1 Samuel · chapter 16 of 31
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1 Samuel 16 tells how the Lord sends Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse's sons as the new king. Samuel looks at the older brothers, but the Lord tells him that he looks at the heart, and he chooses David, the youngest, who was tending the sheep. The Spirit of the Lord comes upon David and leaves Saul, and David enters the king's service by playing the harp.
After Saul's rejection in chapter 15, the Lord already has a successor. Chapter 16 marks the beginning of the story of David, the chosen shepherd. It is a chapter of contrasts: the Spirit comes to David and departs from Saul, and the one who will be king is brought into Saul's court for his skill at making music.
The Lord tells Samuel to stop mourning for Saul, fill his horn with oil and go to Bethlehem, to the house of Jesse, because he has chosen a king from among his sons. Samuel fears that Saul will kill him if he learns of it, and the Lord tells him to take a heifer and say he has come to offer a sacrifice. At Bethlehem the elders tremble when they see him, but he reassures them, consecrates Jesse and his sons and invites them to the sacrifice.
When he sees Eliab, tall and handsome, Samuel thinks this must be the anointed one. But the Lord tells him not to look at his appearance or height, for God does not see as man sees: man looks on what is before his eyes, but the Lord looks on the heart. Jesse has Abinadab and Shammah pass by, and seven of his sons in all, and Samuel says the Lord has not chosen any of them. He asks whether there are no more, and Jesse answers that the youngest remains, who is tending the sheep.
When David arrives, ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance, the Lord tells Samuel to rise and anoint him, for this is the one. Samuel anoints him in the midst of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord comes upon David in power from that day. Samuel goes to Ramah.
The Spirit of the Lord departs from Saul and a harmful spirit from the Lord torments him. His servants suggest finding a man who plays the harp to soothe him. One of them recommends a son of Jesse of Bethlehem, skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech and of good presence, and says that the Lord is with him. Saul asks Jesse to send David. Jesse sends bread, wine and a young goat with his son. David enters Saul's service, and Saul loves him greatly and makes him his armor-bearer. Whenever the harmful spirit torments Saul, David plays the harp and Saul is relieved.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The Lord tells Samuel not to look at appearance or height, for God does not see as man sees: man looks on what is before his eyes, but the Lord looks on the heart. It is the key to the whole chapter.
Jesse admits that the youngest remains, who is tending the sheep. David was left off the list of candidates, and he is precisely the one the Lord has chosen.
Samuel anoints David in the presence of his brothers and the Spirit of the Lord comes upon him in power from that day. The anointing is not merely symbolic but the beginning of an equipping from God.
The Spirit of the Lord departs from Saul and a harmful spirit from the Lord torments him. Saul's fall is inward and spiritual before it is political.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: To Bethlehem, to the house of Jesse, to anoint one of his sons as king. — 1 Samuel 16:1
Answer: That he had come to offer a sacrifice to the Lord, taking a heifer. — 1 Samuel 16:2-3
Answer: Not to look at his appearance or height, for the Lord looks on the heart. — 1 Samuel 16:7
Answer: Tending the sheep. — 1 Samuel 16:11
Answer: The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power from that day. — 1 Samuel 16:13
Answer: To play the harp and relieve Saul when the harmful spirit tormented him. — 1 Samuel 16:16-23
This chapter corrects how we evaluate people. We are impressed by presence, title and results, but the Lord looks at the heart. In the church it is worth asking whom we are overlooking, whom we do not invite to serve because they do not look the way we expect, and what we are cultivating in our own inner life.
It also encourages those who feel small or left off the list. David was with the sheep, doing humble work, when the Lord chose him. God often prepares people in hidden places, and faithfulness in small things is part of that preparation.
1 Samuel 16 ends with David in Saul's house, soothing the king with his harp, without Saul knowing he is the one chosen to replace him. In chapter 17 David will face the giant Goliath and the people will see his courage.
It is a difficult text. It is understood that, by withdrawing his Spirit from Saul because of his disobedience, the Lord permitted a spirit of distress to torment him, under his sovereignty. The passage does not present God as the author of evil but as a judge who gives Saul over to the consequences of his rebellion.
The text does not say he knew. The anointing was done privately by Samuel before Jesse's family. Saul receives him as a musician and armor-bearer, and the rivalry that follows grows out of David's later victories.