1Sa 16:1-13 | KingComments | STEP | Here the history of David begins, a man who, with his sword and his pen, served the honor of God and the interests of Israel. It is the man who has been previously described as “a man after God’s heart” ( ; ) and who as Saul’s neighbor is “better than” he ( ). David means ‘loved’, ‘beloved’. He is not so for his brothers; but he is of the LORD. The LORD, that is the Lord Jesus, is the root of David ( ). David is rooted in Him and comes forth from Him. David came forth from the heart of God. There are a few statements that show God’s choice of David in a special way. Thus he is “a man” who is “sought out” by the LORD for Himself ( ). He is “found” by the LORD as “My servant” ( ), he is “selected” by the LORD as “king” ( ) and “the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people” ( ). David is in many ways a wonderful type of the Lord Jesus. Time and again we will be reminded of Him in his history. David is the third protagonist of this Bible book. Of the two other main characters, Samuel and Saul, a lot has already become known to us. Samuel and Saul are both prayed of the LORD, they are asked for. For Samuel is asked of the LORD by a God-fearing mother ( ). Saul has also been asked for and this by a whole people, although a people who deviated from God ( ). The name Saul means ‘asked’ or ‘coveted’. Saul is the man after the heart of the people. By giving him God has given the people what they have asked for. The desire to have a king was not wrong, for God had it in His heart to give them a king. However, they do not ask about God’s time and motives, nor about God’s man. They want a king because they want to be like the nations. However, God uses their question to show the contrast between their taste and His taste. He first meets their desires and then shows them who meets His desires. Here we see the principle: “The spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual” ( ). David forms a great contrast with both Samuel and Saul. No one asked for David. He is even forgotten. Nobody thinks of him (cf. ). Only God thinks of him ( ). He is therefore God’s sovereign gift according to the wishes of His heart. The LORD says that He has selected David ( ), David is His choice. This contrasts with the way in which Saul became king. He is the choice of the people. Saul responds to their seeking of their own honor. David will answer to the honor of God. Samuel has a hard time saying goodbye to Saul. He knows God’s thoughts about Saul. However, this does not make him happy, but sad. His grief is not superficial. God’s rejection of Saul makes a deep impression on him and he grieves over it. He is aware of how much Saul has deviated. And what about the people? God sees his grieve. He does not tell him not to grieve but reprimands him for having grieved long enough. God tells Samuel why he can stop grieving. It is the decision of God. All his prayers and tears cannot incite God to revoke it (cf. ). The fact that God had to reject Saul has to do with His dealings with him because of his behavior. God could not go on with him. He had to reject him and could not maintain him as king over His people. Now God wants David to be anointed as the substitute for Saul. This must be done in secret and must also be kept secret. It is not God’s purpose to make David an insurgent who, after his anointing, forcibly drives out Saul and takes his place. God shares His thoughts so that we may see things as He sees them and feel them as He feels them. If grief prevails, God cannot continue. When He says it is enough, He offers a new perspective at the same time. Samuel is ordered to fill his horn with oil. He must go to anoint someone. The horn speaks of strength (cf. ). For what Samuel must do, spiritual strength is needed. The horn comes from a sacrificial animal. It reminds us that the kingship of David is based on the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, to which every sacrifice in the Old Testament refers. The whole basis of David’s anointing is hugely different from that of Saul. Saul is anointed from a flask ( ), which represents fragility. For the anointing Samuel must go to Bethlehem. He must go to Jesse, because one of his sons has been chosen by God to be king. The name of David is not mentioned by God. “Jesse” means “Yahweh exists”. In Bethlehem, the foundation of the generation is laid. Boaz dwelt there ( ). Jesse is the son of Obed and Obed is the son of Boaz and Ruth ( ). David is the great-grandson of Boaz and Ruth. Bethlehem is located in the area of the tribe of Judah. According to the prophecy of Jacob, the Messiah comes forth from this tribe ( ; ). Bethlehem means ‘bread house’. It is the place where blessing comes from. The Lord Jesus is “the living bread” ( ). The house of the Father is the true ‘bread house’. The Lord Jesus came to earth to open its storerooms and to respond to the spiritual hunger on earth with the Father’s abundance.

