An Unlikely King Part 2 (I Samuel 16:1-13)

A king is chosen while another king still rules, and almost nobody in the room understands what just happened. We head to Bethlehem with Samuel as God stages a decision that feels backwards to human instincts: not a warrior, not the most impressive brother, not the obvious résumé. The tension is real, too. Saul’s reign is unraveling, enemies are nearby, and a public announcement would look like treason. So the whole moment comes wrapped in the ordinary cover of a sacrifice and a meal, with a quiet conversation between God and his prophet guiding every step. 

We watch Samuel do what we still do today: reach for the “tallest Eliab” because he looks like leadership. Then God drops the line that flips the entire selection process on its head: people look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. From there we connect the text to modern appearance bias, the way image can distort hiring, promotion, and even spiritual influence. If you’ve ever felt pressured to perform a look, a vibe, or a brand, this conversation cuts through the noise. 

David’s part is almost shocking in its simplicity. He’s left with the sheep, brought in late, anointed with no fanfare, and sent right back into obscurity for years. That long gap becomes the point: God manufactures a disciple over time, using rejection, repetitive work, and lonely reflection to form a leader who can bear real weight. If you feel overlooked or stuck in the mundane, Bethlehem has something to say to you. 

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Transcript

The King Choice Feels Backward

SPEAKER_00 0:45

You need to choose a warrior. We know from biblical history that at this very moment there's a Philistine garrison stationed at Bethlehem. They don't need a you know they need a champion. They don't need a shepherd who loves to sing and write poetry. We don't need a singer, we need a sovereign with with majesty and might to rule the nation and deal with our enemies. This is totally unprecedented. Oh listen, but it was divinely planned. Given the fact that it's going to be 15 years or so before David assumes the throne, God definitely doesn't want Saul or anybody else coming apart at the seams. In fact, I'm going to show you that I believe that David and Jesse and his brothers and the family really didn't know what Samuel was up to. We're going to change that Sunday school picture you might have in your mind as we work through this. David is going to be officially anointed king in 2 Samuel chapter 2, 15 years later. This anointing, as I'll show you, is going to accomplish something else. So what Samuel does is he makes a plan for a sacrificial festival, and following that sacrifice, there would have been a feast, and Samuel, we know from biblical history, would have eaten at someone's home. Now notice verse 3. Here's the home, Samuel. Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and then I'm going to show you what you'll do. You shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you. Now notice this: God isn't declaring this publicly. God and Samuel

A Sacrifice That Hides A Mission

SPEAKER_00 2:48

are about to carry on this quiet, silent conversation. Verse 4. Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. I love the fact that all the elders come out and they're trembling. Do you come in peace? We're not exactly sure why. More than likely they have a guilty conscience because Samuel represents the law. Maybe they're going to be found out. More than likely they know that Bethlehem isn't necessarily in Samuel's normal circuit. And they've already heard the news about Saul's rebellion. And is Samuel going to do something that brings about unrest or maybe even civil war? Are you coming with peace in mind? He doesn't really answer them. He just says, we're going to have a sacrifice, effectively. But did you notice where he comes? Bethlehem. He's traveling to the ancestral homestead of David's great-grandfather Boaz and great-grandmother Ruth. This is this is the family farm. In this village, one day yet in the future, David's descendant will be born, Jesus Christ. These are the skies that are going to be filled with the angelic host singing, glory to God in the highest. See, Samuel's visit to Bethlehem is not an accident. This isn't baling wire and duct tape, you know, to try to put some kind of plan together because Saul really messed everything up. This is not plan B. This is plan A. And we know there's an interval between the sacrifice and the meal from what verse 11 tells us. Don't look there. Don't go ahead of me. Samuel is going to refuse to sit down. You'll see it in a minute. We also know from biblical history that this interval takes place because there's going to be a time where that heifer is going to be sacrificed and then portions of it prepared and then eaten in great joy. More than likely, Samuel is now moving from the altar scene of the sacrifice to the feasting scene of the sacrifice, which would have been in someone's home, and it's clear it's in Jesse's home. All of his sons are now invited to meet Samuel. Keep in mind, Samuel is the only one who knows why he wants to meet them, and even after he leaves them, none of them are going to be all the wiser. Now, one of them has been chosen by God. Now, one more thing, and then we'll look ahead. You know, size 11 triple E. The guy that wears that, he's the king. Samuel has not been given much information from God. In fact, he really isn't even given the criteria for choosing the next king, which is why Samuel's gonna keep wanting to choose the wrong one. Which I think is wonderful, and that's a sermon in itself. You'd think, well, wow, the godly Samuel, God gives him the future, you know, a week at a time. Oh no. You just obey me and I'll fill in the blanks. See, we think if I just get closer to God, I'll tell me about three days from now what's gonna happen.

unknown 5:56

No.

