THE LIFE OF DAVID #1

 THE LIFE OF DAVID

The Lord Rejected Saul As King

1 Samuel 15

The story of David begins with the rejection of Saul as king of Israel. The Lord rejected Saul as king after he disobeyed.

The Lord instructed Saul to destroy the Amalekites. (1 Samuel 15:1-3) They attacked Israel at Rephidim, where they had received water from the rock. (Exodus 17:8) This was the battle where Moses stood and help up his staff so that the Israelites would win the battle. 

The Israelites did win the battle. But, in judgment of the Amalekites for their attack on Israel during their exodus, God declared their destruction.(Deuteronomy 25:19)  Saul was to carry out God’s command.

But Saul did not obey. He defeated the Amalekites, but saved their king, their livestock, and the best of their possessions. Those thing were the Lord’s, devoted to destruction, but Saul had taken them and allowed others to do so. Therefore, the Lord sent Samuel to tell Saul the kingdom was taken away from him and given to someone else. (1 Samuel 15:28)

David Anointed As King

1 Samuel 16

God sent Samuel to anoint the new king. He did not tell him who it was in advance, only telling him he was a son of Jesse, who lived in Bethlehem. (1) He was to take a horn of oil to anoint the man of God’s choice.

Samuel was afraid to go. He was afraid Saul would know that Samuel went to anoint Saul’s successor and would kill Samuel to prevent it. (2) And, Samuel would have to pass by Saul's hometown of Gibeah as he traveled from Ramah to Bethlehem. See the map below.

For Samuel’s protection, the Lord told Samuel to take a heifer to Bethlehem for sacrifice. Normally, the sacrifices could only be offered at the tabernacle. But, there does to appear to be a tabernacle at this time. It may have been destroyed by the Philistines at Shiloh. 

Samuel did so, and invited Jesse and his sons to participate. This would have been a festive occasion. The blood and parts of the bull would be burned, then the rest consumed by the guests. 

Jesse and his sons attended. Samuel examined them. First, he saw Eliab the oldest. He must have been tall and handsome, causing Samuel to think he was the chosen one. 

But the Lord taught Samuel something about himself. He does not look on appearance or height for his servants. (6) He can see more than we do. He looks into the heart. (7) 

The other sons were all presented to Samuel, but none of them were chosen by the Lord. But, there was the youngest son, who had been left in the fields to tend the sheep. The sheep could not be left unattended, so the youngest had the duty and was not invited to the feast by his father. 

Samuel countered that by saying they would not sit down to eat the feast until David was brought in. He insisted that David be brought. He believed the Lord, who said “I have provided for myself a king among his sons”. (1)

Evidently, Jesse thought David was insignificant. Samuel may have also at least until the Lord chose him. His name is not even mentioned until verse13. But the Lord chose him. 

Knowing that the Lord chose David, Samuel anointed him with oil in front of his father and brothers. This was a very small audience for a big event. 

Upon being anointed, the Spirit rushed upon David. He was now chosen to be king, anointed, and Spirit filled. He was chosen for the Lord’s work and empowered to do it.

In contrast, Saul was rejected as king and the Spirit departed from him.

So,we have another instance where the Lord does an unlikely thing or chooses the unlikely person. 

This sets the stage for the Father’s choice of the life of Christ Jesus, David’s greater descendent.  He was from a town that nothing good was supposed to come from, according to Nathaniel. (John1:46) His neighbors thought he was just one of them, nothing special. (Mark 6:3) He partied too much. (Matthew 11:18-19. He suffered and died without saving himself. (Matthew 27:42-43) But we know, “this is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” (Psalm 118:23)

Prophecies Fulfilled

Genesis 49:8-12

When Jacob was dying, he gathered his sons and prophesied their futures.(Genesis 49:1) About his son Judah, he prophesied kingship over the tribes of the other sons, saying “your father’s sons shall bow down before you”. (49:8) 

Takeaways

Matthew traced David’s lineage from Abraham through Jacob, then Judah, down to Jesse and David, the king. (Matthew 1) 

God was sovereignly working to accomplish his will through Israel.

God often chooses the unlikely people to accomplish his purposes.