1 Samuel Chapter 16 Part One (Verses 1-10)

GOD CHOOSES DAVID

A. Samuel anoints David as king

(Psalms that may correspond to this time in David's life: 8, 19, 23, and 29.)

1. (1 Sam 16:1-3) God tells Samuel to go and anoint a new king over Israel

Now 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 selected a king for Myself among his sons." But Samuel said, "How can I go? When Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' You shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate to you."

How long will you grieve over Saul: The grief Samuel exhibited was prolonged almost to a sinful extent. We, who see Saul's whole career, and know how deeply he fell, are often in danger of discrediting his high qualities. But those who were witnesses of his military skill and prowess, and saw his heroic son raising the nation of Israel from feebleness to a mighty empire, might give him great admiration. Both David's dirge (2 Samuel 1:19-27) and Samuel's long mourning along with the dedicated obedience which he was able to exhort from the nation Israel, bear testimony to Saul's powers as a ruler and commander of his nation. But now God warns Samuel to mourn no longer. Saul's rejection was final. Samuel must sacrifice his own personal feelings and prepare to carry out the purpose indicated in 1 Samuel 13:14 and 1 Samuel 15:28.

Jesse the Bethlehemite: Grandson of Ruth the Moabitess, Jesse belonged to the tribe of Judah through his male ancestors. ("Now these are the generations of Perez: to Perez was born Hezron, and to Hezron was born Ram, and to Ram, Amminadab, and to Amminadab was born Nahshon, and to Nahson was born Salmon, and to Salmon was born Boaz, and to Boaz, Obed, and to Obed was born Jesse, and to Jesse, David" Ruth 4:18-22.)

How can I go? When Saul hears of it, he will kill me: Saul was king, and the anointing of another in his stead would be regarded as an act of open treason, and the stirring up of civil war. The anointing of David was a prophetic indication of the man whom God, in His own way and at His own time, would place upon Saul's throne. Moreover, this emphasizes the rapid decay of Saul's mental faculties. The jealous king was changed from the Saul, who even in his self-willed rebellion against the Lord, was careful to pay homage to Samuel. But now, Samuel felt if he crossed the king's path in any way, even in carrying out the commands of the LORD God, Samuel's life would be forfeited to the fierce anger of Saul.

Take a heifer with you: There was yet to be no public anointing of the successor to Saul, only the future king must be sought out quietly and set apart for service to the Lord. With this act done in secret, there would be no treason and no inciting a civil war. David, still a child, was to be set apart, without probably fully knowing what the anointing meant and certainly with no actions being taken by him towards winning the crown which was to be placed upon his head in the future. Moreover, to have openly anointed David as king would have forced David's father, Jesse, to an open feud with King Saul. Jesse would have had to seek safety either by fighting for his life or by breaking up his home and fleeing to a foreign land.

Invite Jesse to the sacrifice: The word translated "sacrifice" is the word zebach in Hebrew, which means a sacrifice followed by a feast, at which all elders of the town, with them Jesse and his elder sons, would be present by the prophet's invitation. It seems such sacrifices were not unusual, or Saul would have demanded a reason for Samuel's conduct. The Ark of the Covenant remained at Kiriath-jearim until Saul at some time in his reign moved it to Nob. Samuel may have instituted this practice of occasionally holding sacrifices throughout the land of Israel to keep alive religion in the hearts of the people. At such occasions, Samuel would have taught them the great truths of the law during the sacrificial feast.

You shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate to you: Years before this, Israel rejected the Lord as their king. They wanted a human as their king instead. God gave them a human king after their own desire (Saul), but God was still on the throne, crowning whom He pleases as He pleases. The simple fact was that God did rule Israel. They could recognize His rule, submit to it and enjoy the benefits. Or they could resist His reign over Israel and suffer because of it. We do not have to fear the future when we know God has provided for Himself leaders. He will keep them obscure and hidden until the right time. Then, He will raise them up.

It is interesting to note that the ceremony of anointing David as king was performed three times: (1) on this occasion by Samuel, when David as a boy was set apart for the service of the Lord; (2) when appointed as king over Judah at Hebron (2 Samuel 2:4); (3) when David was chosen as king over all Israel (2 Samuel 5:3).

2. (1 Sam 16:4-5) Samuel comes to sacrifice at Bethlehem

So Samuel did what the LORD said, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, "Do you come in peace?" He said, "In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

The elders of the city came trembling to meet him: Very probably, such visitations by Samuel often took place because some crime had been committed into which Samuel wished to inquire, or because the people had been negligent in some duty. The people are conscious of no such fault, and yet, here is the coming of Samuel.

Consecrate yourselves: Samuel quiets the elders by telling them to sanctify themselves. That is, to wash and purify themselves, abstain from anything unclean and put on festal garments. 

He also consecrated Jesse and his sons: In the case of Jesse and his sons, Samuel supervises their necessary purification. This gives Samuel the opportunity to interview Jesse and his household. 

3. (1 Sam 16:6-10) God does not choose any of Jesse's older sons

When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD'S anointed is before Him." But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at the appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, "The LORD has not chosen this one either." Next Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "The LORD has not chosen this one either." Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen these."

He looked at Eliab: There was something in the stately appearance of Jesse's eldest son, which probably reminded Samuel of Saul in his youth. Eliab seemed in all aspects to Samuel fit to be the successor of King Saul. But God sternly warned Samuel to not let appearances lead the selection.

Do not look at the appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him: Samuel made the mistake of judging Eliab based on his appearance. This was the same mistake Israel made about their first king. Saul looked the part, but he did not have the heart a king of God's people should have. It did not matter how good Eliab looked because God had refused him.

For God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart: Even the best of men will look at the outward appearance. At the moment, Samuel was guilty of it. We must understand that we cannot read the secrets of another man's heart. We often only judge on outward appearance.

The LORD has not chosen these: God told Samuel that He had not chosen any of the seven sons of Jesse. It was not that these sons of Jesse were bad men, but they were not God's choice. God had a man in mind different from Samuel's or Jesse's expectation. Eliab and the rest of the older sons were perfect potential kings as far as the flesh is concerned. But God did not want a king after the flesh. Israel already had a king like that.