SPEAKER_00 5:57

You just you just obey me and I'll fill in the blanks. So here he goes, no information, no clarification. He's just gonna anoint the next king. And this is a secret conversation between he and God. And so so he, and no glass slipper, there, there's no list, there's no resume. Notice what happens, verse 6. He's introduced to each son, beginning in oriental custom with the oldest. When they came, here's the first. He looked on Eliab and thought, Surely the Lord's anointed is now standing before him. The Lord said to Samuel, Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I've rejected him. That is, I haven't chosen him. For the Lord sees not as man sees.

Samuel Reaches For The Oil Too Soon

SPEAKER_00 6:43

Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. I'll say more about this in a moment, but one of the things that strikes me again about Samuel is that he's still looking for another Saul. When Saul had anointed, was anointed by Samuel back in chapter 9, the biblical description that impressed Samuel and everybody else was that Saul was head and shoulders above the average guy. So you'd put him at about 6'2, 6'3, 6'4, striking tall. That's a king for you. And as soon as Samuel sees Eliab, he's reaching for his flask of oil. This is it, he's the tallest. I mean, even the great priest, after decades of wise leading, is blind in this area. Isn't that encouraging? He wants Saul part two. God whispers in his spirit, no, no, no, no, no, leave that flask right where it is. Keep it in your pocket. I'm not looking at his height. I'm looking at his heart. Verse 8. Jesse calls it Abinadab, made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither has the Lord chosen this one. All the sons passed by, verse 9. And each one, evidently, God is whispering, not that one either. By the way, this isn't a pageant where all the contestants lined up and walked by Samuel in their high heels. Maybe God asked a question by Samuel on how they would solve world hunger, and then Samuel listened to some absolutely ridiculous answers and nodded as if it was deep. In actuality, this is really nothing more than a typical introduction of every son before Samuel. They're passing before him. They're being introduced. And I don't want you to miss this as well. Jesse, he isn't lining them up saying one of them's gonna be king. Oh boy, one of them's gonna be king. That isn't it at all. He would have been thrilled if one of his sons had been chosen to be king. Even David. It would change his life forever. This is the most honorable event, though, he's ever had on his homestead. He's able to introduce his boys to the great prophet priest. And one of them is going to be selected. In his mind, in my understanding, based on what isn't said, what they do not ask, and what Samuel refuses to disclose. Some evangelical scholars believe that some believe Samuel is just anointing an intern, an apprentice to the aging prophet. The only clue that you've got that there's some kind of quest taking place that Jesse would have picked up on is verse 10. Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, The Lord has not chosen these. Now, he would have been left to assume, since Saul is on the throne, he's the king, and he's new into the reign. He has 15 years more to go, by the way, that, as one author said, that he would assume that David is potentially consecrating one of his sons to be a pupil of the prophets. Prophets proliferated, a prophet apprentice. And by the way, David will become a prophet. He will write inspiring texts and inspired scripture. But the truth is, it is the grace of God that keeps Jesse and his sons in the dark, just as it is the grace of God often to keep us in the dark. Had they been informed that the dynasty of Saul will not take root, that the royal line is going to shift from the tribe of Benjamin to the tribe of Judah, that the son of Saul, Jonathan, will not wear the crown. Saul would have considered this event treason. He would have killed Samuel and Jesse, and he would have hounded until he found every one of those sons and put him to death. He will kill to keep his throne. It is the grace of God that disguises the agenda of Samuel. Now, verse 11. Samuel said to Jesse, Are all your sons here? He's confused. He just doesn't get it. He said, Well, there remains yet the youngest. But behold, he's keeping the sheep. There remains literally the smallest. You could translate that the least important. But look, he's tending the sheep. I mean, if you're going to choose an apprentice, he's implying that David is the last possible son of his you'd want. Most Sunday school stories again take this chapter to be a lineup for the next king. Jesse doesn't think David is

