1 SAMUEL LESSON 17
We will begin this lesson in I Samuel 16:1 "And the LORD said
unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected
him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I
will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite: for I have provided me a
king among his sons."
We are not certain how long Samuel mourned for Saul. This is not
Samuel mourning the death of Saul, but the rejection of Saul by the
LORD. The mourning of Saul's rejection by God is understandable, from
the fact of all the things Saul had done as a physical king of Israel
He had defeated Israel's enemies. He had gotten the entire tribes to
send their help for the last battle. He had helped Israel against
their enemies. It appears, to me however, that Samuel's mourning for
Saul was a grief for him being rejected of God. Samuel feels somewhat
responsible. We see, in the verse above, that the LORD says his
mourning is enough. The LORD will be angry with Samuel, if he does not
drop that issue, and do the will of the LORD himself. It is time for
Samuel to go back to work. The LORD has a job for Samuel to do. He is
to fill his horn with the anointing oil. The LORD is sending him to
Jesse the Beth-lehemite. The LORD has chosen a new king of Jesse's
sons.
I Samuel 16:2 "And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear [it],
he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say,
I am come to sacrifice to the LORD."
Saul was still king, as far as he was concerned. He had never
relinquished the throne. He still had many followers, and would be
dangerous to anyone who might try to dethrone him. Instead of telling
Saul where he is going, and what he intends to do, he is to tell him
he is there to sacrifice. He will sacrifice the heifer.
I Samuel 16:3 "And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew
thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me [him] whom I
name unto thee."
The sacrifice would be a sacrifice with a feast attached to it.
It would be Samuel's privilege to invite anyone he wanted to, to come
to the feast. Jesse is the father of David. The ark was not
established at a given place during the time of its captivity, and
they had held sacrificial feasts at places named by the spiritual
leader at the time. It would not have been unusual for Samuel to call
such a sacrificial feast here. Saul would not be suspicious of the
presence of Jesse at the feast. The oil of anointing was a special oil
used for purposes, such as this. We remember, the anointing with oil
had been the beginning of the call of Saul, himself.
I Samuel 16:4 "And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came
to Beth-lehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and
said, Comest thou peaceably?"
Samuel was a highly respected spiritual leader. The people knew
that, Samuel spoke for the LORD. They were fearful, that the LORD had
sent a warning to them by Samuel. The elders immediately ask, if they
should fear the message Samuel brings?
I Samuel 16:5 "And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice
unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.
And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the
sacrifice."
We see, from this, that Samuel made sure that Jesse and his sons
were ceremonially clean to come to this feast. He truly has come in
peace, to anoint the person the LORD shows him is to be the next king.
He is going to sacrifice, as well. During the feast, he will have the
opportunity to talk to Jesse about his sons.
I Samuel 16:6 "And it came to pass, when they were come, that he
looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD'S anointed [is] before
him."
Eliab was the oldest son of Jesse. Samuel, looking at this tall
handsome young man, thought surely this would be the LORD's choice for
king. "Eliab" means God is father.
I Samuel 16:7 "But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his
countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused
him: for [the LORD seeth] not as man seeth; for man looketh on the
outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."
Saul had been a head taller than all of his fellows and was a
handsome man, but he had greatly disappointed the LORD. The LORD tells
Samuel not to look at the outward man. Sometimes, those who look
strong are the weakest ones, when it comes to sin. The LORD refused
Eliab, because the LORD was looking on the heart. He was looking for
someone who would love him with all his heart.
I Samuel 16:8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass
before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.
"Abinadab" means a father noble. Again, this fine young man was
not the choice of the LORD.
I Samuel 16:9 "Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said,
Neither hath the LORD chosen this."
"Shammah" means desert. This, again, is not the son the LORD has
chosen.
I Samuel 16:10 "Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass
before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen
these."
These were fine young sons of Jesse. The only problem with them
was, that the LORD had not called them. God chooses those He knows
will truly love and obey Him.
I Samuel 16:11 "And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all [thy]
children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold,
he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him:
for we will not sit down till he come hither."
At this time, it was, probably, concerning Samuel that the LORD
had not chosen one of the sons. Generally, the LORD chooses the one
that is the least likely {by human judgement} to be the one. Jesse has
no idea what is going on at this time. This is so important, Samuel
will not serve the feast, until the other son is here. Someone must go
and get him, because he is keeping the sheep. The anointing of the
chosen one of the LORD would take place just before the feast.
I Samuel 16:12 "And he sent, and brought him in. Now he [was]
ruddy, [and] withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to.
And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this [is] he."
The word "ruddy" indicates that he had red hair. He was a very
handsome young man. He is the youngest of Jesse's sons. This is the
one the LORD has chosen. He reveals His will to Samuel, and tells him
to anoint the young lad with the anointing oil.
I Samuel 16:13 "Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed
him in the midst of his brethren: and the spirit of the LORD came upon
David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah."
When Samuel poured the anointing oil upon the head of David, he
was filled with the Spirit of God. The name "David" means beloved of
God. Up until this time, the brothers were not aware of what was going
on. Samuel anoints David in front of witnesses. The brothers are
witnesses. After Samuel anointed David, he went back to Ramah. He had
done what the LORD sent him to do.
