David is Designated to Replace Saul

Transcript

GRS 2-68
5/13/2007
David is Designated to Replace Saul
1 Samuel 16
Gil Rugh

We have been studying First Samuel together and we are going to pick up in Chapter 16 together. So you turn in your Bible to First Samuel and the 16th Chapter and come to a transition if you will in Chapter 16, where David is going to become the key person in the rest of First Samuel. Saul will naturally appear in the accounts, but Saul now is seen in the context of David and David is the key person.

God has made clear in Chapter 15 that Saul, the first king of Israel has been rejected by God as Israel’s king, back in Chapter 15, verse 23, for rebellion is as the sin of divination and insubordination is as inequity and idolatry because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king, Samuel giving the word of the Lord to Saul. Again down in verse 26 Samuel said to Saul, I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.

Saul will continue to function as king over Israel until his death in Chapter 31 of First Samuel, but the focal person in the Book now becomes the successor of Saul who will be David as you are well aware. We are reminded in Chapter 16 that man’s failure does not frustrate the plans of God. In fact the plans of God have included the failures of man. Sin, rebellion, disobedience never frustrate God’s plans, but his plans have included those.

Chapter 16 is a strong chapter on demonstrating the sovereignty of God and His control over all that takes place. Even Saul’s sin will be ultimately used for the accomplishing of God’s purposes. Never misunderstand that will in no way excuse Saul’s sin, but God’s sovereignty over man has control even over their sins so that it never frustrates God’s plan, but it always moves for the accomplishing of His purposes.

Chapter 2 has two major divisions, the first 13 verses focus around David being anointed as Israel’s next king and then verses 14 to 23 have David being appointed as Saul’s servant and you see something of the unique way God works. The first part of the Chapter, David is anointed by Samuel under the direction of God to replace Saul. And then the last part of the Chapter, David is selected by Saul and those around him if you will to be a special servant of Saul and remarkable sovereignty of God in all things.

Look how Chapter 16 begins. Now, the Lord said to Samuel, how long will you grieve over Saul since I have rejected him from being king over Israel, fill your horn with oil and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite for I have selected a king for myself among his sons. Chapter 15, closed with Samuel grieving over Saul. Verse 35, Samuel grieved over Saul. I mean put yourself in Samuel’s place, this seems like a crushing defeat, where do we go from here. He has been the instrument that God used to anoint the first king of Israel. Israel now is a monarchy with an earthly king and God has made clear to Samuel, this king is rejected by me and Samuel is crushed by these events and he grieves over Saul and his failures.

Chapter 16 opens up and God says to Samuel, how long will you grieve over Saul since I have rejected him from being king over Israel. I have rejected him, that’s it. You don’t need to grieve over Saul any longer. My purposes, my plans have not been frustrated and that’s where Samuel’s focus has to be, not on the failures of Saul, but on the purposes and plans of God. So how long are you going to grieve over Saul? He is a rejected person. I have rejected him, but my plan for Israel now moves forward. Samuel has to accept this and move on. No matter what he thought of Saul, no matter what affection he might have had, no matter what concerns he had, those all has to be pushed into the background.

God is not in a box. Israel is not in a difficult spot. God is sovereign. So now Samuel is sent to anoint a new king. Last part of verse 1, fill your horns with oil and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. Jesse lives in the town of Bethlehem and that’s where his family is from. Interestingly remember Jesse is the grandson of Ruth and Boaz. Remember Ruth the Moabites who in the book of Ruth, the story is told and she ends up marrying Boaz,, well in that account the grandson is said to be Jesse. Why don’t you back up to the book of Ruth? Joshua, Judges, Ruth, so just a couple of books in front of First Samuel we come to that little book of Ruth. We skipped over Ruth and are moving through the history of the Old Testament because we are just looking at the books that move the history along. Joshua, Judges, Ruth that I put that Ruth before Judges just before Samuel.

Ruth takes place in the period of the Judges, but it doesn’t move the history along you remember. We want to look just the Chapter 4, verse 17, Naomi the mother-in-law of Ruth remember, is taking her back after they have lived out of the land and back into the land of Israel and all of this she meets Boaz and marries Boaz and has a child. So verse 16 of Chapter 4, Naomi took the child laid him in her lap and became his nurse. The neighbor woman gave him a name saying, a son has been born to Naomi.

No it’s not Naomi’s true son, it’s the son of her daughter-in-law who has remarried after her son died, but it’s in that line and its part of her family. So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. So the connection that made for woman Ruth becomes in the line of David and ultimately the messiah.

