A New King
1 Samuel 16:1-13
Tony’s Overview Video
How to Use
Preparing to teach
- Read the Bible Lesson by Tony Cartledge in this month’s issue of the Nurturing Faith Journal
- Watch Tony’s Video for this session
- Select either the Adult or Youth teaching guide and follow the directions
Click to read the Bible Lesson by Tony Cartledge
Key Verse: 1 Samuel 16:7 –
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 does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”
Every four years, Americans go through a long process of choosing a president. Through a series of primaries, we narrow hopeful candidates down to one representative from each party on the ballot, all of whom claim to have the best abilities for leading the nation. Then, we vote.
Imagine that you alone were given the task of choosing the best president from a small field of contenders. What criteria would you use? Appearance? Experience? Ideology? Trustworthiness? Speaking ability?
In our text for today, the prophet/priest Samuel was sent by God to choose a king from among the sons of a rancher near Bethlehem whose name was Jesse. How did he do it?
An unwelcome mission (vv. 1-5)
It was not a job that Samuel asked for. He hadn’t been happy when the elders of Israel had asked him to designate a king (1 Samuel 8). He had chosen Saul, a tall and promising Benjaminite (1 Samuel 9-11), but had never been pleased with Saul’s performance. Twice Samuel told Saul that God had rejected him and would choose someone more suitable (1 Sam. 13:14, 15:26-28).
After Saul failed to wipe out a particular enemy as Samuel believed God had wanted him to do, the old prophet stalked away under a dark cloud of disappointment and retired to his home in Ramah. That’s where God revealed his new mission: Samuel was to stop whining about Saul’s failures and choose a new king from among the sons of Jesse (v. 1).
Samuel objected, fearing that Saul might hear of it and have him killed as a potential subversive. [DD] God offered an appropriate excuse, telling Samuel to take a heifer with him and make it known that God had sent him to Bethlehem to offer a sacrifice.
Even the paranoid Saul could not argue with Samuel’s sacred errand – so long as he didn’t find out the true purpose beyond the sacrifice (v. 2).
Surely Samuel had more questions, but Yahweh assured him that “I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you” (v. 3).
When Samuel arrived, he was met by an “unwelcome committee” of town elders who questioned his motives. Bethlehem was in the southern part of the kingdom, where Saul was less popular. They were suspicious of Samuel’s motives. He responded that he had come to offer a sacrifice and invited the elders to sanctify themselves and meet him later for the sacrifice. Jesse was among those invited (vv. 4-5).
A surprising audition (vv. 6-10)
Whether the others chose not to attend or whether the narrator simply dropped them into the background, only Jesse and his sons appeared to be present for the sacrifice.
Samuel wasted no time in asking Jesse to line up his sons. When Eliab, the oldest, stepped forward, he must have been an attractive man who made a strong impression on Samuel, who thought “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before the LORD” (v. 6).
For once in his life, Samuel learned that he was wrong. We don’t know how God spoke to Samuel, but the narrator says that Yahweh told him “Do not look on his appearance or the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart” (v. 7). [DD]
Neither looks nor age and experience were enough, Samuel learned: God had other standards. “The LORD looks on the heart.”
Samuel turned to the next son, Abinadab, then to Shammah, then to the next, and the next. Each time – seven times in all – God told Samuel that this son was not the one (vv. 8-10). Seven was often considered a number of completeness – surely one of them should be chosen, but all were rejected. [DD]
An unexpected star (vv. 11-13)
Samuel was confused. Imagine him ticking off a mental list of God’s instructions: “Go to Bethlehem … take a heifer for sacrifice … invite Jesse to attend … I will show you which of his sons to anoint.”
Samuel knew he had followed the instructions, but God had not confirmed any of the candidates before him.
Finally, like the old TV detective Columbo in his wrinkled raincoat, Samuel had an idea. He asked, “Are all of your sons here?”
Jesse admitted that there was one more. He had not brought his youngest son because he assumed he would not to be chosen – and somebody had to watch the sheep while the rest of them attended the sacrifice.
Samuel was not happy. “Send for him!” he snapped. “We will not sit down until he comes here” (v. 11).
David could have been miles away with his wandering flocks, and it may have taken quite some time to fetch him. The reader suspects that David must be the chosen one, even though he was obviously young and probably ugly, since the narrator had gone to such lengths to say that appearances don’t matter.
