Commentary - 1 Samuel 16:1-13

Bird's-eye view

This passage marks a pivotal transition in the history of Israel. The kingdom is moving from the house of Saul to the house of David, and this is not a mere political shift. This is redemptive history moving forward. God has rejected Saul for his disobedience, and now He is selecting a man after His own heart. Samuel, the prophet, is caught in the middle, grieving the loss of the first king while being tasked by God to anoint the next. The scene is filled with a kind of holy intrigue. Samuel must be discreet, for Saul is still on the throne and is not the sort of man to take news of his replacement with magnanimity. So God provides a cover story, a sacrifice in Bethlehem, which is not a lie but rather a true purpose that conceals a greater one. The central lesson of the passage is the stark contrast between God's way of seeing and man's. Samuel, a seasoned prophet, is still susceptible to judging by outward appearances, but God reminds him, and us, that the Lord looks on the heart.

Outline

Commentary

1 Then Yahweh said to Samuel, “How long will you be grieving over Saul? 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 see among his sons a king for Me.”

God's opening words to Samuel are a gentle but firm rebuke. Samuel's grief over Saul, while understandable, has become excessive. It is a grief that is looking backward. God is always moving forward. The reason for moving on is definitive: "I have rejected him." This is not a political squabble; it is a divine verdict. Saul's kingship is over in God's economy, even though he still occupies the palace. God's command is practical and forward looking: "Fill your horn with oil and go." The instrument of anointing must be prepared. The prophet must move. The destination is Bethlehem, the house of bread, which will one day give us the Bread of Life. And the reason for the mission is glorious: God has provided a king for Himself. Notice the language. Not "for Israel," though he will be for Israel, but "for Me." God is the one selecting His man, according to His standards, for His purposes.

2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? Saul will hear of it and will kill me.” Then Yahweh said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh.’ 3 And you shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will make you know what you shall do; and you shall anoint for Me the one whom I say to you.”

Samuel's fear is not paranoia. Saul has already demonstrated himself to be a man of rash and violent temperament. Anointing a rival king is high treason, and Samuel knows it. This is a real-world problem, and God gives a real-world solution. He does not rebuke Samuel for his fear but gives him a strategy. The sacrifice is not a deception; it is a legitimate act of worship that provides a public reason for Samuel's presence in Bethlehem. This is what we might call sanctified prudence. God does not always require us to march into the teeth of the buzz saw. He tells Samuel to invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and then provides the crucial promise: "I will make you know what you shall do." Samuel is to go in faith, trusting that God will reveal the next step at the right time. He is to anoint the one God indicates. The prophet's job is not to figure it all out beforehand, but to obey the present command.

4 So Samuel did what Yahweh said and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, “Do you come in peace?” 5 And he said, “In peace; I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh. Set yourselves apart as holy and come with me to the sacrifice.” He also set apart Jesse and his sons as holy and invited them to the sacrifice.

Obedience follows the command. Samuel goes. The reaction of the elders of Bethlehem reveals Samuel's stature and the gravity of the times. A visit from the prophet was not a casual affair. It could mean judgment or blessing, and they were right to tremble. They want to know if his visit is for peace or for trouble. Samuel reassures them with the public reason for his visit: a sacrifice. His instructions are spiritual. They are to consecrate themselves, to prepare their hearts for worship. This is not just a civic event. Jesse and his sons are specifically consecrated and invited, bringing the secret purpose of the visit into focus, but still under the cover of the public worship.

6 Now it happened, when they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the anointed of Yahweh is before Him.” 7 But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.”

Here we come to the central lesson. The sons of Jesse begin to pass before Samuel, and the firstborn, Eliab, makes an immediate impression. He looks the part. He is tall, handsome, kingly. He is another Saul. And Samuel, the man who heard the voice of God from childhood, immediately falls for it. "Surely this is the one." It shows how deeply ingrained our human standards are. We are impressed by the external. But God immediately corrects him. The language is sharp: "I have rejected him." God's rejection is based on a different standard of seeing. This is one of the most important verses in the Old Testament for understanding God's economy. Man sees the face, the resume, the height, the charisma. God sees the heart. The heart, in biblical terms, is not just the seat of emotion, but the center of the will, the intellect, the entire inner man. God is not looking for a man who looks like a king, but a man who has a heart for the King of kings.

8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Yahweh has not chosen this one either.” 9 Next Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Yahweh has not chosen this one either.” 10 Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “Yahweh has not chosen these.”

The parade continues. One by one, the sons of Jesse are presented, and one by one, they are passed over. The repetition builds the tension. Abinadab, no. Shammah, no. Seven sons in total. We can imagine the growing confusion of Jesse and the sons, and the increasing reliance of Samuel on the quiet word of God. After seven rejections, the conclusion is stark: "Yahweh has not chosen these." The obvious candidates, the ones Jesse thought to present, have all been disqualified by the one standard that matters.

11 And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the young men?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is shepherding the sheep.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him, for we will not turn around until he comes here.” 12 So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And Yahweh said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.”

Samuel knows God did not send him on a fool's errand. There must be another son. Jesse's reply is almost dismissive. "There remains yet the youngest." He was so far from being a candidate that he wasn't even invited to the sacrificial feast. He was out doing the dirty work, shepherding the sheep. This is the Cinderella principle in God's kingdom. The one who is overlooked, the one who is serving faithfully in obscurity, is the very one God has His eye on. Samuel insists he be brought, and the feast will not proceed without him. When David arrives, we are told he was "ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance." The point is not that God is against good looks, but that good looks are not the qualifying factor. God chose him based on his heart, and the fact that he was also handsome is incidental. God's word to Samuel is immediate and decisive: "Arise, anoint him, for this is he."

13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of Yahweh came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

The anointing is public, at least to the family. "In the midst of his brothers." The ones who had been chosen before him now witness his elevation. This was God's doing, and it was marvelous in their eyes. The anointing with oil is the outward sign, but the crucial event is the inward reality that follows. The Spirit of Yahweh came "mightily" upon David. This is the divine equipping for the office of king. Saul had received the Spirit also, but he had forfeited that blessing through disobedience. For David, this is the beginning of his empowerment for all that lies ahead. The Spirit comes upon him "from that day forward." This is a permanent equipping. And with his task complete, Samuel departs. The seed has been planted. The new king has been designated. Now God will bring him to the throne in His own time and in His own way.

Application

The first and most obvious application is that God's standards for leadership are not the world's. The world is impressed with polish, charisma, and a commanding presence. God is concerned with the heart. He is looking for humility, faithfulness in small things, and a posture of dependence upon Him. When we are choosing leaders, whether in the church, the home, or the state, we must ask God to give us His eyes, to see past the superficial and to discern the heart.

Second, we see the importance of faithfulness in obscurity. David was not campaigning for the throne. He was tending sheep. It was in the lonely, mundane, and sometimes dangerous work of a shepherd that his heart was being prepared for the work of a king. Do not despise the day of small things. Be faithful where God has put you, and leave the promotion to Him.

Finally, this entire narrative points us to the true and better David, the Lord Jesus Christ. He too was the unlikely king, born in this same town of Bethlehem. He was a carpenter's son, despised and rejected by men. He did not have the form or majesty that we should desire Him. But He was the one with a perfect heart, the one upon whom the Spirit descended and remained. He is God's chosen King, and He rules not just Israel, but the entire cosmos. Our task is to bow the knee to Him, the Son of David, the King whom God has provided for Himself.