The Life and Times of

Samuel’s Arrival, the Sacrificial Meal, and the Selection of David (16:4-13)

Samuel doesn’t hesitate to obey God’s instructions.

4 So Samuel did what the LORD said, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, “Do you come in peace?” 5 And he said, “In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” He also consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice. 6 Then it came about when they entered, that he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD'S anointed is before Him.” 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” 9 Next Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” 10 Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.” 11 And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the children?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep.” Then Samuel said to Jesse,” Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here. “ 12 So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. 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 came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.
The elders of the city of Bethlehem are white-faced when Samuel arrives. They fear that his arrival will not be peaceable. But Samuel’s words put their minds at rest. He has come to offer a sacrifice, and they are invited to attend. They are to consecrate themselves and join Samuel in the sacrifice. In addition, Samuel consecrates Jesse and his sons as invited guests.¹
The selection of Saul, years earlier, was not difficult for Samuel. God told him in advance that the king-to-be would be coming the following day. God made it clear at the outset that Saul was the one He had chosen (9:15-17). In the case of Saul’s replacement, Samuel knows where and whose son the new king will be, but he does not know which one of the sons of Jesse. Samuel has his own criteria for selecting the new king, some of which must stems from the designation of Saul, reinforced by the criteria for kings of that day and our own day as well.
Just what would the criteria be? First, one would expect the first-born to be the choice for king. The first-born was given a double portion of his father’s goods. Headship of the family was passed on to the first born. The oldest would be expected to be the most mature, the most experienced, the wisest of the family. So why would anyone expect the youngest son to be God’s choice? In addition to priority in birth order, Samuel expects the king-to-be will be evident by his appearance.
Studies show that most top executives tend to be “tall, dark, and handsome.” Samuel expects the same. This was exactly the way it was with Saul (see 9:2).
Jesse and his seven sons know what Samuel has come to do. It is something like finding Cinderella. Jesse and his sons must be awe-struck at the possibility of one of their family being the next king. And so Jesse has his sons pass by Samuel one by one, beginning with the oldest. God knows what Samuel is thinking when he looks at Eliab, Jesse’s oldest son, a tall, good-looking fellow (see verse 7). But He tells Samuel that this is not His choice for Israel’s next king, indicating His criteria has more to do with a man’s character than with outward appearances. So Jesse has the next son, Abinadab, pass by Samuel, and he too is rejected. Then comes Shammah, and then the next four of Jesse’s sons pass by Samuel, but God does not indicate any of them as His choice for king.
Surely Samuel is perplexed and wonders what the problem might be. It seems as though none of Jesse’s family considers David even a remote possibility for king. He virtually slips from their minds, until Samuel asks Jesse if there are no other sons.
Well, there is David, of course, but he is a mere lad -- he is still considered a child -- not a man. How could he be the new king? He has been given a child’s work – keeping the sheep. This is David’s job, which seems to tell all. How can he even be considered as a candidate for Israel’s king?
The Hebrew word for “youngest son” is haqqaton. It implies more than age; it suggests rank. The haqqataon was more than the youngest brother; he was the little brother—the runt, the hobbit, the “bay-ay-aybee.”
Jesse’s oh-yeah-I-almost-forgot reply reveals that David had been overlooked! Why wasn’t David brought in with the others? Why was he left to his job in the fields when the others were being considered for a big promotion?
Before we leave these verses, we need to find a time in our lives when we were “passed over.” When the telephone didn’t ring when they were announcing those who would have parts in the school play, or be chosen for the varsity sports team, etc.
David’s story begins, not on the battlefield with Goliath, but on the ancient hillsides of Israel, alone, and forgotten even by his own father.
We find David in the pasture with the flocks; yet, Scripture dedicates 66 chapters to his story, more than anyone in the Bible outside of Jesus! The New Testament mentions David 59 times. He will establish and inhabit the world’s most famous city, Jerusalem. The Son of God will be called the Son of David. The greatest psalms will flow from his pen. We’ll call him king, warrior, minstrel, and giant-killer. But today he’s not even included in the family meeting; he’s just a forgotten, uncredentialed kid, performing a menial task in a map-dot town.

Jesse’s attitude toward David displays two mistakes parents often make:

1. 
   He didn’t appreciate each of his children equally. Jesse never intended to whistle David in fromt he field.
   
2. 
   He failed to cultivate a mutual respect among the brothers. Parents, the greatest contribution we can make in the lives of our children is to introduce them to Jesus Christ! But we must also see that they have worth and value. They need to know they have something unique to offer, just like every other member of the family. That’s where Jesse seems to have failed.
   

