I Samuel Chapter
16
Introduction: We continue
our study on Samuel this week. In last week’s lesson, we studied
about the battle that Saul waged with the Amalekites. He was
instructed to utterly destroy the nation, but came back with King
Agag alive along with many cattle that he told Samuel were brought
to offer as a burnt offering to God. The lesson we learned from this
encounter was that God wants us to obey him rather than to offer
sacrifices. Due to his disobedience, Samuel informed Saul that the
kingship would be removed from him.
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God’s
Command Concerning David
1 Sam
16:1 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
Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.
1 Sam
16:2 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.
God speaks
to Samuel regarding his mourning for Saul. Chapter 15 closed with
Samuel pouring out his heart to God asking for God to reconsider
Saul, but once again, God reiterates that he has rejected Saul from
reigning over Israel. There are few instances in the bible where God
changed his mind when He made a serious decision. When Jonah
preached to the people of Nineveh, and they repented in sack cloth
and ashes, God spared the people. But this was due to the change in
the people. Saul had been given several chances, and God was now
going to give this kingdom to a new king. Samuel is instructed to go
to the house of Jesse and God would identify to him who the new king
would be. We learn from this incident that we should not mourn over
failures to the extent that we halt the work of the Lord. Sometimes
we must get up and go on, and learn from the mistakes of the past
and do our best to not repeat them. But wallowing in self pity or
being so discouraged that we are of little value helps no one. We
have to keep a clear focus and follow God’s commands. It was now
time for Samuel to arise and anoint God’s man over Israel. Samuel
questions God in verse 2 and says that Saul will probably kill him
if he finds out what he is doing. God gives him a simple solution to
just take a heifer with him and if questioned, just say that he was
come to sacrifice to the Lord. Being a prophet and priest of the
Lord, Samuel was expected to perform the priestly functions, and
this involved offering sacrifices.
1 Sam
16:3 And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show thee what thou
shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.
1 Sam
16:4 And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to
Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and
said, Comest thou peaceably?
1 Sam
16:5 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.
Samuel was
to offer the sacrifice, and to call Jesse to come up to it. When he
arrived at the house of Jesse, God would tell him what to do.
Sometimes when God has a job for us, we may not be told everything
about it. But by faith, we have to forth and trust God in the
matter. Samuel was a man of faith and normally did what God asked
without question. That is pleasing to God.
Rom 14:16
Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
Rom 14:17
For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and
peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Rom 14:18
For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and
approved of men.
Rom 14:19
Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and
things wherewith one may edify another.
Rom 14:20
For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure;
but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.
Rom 14:21
It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing
whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.
Rom 14:22
Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that
condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
Rom 14:23
And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of
faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
The last
part of verse 23 is what I want to emphasize. Whatsoever is not of
faith is sin. We need to be people of faith and be pleasing to our
heavenly father.
Heb 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh
to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them
that diligently seek him.
Samuel’s job
was to come and anoint the one God named unto him. Verse 4 shows the
effect that Samuel coming to Bethlehem had on the people. The elders
greatly feared this prophet of the Lord. Samuel was obedient to the
word of the Lord, and he tells the elders that he has come in peace.
They should sanctify themselves and come to the sacrifice. The
incident with Jesse’s family was no doubt private. Samuel sanctified
both Jesse and his sons and called them unto the sacrifice.
II.
Jesse’s Sons Come Before Samuel
1 Sam
16:6 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 Sam
16:7 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.
The purpose
of having Jesse’s sons pass before Samuel was for God to point out
to him who the man was that God had chosen to be Israel’s next king.
Verse 7 may be one of the most outstanding verses in the bible. We
need to realize this, and be cautious in how we judge others also.
Man has a strong tendency to look on the outward appearance. But it
says in verse 7 that God is not interested in our outward beauty,
but looks on the heart. Samuel was certain that Eliab, Jesse’s
oldest son, was surely the anointed one. But God said he was not the
one chosen.
Matthew
Henry pointed out that Eliab had many of the physical qualities that
Saul possessed when he was chosen to be king of Israel.
Eliab, the eldest, was privately
presented first to Samuel, probably none being present but Jesse
only, and Samuel thought he must needs be the man: Surely this is
the Lord’s anointed, v. 6. The prophets themselves, when they spoke
from under the divine direction, were as liable to mistake as other
men; as Nathan, 2 Sa. 7:3. But God rectified the prophet’s mistake
by a secret whisper to his mind: Look not on his countenance, v. 7.
It was strange that Samuel, who had been so wretchedly disappointed
in Saul, whose countenance and stature recommended him as much as
any man’s could, should be so forward to judge of a man by that
rule. When God would please the people with a king he chose a comely
man; but, when he would have one after his own heart, he should not
be chosen by the outside. Men judge by the sight of the eyes, but
God does not, Isa. 11:3. The Lord looks on the heart, that is, (1.)
