David - God's Surprising Choice (1 Samuel 16:1-13)

"NOW the Lord said to Samuel, 'How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.' And Samuel said, 'How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.' But the LORD said, 'Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; you shall anoint for Me the one I came to you.' So, Samuel did what the LORD said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, 'Have you come peaceably?' And he said, 'Peaceably I come to sacrifice to the LORD. Sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.' Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice." (1 Samuel 16:1-5, NKJV)

God had sent Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint the new king. When Samuel arrived, he told Jesse to gather together his sons. They proceeded to appear one by one before the prophet. It is by this process that God made known HIS choice for the next king, showing that while His choices are sovereign, they also contain authentic surprises. God shows this by whom He rejects (vv.6-10). The first of Jesse's sons appears before Samuel. His name is Eliab, meaning "God is Father." This son of Jesse is a fine physical specimen, and Samuel thinks that this is the chosen one. But, God said, "I have refused him." This means that He rejected Eliab as king. His outward appearance is pleasing, but God saw his inner character and in doing so, disqualified him. The next son in line is Abinadab, meaning 'My father is noble.' But he is also passed over and rejected by the LORD. The next in line is Shammah, whose name means "Astonishment". This might have referred to his physical size or some other trait, but no matter, is also rejected. One son after another passes by Samuel and all are rejected by the LORD. Those character traits not seen by man were seen by God. God reminded Samuel that He does not look at the physical attributes of anyone. He looks at the character of a person's heart. Before Saul ceased to be king, God had already determined to raise up a man with the right kind of heart (1 Samuel 13:14). It seemed that none of the sons of Jesse possessed this trait. Samuel then finds out that there is another son of Jesse who has not been introduced to him. He is the youngest (vv.11-13) and is said to be with the sheep. This youngest son is so insignificant within the family that he is not even summoned with the rest of his brothers. Her had been left out of the feast and the sacrifice. He had been doing the work of a servant and was not even called by his name by Jesse. He is referred to as "the youngest".

When David walks in, Samuel sees a handsome young man; bright-eyed, with the blush of youth about him. God told Samuel to anoint this one, for this is him! The one rejected and passed over by the others is the very one who is picked by the LORD. Here is where God shows His surprising nature and the reaction from the family shows it. No doubt Jesses and his sons were all amazed as they watched the man of God go over to young David and pour the anointing oil over his head. Let us be honest. We do the same thing today when God chooses someone whom we think has little or at least questionable potential. The late Dr. W.A. Criswell (1909-2002), former pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas confessed to this fault when he saw a fellow seminary graduate as someone who showed no outward potential of being a "man of God." This man joined the U.S. Army as a chaplain during World War II and was described as a caring pastoral figure in the midst of battle who provided comfort and care to dying soldiers and demonstrated acts of courage in the line of fire. Criswell, upon hearing of this, repented before God for his attitude towards the other minister and learned the lesson that God uses vessels of all types for His service. Another way to look at it is that the woman who scrubs floors in the church may be a greater soul-winner than the pastoral staff with all of the "proper training". This should humble anyone who thinks that they have all the traits necessary for ministry yet is passed over for the quiet unassuming person in the corner.