Yet the Youngest

When Samuel was sent to select a king from among Jesse’s sons, he was told by God not to look on the outward appearance, for God sees the heart.

You can play, download, or read the transcript of this Take Note Podcast below.

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1 Samuel 16:1-13

God provides for Israel a king in the passage we’ll address today
He has chosen that king from among Jesse’s sons
Samuel is sent to make the selection
But he’s to make God’s selection, not his own

This seems too obvious a point to make
But many of us are like Samuel, quick to believe our own thinking is correct
Not considering the perspective of the Creator
Which is totally beyond our own

This account is about a lot of things
One is that God sees beyond what we can see
In this case, He saw the heart of David
Who was “Yet the Youngest”
And that’s our theme, from 1 Samuel 16:1-13 today

There was a lot going on in Israel at this time
The Lord gives a tiny summary when He speaks to Samuel
Suffice it to say, God had selected a new king
He would go on to be the most important king in Israel’s history
A household name for us today
And someone, if we know his story, who can be an example to us all

This is another in the many accounts of this king’s life that helps us
Because we see how God looked upon him
How he recognized what was in him
Though others didn’t see it

It’s a well-known story
Let’s take a closer look…

1 Samuel 16:1-2

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 Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.

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.

Israel are God’s people
He has allowed them to have a king, Saul
But has, at this time, rejected him from reigning over His people
This is God’s choice
It’s up to Him

And the king coming after Saul is up to Him too
He has already selected one
So, He tells Samuel to prepare
To bring oil for anointing this king
And that he will be among the sons of Jesse
Who is from Bethlehem

Saul has some obvious concerns about appointing a new king under the current king’s nose
But God says take a heifer to sacrifice
This was Israel’s practice for the covering of sin and the worship of God
And that’s exactly what Samuel will do on this mission
Inviting Jesse to come along

Let’s read on…

1 Samuel 16:3

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.

Here we have it
Samuel is to anoint the king God names
Not to rely upon his own instincts or understanding
But to select the one God points out

This is, among other things, an exercise in trusting God
Going about His mission, in His way
Listening to His instructions
Acting when He tells Samuel to act

Samuel is God’s servant
One who follows and obeys the Lord

And he did…

1 Samuel 16:4-5

4 And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?

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.

To this point, Samuel is doing exactly as God asked
Jesse and his sons will come along to the sacrifice
And Samuel will have an opportunity to look upon these sons
Eliab is first…

1 Samuel 16:6-7

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.

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.

When we’re on a mission for God we can get distracted along the way
He is gracious enough to point our attention back to His path
To provide a reminder (or new information) that will contribute to our success

Samuel is like us
He went from reliance upon God’s plan to reliance upon his own understanding in no time
Eliab looked good to him
Maybe he had the gravitas of a king, in Samuel’s estimation
We only have a hint about what he may have seen in him based on God’s response

God said do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature
There may have been something in both that said “king” to Samuel
But God had rejected him
Because God doesn’t see as man sees

We only have the benefit of seeing the outside of a man
He can see the heart

All the substance of a man’s character is seen by the Creator
He knows what men do
What men think
What motivates them
Just what it would take to turn their heads or persuade them

We see the surface
He plumbs the depths

With this instruction, Samuel goes on…

1 Samuel 16:8-10

8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.

9 Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.

10 Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these.

After seven sons have passed Samuel
None have been selected
Certainly there must be another…

1 Samuel 16:11

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.

The youngest was not even brought to the sacrifice
He remained in the field, minding the sheep
This young one, David by name, was not even considered
No one thought about him
But God saw him
He knew his heart

This is how the text continues…

1 Samuel 16:12-13

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.

This was a handsome young man, verse 12 tells us
There was something to look upon regarding his appearance
But he was selected for something deeper
That wasn’t all

And if you know anything of David’s life, you’ll understand how much deeper
Listen to what the New Testament said about him in Acts 13…

“And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years. And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.”

David was a man after God’s own heart
God knew best
And He encouraged His servant to rely on His wisdom, not His own

When all the sons were seen
Yet the youngest, David, remained
He was the one God chose
Because God looks on the heart

There are so many lessons for us here
We need to be concerned about our own hearts
We need to look beyond the surface
We need to listen to God as He guides
We need to consider His ways are not our ways

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