Turn over to First Chronicles, Chapter 2. We are not going to do study genealogy, but just see, so you see the line placed here where you can see how the line is developed because it is very important that the line of David be clearly established that becomes the line of the messiah of Israel as you are well aware. First Chronicles Chapter 2 opens up telling us the sons of Israel, Jacob whose name was changed to Israel and so a list of 12 sons of Jacob, 12 sons of Israel and then he selects out Judah.

Verse 3, Judah is listed as one of the sons in verse 1 and then verse 3, he starts to develop the line of Judah. The sons of Judah were Er verse 3, Onan and Shelah. And Er is firstborn, died under the judgment of God back in Genesis 38. He ends up, Judah having a relationship not knowing it’s his daughter-in-law, thinking it’s a prostitute remember with Tamar, his daughter-in-law. Out of that relationship is born Pharez, verse 4. Verse 5, the sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul. We want to pickup with Hezron come now under verse 9, the sons of Hezron who where born to him not the second son Ram. Verse 10, Ram became the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, leader of the sons of Judah. Nahshon became the father of Salma. Salma became the father of Boaz. Boaz became the father of Obed. Obed became the father of Jesse. Jesse became the father down in verse 15 of his seventh born son David. You see the line that is established where is the Tribe of Judah and we are in the line of Jesse, the one who would be the father of David. So, come back to First Samuel 16. The end of verse 1, you go to the household of Jesse in Bethlehem and I have selected a king for myself from among his sons.

This is clearly the sovereign choice of God. I have selected for myself a king. Now back in Chapter 8, First Kings Chapter 8. First Kings Chapter 8 verse 16. Since the day that I brought my people Israel from Egypt I did not choose the city out of all of the tribes of Israel in which to build a house that my name might be there.

Now note this, but I chose David to be over my people Israel, repeated stress. David was God’s choice. Remember Saul was given to Israel as the king because the people clamored. We want a king like the nations. Appoint for us a king, give us a king. We looked in the previous study in Hosea Chapter 13, verse 11 where God said I give you a king; I gave you a king in my anger. I took him away in my wrath. It was not God’s plan for Israel. God responded to Israel’s clamoring and his plan included their rejection of him, but Saul was the people’s idea, not God’s in that sense.

David is God’s selection, God’s choice. So you come back to Chapter 16. David has already been described in the context of the rejection of Saul for his sin back in Chapter 13 of First Samuel verse 14. The Lord has sort out for himself a man after his own heart. The Lord has appointed him ruler over his people in the context of the rejection of Saul. David has been described as a man after God’s own heart in Chapter 15 of Samuel verse 28, he has been said to be a better man than Saul.

Verse 28 the Lord, Chapter 15 the Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today given it to your neighbor who is better than you. He is a man after God’s own heart. He is a man of better character, spiritual qualities than Saul. So really what seems like to Samuel a time of crushing defeat and despair that causes him to grieve over Saul is part of God’s sovereign plan for bringing to Israel its greatest king until the Messiah himself will appear on the scene.

All right, back in Chapter 16, Samuel has a question. God tell Samuel go to Bethlehem and anoint one of Jesse’s sons as king. Samuel says to God, I can’t do that. How can I go when Saul hears of it, he will kill me. Now that reveals something of the true character of Saul doesn’t it? Even Samuel who has anointed Saul as king grieves over him for what has happened, realizes Saul wouldn’t think anything of killing Samuel if he finds out Samuel has anointed a rival king.

Doesn’t it matter that Samuel is God’s prophet, doesn’t it matter that Samuel is God’s priest? Samuel knows that if Saul hears I have gone and anointed another king he will kill me, it reveals to us something of Saul’s character and Samuel is well aware of the character of Saul, not a man after God’s own heart, a man jealous with the position that he now has. So what God tells Samuel is you go to Bethlehem and offer a sacrifice and while you are there offering the sacrifice you invite Jesse’s family to the sacrifice and that will be the context in which you can anoint the king and this is not out of the ordinary, Samuel is the priest in Israel, remember. So for him to go to a town or a city and have a special sacrifice, that’s inline to the priest’s responsibilities and no reason for Saul to think he is there to anoint a king. He is there to offer a sacrifice and so no reason for Saul’s concerns to be spared up.

Verse 3, you shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice; I will show you what you shall do. You shall anoint for me the one whom I designate to you. So Samuel did what the Lord said, this is one of the outstanding characteristics of Samuel. He is an obedient servant of the Lord and not in a position to grasp everything that God is going to do and how this will all work out because then what do we do. Now I have anointed, I anointed Saul, now I am going to go anoint the son of Jesse now what are we going to do about Saul.