Verse 7 is the key verse in this chapter. (1 Sam 16:7) "But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.""
Moses ran from justice, but God used him. Jonah ran from God but God used him. Rabah ran a brothel, Samson ran to the wrong woman, Jacob ran in circles, Elijah ran into the mountains, Sarah ran out of hope, Lot ran with the wrong crowd, but God used them all.
God saw what no one else saw: a God-seeking heart. David, for all his foibles, sought God like a lark seeks sunrise. He took after God’s heart, because he stayed after God’s heart. In the end, that’s all God wanted or needed – wants or needs. Others measure your waist size or wallet. Not God! He examines hearts. When he finds one set on him, he calls it and claims it.
It was true then, it is true now, that as a rule men judge by appearance. We like our preachers to look like preachers (Terry is still working on me). We want our quarterbacks to look like quarterbacks. We want our presidents to look like presidents. Packaging is more important to us than the person, it seems?
God does not base His judgments on the surface, the super icial. What matters to God is David’s heart. Saul is a man whose heart God had to change:

9 Then it happened when he turned his back to leave Samuel, God changed his heart; and all those signs came about on that day (1 Samuel 10:9, NASB).
But Saul’s heart did not remain true to the Lord, and he has to be set aside and replaced by a man, like David, who has a heart for God. Thus, God says to Saul,

14 “But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you” (1 Samuel 13:14, NASB).
What no one realizes is that God will provide David with all he needs to be Israel’s king. Remember, he is an offspring of Jacob (Israel), Isaac, and Abraham! (Luke 2:11) "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." It would be well over 1,000 years before this would happen..but it reminds us how God works through people.
David is immediately given the Spirit of God to guide and empower him. In the providence of God, he is strategically placed in the presence of Saul as his armor-bearer (16:21), where he can learn how a king rules. David is not chosen to immediately replace Saul, but is first placed in a kind of internship, later to be mentally, morally, and spiritually groomed for the kingdom which will not be his for several years.²
Jesse sends for David, and he is brought before Samuel. David is also a good-looking young man, lacking none of the qualities found in his older brother save his age and position as first-born. We see that God does not disqualify David for his good looks, but neither does He choose him because of them. Good looks in a king is much like good looks in a wife – they should not be the basis for selecting a life’s mate.
But having chosen a woman of godly character, if she is also beautiful, this in no way diminishes her desirability (see Proverbs 31:30). David’s character is pleasing to God, and it is the basis of his election to service. David’s physical appearance is icing on the cake; David’s deficiencies will be provided by the Holy Spirit and the preparation God has planned for him.
David is likely still ‘in the dark’ but he approaches the aged Samuel. God indicates to Samuel that David is indeed His choice for Israel’s king, and so Samuel stands up and anoints him. God’s Spirit comes upon David, possessing and empowering him from this point onward.³ Samuel then gets up and returns to his home in Ramah.
Why didn’t Jesse bring David sooner? Perhaps it was because David was different. He is called “ruddy” (16:12), a Hebrew word meaning “red.” It’s the same word used for Esau, who was covered with red hair (Gen. 25:25). It may have meant that he was fair-complexioned…redheaded and freckle-faced…we don’t know. But he did not fit the standard mold for a Jew.
When one notices a statement written in Psalm 27:10, it’s likely that David “felt” forsaken by his family. (Psa 27:10) "Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me." Samuel was certainly one unhappy judge when he learned that one of the sons wasn’t there! (1 Sam 16:11) "So he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?" "There is still the youngest," Jesse answered, "but he is tending the sheep." Samuel said, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.""
Verse 13 notes that “Samuel…anointed him in the midst of his brothers.” His brothers probably did not understand the full significance of what was happening (only once before had anyone been anointed as king, and that was a private ceremony 1 Sam. 10:1).
What was David’s response? He went back to his sheep. (1 Sam 16:19) "Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, "Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.""
(1 Sam 17:15) "…but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father's sheep at Bethlehem."
The day David was noticed. F. B. Meyer describes the day of David’s anointing: Ít began like any ordinary day. No angel-trumpet heralded it; no faces looked out of heaven; the sun arose that morning according to his wont over the purple walls of the hills of Moab, making the cloud-curtains saffron and gold. With the first glimmer of light the boy was on his way to lead his flock to pasture-lands heavy with dew. As the morning hours sped onwards, many duties would engross his watchful soul – strengthening the weak, healing that which was sick, binding up that which was broken, and seeking that which was lost; or the music of his song may have filled the listening air.”
God Speaks, We Apply. From our study, we’ve seen that God looks beyond the outward appearance to the heart; He rejects the people-pleasers and exalts the God-pleasers. So take heart – God notices the nobodies.

1. 
   God’s solutions are often strange and simple…be open. Even though God’s ways may not make sense to us, we need to be ready to be used by Him however He chooses.
   
2. 
   God’s provisions are usually sudden and surprising…be ready. At any moment, God may decide to promote you from a keeping-of-the-sheep role to a kingly one. Be ready and willing to be promoted for His kingdom.
   
3. 
   God’s selections are sovereign and sure. Nothing can be more stable than those decisions influenced by God.