Fifty Two Weeks / 1 Samuel 16

“How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel?” 

When God asks a question you can be sure of two things: the question is always powerful and it is never because God is lacking in information.

God’s questions are usually designed to enlighten us. In this case God is enlightening Samuel to the fact that he was mourning for something that God had rejected. (Yes, I know that Saul was a “someone”, not a “something”, but Saul being king was a something.) When God closes a door or rejects something He will allow us a time to grieve if that is necessary but we are not to camp there. He surely has something better and we must move on.

“The Lord does not look at the things human beings look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

David’s brothers were obviously quite impressive outwardly. Big deal! 

This is a reoccurring theme in Scripture. Jacob was the youngest but was chosen over his older brother Esau. Ephraim was younger than Manasseh.  David was thought of so little that he wasn’t even brought before Samuel until God forced the matter. Isaiah said of Messiah, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.” 

Therefore, it is no surprise that Paul wrote to the church at Corinth and said, “Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.”

The Spirit of the Lord

If David was so unimpressive then how did he do such great things and become such a renowned figure? That’s easy. “From that day on the Spirit of the Lord came on David in power.”

It is all about the Spirit of the Lord. David was one of those rare individuals under the Old Covenant upon whom the Spirit of the Lord rested. The good news is that under the New Covenant the Spirit has been poured out and He is available to rest upon all believers. Think about it! This is the same advantage Moses and David had and it is available to all! The fullness of the Spirit is for sons and daughters, Jews and Gentiles, those who are far off, for everyone whom the Lord calls.

Now What?

I love it. Samuel clearly has anointed David. The Spirit has come upon David in power. Let’s get going! Right? Wrong. Let’s go back and continue to take care of the flock. And then, after a suitable time, let’s go work for Saul as his servant. 

God is so not like us. His ways are beautiful and perfect. This part of the story is an example of the great promise found in 1 Peter 5:6, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”