16 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 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.”

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.” 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.”

1) Why did the Lord reject Saul?
In just the previous chapter, 1 Samuel 15, we read of the Lord’s command to Saul to completely destroy the Amalekites. The Lord was issuing forth justice for their sneaky, from-behind attack on the Israelites as they journeyed through the Promised Land many generations previously. The Life Application Study Bible notes that “God knew that the Israelites could never live peacefully in the Promised Land as long as the Amalekites existed. He also knew that their corrupt, idolatrous religious practices threatened Israel’s relationship with him. The only way to protect the Israelites’ bodies and souls was to utterly destroy the people of this warlike nation and all their possessions, including their idols.” However, Saul did not completely destroy the Amalekite nation; he returned with their king, Agag, and many animals. When Samuel confronted Saul about his disobedience to God’s command, Saul tried to lie his way out of trouble by saying the animals were for sacrifice. This was not the first act of disobedience, though. Samuel had given instructions to Saul in chapter 10 which included going to Gilgal and waiting seven days for Samuel to come and sacrifice offerings (1 Samuel 10:8). Saul followed the instructions to the point of going to Gilgal. But he did not wait for Samuel to arrive; he sacrificed the burnt offering himself, which was against God’s laws. Only the priest was allowed to sacrifice. In short, Saul was rebellious and stubborn, and his heart was not seeking after God. He insisted on putting himself before God.

2) What is the significance of the phrase, “…humans see what is visible, but the LORD sees the heart”?
Saul was tall and handsome (1 Samuel 9:2), appearing to be capable of being a great king. But he was impulsive and self-serving. As Samuel was presented with Jesse’s sons, he was struck by the physical appearance of the first and thought Eliab must be God’s anointed.
Ironically, the son of Jesse who was anointed by God to be Israel’s next king was indeed handsome with beautiful eyes, as the text states. Good looks must have run in the family. But, looks weren’t what mattered; what set David apart was his heart for God.

3) Why was the youngest son not included in the festivities until after all of his brothers had been presented to Samuel?
Truly, there is no clear answer to this question. One can only speculate that Jesse didn’t consider David worthy. Thomas Constable’s note from www.studylight.org suggests this may have been the case, referencing Psalm 27:10 where David wrote of his parents forsaking him. In the social structure of ancient Jewish culture, shepherds were not high society. (Think about the Christmas story, in which the angels visited the shepherds first, which was regarded with shock because they were lowest-class.) It is possible that Jesse never thought to include David because he believed a shepherd boy could never be king.

1) Why did the Lord reject Saul?
The text says that Saul was rejected “because He did not believe the word of the Lord.” (I Samuel 15:22-23), and the same is true for us. When we do not believe the Lord for who He has proven Himself to be, when we choose to trust ourselves over the God of the Universe, we leave God no option but to reject us! The writer of Hebrews says it like this, “without faith it is impossible to please God.” (Hebrews 11:6) Saul was disobedient to the Lord’s Word again and again, and in that disobedience, Saul shunned the Lord with everything he had, choosing himself over God. Ladies, let us be very careful here! God does not require all your “boxes” of “good things” checked off in order to please Him, but He does require your faith. Your willingness to choose Him over yourself. In what areas are you already doing well in this? Consider some areas where you are holding onto your own way, instead of surrendering to His.

2) What is the significance of the phrase, “…humans see what is visible, but the LORD sees the heart”?
As humans, it is so natural to make snap judgments about situations or people based on what we see. We don’t have supernatural power to discern the heart of someone at first glance, only the Lord does. In the case of David, the text amplifies the fact that God is all-knowing, even into the very core of someone’s heart. Though it’s so tempting to make flippant judgements about another, discipline yourself to pause, and remember that it’s only the Lord who sees and knows not only their heart, but yours. Determine to give others the benefit of the doubt in your relationships, praying for the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to new perspectives.

3) Why was the youngest son not included in the festivities until after all of his brothers had been presented to Samuel?
No doubt about it, David was the least likely to become king, no matter who was sizing him up, even his own father. But how the Lord, who knows the intimacies of our hearts, delights in using the least to bring about His greatest! Jesus used 1 boy and his small lunch to feed thousands, 12 un-popular, un-educated men to launch the New Testament Church, countless other real-life stories, and He still loves to use the least! Your gifts, your talents, your heart’s passions, God has a specific intention for each of them. When we choose obedience to His Word and faith in Him, trusting that He truly does have the power to use our “least” for “much”, He will use us to bring Him glory! (Which also happens to bring us extreme satisfaction and delight as well!) Where are you struggling with your “least”? Where are you worried that you aren’t “enough” for God to use you? Pray deeply over these, surrender them in faith to the Father who sees your heart!
*Written by Rebecca Chartier and Rebecca Adams

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