The Youngest Son Left With Sheep

SPEAKER_00 11:43

king material. Frankly, he would have been happy for David to be king. It's actually worse than that. Jesse doesn't even think that David qualifies to be Samuel's assistant to carry the bags. And if you if you look at the text carefully, you can sense some of the dynamic of this awkwardness because there's this pause. Look again, Samuel said to Jesse, Are all your sons here? And Jesse said, There remains yet the youngest, but well, you know, look, he's tending the sheep. Pause. Samuel's expecting Jesse to say, Well, but but that's okay, I'll go fetch him. Jesse never says that. Just pause. Yeah, I have one more. Samuel finally has to say to Jesse, verse 11, the latter part, Well, send for him. Go fetch him. We will not sit down until he comes here. There's a bite to that, which indicates Jesse's lack of desire. Samuel says, I'm not going to sit down, we're not going to eat. Until you go get your eighth son, your youngest son. By the way, 1 Chronicles chapter 2 refers to David as the seventh son. Most evangelical scholars conclude that one of David's seven older brothers will die without either marrying or perhaps having children, and is omitted from that abbreviated genealogy. He's clearly the eighth. Go get your eighth boy. Verse 12. And he, Jesse, sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful or bright eyes and was handsome. Now you might think this contradicts the Lord's earlier rebuke to not consider somebody's appearance. But what you have here in this verse is a biographical description of David, not a resume that qualified him to be king. See, earlier, it was the physical appearance that Samuel thought would allow that one to be a good king. That's not taking place here. It's just at this point in the biography, God is giving us a description of David, and it's unusual. Let me point out that this word ruddy is from the Hebrew word Edom. He gives us the word red. In fact, the only other time this appears in the Hebrew text is in Genesis chapter 25 and verse 25, where it describes Esau as red-headed or red-haired. And he evidently had a lot of it. The word was used to denote the reddish color of someone's hair. David, which would have been very unusual for a Jewish boy, a Hebrew, was red-headed, red-headed with bright eyes. And so here he comes, and you can just kind of see David bouncing into the house, smelling like sheep. I think he would have been really glad to be included, since he more than likely heard about the festival and the feast and his family, and surely they're going to come get me, and then finally somebody comes and fetches him. He's thrilled. He's able to meet Samuel. He's having dinner with him. And then without saying anything to Jesse or the boys or even David, no, no statement. Samuel, verse 13, takes the horn of oil, anoints him in the midst of his brothers. In fact, that conjunction can be rendered from the midst, meaning that they weren't even around. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And then Samuel rose up and went to Ramah. No fanfare, no explanation, no regal pronouncement. Jesse's not doing a jig around the house saying, Am I going to get to move to the palace? Or none of that. And for good reason. If

Anointed Quietly Then Sent Back Out

SPEAKER_00 15:38

I could choose two words to summarize this unusual event, the first word I would choose, or that came to my mind, was the word unprecedented. This isn't really how you do it. Why would you choose a king and then not tell anybody? In fact, why would you choose one now while Saul is entering his darkest days with murderous intent? Why risk anything? Why not play it safe? You got 15 years to go. Besides, you need to choose a warrior. We know from biblical history that at this very moment there's a Philistine garrison stationed at Bethlehem. They need a champion. They don't need a shepherd who loves to sing and write poetry. We don't need a singer. We need a sovereign with majesty and might to rule the nation and deal with our enemies. This is totally unprecedented. Oh, listen. But it was divinely planned. Divinely planned. The second word that comes to my mind is unimpressive. Unimpressive. David doesn't even come close to conventional expectations for royalty. We have other indications from scripture that he's short, red-headed, bright-eyed, and not all that impressive. Attractive? Probably in the fact that he's unusual to a Hebrew race. They're living in a little town. Jesse's a relatively unknown farmer. In fact, we were given a clue a little later on in chapter 19 or chapter 17 of 1 Samuel that the sheep that David tends are few. Just a few.