‏ 1 Samuel 16:1-13

Introduction

Here the history of David begins, a man who, with his sword and his pen, served the honor of God and the interests of Israel. It is the man who has been previously described as “a man after God’s heart” (1Sam 13:14; Acts 13:22) and who as Saul’s neighbor is “better than” he (1Sam 15:28). David means ‘loved’, ‘beloved’. He is not so for his brothers; but he is of the LORD. The LORD, that is the Lord Jesus, is the root of David (Rev 22:16 ; Rev 5:5). David is rooted in Him and comes forth from Him. David came forth from the heart of God.

There are a few statements that show God’s choice of David in a special way. Thus he is “a man” who is “sought out” by the LORD for Himself (1Sam 13:14a). He is “found” by the LORD as “My servant” (Psa 89:20), he is “selected” by the LORD as “king” (1Sam 16:1) and “the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people” (1Sam 13:14b). David is in many ways a wonderful type of the Lord Jesus. Time and again we will be reminded of Him in his history.

David is the third protagonist of this Bible book. Of the two other main characters, Samuel and Saul, a lot has already become known to us. Samuel and Saul are both prayed of the LORD, they are asked for. For Samuel is asked of the LORD by a God-fearing mother (1Sam 1:11 ; 20). Saul has also been asked for and this by a whole people, although a people who deviated from God (1Sam 8:5). The name Saul means ‘asked’ or ‘coveted’.

Saul is the man after the heart of the people. By giving him God has given the people what they have asked for. The desire to have a king was not wrong, for God had it in His heart to give them a king. However, they do not ask about God’s time and motives, nor about God’s man. They want a king because they want to be like the nations. However, God uses their question to show the contrast between their taste and His taste. He first meets their desires and then shows them who meets His desires. Here we see the principle: “The spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual” (1Cor 15:46).

David forms a great contrast with both Samuel and Saul. No one asked for David. He is even forgotten. Nobody thinks of him (cf. Ecc 9:14-15). Only God thinks of him (1Sam 13:14). He is therefore God’s sovereign gift according to the wishes of His heart. The LORD says that He has selected David (1Sam 16:1), David is His choice. This contrasts with the way in which Saul became king. He is the choice of the people. Saul responds to their seeking of their own honor. David will answer to the honor of God.

Samuel Must Go to Anoint David

Samuel has a hard time saying goodbye to Saul. He knows God’s thoughts about Saul. However, this does not make him happy, but sad. His grief is not superficial. God’s rejection of Saul makes a deep impression on him and he grieves over it. He is aware of how much Saul has deviated. And what about the people? God sees his grieve. He does not tell him not to grieve but reprimands him for having grieved long enough.

God tells Samuel why he can stop grieving. It is the decision of God. All his prayers and tears cannot incite God to revoke it (cf. 2Sam 12:22-23). The fact that God had to reject Saul has to do with His dealings with him because of his behavior. God could not go on with him. He had to reject him and could not maintain him as king over His people. Now God wants David to be anointed as the substitute for Saul. This must be done in secret and must also be kept secret. It is not God’s purpose to make David an insurgent who, after his anointing, forcibly drives out Saul and takes his place.

God shares His thoughts so that we may see things as He sees them and feel them as He feels them. If grief prevails, God cannot continue. When He says it is enough, He offers a new perspective at the same time. Samuel is ordered to fill his horn with oil. He must go to anoint someone.

The horn speaks of strength (cf. Lk 1:69). For what Samuel must do, spiritual strength is needed. The horn comes from a sacrificial animal. It reminds us that the kingship of David is based on the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, to which every sacrifice in the Old Testament refers. The whole basis of David’s anointing is hugely different from that of Saul. Saul is anointed from a flask (1Sam 10:1), which represents fragility.

