to anoint a new king. That new king is a wild-eye boy ready to embark on the calling of God. Both are examples that we are called to. No matter what our age, the calling of God should be our first priority. Whether we have been faithful for years, or just getting started, we are to have the zeal, the passion and desire to follow where God leads.
My challenge for you then this week, is to seek the passion to respond to God’s calling with faithfulness. You might not have the physical ability of a youth, but you have the knowledge of a life, with all its struggles, defeats and victories. Whatever the season of life you are in, is where you must respond with the zeal of a youth.
You might be younger and have the ability, but you need the wisdom that comes with it. Look to mentors, ask the faithfully older generation to give you guidance. We are all called to have the zeal of the Lord and to respond to him as he directs.
This week, pray the “yes” prayer. “Yes God, I will follow.” “Yes God, I will listen.” “Yes, God, I will obey.”
Let us be a people of saying “yes” to God. Whether we’re old or young, God isn’t done with us until the day he returns or we breath our last. In this way, we experience his work and see the glorious victories he has. Amen.
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