MARCH 28 – 1 Samuel 16:1, 6-13
By: Marie Hoder

Samuel Anoints David as King
16 Now the Lord said to Samuel, “You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.” 6 When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 8 Then Jesse told his son Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “This is not the one the Lord has chosen.” 9 Next Jesse summoned Shimea,[a] but Samuel said, “Neither is this the one the Lord has chosen.” 10 In the same way all seven of Jesse’s sons were presented to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” 11 Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.” “Send for him at once,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.” 12 So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes. And the Lord said, “This is the one; anoint him.” 13 So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.

What Does God Want?
David wasn’t the oldest or the tallest or the best. Yet God chose him to lead His people. You don’t have to be the strongest or the fastest or the best looking. God isn’t remotely interested in that. So why do we get hung up on those things? Shouldn’t what is important to God be important to us?

But what does God want? Jesus put it in simple terms in Matthew 26:
37 Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

God wants us to love him and love each other. Let’s put away and forgive everything that stands in the way of this and see how our lives can be transformed.

Prayer
Lord, Samuel got it wrong at first when he went to find the new king. As do we, going after the brightest, fastest, prettiest people and things. Help us to put that away and focus on loving You, forgiving and loving ourselves and others, and bringing Your love to those around us. Amen.