Strange choice?
The LORD Chooses David To Be King
1One day he said, “Samuel, I’ve rejected Saul, and I refuse to let him be king any longer. Stop feeling sad about him. Put some olive oil in a small container and go visit a man named Jesse, who lives in Bethlehem. I’ve chosen one of his sons to be my king.” 2Samuel answered, “If I do that, Saul will find out and have me killed.””Take a calf with you,” the LORD replied. “Tell everyone that you’ve come to offer it as a sacrifice to me, 3then invite Jesse to the sacrifice. When I show you which one of his sons I have chosen, pour the olive oil on his head.” 4Samuel did what the LORD told him and went to Bethlehem. The town leaders went to meet him, but they were terribly afraid and asked, “Is this a friendly visit?”
5“Yes, it is!” Samuel answered. “I’ve come to offer a sacrifice to the LORD. Get yourselves ready to take part in the sacrifice and come with me.” Samuel also invited Jesse and his sons to come to the sacrifice, and he got them ready to take part. 6When Jesse and his sons arrived, Samuel noticed Jesse’s oldest son, Eliab. “He has to be the one the LORD has chosen,” Samuel said to himself.
7But the LORD told him, “Samuel, don’t think Eliab is the one just because he’s tall and handsome. He isn’t the one I’ve chosen. People judge others by what they look like, but I judge people by what is in their hearts.”
8Jesse told his son Abinadab to go over to Samuel, but Samuel said, “No, the LORD hasn’t chosen him.”
9Next, Jesse sent his son Shammah to him, and Samuel said, “The LORD hasn’t chosen him either.”
10Jesse had all seven of his sons go over to Samuel. Finally, Samuel said, “Jesse, the LORD hasn’t chosen any of these young men. 11Do you have any more sons?”
“Yes,” Jesse answered. “My youngest son David is out taking care of the sheep.”
“Send for him!” Samuel said. “We won’t start the ceremony until he gets here.”
12Jesse sent for David. He was a healthy, good-looking boy with a sparkle in his eyes. As soon as David came, the LORD told Samuel, “He’s the one! Get up and pour the olive oil on his head.” 13Samuel poured the oil on David’s head while his brothers watched. At that moment, the Spirit of the LORD took control of David and stayed with him from then on.
Samuel returned home to Ramah.
- Reworked by Marsyas [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
How do you go about deciding what to buy when you need something new? By how it looks, or how it does the job?
Obviously if your buying clothes or shoes, how they look is a large part of it, but they have to be fit for purpose too. Fantastic looking shoes are no good if you want them for hill-walking, what matters then is comfort and being weather-proof. We might initially look at a car because of its design, but what really matters is reliability, fuel consumption, ease of servicing, and other rather boring, but essential, features.
God sends Samuel to anoint, mark out, the one he has chosen to be the next king. Jesse presents him with what are obviously a fine array of sons, but none of them are the one God has chosen. Then youngest son David is sent for, and he is the one.
It seemed clear-cut which one of the sons would be chosen to be king. Surely the strong, tall, handsome one? The eldest and most experienced one? But none of the obvious candidates was the right one for God. For God chooses not by looks – but by the heart.
God looks, not at our exterior; whether shiny and fashionable, or battered and worn; he looks at our heart. He worries not about where we’ve been, or what we’ve done, but what our motives impulses are today. That is what matters, that is the part of us that will dictate if we will follow his ways, or be more worried about our own. We should worry, not about what others think, but what God himself thinks – his is the only opinion that matters.
God can, and will use you, if your heart is in it. He calls you to step out from the shadows, let him touch you and equip you for the task that he has for you
Lord
I know you see my heart,
that is all that concerns you,
how I react,
where my intentions lie.
Others may cast me easily aside because I don’t look right
or don’t seem to fit in,
they may chase after those who make most noise and stand most proud,
but you see me,
the heart of me.
May my heart be what you need it to be.
Pam's Perambulation 