He knows it. We can tell how men look, but he can tell what they
are. Man looks on the eyes (so the original word is), and is pleased
with the liveliness and sprightliness that appear in them; but God
looks on the heart, and sees the thoughts and intents of that. (2.)
He judges of men by it. The good disposition of the heart, the
holiness or goodness of that, recommends us to God, and is in his
sight of great price (1 Pt. 3:4), not the majesty of the look, or
the strength and stature of the body. Let us reckon that to be true
beauty which is within, and judge of men, as far as we are capable,
by their minds, not their mien.
1 Sam
16:8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel.
And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.
1 Sam
16:9 Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath
the LORD chosen this.
1 Sam
16:10 Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And
Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these.
1 Sam
16:11 And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he
said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the
sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will
not sit down till he come hither.
Each of the
sons present at the sacrifice from Jesse’s house pass by, and none
of the seven sons was the chosen man. In verse 11, Samuel questions
Jesse if all of his children were present. He says all but the
youngest who was home taking care of the sheep. Samuel tells him to
go and fetch David and bring him to the sacrifice.
III.
David is Anointed to be King
1 Sam
16:12 And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal
of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD
said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.
1 Sam
16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the
midst of his brethren: and the spirit of the LORD came upon David
from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
Jesse sends
someone to fetch David, and he is brought in. David did not look the
part of a king. It says he was young and ruddy, but had a beautiful
countenance and was good to look upon. God immediately instructs
Samuel to rise and anoint David as God’s choice to replace King
Saul. Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst off
his brethren. He pours the oil on David’s head, anointing him king
before all those present including his father and his brothers.
Samuel then went back to Ramah and left this large family in
Bethlehem with a deep secret to guard. I’m sure there was a lot of
happiness in the family, but we find later that there was jealousy
among the brothers over David being chosen.
IV. David
In Saul’s Court
1 Sam
16:14 But the spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil
spirit from the LORD troubled him.
1 Sam
16:15 And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit
from God troubleth thee.
1 Sam
16:16 Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee,
to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall
come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he
shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.
Verse 14
says that the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil
spirit from the Lord come upon him and troubled him. God used this
evil spirit to bring David into Saul’s court. The spirit of the Lord
departing from Saul was in direct response to Saul’s disobedience of
the Lord’s command. When the spirit of the Lord is not followed, God
is grieved. And when this happens, many times we are troubled. It
should be clear that the evil spirit was not ‘from God’ but was an
evil spirit that God allowed to be used to possess Saul to carry out
the intentions of the Lord. Saul’s servants recognize something is
wrong. And they suggest that they call a player of the harp to come
and play soothing music to the king. This music would possibly
comfort Saul when the evil spirit came upon him. Saul tells them to
find a man who could do this.
1 Sam
16:17 And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can
play well, and bring him to me.
1 Sam
16:18 Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have
seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing,
and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters,
and a comely person, and the LORD is with him.
1 Sam
16:19 Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me
David thy son, which is with the sheep.
Saul tells
them to provide him a man who could play the harp well and perhaps
sooth him from the torment of the evil spirit. The servants suggest
a son of Jesse who could play the harp very well. Not only was he a
cunning player of the harp, but also a mighty valiant man who could
fight in war, and was a comely person whom the Lord had his
presence. Nothing speaks higher of another than to be associated
with the Heavenly Father. Oh that we might all live such that others
know there is a difference in our lives. In the notes, it mentions
that verse 18 says “A Man of war” which meant he was able bodied and
able to fight, because David was too young to be in Saul’s army at
this time. Of all the characteristics mentioned about David, none
were as important as the one saying that the spirit of the Lord was
with him.
1 Sam
16:20 And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine,
and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul.
1 Sam
16:21 And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him
greatly; and he became his armourbearer.
1 Sam
16:22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand
before me; for he hath found favour in my sight.
1 Sam
16:23 And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon
Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was
refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
Saul sends
for David, and he comes. Saul accepts him, and is very impressed
with the young man. He said that David loved him greatly, and he
became his armourbearer. Saul sent a message to Jesse asking that he
let David come and stand before him so that he might play the harp
when the evil spirit came upon him. It says when the evil spirit
came upon Saul, David played the harp and it refreshed Saul and it
caused the spirit to depart from him.
J. Vernon
McGee had some comments about Saul at this point of his life.
I
believe Saul was completely taken over by Satan. His servants noted
that he had this mental malady, this spiritual sickness. It is said
that music has power to tame the savage beast. Saul’s servants
suggested a contest to find who was the best musician. David was a
musician and was an unusual person in many ways. He is brought into
the palace. God looks at the inner man when He chooses someone for a
particular office or task. Saul is now forsaken of God, and David is
brought into court to play upon his harp. Although it is not yet
known, Israel has a new king.
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Prov 4:18
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Practice
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