God Found a New Guy
1 Samuel: The Promise of the True King • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem because I have selected for myself a king from his sons.” 2 Samuel asked, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me!” The Lord answered, “Take a young cow with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will let you know what you are to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate to you.”
Up to this point when the Lord spoke to Samuel it was about someone else - here the Lord speaks to Samuel about Samuel.
Samuel was mourning for Saul. You can mourn many things, it doesn’t have to be the death of someone. The question is why was Samuel mourning?
Maybe Samuel was mourning because the people rejected God and wanted a king only to see that king rebel and lose his throne - now the people are without a leader. Maybe Samuel was mourning because he had been tasked with anointing Saul as king then having to take it away - this could have led to doubt in his ability as a prophet. Maybe Samuel was mourning just because of the sin perpetrated before God by Saul and the people.
The book of Ecclesiastes tells us -
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance;
It was probably beneficial for Samuel to spend some time mourning but now that time has to come to an end.
God’s question to Samuel may give us a clue to what Samuel was feeling - God is basically letting Samuel know it was not his fault because God chose to reject Saul based on Saul’s actions.
The other thing God is letting Samuel know is that one bad experience does not mean the job is done - how often do we get down when things don’t go as we expected? Take a moment, reflect on the positives and the failures, learn the lessons and then get back to work.
God has a new job for Samuel, go anoint the new king.
Samuel is to fill his flask with oil but this is not regular oil. God is referencing oil made specifically for holy anointing oil as described in Exodus 30:23-25
23 “Take for yourself the finest spices: 12½ pounds of liquid myrrh, half as much (6¼ pounds) of fragrant cinnamon, 6¼ pounds of fragrant cane, 24 12½ pounds of cassia (by the sanctuary shekel), and a gallon of olive oil. 25 Prepare from these a holy anointing oil, a scented blend, the work of a perfumer; it will be holy anointing oil.
Samuel is instructed to go to Bethlehem and the house of Jesse because one of Jesse’s sons was to be the next king - I love how God withholds the identity of the future king. God could have very easily said go find David the youngest son of Jesse and anoint him as king but He didn’t. Ever wonder why?
I believe we grow and learn by going through the process of obedience as much as seeing the final outcome. By going through the process there can be few questions about the outcome. When Kaitlin was in the car accident God had first responders in the area that normally would not have been there. She was able to receive rapid care and while the outcome was not what we wanted it did give assurance that God was in control of the outcome and we couldn’t say, “Well if only help were closer…”
Samuel asks God a question, not from a lack of faith but from a position of logistics - As Israel’s kingmaker and most esteemed servant of the Lord, Samuel’s actions were of great interest to Saul who knew his kingship was going to end.
If Samuel were to make an unexpected journey, especially one to a location outside of his normal route it likely would have been reported to Saul. This would lead Saul to view Samuel’s actions for what they were - a threat to Saul’s claim to the throne.
God even has the potential problem covered - take a heifer and go make a sacrifice - as a levitical judge, Samuel was authorized to sacrifice such an animal as part of a ritual that atoned for an unsolved murder committed in a rural region - thus Samuel’s journey would not have raised suspicions.
4 Samuel did what the Lord directed and went to Bethlehem. When the elders of the town met him, they trembled and asked, “Do you come in peace?” 5 “In peace,” he replied. “I’ve come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and said, “Certainly the Lord’s anointed one is here before him.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the Lord sees, for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.” 8 Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel. “The Lord hasn’t chosen this one either,” Samuel said. 9 Then Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said, “The Lord hasn’t chosen this one either.” 10 After Jesse presented seven of his sons to him, Samuel told Jesse, “The Lord hasn’t chosen any of these.”
The town elders were concerned when Samuel showed up - it was either the fact that it was Samuel, the Lord’s prophet (and the guy who hacked up king Agag), that was in their town or it might have been an assumption that a murder occurred in their territory and that a legal action was being initiated.
Samuel lets them know things are ok and that he is there to merely offer a sacrifice to the Lord. He invites them along but tells them they must first consecrate themselves.
Entering into ritual cleanness normally involved bathing, putting on clean clothes, the temporary suspension of all sexual activity, as well as avoidance of contact with any dead body.
Samuel personally went to Jesse and invited him and his sons then oversaw their consecration.
I wonder if the elders questioned the invitation of Jesse. By all accounts Jesse was not an elder or influential person in Bethlehem. He was a shepherd and Bethlehem was not a huge town so he was known. Jesse’s biggest claim to fame is that he is the grandson of Ruth and Boaz - remember the story of Ruth is really about Naomi and how God provided a kinsman redeemer to restore her family- this is also the Messianic line as the redeemer of all Isreal.
Everyone is ready and it is time to start the anointing service - this is the only time we get a glimpse of Samuel being in an uncomfortable position - Samuel had no idea WHO the Lord had chosen.
As he begins the search for the “man after the Lord’s heart” Samuel is relying on his own insight - The things we admire and count as important are not necessarily what God is looking for.
Enter Eliab, Jesse’s oldest son. Samuel took one look at him and based on his good looks and his height Samuel said, “He’s got to be the one”. Here is the ironic thing - Saul was said to be taller than everyone else in Israel (at least a head taller). Obviously, height and looks do not equal a good leader.
