Humble Appointment
1 Samuel 16:12-17
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.
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.
14 But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.
15 And Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.
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.
17 And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me.
Here’s our first good look at David. He walks into the house, still smelling like sheep, and all of a sudden an old man hobbles over and pours oil on his head. It drips down his hair and drops on to his neck. Josephus, the historian, writes, “Samuel the aged whispered in his ear the meaning of the symbol, ‘You will be the next king.’ ”
What did David do? What do you do in a situation like that? I mean, it doesn’t come along every other day. God’s ways are so marvelous, aren’t they? At the most surprising moment, the most magnificent things happen. “You’re going to be the next king.” What did he do? Well, I’m happy to report, he did not go down to the nearest department store and try on crowns. He didn’t order a new set of business cards, telling the printer, “Change it from shepherd to king-elect.” Didn’t have a badge saying, “I’m the new man.” Didn’t shine up a chariot and race through the streets of Bethlehem, yelling, “I’m God’s choice . . . you’re looking at Saul’s replacement!”
What did he do?
It made no difference that Samuel had anointed him with oil. He didn’t bronze that horn and hang it up in his tent. He didn’t expect special treatment from others. No, he simply went back to the sheep. And when the king said, “Come on over here and play music for me,” David went over and played a little. And when he got through, he thought, Hey, I gotta get back with my sheep; that’s my job.
David was sensitive enough to hear the whisper of God’s voice, “You will be the next king.” But as soon as the big moment was over and they turned out the lights, he was humbly back with his sheep. People had to actually pull him from the sheep to get him to do anything that was related to the limelight. In fact, I think that’s one of the reasons he was a man after God’s heart. He was always approachable, always believable, always authentic . . . and always faithful in the little things.
Chuck Swindoll
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