1Sa 16 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for 1Sam 16:1-23: 16:1-23 David was Saul’s replacement. There are striking similarities between the two: Samuel anointed both. Neither was pursuing the position. Both were unlikely candidates (Saul was from the smallest tribe; David was the youngest son). Both were impressive in appearance (9:2 ; 16:12 ). And the Spirit came mightily on each when he was anointed king (10:10 ; 11:6 ; 16:13 ). The key difference was that David was “a man after [God’s] own heart” (13:14 ; cp. 16:7 ), while Saul was not. 16:1 mourned long enough: See study note on 15:35. • Bethlehem was about five miles south of Jerusalem. It was later known as the City of David (Luke 2:11 ) and the birthplace of Jesus. • Jesse was the grandson of Boaz and Ruth (Ruth 4:22 ). • I have selected: This Hebrew verb implies that God had seen one of [Jesse’s] sons and based his choice on what he saw. God, the eternal king, knows better than the people of Israel how to choose a good king to serve the nation, and he provided a replacement for Saul who would lead Israel well.

Summary for 1Sam 16:1-23: 16:1-23 ^a David was Saul’s replacement. There are striking similarities between the two: Samuel anointed both. Neither was pursuing the position. Both were unlikely candidates (Saul was from the smallest tribe; David was the youngest son). Both were impressive in appearance (9:2 ^b; 16:12 ^c). And the Spirit came mightily on each when he was anointed king (10:10 ^d; 11:6 ^e; 16:13 ^f). The key difference was that David was “a man after [God’s] own heart” (13:14 ^g; cp. 16:7 ^h), while Saul was not. 16:1 ⁱ mourned long enough: See study note on 15:35.

• Bethlehem was about five miles south of Jerusalem. It was later known as the City of David (Luke 2:11 ^j) and the birthplace of Jesus.

• Jesse was the grandson of Boaz and Ruth (Ruth 4:22 ^k).

• I have selected: This Hebrew verb implies that God had seen one of [Jesse’s] sons and based his choice on what he saw. God, the eternal king, knows better than the people of Israel how to choose a good king to serve the nation, and he provided a replacement for Saul who would lead Israel well.
16:2 ^l say that you have come to make a sacrifice: God sometimes leads his servants into dangerous situations. He protects his own—sometimes by miracle, sometimes by strategy (cp. Exod 3:18-22 ^m). In Samuel’s role as a priestly judge, he would not have raised any suspicions by offering a sacrifice (see 1 Sam 10:8 ⁿ).
16:4 ^o the elders ... came trembling: News of Samuel’s rebuke of Saul and execution of Agag had likely reached Bethlehem.
16:5 ^p Purify yourselves: Self-purification included bathing and abstaining from sexual intercourse (see Exod 19:10-15 ^q; cp. Gen 35:2-4 ^r).

• The sacrifice likely took place the following morning (see Num 11:18 ^s; Josh 3:5 ^t; 7:13-14 ^u).

• Samuel performed the purification rite for Jesse and his sons to make sure they were ready for the sacrifice and for the anointing of the new king (cp. Exod 19:10 ^v; Josh 3:5 ^w).
Summary for 1Sam 16:6-7: 16:6-7 ^x his appearance or height: Like Saul, Eliab, Jesse’s oldest son, had an impressive outward appearance (cp. 9:2 ^y). Also like Saul, he was rejected (cp. 15:23 ^z). God had another man in mind to anoint as king.

• the Lord looks at the heart: God can give a new heart (10:9 ^aa), touch hearts (10:26 ^ab), and peer into the deep motivations of the heart (Ps 139:1 ^ac). God sees what people cannot see—a person’s true character. Eliab’s character comes out in 1 Sam 17:28 ^ad.
16:13 ^ae The Spirit of the Lord came ... upon David, as was consistently evident (e.g., 16:23 ^af; 17:48-54 ^ag; 18:5 ^ah, 12-16 ^ai). The Spirit of the Lord had also come upon Saul (10:10 ^aj) but had left him because of disobedience (16:14 ^ak).