Unimpressive By Design And By Grace

SPEAKER_00 17:19

And I couldn't help but think this is just like the son of David who will come centuries later. Unimpressive. King of kings, born to peasants, who eke out an existence as migrant workers, no connections. See, the problem is we're a lot like Samuel. We keep making the same mistakes, don't we? We are impressed with the impressive. And we seek to be impressive. We're biased toward appearances. We make quick judgments. The best qualities of an individual's character that don't surface quickly, we assume they don't have. Found it interesting how mankind still to this day judges on the basis of appearance. Newsweek magazine several years ago ran a survey, in fact, in 2010, on the hiring and promoting criteria used by managers. Confidentiality was protected. When all the data was tallied and evaluated, the clearest determining factor in being hired, being promoted, being rewarded had to do with physical appearance and age. The majority of decisions had little to do with qualifications, character, work ethic. 68% of these managers admitted that physical looks affected the way managers even rated job performance. So keep that in mind tomorrow. You pick out that shirt. 84% of managers admitted that somebody who looked older than the other co-workers would find it difficult to be hired though qualified. 61% of hiring managers admitted that women would benefit from wearing clothing that showed their figure. Because they represent our image. This is one of the universal flaws of the fallen human nature. The church must battle in its own ranks and among its own assembly, right? This is why God can say to Samuel, categorically, man looks on the outward appearance, but I look on the heart. You take one look at this red-headed farm kid. Look at his family. You can write one word over that family farmhouse of Jesse, the word unimpressive, but let me add, divinely chosen. Unprecedented but divinely planned. Unimpressive but divinely chosen. That's you and me, by the way. Unimpressive that God would choose us. We have nothing to offer him. That he would choose us independently of what we could ever impress him with. Could we ever impress him? He chooses us by his sheer grace. And then he makes us future kings and queens, co-regents of our beloved coming Messiah. Did we really have something to impress him? I have a little tradition, I may have shared this with you, but I from reading the biographies of others who've been used by the Lord, I've adopted two of their practices. One is the practice of approaching the pulpit, just saying to myself, I believe in the Holy Spirit. Spurgeon would do that as he mounted the stairs into his pulpit. Because without him, this is meaningless and ineffective. The other is a little more humorous. One man that I highly admired would remind himself that he was a worm regularly. So I began to practice years ago. The last thing I do in the morning is I'm ready. I come here fairly early, I look in the mirror and I say, The worm is ready. And then I go out, and my wife sometimes isn't up yet, and I'll say, Honey, the worm is ready. She'll say, Oh, but you're a wonderful worm. And with that encouragement, I take off for church. And this morning it was kind of interesting. She was still dozing, and I said, Honey, the worm is ready. And she said, Yes, you're a worm. She'll find out at the third hour that she told me that, but I mean who who are we? Consider who you were at your calling, Paul said. How many brilliant? How many mighty? How many noble? Unimpressive. But divinely chosen. Why why would why would God want Samuel to anoint David fifteen years before his time? That is mysterious. I can give you my impressions. I I think that David is being inducted into fifteen years of special training. He's no doubt going to receive training from traveling prophets, and maybe even Samuel himself. You just read his Psalms, as we'll begin studying this evening, and they're rich with Old Testament metaphor. Scripture. Let me take just our closing moments to mark several characteristics of these early years as David evidently. He runs back to the pasture and he's back to tending sheep. Alan Redpath put it this way in his wonderful commentary: the conversion of a soul is the miracle of the moment.

Fifteen Years Of Hidden Training

SPEAKER_00 22:58

The manufacturing of a disciple is the task of a lifetime. What was God going to do to manufacture a disciple? Quickly. I read into this scene the symptoms of rejection, first of all. The symptoms of rejection. I mean, imagine not being included in an event so incredible as Samuel's visit and meal. He's the most highly honorable man in the nation, apart from the king. So your father's there, your mother's there, the brothers, and maybe you find out a little later that David's going to keep you out there. Later on, David is going to be insulted by his older brother when he runs out to bring them some cheese and some food and he asks about Goliath's blasphemy, and he's called effectively a runt. What do you know? And evidently that's so common that David doesn't even respond to the insult. Evidently, such standard treatment. I think if there's a tinge of sadness in the biography of David, is when you get to the end of it, you discover that he has never once mentioned his father. Never once. He sees that his father is kept safe later on. He mentions his mother twice. And he calls her the handmaiden of the Lord, evidently profoundly influential in his young life. David is being prepared and trained by God to bear the strain of brutal rejection and threats to his life and criticism as he forges a nation together. I read here not only the symptoms of rejection, but secondly the sighings of redundancy. That's a tough path. Nothing more unending than shepherding, from what I've read. Twour hours a day, seven days a week. And by the way, what does shepherding have to do with being a king? What kind of preparation is that? I remember thinking in college, I'm preparing for the ministry and I've got to read British literature. I mean, what value does that have to my future? My wife was in that British literature class, and that's where I met her. Okay, besides that, what does British literature have? Nothing. But the responsibilities David would grow to accept out there alone, the dangers he would face down, the redundancy of those mundane tasks would prepare him to lead a nation. I also sense here the signs of reflection. While David is driven into a life of obscurity and loneliness, listen, he is being driven to God. He is being driven to God's word. He'll lie out there under the stars as the Spirit of God now anoints him. And one of his first psalms, he'll say, Oh, when I look up at the stars, the moon, and the work of God's fingers, what am I? What is man? God would take note of us. What a gracious God. It's pretty deep, freaking. You know, I think I'm going to turn that into a psalm. And he scratches it out. He practices on the sheep. Stubborn ram. No idea that his nation is going to be singing them one day, and we will still be singing them to this day. He has no idea that on the day of Pentecost, as the church is created, Peter preaches the very first sermon of the New Testament era, and he chooses one of David's songs and says, This is proof of the Son of David. Let me give you the lyrics, and three thousand people believe. This is your training ground, David. You've got 15 years of difficulty and obscurity, and we're going to dive into this together. But you're going to have all the symptoms of rejection and you're going to struggle with a sighing of redundancy. And there are signs of your reflective nature and your meditation on the person and the work of God.