A-Z: Famous stories from the Bible: David is anointed King

Definition

Saul was the first King of Israel, chosen by God and anointed by Samuel. However, he had disobeyed God and displeased him. So God told Samuel, ‘How long are you going to mourn over Saul and his failure? Go to Bethlehem, to Jesse’s house. I have chosen one of his sons to be King.’

This worried Samuel. ‘If Saul hears what I am doing, he will kill me!’ he complained. God told him to say he had only come to sacrifice to the Lord and to invite Jesse and his family to join him. So Samuel travelled to Bethlehem.

The town’s elders were worried that Samuel was bringing a message to them from God because they had done something wrong. But Samuel reassured them and invited Jesse to join him. ‘Introduce your sons to me,’ he told Jesse. The eldest son was first. Samuel looked at him and thought, ‘He must be God’s choice!’

But God told him, ‘Don’t look at the appearance of a person. I look at the David annointed by Samuel real person, inside – at the heart.’ Then six more of Jesse’s sons were seen by Samuel – and God rejected all of them.

‘Don’t you have another son?’ Samuel asked. Jesse explained that he had one more son – the youngest – who was away looking after the sheep. ‘Send for him immediately,’ Samuel told him.

As soon as he saw David, this youngest son, Samuel heard God say, ‘This is the one: anoint him as the next King.’ So Samuel anointed David, there in front of his family. From that moment on, God’s Spirit was with David.

The story illustrates:

God is not influenced by someone’s appearance, but sees the real person inside and the state of their heart
The belief that God can give direct guidance to his followers.

Bible References

1 Samuel 16:1-13

English Standard Version
King James Version

¹The 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. ²And 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. ³And 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. ⁴Samuel 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? ⁵And 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. ⁶When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, Surely the Lord's anointed is before him. ⁷But 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. ⁸Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither has the Lord chosen this one. ⁹Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, Neither has the Lord chosen this one. ¹⁰And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, The Lord has not chosen these. ¹¹Then Samuel said to Jesse, Are all your sons here? And he said, There remains yet the youngest, 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. ¹²And 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. ¹³Then 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. ¹⁴Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him. ¹⁵And Saul's servants said to him, Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you. ¹⁶Let 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. ¹⁷So Saul said to his servants, Provide for me a man who can play well and bring him to me. ¹⁸One 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. ¹⁹Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, Send me David your son, who is with the sheep. ²⁰And 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. ²¹And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. ²²And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight. ²³And 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.

¹And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. ²And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD. ³And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee. ⁴And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably? ⁵And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice. ⁶And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD's anointed is before him. ⁷But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. ⁸Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this. ⁹Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this. ¹⁰Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these. ¹¹And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. ¹²And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. ¹³Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. ¹⁴But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. ¹⁵And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee. ¹⁶Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well. ¹⁷And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me. ¹⁸Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him. ¹⁹Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep. ²⁰And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul. ²¹And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer. ²²And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favor in my sight. ²³And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

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