• Ramah: Samuel’s hometown (1:1 ^al).
Summary for 1Sam 16:14: 16:14–31:13 ^am Saul’s kingship continued its downward spiral after God’s Spirit departed from him. His reign ended in shame and defeat (ch 31 ^an). 16:14 ^ao Spirit ... left Saul: In contrast with David’s receiving the Spirit (see thematic note for The Spirit’s Presence at end of chapter).

• The Lord sent a tormenting spirit as a consequence of Saul’s disobedience (see also 18:10 ^ap; 19:9 ^aq; cp. Judg 9:23 ^ar; Rom 1:28-29 ^as).
16:18 ^at harp: The instrument was probably a lyre (as in 10:5 ^au).

• the Lord is with him: People recognized that God’s Spirit was upon David (16:13 ^av).
16:21 ^aw Although at first Saul loved David very much, this love soon turned to intense jealousy and hatred (see 18:8-14 ^ax).

• An armor bearer in ancient Israel served as the personal attendant of a warrior chieftain (see 14:1-15 ^ay; 31:4-6 ^az; Judg 9:54 ^ba; 2 Sam 18:15 ^bb).
16:22 ^bc David’s father, Jesse (16:18 ^bd), arranged for David to continue serving Saul while still fulfilling his shepherding duties at home (see 17:14-15 ^be).
16:23 ^bf Saul would feel better: David was more than a handsome lad gifted in music; he was the anointed king. Here David illustrated what a king should be: one who brings relief. Later, David composed dozens of psalms that have brought comfort and relief through the ages.

• the tormenting spirit would go away: Even those who are disobedient and rejected can receive relief and comfort through the Lord’s servant.

Thematic note: The Spirit’s Presence
In the Old Testament, the Spirit of the Lord came upon a person or group when they were called to do a task or ordained for an office. The Spirit “came upon” the judges Othniel, Gideon, and Jephthah (Judg 3:10 ^bg; 6:34 ^bh; 11:29 ^bi), empowering them for service. Saul and David both received the Spirit of God when they were anointed king (1 Sam 10:1 ^bj, 9-10 ^bk; 16:13 ^bl). The Spirit would depart when the task had been completed or when the officeholder was removed from office. When Samuel anointed David as the next king (16:13 ^bm), the Spirit left Saul (16:14 ^bn), who was disobedient and had been rejected by God as king (13:7-14 ^bo; 15:10-29 ^bp; cp. 28:15 ^bq; Judg 16:20 ^br). After David had sinned with Bathsheba, he prayed to be spared this same judgment (Ps 51:11 ^bs).
In the New Testament, God’s Holy Spirit is given to all who put their faith in Christ for salvation, not just to individuals in specific roles (see Acts 2:14-21 ^bt; 1 Cor 12:1-13 ^bu; Eph 1:13-14 ^bv). Still, the Spirit performs a similar role in equipping God’s servants to do the work that God has called them to do (see 1 Cor 12:7-10 ^bw). The Old Testament departure of the Spirit from Saul tangibly demonstrates the need for the New Testament warnings not to sin against the Spirit and not to bring sorrow to the Spirit (see Mark 3:28-29 ^bx; Eph 4:30 ^by; Heb 6:1-8 ^bz).

Passages for Further Study
Gen 41:37-40 ^ca; Exod 31:1-6 ^cb; Judg 3:9-11 ^cc; 6:34 ^cd; 11:29 ^ce; 14:5-6 ^cf; 16:20-21 ^cg; 1 Sam 10:1-10 ^ch; 11:6-7 ^ci; 16:13-23 ^cj; 19:19-23 ^ck; 2 Chr 20:13-19 ^cl; 24:20-22 ^cm; Ps 51:11-12 ^cn; Isa 11:1-5 ^co; Jer 31:33-34 ^cp; Joel 2:28-29 ^cq; Mark 3:28-29 ^cr; Acts 2:1-21 ^cs; 4:31 ^ct; Eph 1:13-14 ^cu; 4:30 ^cv; Heb 6:4-8 ^cw