1 SAMEUL 16 - THE LORD’S KING
1 Samuel 16
As God declares in Isaiah 55, His word will not return to Him void. There should be no doubt that God’s will, will be done.
In Chapter 15 Saul was warned “The Lord has torn the Kingdom … from you”. Note the use of the past tense. In chapter 16 God begins the process of replacing Saul. But the King and Kingdom with which God will replace Saul’s kingdom will not be the same in kind or purpose.
When Samuel was sent to anoint Saul he was told in 1 Samuel 9:16
“Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines.”
But as God sends Samuel to anoint Kind David he is told:
“Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”
So God had chosen Saul for the people of Israel, but David is chosen for God Himself and his purposes. That purpose would be much greater than simply saving the Israelites from the Philistines, it will lead to Jesus, who will be the savior of the world.
We have entered a new phase in the book of Samuel. No longer is God simply writing the History of Israel, but going forward he is laying the foundation for the fulfilment of his greater promise in the bible, that the seed birthed through Abraham’s lineage would be the Messiah and bless all the nations of the earth.
From the beginning this savior would not be who the world expected as God warns Samuel in Vs. 7
But 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 sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”
And as David is anointed King, God will begin to use David as a prophet and a prophetic example of the coming King of Kings and Savior of the world; as we see in the ample portions of psalms that are prophetic.
The Savior would be a man anointed by God, filled with the Spirit of God and dedicated to God’s purposes as we see in Vs. 13, with David:
Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward.
The coming messiah would also live in the shadow of his enemies, the leaders of his own nation, who would turn against Him, as we see in the life of David in Vs. 19 through Vs. 20.
Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.” And Jesse took a donkey laden with bread and a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them by David his son to Saul. And David came to Saul and entered his service.
Likewise, Jesus came to serve the Israelites who would ultimately turn against Him and crucify Him. And yet, God’s will, will be done. David will become King and begin the line that leads to Jesus. Jesus will die, but be resurrected and offer salvation to all who recognize and declare Him as Lord. And for all who turn to Jesus He will become the “balm of Gilead” or the source of healing from all wounds, as David was to Saul in Vs. 23.
And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.
So too does Jesus wish to play for you the songs of salvation that will bring you peace. Will you come? Will you listen?