For the anointing Samuel must go to Bethlehem. He must go to Jesse, because one of his sons has been chosen by God to be king. The name of David is not mentioned by God. “Jesse” means “Yahweh exists”. In Bethlehem, the foundation of the generation is laid. Boaz dwelt there (Rth 2:4). Jesse is the son of Obed and Obed is the son of Boaz and Ruth (Rth 4:21-22). David is the great-grandson of Boaz and Ruth.

Bethlehem is located in the area of the tribe of Judah. According to the prophecy of Jacob, the Messiah comes forth from this tribe (Gen 49:10; Mic 5:2a). Bethlehem means ‘bread house’. It is the place where blessing comes from. The Lord Jesus is “the living bread” (Jn 6:51). The house of the Father is the true ‘bread house’. The Lord Jesus came to earth to open its storerooms and to respond to the spiritual hunger on earth with the Father’s abundance.

Samuel Has Objections

Samuel has objections. He has sorrow and soul pain because of Saul’s rejection, and at the same time he is afraid of Saul. He became an enemy to Saul, but Saul has not become an enemy to him. With Samuel there are no feelings of enmity against Saul.

Samuel has not shown the slightest fear in previous encounters with Saul. He fearlessly told Saul that God is taking the kingship from him and giving it to his neighbor. Perhaps Samuel has already had to deal with a tantrum from Saul, as we see later in this chapter. If it turns out that he anointed another king, Saul’s rage is predictable.

The LORD does not blame Samuel for his fear but meets it. He gives him protection: a sacrificial animal as a peace offering. The sacrificial animal that Samuel must take with him is not only for himself. It also serves to have a sacrificial meal with it, for which he must invite Jesse. During that meal God will tell whom Samuel should anoint. With His indications about the sacrificial animal God – in picture – brings His Son to Samuel and Jesse and his family to show what the basis is on which He deals with him and them.

Samuel Comes to Bethlehem

Samuel follows the LORD’s command and goes to Bethlehem. When he appears there so unexpectedly, the elders become afraid. This indicates that the people were unpleasantly surprised with his arrival (cf. Mt 2:1-3). Their reaction seems to indicate that things are not right. Why else should they be so afraid at the coming of the man of God?

We naturally love the government of the flesh – of which Saul is the type – because it gives us a deceptive rest. As soon as something of God’s Spirit comes, it becomes restless and we become afraid. It is with it as with the appearance of Paul in Corinth, through his letter. His letter also reveals that many things are not right. He even threatens to come with the rod (1Cor 4:21).

The Sons of Jesse

The coming of Samuel is in peace, for he comes with a peace offering, and his goal is to anoint David. The offering is for the LORD, and the meal is for Jesse and his sons. To be able to participate in it, consecration is necessary. They need to clean their clothes and themselves. This is what Samuel commands. He takes up the consecration himself. By this act he sets them apart from all the other people of Bethlehem to keep the sacrificial meal with them.

Jesse lets his sons come in one by one. He starts with the oldest and tallest. When Samuel sees him, he is clearly impressed by this appearance (cf. 1Sam 10:24). We see here that even prophets who speak under Divine guidance are as subject to mistakes as other people. We see that also with Nathan (2Sam 7:2-5). Here we see that Samuel is in fact looking for a second Saul.

Eliab’s tall stature is reminiscent of Saul. Our natural hearts are quickly impressed by what we see. We must learn that God has never chosen the first born after the flesh. On the contrary, it is precisely they who are under the judgment of death. He chose not Cain, but Abel, not Ishmael, but Isaac, not Esau, but Jacob.

God tells Samuel how He looks at people. It is not about the appearance, but about the heart. This lesson is difficult for us to learn, but it is necessary. The Lord sees the heart that He also knows completely (Jer 17:10; 1Chr 28:9; Psa 7:9; Jer 11:20 ; Jer 20:12).