But when David arrived, the storyteller surprises us with unabashed adulation for the young man who would become king. He was ruddy, the author tells us, which probably means that he had fairer skin than most, so one could see color in his cheeks. He had beautiful eyes, we are told – though some argue for the translation “he was beautiful to the eyes.”
More importantly, there was something special inside of David that only God could see, and so Yahweh poked Samuel in the heart: “This is the one: arise and anoint him!” (v. 12).
Samuel drew out his polished ram’s horn filled with spiced olive oil and poured it over David’s head, and as the anointing oil brought a shine to David’s face, the Spirit of God was bringing a glow to his heart. “The Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David,” the narrator says, “from that day forward” (v. 13).
Why was David the one? Back in chapter 13, Samuel told Saul that God planned to replace him with a man “after God’s own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14). David must have fit the bill. In the New Testament book of Acts, Paul pointed to David as a man after God’s heart who would carry out God’s work (Acts 13:22).
What was it about David’s heart?
Have you ever wondered what it was that made David a man after God’s own heart? The narrator doesn’t say. Was it because he had a loving or compassionate heart? A loyal heart? A joyful heart? David may have had those characteristics, but surely others did, too.
What was it about David, at least during the years of his ascendancy, that set him apart as a person after God’s own heart? [DD]
We could point to a variety of things, but I believe two primary characteristics that set David apart were his spirit of openness and his attitude of trustfulness.
The narrator’s account suggests that David’s heart was wide open to adventure, to creativity, and to allowing God to work through him. He didn’t have the closed heart of someone who thinks they have figured out.
David’s heart was open to the future, open to new possibilities, open to mystery, and therefore open to the Spirit of God. A part of being open is a willingness to listen, and apparently David knew how to listen. The several stories in which David is said to “inquire of God” suggest that David remained constantly open to what God might be saying in a variety of ways. [See “The Hardest Question” online for more on this.]
And, as David remained receptive to God’s leadership, he also trusted that God would empower him to do whatever he was called to do. He once claimed that God had enabled him to protect the sheep by slaying lions and bears with his bare hands. Later he stepped forward to confront Goliath, apparently the only one who really believed God was alive and well and willing to help the faithful.
In David’s career, at least through 2 Samuel 10, he thought of things and did things no one else would do, because he listened to God, and trusted God.
Have you ever known anyone like that?
One example: I can recall meeting Cheryl Allen almost 20 years ago. She served as pastor to a church in one of the most crime-ridden sections of Johannesburg, South Africa. Seeing babies abandoned and often dying with AIDS, she listened to God and dared to begin an orphanage known as the “Door of Hope,” a ministry that continues to care for many children who might otherwise have died in a trash bin.
Perhaps you can think of similar examples of people who listened to God, trusted, and made a difference. Our text challenges us to look past our frailties and failures and be open to ways in which God can use us to bring light into this world, not because we are particularly strong or talented, but because we are willing. The Bible makes it clear that God delights in surprising the world by doing great things through small people who listen and who trust.
Isn’t this what it means to have a “Jesus worldview”? To live with an open spirit, taking note of the needs around us, and listening for how Jesus would have us respond?
We may never be anointed as David was, and certainly won’t be made king. But, we can be open and trusting and anointed by the Spirit of God. We can look to a future that is filled with unknown opportunities for life and service and joy. We can become the people God wants us to be. Are we listening?
Adult Teaching Resources
Download the PDF of teaching resources for this lesson.
This PDF contains the Teaching Guide, Digging Deeper, and Hardest Question pages.
Read Scripture online: 1 Samuel 16:1-13
Youth Teaching Resources
Parent Prep
One of my greatest joys in life is watching my children “walk the aisle” and go tell their pastor that they want to follow in the way of Jesus. You always wonder if what you are doing as a parent has some influence in the life of your student. When our children both made this profession of faith, I had the overwhelming feeling that we had done something right; even if it was introducing them to a faith community that could help them when we couldn’t. From there, it is has become even harder as they have had to continue to choose to walk in the way of Jesus; for them to continue to choose Jesus as their king. Many times when I have seen them begin to walk away, I notice that what they are choosing is more of a reflection of what I am doing.
Additional Links/Resources
Read Scripture online: 1 Samuel 16:1-13
Download the PDF for youth teaching resources using the button below. This PDF contains the Teaching Guide for this lesson:
Video
Encourage youth to check out this video ahead of the lesson.
“The One True King” from Aquaman
Via www.youtube.com
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