Well you know Samuel doesn’t have to worry about God’s problems if I can put it that way for our human way of thinking. All he has to do is do what God tells him and let God work out the details and here you have an example of a Godly person. Samuel did what the Lord said, he came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came trembling to him and said you come in peace. Samuel has the position of a prophet and priest. He has functioned as a judge in Israel. There has been no prior announcement of an occasion for him to come to Bethlehem. So the people are wondering, is there trouble here?

Has Samuel come to deal with the problem in our city in our midst so there is concern that he has arrived here. He says basically he has come to offer a sacrifice. They asked him do you come in peace. He said I come in peace, verse 5. I have come to sacrifice to the Lord consecrate yourselves and come to me for the sacrifice. He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice that’s where he consecrated them. Then he gives instructions and since they are going to come and share in this time the sacrifice Jesse’s family they are going to be there as special people at the sacrifice. They have to go through the ritual washings.

We won’t go back to Exodus 19, but you can read about of the process they went through of ceremonially washing themselves, preparing themselves to come clean before the Lord as they are part of this sacrificial, sacrifice and the meal that is associated with it. So, you have Jesse’s family invited. Verse 6, when they entered, they looked at Elijah, and thought surely the anointed is before me. Samuel alone here is the one who knows what’s going on. I have come to offer a sacrifice and the Lord has told me to invite Jesse’s family to the sacrifice and from among the sons of Jesse, God will tell me which one I am to anoint as the next king of Israel.

So the oldest son, the sons are gathered, Samuel looks at him and says this has got to be the king. Why are we saying that? Well he looks like a king. If you are going to replace Saul you need another Saul, remember Saul was handsome he stood head and shoulders above others. He had a kingly appearance about him. So he says surely the Lord’s anointed is before me. Son’s who was there introduced to him. The Lord said to Samuel, you know, and he said rebut, do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature for I have rejected him. God sees not as man sees. Man looks on the outward appearance. The Lord looks at the heart. In Saul you had a man who looked externally like a king. He was not a man whose heart was devoted to the Lord.

So Samuel, don’t be concerned with whether he looks like a king because I am not looking at his physical appearance. I am looking at his heart. Later David will prepare his son Solomon. Now turn over to First Chronicles. First Chronicles, Chapter 28. When David prepares his son Solomon for the succession in First Chronicles 28:9 “as for you my son Solomon know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and a willing mind.”

Now note this, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every intention of the thoughts. If you seek him, he will let you find him. If you forsake him he will reject you forever. Strong words of warning, David knew about this firsthand. Know what had happened to Saul. He knew the importance of having a heart devoted to the Lord and so Samuel is given those instructions back in First Samuel 16 and verse 7. Verses 8, 9, and 10, you have other sons come. Jesse called Amminadab, made him pass before Samuel and Samuel is done. He say all right I want each of your sons to come before me and so as each comes before him the Lord said no, not this one.

Verse 8, the Lord has not chosen this one either. Shammah passes by. Samuel said the Lord has not chosen this one. So Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. Samuel said to Jesse, the Lord has not chosen these. Now Samuel says something is wrong here, all the sons here has come before me and the Lord said none of these. Now I am here to anoint one of the sons of Jesse, got to be a problem and so Samuel said to Jesse are these all your children? Well the youngest, he is out fending the sheep.

Samuel said to Jesse, call for him get him in here. We won’t sit down until he comes, in other words we won’t proceed with the sacrifice, and the meal until this last son comes because this is what he is here for to anoint the king. You know on this people are really, the creatures are great for making great account side of this. We don’t want to make more out of this in scripture I have occasionally given you an example from a writer of how maybe they go straight from what the scripture says. Doesn’t say that Jesse, you know, mistreated David or looked down on David or simply David was out in the field keeping the sheep and when the family of Jesse was invited for the sacrificial feast, you know, Jesse didn’t think it was necessary to bring in the youngest son who was out in the field keeping the sheep.

Listen to what one commentator wrote on this incident. All that Jesse has said in verse 11 was that he is the youngest and he is fending the sheep, here is what a commentator wrote. Jesse’s oh yeah I almost forgot reply, reveals that David had been overlooked. Jesse’s attitude towards David displaced two mistakes parents often make. Number one, he didn’t appreciate each of his children equally. Jesse never intended to whistle David in from the fields. Number two, he failed to cultivate a mutual respect among the brothers. Jesse’s reply essentially said, well yes there is David the youngest but he just keeps the sheep.

