#426 God Chooses

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.” 2 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.’ 3 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.” 4 Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5 And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord's anointed is before him.” 7 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.” 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 10 And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest,[a] 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.” 12 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.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
David in Saul's Service

14 Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him. 15 And Saul's servants said to him, “Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you. 16 Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.” 17 So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me a man who can play well and bring him to me.” 18 One of the young men answered, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him.” 19 Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.” 20 And Jesse took a donkey laden with bread and a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them by David his son to Saul. 21 And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. 22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.” 23 And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him. 1 Samuel 16 ESV

It is not that Samuel mourns, for God tells us to work towards restoration, weep with those who weep, but this is one whom Samuel saw blessed. He anointed Saul, served him as king, the prophet is mourning for the politician that replaced him. Everyone should want such a friend as Samuel, and to be that is extraordinary. It breaks his heart to see someone fall from such a high place, for God to remove His Spirit from him. Saul, beautiful Saul, head and shoulders above the rest, it is sad, but it is also embarrassing. Lucifer fell from much loftier places, with no chance at redemption, his heart hardened to his pride, saying he would ascend to the throne of the Most High, that he would be worshiped like God. Saul is yet another created being wanting to be honored, given a title and a throne that has become god to him over God in his heart. Samuel, it is time to move on, grab your oil and let's go. 

Samuel seeks the Lord's advice on how he should move about this, for Saul has lost his mind and is drunk on his power. He should have called Samuel by now to know of the Lord, beg of the Lord, establish that there is no crown, kingdom, anything on this planet worth the loss of peace with, honor and glory of, the Creator, Who he should have for his God above all else. Pride is  funny like that; it seeks to save it's place, it is without sincerity or integrity to the dishonor of the other, only caring for it's own interest. So many times the road to reconciliation is only a matter of humility, but for the fallen mind that is a violent battle, and often an unforgiveable suggestion. Only a prophet would ask this, for he who follows the Words of God would like to obey but does not wish to disobey by any deceit. God gives him direction where he is uncertain, and Samuel carries himself wise as a serpent yet informs Bethlehem that he has come harmless as a dove. For his reputation is well known as an honorable judge, and though he does not wear the crown, he has without fail, spoken the Words of God. It may be this, the fear of the Lord and the servant who is the voice of the Lord without blame among them, or the fear of the king who hates Samuel. If we entertain Samuel, will the king see this as an act of treason? 

It is a blessing this errand. He comes bearing good tidings of great joy to the City of Bethlehem, the birth place of the king of God's choosing. Don't be afraid, remember what the angels say, for unto you is born this day a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord. David is not the first of Jesse's sons that Samuel looks at, and Samuel is certain that he looks upon the king when he sees the first born. Has he learned nothing form his dealings with Saul? But this is the old world, where the eldest holds the prominent place in the family. Samuel is a prophet but still a man, men look at the outside till God by His mercy and grace reveals otherwise. He goes through all of the sons that are present and none of them are of God's choosing. God has already given Israel the type of king they would want, from the favorite of Jacob, tall and stately in appearance, the most outwardly fit to the part, but God looks at the heart. God chose Jacob when his father chose Esau. God chose Isaac before he was born, and Abraham chose Ishmael thinking that Isaac was an impossibility. Salvation is truly of the Lord, not the design of men, but God's choosing. We think we know good when God knows best. 

David will make a career of living amongst his enemies, walking through the valley of the shadow, he will come to Saul as a musician, with all the experience of a shepherd. Like Moses, he will from that pastoral life, have had much time to be still and "know that I am God." Everything is after us, every second of every day, our pleasures, our pain, our work and our wants, all wishing to own our time. Man cannot live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. As the Psalmist said, blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord. Do you take that time out each day, to read, to pray and then meditate upon it the rest of the day so that whatever else you must do be done to the glory of God? It is only then that you are prepared to give, to speak, what better thing do you have to say than what God has already said? How do you come to know those things? Now God will use David's gifts and His spirit to be a blessing to one that would surely be his enemy if he knew who David was. God is preparing David to be a king, by first serving the king, drawing upon his talents to sooth the king, for this is in the interest of the people. He does no wrong in not disclosing that he is chosen, but must wait upon the Lord, His timing is perfect. 

God, give me the patience and discernment to wait upon your time in all things. Forgive me for my anxiousness, for choosing Ishmael so often over Isaac. Let me know your best rather than my wants and foolishness. Thank you for your grace in making me still. Thank you for Your Word, let me not falter or neglect it. To You be all honor and glory forever and ever, amen.

In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16 and said, “Brothers and sisters,[d] the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.”

18 (With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. 19 Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)

20 “For,” said Peter, “it is written in the Book of Psalms:


“‘May his place be deserted;
let there be no one to dwell in it,’[e]

and,


“‘May another take his place of leadership.’[f]

21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22 beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”

23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles. Acts 1: 15 -25