1 Samuel 16:1-13
Wednesday, 15 February 2023
…..And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” -1 Samuel 16:12
God looks beyond the exterior to the heart!- a principle we understand today from God’s choice of David to become the next king of Israel. David was not selected by the standards of human thinking as it appeared to Prophet Samuel. Very often we tend to qualify things as “good” or “bad” by an evaluation done by “looking” at them. But our reading points to the folly of going by outward appearances.
God saw in David the caliber beyond a young lad who looked after a few sheep of his father- to "a shepherd in the making” who would lead and tend His people well. Psalm 78:70-72 speaks of David thus: “He also chose David His servant, And took him from the sheepfolds; From following the ewes that had young He brought him, To shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance. So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.”
In choosing David as the next king of Israel, God saw a few traits in him that would qualify him to be a good king to His people. We understand David’s character through a few instances and the Psalms he wrote:
His Integrity of heart- David’s integrity is seen in his wholehearted devotion to God and seeking Him. The Psalms He wrote reveal the intimacy He had with God, giving Him due honour in the many praise Psalm he wrote, as well as admitting his mistakes when he was convicted seen in some lament Psalms. He was quick to repent when he was convicted of sin (Psalm 32). Besides when there was ample opportunity to do away with Saul, who was hunting him down, with the integrity of heart, ‘He said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD's anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the LORD."(1Sam.24:6)
His Diligence in work- When Samuel had come to Jesse’s house, David wasn’t home- he was tending the sheep; he was engaged in the task given to him! The Lord looks at faithfulness in the little to be appointed over a bigger task (cf. Matt.25:23). Psalm 23 written by David portrays a good shepherd who takes care of his sheep in tending, guarding ad guiding them which David experienced too in God the Good Shepherd.
His Courage in facing life situations-When Goliath the giant Philistine was threatening the people of God(1Sam.17), David had the courage to stand up to him despite his age or the fact that he wasn’t skilled in warfare. He was sure of one thing- the LORD’s Presence with him to fight his battles! He faced the giant “in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel,” (1Sam.17:45). His courage lay in his trust in GOD!
We can learn from David’s life why God chose Him and called him "a man after my own heart" (Acts 13:22). May we be found with the integrity of heart, the diligence in the tasks assigned to us and the courage to face life’s situations, putting our firm trust in God!
Can realize today that God gives importance to what’s in the heart of a person?. If you still haven’t realized that you are chosen by God for a special purpose, would you allow God to bring a change in your perspective so that you would allow Him to transform you inside out? His blood can cleanse from all sin and give you a brand new heart that can cultivate the above mentioned qualities.
God values the “hidden person of the heart with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,” which is very precious in His sight. (1 Peter 3:4)
“My son, give me your heart,
And let your eyes observe my ways.” (Prov.23:26)