God's Anointed

God Anoints David

We left off when last we were examining this pericope with Saul making a mess of things by not obeying the word of the LORD. This is when we examined the text “to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams”.

What happens then is Samuel informs Saul that God has rejected him and his kingdom is torn from him. As a result of this the Prophets actually goes into mourning. This rejection by God was traumatic for Samuel. He did not agree with the notion in the first place of Israel getting a King but with the LORD’s approbation he went ahead with the task and really tried to help this new King. After all his effort of trying to keep King Saul and Israel on the right path, Saul and his men make a mess of things and now everything is rejected. His rule, His administration and his hopes for Israel. So Samuel weeps openly and God speaks to him in the beginning of our pericope.

1 Samuel 16:1 KJV 1900

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 Beth-lehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.

1 Samuel 16:1 NLT

Now the Lord said to Samuel, “You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.”

Now, I need you to pray with me thru this passage. Let’s look at what God said. He said, in the King James Version, “how long will you mourn for Saul”. In the New Living Translation he is less subtle. Here it is rendered, “you have mourned long enough”. Notice he did not say, you were wrong to mourn. God did not say mourning is wrong. Mourning, in its place is quite appropriate. But what we need to keep in mind is the determining factor for this event is not how you feel. The determining factor is “God has rejected him/her”. Beloved, we are on a fool’s errand if we think our tears will change God’s mind. Actually, SELAH goes right here. I am so grateful to God that he does not plan for me, based on my emotions. Can you imagine if my will could supersede God’s will for me? I am so glad that God makes determinations, he assigns boundaries and he makes no mistakes. Sometimes God’s will hurts for the moment, but I am so glad that “All things work together, for good, to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose”.

The word of the LORD to some of us you have been mourning long enough. It is time to put a stop to it. Notice, God does not invite you to engage him in a discussion of whether you can help it or not. God does not ask if you are ready to move on. He does not encourage you to change your mind or change your perspective. The command is simple. It’s enough. Been crying too long. Stop crying. Here is what you are to do.

Fill Thine Horn with Oil!

The Horn is emblematic of the office of the prophet. So examine what God is saying, “Take that which defines you and fill it”. Some of you need to stop mourning and take your notebook and fill it. Some of you should be taking your business and stocking up. You should be taking your ideas and putting them too fruition. What defines you? Why are you placing more importance in mourning what is lost instead of reaching for your promise/your goal/your purpose.

Mourning is comfortable and it seems right but God is speaking and he requires us to become. Be what you are and prepare to set out.

God says to Samuel, I will send you to Jesse’s the Bethlehemite. All of you Hebrew scholars should losing it right now. I am sending from mourning to Bethlehem. I am sending from where you were content weeping for the past to Bethlehem. Bethlehem means the house of bread, or right light put, the house of food. Bread in emblematic of not just food but, food that sustains. Listen, God will not send to a place where there is no provision. Where you are going from here is not a place you need to support.

Ladies, you are not going to leave this relationship for one where you have to support the house! The place where God is sending is a place that can sustain you. What happens when we realize the thing we are mourning cannot sustain us because God has rejected it. Rejected things cannot sustain you. So if you are ready to be sustained, leave the place of mourning and go to Bethlehem! The company you are going to is going to support you. The book you are writing is going to sustain you. The company God told you to start is going to sustain you.

I believe this!!!!!

Get to Bethlehem! Go where God is going to sustain you!

1 Samuel 16:2 KJV 1900

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.

1 sam

1 Samuel 16:3 KJV 1900

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.

1 Samuel 16:4 KJV 1900

And Samuel did that which the Lord spake, and came to Beth-lehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?

1 Samuel 16:5 KJV 1900

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.

Now the interesting thing about this text is that the writer is careful to inform us that Jesse and his sons were called to the sacrifice. The way this was done, we could be led to believe Jesse only had seven sons. If you understood that one of your children was going to made King, I would think you would bring all your sons. Jesse did not do that. Let’s look at the text.

1 Samuel 16:6 KJV 1900

And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.

1 Samuel 16:6 KJV 1900

And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.

1 Samuel 16:7–10 KJV 1900

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. Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this. Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this. Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The Lord hath not chosen these.

1 sam 16:

One thing we should learn from this text is that even the Prophet can get things wrong. Sometimes