I would like to check one small detail before I begin today. Hands up if you were the youngest in your family.
You will note that my hand is up too. Did the older ones think you were spoilt because you were the youngest? Were you just taken for granted? Even worse, were you ignored?
In spite of what older children think, it isn’t really easy
being the youngest in the family. David was the youngest son in the family of
Jesse, a farmer of
Saul goes bad
There was a leadership crisis in
It was a good beginning. But a point came when Saul began to
turn away from the Lord and to disobey his commands (15.10). He continued to
rule as king, but the Lord had already rejected him. The Lord said, “I am sorry
that I made Saul king.” Now, Samuel, I am sending you to anoint someone else as
king of
Samuel didn’t always find it easy to do what the Lord wanted him to do. He had opposed the whole idea of a king in the first place. After all, wasn’t the Lord their king? Weren’t they rejecting the Lord in wanting a king? Samuel warned them just what demands a king would place on them. But now their king had turned bad… Didn’t you foresee this, Lord? Wasn’t it a big mistake to give them a king in the first place? Surely we aren’t going to have one king after another, after another, after another, are we, Lord?
Wait a minute, Samuel! You’re forgetting! Eli’s sons had
gone bad – that was when you were just a lad. And why did the people ask for a
king? It was because your two sons, Joel and Abijah, were corrupt judges, only
interested in making money (8.1-2). Whatever system of rule we have is going to
be fragile because it will depend on people, people who will need to be called
back to depend on me. Whether priests, prophets or kings, this provides no
guarantee that they will lead the people in the ways of righteousness. Only I
can do that. Any human leader who makes himself absolute and independent of me
will lead my people into trouble. So, Samuel, you are to go to
Wait a minute, Lord! You’re forgetting – Saul! If he hears about it, he’ll kill me!
David is anointed
A person like Samuel should have known that the Lord would
protect him, shouldn’t he? Already he has told Saul that the Lord has rejected
him as king over
No suspicions? From Saul, perhaps, but the city leaders of
Now, Lord, which one of Jesse’s sons is it? So this is Eliab, the eldest? Tall and handsome. Obviously I need look no further – he’s the one! “Pay no attention to how tall and handsome he is. I have rejected him, because I do not judge as man judges. Man looks at the outward appearance, but I look at the heart.” OK, Lord, so you look at the heart! Then it isn’t Abinadab either. And not Shammah. And not the other four. Sorry, Jesse, the Lord hasn’t chosen any of these. You haven’t any more sons by any chance? “There’s still the youngest, but he’s out taking care of the sheep.” Then tell him to come here.
It’s OK, folks. I’m sorry for the delay. Sorry to keep you waiting. I have just found out from Jesse here that he has another son and he’s looking after the sheep. I did want Jesse’s whole family here before we begin the sacrifice.
Lord, there’s only one left, and he’s the youngest! Still a lad! Are you sure you’ve sent me to the right place? And, Lord – I’d hardly thought about it before – if he is the one, then I’ll have to anoint him and say nothing. The city leaders mustn’t know. Even his own brothers mustn’t know. Here he is now. Just a shepherd boy. Handsome, healthy young man, sparkling eyes. Nice enough young man, but I wonder… “This is the one – anoint him!”
“Samuel took the olive-oil and anointed David in front of his brothers. Immediately the spirit of the Lord took control of David and was with him from that day on.”
The account doesn’t tell us what happened with the sacrifice – or sacrificial feast. They must have had it, or the king’s suspicions would have been stirred. And what did his brothers think? Perhaps no more than that Samuel was setting David aside to become one of the prophets when he grew up a bit! Certainly, no word about David reached the king who shortly needed someone to play the harp for him.
Something for us to do
Not everyone has the qualities needed to lead a nation. But the Lord looks at a first requirement for someone who trusts him. Leaders may go bad, but it’s unwise to start with someone who is bad. But the Lord has other tasks to be done than the one at the top of the nation. He has something for you to do – Eliab, Abinadab, Shammah and the others too! And he looks at the heart! Are we trusting Jesus as our Saviour? Are we reading his Word the Bible? Are we allowing his Spirit to clean up and empower our spirit? Are we people of prayer? The Lord is looking at our heart!
Those brothers, if they had understood what was going on, could easily have thought, “Why David?” And David must often have thought, “Why me?”
Paul was writing about the message of Christ crucified, the most powerful life-changing message in the world. He said, “God purposely chose what the world considers nonsense in order to shame the wise, and he chose what the world considers weak in order to shame the powerful. He chose what the world looks down on and despises, and thinks is nothing, in order to destroy what the world thinks is important. This means that no one can boast in God’s presence” (1 Cor. 1.27-29).
We have no cause to boast. But we are not to put ourselves down either. If God can do all that with human gallows, what is he not able to do with us?
© Peter J. Blackburn, Halifax &
Ingham Uniting Churches, 2 March 2008
Except where otherwise noted, Scripture
quotations are from the Good News Bible, © American Bible Society, 1992.
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