The Lord informs Samuel that Eliab is not the one - God still doesn’t tell him who is. God also clarified something for Samuel and for us - The Lord does not look at the things man looks at - the Lord’s consideration nor His abilities are the same as those of humans - man looks at the outward, the Lord looks at the heart - The Lord alone has the capacity to observe and judge a person’s heart, that is, one’s thoughts, emotions, and intents. On God’s scales these matters outweigh all other aspects of a human life.
Jesse presented seven of his sons in birth order and one by one God said no. You know once the last son was standing there Samuel had to be questioning what was happening.
11 Samuel asked him, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” he answered, “but right now he’s tending the sheep.” Samuel told Jesse, “Send for him. We won’t sit down to eat until he gets here.” 12 So Jesse sent for him. He had beautiful eyes and a healthy, handsome appearance. Then the Lord said, “Anoint him, for he is the one.” 13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah.
Samuel’s experience seemed to contradict his revelation (can you relate) - on one hand the Lord revealed that he had chosen a son of Jesse to be king, on the other hand, He had rejected every son paraded before Samuel.
So Samuel’s like, “ I’m confused and I know God’s not wrong so it is either me or I’m missing something.” So he asks if Jesse has anymore sons.
Jesse let’s Samuel know that there is another son and that he is the youngest or as some translate the word - smallest. Either way goes against convention - typically it would be the oldest who receives honor and if not the oldest for sure not the youngest - Smallest stands in stark contrast to the rejected king Saul, as well as the older and bigger siblings.
Even after being told that God is not concerned with outward appearances the first observation of David was his beautiful eyes, healthy and handsome appearance - some translations use the word “ruddy” which could be either possessing red-tinted hair or a bronze complexion.
To prevent any confusion - God said “anoint him, he is the one.”
Samuel took the horn and poured out its contents on David - the physical actions of the oil function in a symbolic manner of the presence of God - as the oil worked its way into the individuals hair and pores it symbolized the divine presence entering into the one being anointed.
After his anointing the Holy Spirit came “powerfully” on David from then on.
David joins a respected line of patriarchs selected by God in a way that confounded social norms. Other men who were not firstborn but who were selected by the Lord over their more socially powerful older brothers include Seth, Noah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Ephrain, Moses and perhaps Abraham. It seem that the Biblical record deliberately creates the impression that Yahweh prefers to use disenfranchised members of society to do His most significant work.
14 Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and an evil spirit sent from the Lord began to torment him, 15 so Saul’s servants said to him, “You see that an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. 16 Let our lord command your servants here in your presence to look for someone who knows how to play the lyre. Whenever the evil spirit from God comes on you, that person can play the lyre, and you will feel better.” 17 Then Saul commanded his servants, “Find me someone who plays well and bring him to me.” 18 One of the young men answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He is also a valiant man, a warrior, eloquent, handsome, and the Lord is with him.” 19 Then Saul dispatched messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.” 20 So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a wineskin, and one young goat and sent them by his son David to Saul. 21 When David came to Saul and entered his service, Saul loved him very much, and David became his armor-bearer. 22 Then Saul sent word to Jesse: “Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor with me.” 23 Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would pick up his lyre and play, and Saul would then be relieved, feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.
The Spirit of the Lord came upon Saul at his commissioning as king but verses 13 and 14 show us the superior nature of David’s anointing - v13 says the Spirit came on David from that day forward but 14 says the Spirit of the Lord left Saul… even worse an evil spirit was sent to torment him.
Tough verse to deal with huh? How can a holy and loving God send an evil spirit? The Hebrew word that is translated as “evil” has a wide range of meanings from “misery” to “moral perverseness”. It is possible - and perhaps referable - to interpret the text not to mean that the Lord sent a morally corrupt demon but rather another sort of supernatural being - an angel of judgment.
Saul’s tortured sate was not an accident of nature, nor was it essentially a medical condition. It was supernatural assault by a being sent at the Lord’s command, and it was brought on by Saul’s disobedience.
To disobey the Torah requirements was to leave the path of life and enter into the realm of judgment and death (for the wages of sin…). Through his repeated disobedience to the Torah requirements Saul had entered into a living, personal judgment that God brought against him. The punishment was carried out by a divinely created agent of judgment.
Even though it was Saul who was being tormented he was unable to deal with it. It was Saul’s attendants, not Saul, who correctly diagnosed his condition. We often have a hard time seeing our own issues.
A suggestion was made to find someone who could play the harp and when he was tormented the music would sooth him.
Saul liked the idea and commanded them to go find someone - one of the servants suggested David - it is clear the ruse of taking a sacrifice to Bethlehem worked because Saul had no idea who David was - I’m guessing if Saul knew David was the one who would replace him as king he would not have embraced him so easily.
Jesse sent David and also sent along food - most likely the food was meant to serve as David’s provisions since there wasn’t a formal taxation system to support people serving in the nation’s political and military establishment.
Saul liked David and put him the position of armor bearer - in this position David was kept close to the king and thus able to respond immediately when the “spirit from God came upon Saul”.
David and his music was effective in providing relief for Saul but it is clear his success was die to the fact that the Spirit of the Lord was with him in power.
