|
|
1 Samuel Chapter 16
David Anointed King
- 1Samuel 16:1 And the
LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing
I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn
with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite:
for I have provided me a king among his sons.
- 2 And Samuel said,
How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD
said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice
to the LORD.
- 3 And call Jesse to
the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou
shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.
- 4 And Samuel did
that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders
of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou
peaceably?
- 5 And he said,
Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify
yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified
Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.
Looks like when a prophet came to
visit, it could be a good reason or a bad one. Samuel was dreading
this. He mourned a long time for Saul and this is a job he didn't
look forward to doing, not only out of grief but out of fear for his
life. He now knows the heart of Saul will not be good toward him
which caused the fear. Saul was an example of one that may repent on
the surface but not deep down where it counts. God might have
forgiven him if his repentance in the previous chapter was genuine.
God knows our hearts.
God instructed Samuel to go and do
sacrifices for worship so that Saul would not know his other reason
for going. He had to keep his other reason a secret because if the
word got out, not only would Samuel be in danger but also the
household of Jesse who he was going to call to the sacrifice.
- 1Samuel 16:6 And it
came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and
said, Surely the LORD'S anointed is before him.
- 7 But the LORD said
unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of
his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not
as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the
LORD looketh on the heart.
This is why it is better to seek the
Lord when appointing someone to a high calling. He sees differently
than we see. The outer appearance of the first son made Samuel
assume this was the one God chose.
- 1 Samuel 16:8 Then
Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he
said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.
- 9 Then Jesse made
Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen
this.
- 10 Again, Jesse made
seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto
Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these.
I'm guess Jesse figured David was
different for some reason and would not be chosen anyway. I marvel
at the wonderful works of God. I know of two preachers today that
God called from a country that didn't observe Jesus as Lord. God brought them to the United States to
preach the gospel.
- 1Samuel 16:11 And
Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said,
There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the
sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we
will not sit down till he come hither.
- 12 And he sent, and
brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful
countenance, and goodly to look to. 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 brethren:
and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day
forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
I can't think of anything I would
rather have than the Spirit of the Lord upon me. David was chosen
because he had a heart for God. He was a worshipper of the Lord as
we can see from the book of Psalms which was mostly written by him.
It seems that he wasn't important enough in the eyes of his family
to have been asked to come to this feast. Perhaps also he himself
was too busy watching over the sheep to leave them. That would be
how David was..
David in Saul's Service
- 1Samuel 16:14 But
the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit
from the LORD troubled him.
- 15 And Saul's
servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God
troubleth thee.
- 16 Let our lord now
command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man,
who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass,
when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play
with his hand, and thou shalt be well.
No worse fate could ever happen to a
person than the Spirit of God departing from them after they have
known and was filled with the Holy Spirit previously.
Even David knew this:
- Psalm 51:10
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit
within me.
- 11 Cast me not
away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
- 12 Restore unto
me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free
spirit.
- 13 Then will I
teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted
unto thee.
Notice here that before one can teach sinners
the right way, they must have a clean heart and be filled with the
Holy Spirit.
This would not have happened to Saul if
would have accepted the Lord's will, repented and cared more for his
relationship with God than even being king. Who knows but that God
might have restored all things back to him. When we disobey God and
do not repent, after a time we become vulnerable to evil spirits if
God's Spirit has departed from us.
- 1Samuel 16:18 Then
answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a
son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a
mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters,
and a comely person, and the LORD is with him.
- 19 Wherefore Saul
sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son,
which is with the sheep.
This opened the door to David entering
into the picture and later becoming king although David didn't come
for that purpose but he just came at the king's command.
- 1Samuel 16:20 And
Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a
kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul.
- 21 And David came to
Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he
became his armourbearer.
- 22 And Saul sent to
Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he
hath found favour in my sight.
- 23 And it came to
pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David
took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed,
and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
Music can sooth the soul for a season
but it takes determination and deliverance by the power of God to
permanently deliver a person from demonic influence. There is a way
out of this but they will come back if we don't conquer them with
genuine repentance and seeking God for deliverance. Our free will,
our weaknesses and our desires play a part in whether or not we are
set free from demonic oppression.
I heard a preacher say once,
that if we keep asking, seeking and not giving up, we can be
delivered. We can do it if deep down we really want to be free. DC
- James 4:7 Submit
yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee
from you.
- 8 Draw nigh to
God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye
sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
- 9 Be afflicted,
and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning,
and your joy to heaviness.
- 10 Humble
yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
1 Samuel Chapter 17
|
|