15. David’s Anointing - God’s Choice (1 Samuel 16) Series

David’s Anointing - God’s Choice

June 4, 2025

Dr. Bradford Reaves

Crossway Christian Fellowship

1 Samuel 16

When God chooses a leader, He looks not at appearances, but at the heart. His plans are always unfolding, even in quiet fields and unlikely places. While men elevate the impressive, God prepares the faithful.

There’s a story about a young boy who was overlooked by every teacher, every coach, and every leader in his life. Too quiet. Too small. Too slow. But while others passed him by, he kept showing up—faithfully practicing, learning, growing. One day, when no one else stepped up, he did. And to everyone’s surprise, he was ready.

That’s the story of David.

It had been a long and painful road to this point. Israel’s first king—Saul—had started with promise but crumbled under pressure. His disobedience in chapter 15 wasn’t just a misstep; it was a fracture of faith that led to his rejection by God. The people wanted a king “like the nations,” and God gave them what they asked for—only to show them how disastrous it is to follow the world’s model instead of God’s will.

But behind all the chaos—behind Saul’s fall, Samuel’s grief, and the national uncertainty—unseen forces were at work. God was not absent. He was preparing something greater. Not just a king, but a lineage. Not just a ruler, but a foreshadowing of the Messiah. And that’s where we pick up in 1 Samuel 16.

We’re not just watching history unfold—we’re seeing heaven move. While Samuel mourns the past, God is already ordaining the future. He sends Samuel to the house of Jesse to anoint a new king—not one who looks the part, but one who reflects God’s heart.

And that’s the spiritual tension we all live in.

We long for breakthroughs—but we keep getting Sauls. We want change, but we’re stuck in the same cycles. We’re tempted to look at appearances, circumstances, and status. But God sees deeper. He sees the heart.

1 Samuel 16 reminds us that there is a war going on that we cannot always see. A war for the heart. A battle for obedience. A contest between appearances and anointing. In the silence, in the waiting, in the disappointment of human failure—God is always working.

So as we step into this powerful chapter, here’s the call: Don’t miss what God is doing just because it doesn’t look the way you expected.

“Man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

Let’s lean in.

I. God’s Rebuke of Superficial Sight (vv. 1–7)

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.” (1 Samuel 16:1–7)

Samuel is grieving Saul’s rejection, but God calls him forward: “How long will you grieve?” God doesn’t dismiss Samuel’s pain—but He doesn’t let him stay stuck in it either. God’s plans aren’t hindered by human failure.

Samuel fears Saul’s retaliation. That fear is a reflection of the nation’s deeper spiritual fracture—Saul is no longer operating under God’s authority but is grasping for power.

As Jesse’s sons are paraded before Samuel, each one appears kingly—especially Eliab. But God makes it clear: “Do not look on his appearance… for the Lord sees not as man sees.” Man is drawn to appearance and charisma. God is drawn to character and surrender.

Application: There are moments in life when it seems everything is unraveling. Saul had failed. Samuel felt heartbroken. The kingly line Israel clamored for was crumbling. But this wasn’t the end—it was the setup. When it looks like the plan is falling apart, God may be preparing something far better than we can imagine. We must learn to trust His unseen hand.