I Samuel 16:14 "But the spirit of the LORD departed from Saul,
and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him."
God was through with Saul, so He removed His Spirit from him.
Saul was no longer strengthened by the LORD. He would, now, have to
depend upon his own physical strength. The Spirit of the LORD is now,
on David. The following Scripture describes an illness that comes upon
those who rebel against God. I cannot say for sure what the evil
spirit was that God sent to Saul to trouble him. Deuteronomy 28:28
" The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and
astonishment of heart:" Perhaps, the troubling from the LORD was
something like this.
I Samuel 16:15 "And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an
evil spirit from God troubleth thee."
Whatever this evil spirit brought, it was obvious to this
servant. There are many people who attribute all bad things to the
devil, and not to God. They must re-think that, after seeing this and
the above Scripture. Even in the book of Revelation, the wrath of God
sends terrible happenings to the earth. The LORD is in control of
everything good and bad.
I Samuel 16:16 "Let our lord now command thy servants, [which
are] before thee, to seek out a man, [who is] a cunning player on an
harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon
thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well."
We see the plan unfolding. All of this, even the statement from
the servant, was planned of God to get David into the house of Saul.
This spirit affected the nerves of Saul. It was a tormenting spirit.
David was well-known for his ability to play the harp and sing. He
sang to the sheep to keep them calm. This soothing music should help
Saul, as well.
I Samuel 16:17 "And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a
man that can play well, and bring [him] to me."
Saul takes the advice of his servant. He sends for someone, who
will soothe his nerves with music.
I Samuel 16:18 "Then answered one of the servants, and said,
Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Beth-lehemite, [that is]
cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and
prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD [is] with him."
The servant was, probably, a friend of David's. David was a
handsome young man. He had killed a bear and a lion to save his sheep,
so his bravery is well known. "Prudent in matters" means that he was
intelligent. He seems to be a very near perfect young man. The
servant is, also, aware that all of this is so, because the LORD is
with David.
I Samuel 16:19 "Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and
said, Send me David thy son, which [is] with the sheep."
We had already discussed, in a previous lesson, how the king
chose out all of the choicest of the young men to serve him. Since
Saul is king, Jesse cannot refuse him. Jesse will have to send another
of his sons to tend the sheep.
I Samuel 16:20 "And Jesse took an ass [laden] with bread, and a
bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent [them] by David his son unto
Saul."
Jesse, not only sends David to the king, but sends gifts to the
king, as well. It was customary to take the king a present, to have
audience with him.
I Samuel 16:21 "And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and
he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer."
This just means that Saul was greatly pleased, when he saw David.
It appeared, he was all the things the servant had spoken of him. The
statement "stood before him" is, possibly, speaking of David becoming
one of Saul's attendants. He was not just a servant, but a servant in
Saul's house. He was made armourbearer, because that would put him
near Saul all the time.
I Samuel 16:22 "And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray
thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight."
David was, probably, very young, and not quite as old as some of
the men who were taken as soldiers. Saul sends to Jesse, expressing
the desire for David to remain with him. Saul is pleased with David.
I Samuel 16:23 "And it came to pass, when the [evil] spirit from
God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand:
so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from
him."
In all of this, we do not hear of David's fight with Goliath. The
fight with Goliath apparently happened before Saul sent for David
here. It, possibly, is why the servant spoke of David as a brave
soldier. We see that God had planned all this. The music that David
played was soft enough to keep the sheep quiet. We know it calms the
nerves of Saul here, as well. It seems, when Saul was tormented, David
played and quieted the spirit. God gave David the ability to play and
sing, as well as all the other gifts He gave him. God has placed David
in Saul's house.
1 Samuel 17 Questions
1. And the LORD said unto Samuel, ______ ______ wilt thou mourn for
Saul?
2. What did the LORD tell Samuel to do in verse 1?
3. Why do you suppose Samuel was mourning for Saul?
4. If Samuel does not stop mourning, what will happen to Samuel?
5. What answer does Samuel give, when God tells him to go anoint
someone else?
6. What does the LORD tell Samuel to do, so Saul will not know what
he is doing?
7. Who was Samuel to call to the sacrifice?
8. How will Samuel choose which son is to be anointed?
9. Where did Samuel go to sacrifice?
10. How did the elders feel about Samuel coming to their town?
11. What one word describes the way Samuel came to them?
12. Who was Eliab?
13. What does "Eliab" mean?
14. What does the LORD look upon to choose the next king?
15. What does "Abinidab" mean?
16. What was wrong with these fine sons of Jesse's, that passed by
Samuel?
17. Where was the youngest son of Jesse?
18. What do they delay, until the youngest son comes to Samuel?
19. Describe the appearance of David?
20. What happened to David, when Samuel anointed him?
21. What does "David" mean?
22. What happened to Saul, after David was anointed?
23. Quote Deuteronomy chapter 28 verse 28.
24. Where did the evil spirit, that troubled Saul, come from?
25. What did Saul's servant say to him?
26. Who did the servant suggest they seek out to help Saul?
27. How could David help Saul?
28. How did the servant describe David to Saul?
29. What does "prudent in matters" mean?
30. What did Jesse send with David to Saul?
31. David became Saul's ______________.
32. What effect did David's music have on Saul?
33. Who had David killed earlier, that caused him to be thought of as
brave?
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