Read 1 Samuel 16:1-13 (NRSV)
Samuel Anoints David
The Lord said to Samuel, ‘How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.’ 2Samuel said, ‘How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.’ And the Lord said, ‘Take a heifer with you, and say, “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.” 3Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.’ 4Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, ‘Do you come peaceably?’ 5He said, ‘Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.’ And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before the Lord.’ 7But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’ 8Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, ‘Neither has the Lord chosen this one.’ 9Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, ‘Neither has the Lord chosen this one.’ 10Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, ‘The Lord has not chosen any of these.’ 11Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Are all your sons here?’ And he said, ‘There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.’ And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.’ 12He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, ‘Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.’ 13Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.
Questions for personal reflection from Jerry Tankersley
How important are appearances to you? We all like to look good. We all carry internalized images of ourselves. Often we are self-critical of the way we look; we are not tall enough, thin enough, young enough, or rich enough. How did Samuel see Saul? Was he surprised that it was the youngest son of Jesse that God chose to be the next king of Israel?
So how does God see you? If God looks right past your external appearance and sees into your heart, what does he see? Does God think you are physically attractive? Does you inside match your outside?
The sermon suggested that God sees through the eyes of a heavenly Father who sees us as his children created in his own image. God sees through the eyes of compassion. He knows we are made of dust. God’s compassion enables him to forgive, to be present with us, to heal us, to give us hope. God sees us through eyes of commitment. He has promised to give us new hearts filled with his own Spirit. How does God’s seeing transform the way you see yourself and others?
The sermon suggested that one of the results of God’s seeing us and loving us just as we are is that he sees his Spirit is present to create his own character. Therefore, Jesus can say, “Do not be afraid little flock for it is your father’s good pleasure to give to you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Give alms. Where your treasure is there your heart will be.” Luke 12.
When the Lord sees the pages of your check book or Quicken account, does he see anxiety, fear, greediness? Or does he see faith, hope, and love? Does he see generosity? “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich he became poor, so that we through his poverty might become rich.”
If the Lord were to liberate your way of seeing, how would it change the priorities of your life, how you spend your money, how you use your time, and your other talents and gifts?
Prayer
Adapted from Walter Brueggemann
Faithful God, you see us as we truly are.
With Samuel and David
we confess, gladly and boldly, that all our times are in Your hands. We affirm with relief, that the NOW of the present time, present hour, present day, are in Your hands, and You preside with generous sovereignty.
We affirm gladly because we find our present “now”
overloaded with demand
fraught with too much bewilderment,
burdened with more fear than we can tolerate,
and more pain and more anxiety,
and more than enough of inhumanity.
And we gladly entrust the needs of our “now” over to You.
Even more boldly and more gladly,
We affirm that our futures are in Your hand.
We cannot see from here to there, but You can.
As we entrust these gifts to You,
We believe that You build and You plant futures
that we cannot even hope: And so we ask that You would use these gifts and use us for Your purposes.
