January 24, 2026
Samuel was devastated by Saul’s choices and grieved for many months. Finally, Yahweh sent Samuel a message:
"How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons."
Saul was now suspicious of everything Samuel did, so he was worried about drawing attention to himself. Yahweh told him to take a heifer, go to Bethlehem and invite Jesse and his family to join him in sacrificing to Yahweh and then share a meal together (this was not an unusual practice). Samuel went to Bethlehem.
Jesse’s oldest son, Eliab was presented – he was tall and good looking and Samuel immediately determined that he was Yahweh’s choice.
Yahweh said, “Not the guy. Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for I don’t see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but I looks on the heart."
Abinadab? No.
Shammah? No.
Down-the-line Samuel went - No…. No…. No…. No….
Finally, Samuel turned to Jesse: “Do you have any more sons?”
Jesse: “Yes, just David. He’s the youngest and is with the sheep.”
Samuel: “Go get him.”
Jesse sent for David and this how the Bible describes him: “He was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome.”
Yahweh said, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one."
Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed David in the presence of his brothers.
The Bible says on that day the Spirit of God came upon David and left Saul. It also says that Yahweh sent an evil spirit to torment Saul without mercy.
How do we interpret that statement? Do we really think that God directed an evil spirit to torture Saul?
Of course not. Because Saul had already rejected God, as evidenced by his plea to Samuel the last time they met, “I have sinned; but please honor me now before all Israel, and go back with me, that I may worship Yahweh your God.”
God eventually removed his presence from Saul. The consequence of that left Saul vulnerable and unprotected against the attacks of Satan.
Because of Saul’s mental instability, he decided that a skillful harpist should be found who might sooth him during these periods of torment. A young man at court suggested David:
"I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a warrior, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence; and Yahweh is with him."
Saul sent word to Jesse, asking that David be sent to him.
And so it was, that David, the newly anointed king, became an attendant to Saul the rejected king. Every time the evil spirit tormented Saul, David would play his harp and the evil spirit would leave.
The Bible says that Saul loved David and David became his armor bearer – splitting his time between tending to Saul and tending to his father’s sheep.
The Philistines gathered once again.
The armies met in the Elah Valley – Israel on one side and the Philistines on the other. Twice a day everyone would put on their armor and face each other across the valley.
Goliath of Gath would come to the front and taunt Israel:
"Why do you come out to draw up in battle array? Am I not the Philistine and you servants of Saul? Choose a man and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, then we will become your servants; but if I kill him, then you shall become our servants and serve us…. I defy the ranks of Israel this day; give me a man that we may fight together."
Over in the camp of Israel, Saul and his men were “dismayed and terrified.”
Not a single Israelite volunteered to face Goliath. Saul even offered his daughter in marriage and military exemption to the soldier who would go out and kill Goliath ---- Crickets!!
Of Jesse’s 8 sons, the 3 oldest – Eliab, Abinadab and Shammah – were a part of Saul’s army. Jesse instructed David to check up on his brothers and take them some food.
Meanwhile, Goliath had been taunting Israel for 40 days……
David arrived in camp and heard Goliath’s “come and get me” speech and he was livid:
“Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?"
Eliab was apparently not a fan of David, so accused him of abandoning his sheep and being a conceited and wicked kid who was only there to watch the battle.
Meanwhile, Saul was informed that David was in camp - Saul sent for him.
David: “Don’t lose heart because of this Philistine. I will go and fight him.”
Saul: “Don’t be ridiculous!! You’re just a kid and he’s seasoned fighter. He’ll clean your clock!”
David: “I’ve killed lions and bears. This uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them because he has defied the armies of the living God. The same God who delivered me from the lion and the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
Saul: “Go, and may Yahweh be with you!”
Goliath Specs:
• He was over nine feet tall (6 cubits and a span). Robert Wadlow was 8ft. 11.1in. tall (1940)
• He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing 5,000 shekels
• He wore bronze greaves on his legs
• He had a bronze javelin slung on his back.
• His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod and had an iron point that weighed 600 shekels.
• He had a shield bearer.
David Specs:
• No armor (Saul offered his own armor, but David found it impossible to move in, so declined the offer)
• 1 staff
• 1 sling
• 5 stones
Meanwhile, Goliath and his shield bearer moved closer to David.
Goliath could not believe whom Israel had chosen to be their champion – a boy! A good looking boy to be sure, but come on!
Goliath sneered, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks, you little #$@%$&? Come here and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!"
David’s answer was equally confident, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of El Shaddai - the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day Yahweh will hand you over to me, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that Yahweh saves; for the battle is Yahweh’s, and he will give all of you into our hands."
David ran toward Goliath and as he did, he reached into his bag, took out a stone and put it into his sling. David slung the stone and it struck Goliath in the forehead – sinking deep into his flesh. Goliath fell face down in the dirt.
As Goliath lay stunned on the ground, David took Goliath’s sword from its scabbard – killed Goliath with his own sword then cut off his head ---- the rest of the Philistine army ran away.
David was brought to Saul and Saul did something interesting - he asked David a question, “Whose son are you?”
On the surface, the question seems normal since nobody seemed to know who David’s father was. However, we have already been told that Saul knew that David’s father was Jesse.
What Saul expected David to say was, “You are my father” or something similar – which, in effect, meant that David was swearing his loyalty to Saul as king of Israel.
This was a problem for David. As the next anointed king of Israel, he had already sworn his loyalty to God and as a result could not now swear loyalty to Saul, so he replied truthfully, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.”
The Bible says that from that day Saul kept David with him and did not allow him to return home. For all intent David was now Saul’s captive.
On the flip side, Jonathan loved David. He recognized WHO David was and even though it meant he would never be king, Jonathan cut a covenant with David and pledged his loyalty to him.
According to the Bible, David prospered in all that he did and the people loved him.
After the war, as the army passed from town to town, the women greeted them with joyful songs and with tambourines and lutes. As they danced, they sang, “Saul has killed his thousand and David his ten thousand.”
Uh, Oh!!!
Until Next Time…………..
