Chapter 15 of 1 Samuel ends on an ominous note.
And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel (1 Samuel 15:35).
The next chapter begins the transition from Saul’s leadership to that of David.
The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons” (1 Samuel 16:1).
Samuel never liked the idea of having a king. He felt it was rejecting God’s leadership through prophets and judges. Still, he couldn’t help but feel sad about Saul’s repeated disobedience to God and the end of his rule.
A Conversational Relationship
One of the most important, yet often overlooked, aspects of reading the Old Testament is noticing the conversational relationship between God and his servants.
After instructing Samuel to go to Bethlehem and anoint one of Jesse’s sons as king, God and Samuel had a conversation.
And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’
“And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you” (1 Samuel 16:2-3).
Christians often talk about having a personal relationship with God. Samuel shows how this works through his conversations with God.
The prophet shared his fears, and God responded with detailed advice on how to handle threats from Saul.
A personal relationship is just that—personal and relational. We know our part, which we call prayer. We talk to God, but after praying, we also want to listen to Him.
Sometimes, listening to God can be hard to distinguish from our own thoughts. Here are some ways to listen to God.
(1) One way is by reading the Bible. When a passage stands out as if highlighted, it may be God communicating with us.
(2) Other times, it’s about trusting those intuitive senses that guide us in a certain direction.
Whether through these methods or others God provides, our relationship with Him involves both speaking and listening.
God Looks on the Heart
Jesse had several sons, and Samuel had to go through them until God chose David to anoint. An interesting part of this story shows how God sees people, and it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on it.
When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.”
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:6-7).
A tried and true saying is: “You haven’t heard what needs to be done until you’ve heard from God.”
When Samuel looked at Jesse’s sons, he saw their outward appearance. However, God hadn’t revealed what was inside each person. Samuel had to wait until God revealed His choice for king.
When Saul was about to be anointed king, he was busy looking for donkeys. When David was anointed king, he was taking care of sheep.
Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here? ” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep. ” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.”
And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he” (1 Samuel 16:11-12).
When we think about David tending the sheep, we can remember the famous 23rd Psalm. In it, he tells us that the Lord is his shepherd, and he wants no one else to guide his life.
We can also recall Jesus in John 10, where he says He is the good shepherd who cares for His sheep and lays down His life for them.
The Bible often describes leaders as shepherds. This theme highlights how leaders should care for their people. They need to provide for them, look after them, and protect them.
Jesus stands out as the best leader because He fulfills these duties better than anyone who has ever walked the face of the earth.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 