After the teaching about how God looks at people, the next sons of Jesse pass Samuel by. Every time the LORD says that He has not chosen him. Samuel can happily intercept the voice of the LORD of his own preference. The first Saul has failed. Every next Saul will also fail. We need a man after a completely different model. Even Samuel has yet to learn that. God sees the heart. He knows the heart of David, which is a heart like His own.

So seven sons pass by. In the number seven we see how the complete glory of what man is passes by to make way for the eighth. The number eight speaks of a new beginning. [Here we read that Jesse has eight sons, however in the genealogy in 1 Chronicles 2 only seven are mentioned (1Chr 2:13-15).]

David Anointed

When all the sons have passed by Samuel, he must say that the LORD has not chosen any of them. Then he asks Jesse if these are all the children. Jesse answers that there is another son, the youngest. He did not think of him. None of the seven brothers has thought of him either. They all forgot him. Jesse does not even mention the name of his son, David, but speaks of him as “the youngest”. It is clear that David is not the choice of men. Thus the Lord Jesus was passed by, people forgot Him, and did not pay attention to Him. “For not even His brothers were believing in Him” (Jn 7:5).

Jesse says what David is doing at that moment: “Behold, he is tending the sheep.” In faithfulness he takes care of the few sheep of his father. Samuel gives the order to get David. The way in which Samuel’s first meeting with David takes place is very different from Samuel’s first meeting with Saul. David is with the sheep, while Saul was looking for lost asses that he also did not yet find. David is literally taken from behind the sheep to become king (Psa 78:70).

Jesse obeys and sends for David. That indeed must be, because without David there will be no meal. He is the main character. When he enters, he comes as it were from nowhere. His name is not even mentioned. However, his beauty is being described. The beauty of David is different from that of Saul. He resembles the Lord Jesus (Song 5:10a). He is ruddy, reddish, something special in Israel. He also has beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. This is where his moral characteristics come to expression. His eyes point to his insight which is shaped through his relationship with God. His appearance relates to his behavior, his actions, in which he is also led by God. Samuel must anoint him.

David is anointed in the midst of his brothers. Saul is anointed when he is all alone. David is anointed twice more after this: over the house of Judah (2Sam 2:4), and over Israel (2Sam 5:3). Here, as the Lord Jesus is anointed at His baptism, he takes His place amid the remnant. In Psalm 89 we see the connection between election or choosing and anointing in words which in their fullness apply to the Lord Jesus (Psa 89:19-20; cf. Isa 61:1; Lk 4:18-21; Psa 45:7-8; Heb 1:8-9).

We too are anointed with the Holy Spirit (2Cor 1:21; 1Jn 2:20 ; 27). We have not only received the Holy Spirit in us by faith, but there is also talk of the Holy Spirit Who is upon us. This is especially the case when it comes to do a service for God. There is a direct link between anointing and service. In this context, the Lord Jesus speaks of being “clothed with power from on high” (Lk 24:49).

At the anointing of Saul Samuel spoke a few words (1Sam 10:1). At the anointing of David, he says nothing, at least not something that is recorded. That is not to say that David did not know the meaning of his anointing. The emphasis is on the fact of anointing.

The true king is anointed now. But it pleases God that the way of his ascending the throne will be as special as his election as king. Who has ever gone such a way to the throne after being anointed, except the Lord Jesus, of Whom David is a picture in so many ways? David is made fit for government, while at the same time the people are made manifest in their wickedness. God uses this wickedness to prepare His chosen vessel for the throne. Through it He teaches David to trust in Him alone. David is probably around twenty years old here. He is thirty when Saul dies. So he suffered from Saul during about ten years.

When Samuel has anointed David, he returns to Ramah. After this we read of him only twice more (1Sam 19:18 ; 1Sam 25:1). He retreats to Ramah to die there in peace, as it were. In David his eyes have seen, so to speak, the LORD’s salvation (cf. Lk 2:27b-30), in whom the scepter came into the tribe of Judah (Gen 49:10).