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.
Samuel thought he knew what to look for—but God redirected his eyes. And He does the same for us.
What “kingly” options are we chasing that God is quietly rejecting? God isn’t looking for the tallest, strongest, or most polished. He’s looking for the humble, the yielded, the faithful. His breakthrough often comes wrapped in obscurity.
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. (Proverbs 31:30)
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8–9)
But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; (1 Corinthians 1:27)
What we see as failure, God may be using as the foundation for His greatest work. Don’t mistake a setback for a tombstone—it might just be the starting line.
II. God Sees What We Overlook (vv. 8–13)
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. (1 Samuel 16:8–13)
The tension in this passage is almost cinematic. As each of Jesse’s sons walks in front of Samuel, the prophet likely begins to feel a spark of anticipation. “Surely this is the one,” he thinks again and again. Eliab? Strong. Impressive. Charismatic. Abinadab? Noble. Shammah? Sharp. One by one, each son parades by—and one by one, God says, “Not him.”
And here’s the irony: the chosen one isn’t even in the room. David is out in the fields, tending sheep—forgotten, overlooked, and far from the spotlight. His own father didn’t think to invite him. But God did.
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.”
This is one of the most powerful moments in all of Scripture. It flips the script on how the world measures value. The world promotes visibility. God promotes faithfulness. God’s greatest work often begins in obscurity.
David didn’t audition for kingship—he was anointed while smelling like sheep. He wasn’t networking—he was obeying. He wasn’t promoting himself—he was serving quietly in the background.
He chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds; 71 from following the nursing ewes he brought him to shepherd Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance. 72 With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand. (Psalm 78:70–72)
Here’s what that means for us:
• Just because you’re not in the spotlight doesn’t mean you’re not seen by God.
• The field is not a punishment—it’s preparation.
• Before David ever stepped onto a battlefield, he was faithful in the pasture.
Challenge: Are you being faithful in the place God has you now? It may not look like much. It may feel hidden. But it’s the training ground for something greater. Many are called. Few are chosen. But don’t forget—David was both… And so are you.
III. The Spirit Shifts – A New Work Begins (vv. 14–23)
Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him. 15 And Saul’s servants said to him, “Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you. 16 Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.” 17 So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me a man who can play well and bring him to me.” 18 One of the young men answered, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him.” 19 Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.” 20 And Jesse took a donkey laden with bread and a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them by David his son to Saul. 21 And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. 22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.” 23 And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him. (1 Samuel 16:14–23)
The contrast between Saul and David couldn’t be sharper. Saul, once anointed, now rejected. The Spirit of the Lord departs from him (v.14), and a harmful spirit from the Lord begins to torment him. That verse shakes us—what does it mean?
What is the “harmful spirit from the Lord”?
This doesn’t mean God became the author of evil—but that, in His sovereignty, He permitted or dispatched a spirit to accomplish His righteous judgment. Just as in Job 1, where Satan must seek permission, this “harmful spirit” operates under divine allowance. Sometimes, God removes His protective hand and allows torment for correction or judgment. In fact, God has used lying spirits to judge nations (1 Kings 22:19–23) and destroying angels to carry out justice (2 Samuel 24:16–17). He is the Lord of Hosts—sovereign over all, even the unseen realm.
This spirit’s torment of Saul was emotional, psychological, and spiritual. It’s what happens when the presence of God departs and the vacuum is filled with darkness. When you push out the light, don’t be surprised when shadows enter.
But while Saul is spiraling in torment… God is already orchestrating the next movement. David, the anointed one, is not yet on the throne. He’s still a servant—brought in to play music, to soothe Saul. Let this hit home: David was already anointed king… but he didn’t storm the throne. He played a harp in the background. That’s a message in itself. Sometimes we’re anointed for a task, but not yet appointed to fulfill it. Why?
• Because the waiting room is the shaping room.
• Anointing doesn’t equal immediate promotion.
• Preparation seasons aren’t punishment. They’re formation.
• If God has called you, He will appoint you—in His time, not yours.
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, (1 Peter 5:6)
Are you willing to serve with a harp, even when you’ve been anointed for a crown? Can you play in the background while others sit on the throne? David could have said, “I’m too important for this.” But he didn’t. He ministered to Saul. His worship wasn’t just art—it was spiritual warfare. In fact, the Hebrew root for “relief” in verse 23 can also mean “refreshed” or “to breathe again.” David’s music gave Saul a momentary reprieve from the torment. Even in broken systems, God’s servants can carry hope.
Have you ever been in a “not yet” season—anointed but waiting?
What does it look like to worship and serve faithfully while you wait?
How do you respond when the Spirit leads you into places of discomfort or delay?
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. (Luke 16:10)
There are seasons in life when the promise feels distant—when the calling is clear, but the circumstances don’t align. You know God has marked your life with purpose… but instead of a crown, He hands you a harp.
Like David, you may be playing music in the courts of broken kings. You may be walking through doors that don’t look like the breakthrough you expected. And you may be wondering, “Lord, wasn’t I anointed for more than this?”
But hear this: God is not wasting your waiting. He is shaping your heart in the hidden places, forging strength in your surrender, and training your hands for the battles to come. Just because you’re not on the throne doesn’t mean you’re not in His will.
• Don’t mistake delay for denial.
• Don’t confuse formation for failure.
• And never forget—your King sees you.
He’s writing a story you can’t yet see, and when the time is right, He’ll open the door no man can shut. Until then, worship where you are, serve with all your heart, and trust the One who never wastes obedience.
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)
Hang in there. God isn’t done. The harp may be in your hand now—but the throne belongs to the one who trusts Him completely.