Parents, the greatest contribution you can make in the lives of your children aside from introducing them to the savior is to help them see that they have worth and value. They need to know they have something unique to offer just like every other member of the family. That’s where Jesse failed. It’s not in God’s plan to make us all kings, but if we will rouge our children with the sense of value and crown them with the jewels of self worth, they will when anointed by the sweet oil of the spirit accomplish regal things for the king. But you don’t know who this is if I told you who it was. I don’t want people to say I have no discretion, so I am not telling you, but you get an idea where in the passage do you get this out. I mean if anything, we would say that Jesse has been a model father and parent. I mean that here God is coming to his family.

In fact the view of others of David when we get down to verse 18, one of those associated with Saul will say of David I have seen a son of Jesse, the Bethlehemite who was a skillful musician, a mighty man of valor, a warrior, a man proven in speech, a handsome man. The Lord is with him, I would say that’s a good testimony, isn’t it? What do we get in here that Jesse has failed and isn’t building self-worth into David? So won’t read this scripture with the sermon, but we got to be careful that we are just not reading something into scripture that makes good preaching, but is not really careful presentation of what the scripture does say. There is nothing here that reflects an attitude of Jesse. Somebody has to watch the sheep. David is out there. Samuel hasn’t said this is of the kind of what we are going to do as a society that every single member of your family better be here. All he just said is Jesse I want to invite your family to the sacrificial feast.

Jesse had no idea what's going on here, neither the family does, no one does but Samuel. So we want to read what the scripture says, not read into it. Look at verse 12, so Jesse said they brought David in. Now he was ready with beautiful eyes and handsome appearance. So you see it didn’t mean just because God doesn’t look on the outward appearance, he could be handsome but that’s not the reason he is chosen. That’s not what will make him a great king, will not make him the man that we still remember.

It’s the heart that he has. That word already means reddish and it could be either he has light hair or he is more fair in his complexion, light skin and that would be unusual, worthy of some comment here because he would expect the dark hair, dark skin person with that part of the world, not the black skin, but you know more the olive coloring and with the dark hair, as we are with Jewish coloring even down to this day. So his picture here is a young man and he is a handsome man.

The Lord said, anoint, that’s him, my choice for king of Israel. He has looked at his heart in verse 7 the end of verse, God and chosen him to be the next king of Israel. To Samuel’s credit there is no discussion here, there is no argument, there is no consideration is this best choice. I mean, you know, he keeps the sheep, what experience does he have as going to prepare him? Samuel doesn’t. Characteristics of Samuel’s life, God tells him what to do, Samuel does it.

Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. I want to note here, it’s agreed more here than is here in all probability the brothers don’t really know the full significance of what is going on. No indication here that the brothers now know that they are in the presence of the next king of Israel and they all bow down before him. We don’t know what went on in their mind. This act of Samuel takes place here, but Samuel knows what's going on.

David will have some understanding there must be some explanation from Samuel but really life will go on without much change for David. Now things are going to change because the Lord has going to been to work, but it’s not like David now walks out the door and says I can’t believe it, I am the next king of Israel. I have got to begin to make plans. So the action of the prophet Samuel as God’s representative here is of great significance, but that doesn’t mean that everybody in the room understands what's going on and knows the significance of what takes place.

We are not even sure, you know, what he said, the brothers are here because we are told in verse 13 he is anointed in the midst of his brothers, but whether they understood the fullness of his action because Samuel in his prophetic and priestly ministry would carry out a variety of activities, but David is now officially king designated. Now be careful, he is not a rival king at this point and David till the day of Saul’s death recognizes Saul as legitimate king of Israel.

In a demonstration it his Godly character, he sees Saul as the one who must be recognized as king and until he is dead David will be unwilling to assert himself as king. The spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward and Samuel gets up and leaves. The preparation, the way it has been prepared and the future king that has been anointed. The spirit now is upon him. Verse 14, the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, an evil spirit from the Lord terrorized him. There was only one person officially enabled now by the spirit for the role of king.

Saul still has the office, but the enabling power of the spirit has left him. Remember this, I just remind you repeat what we have covered earlier, the spirit of the Lord came upon Old Testament sayings to enable them for special tasks. The spirit of the Lord could leave them when that task was over. We have to be careful in New Testament time as a result of the institution of the new covenant the result of the death of Christ the spirit of God comes and takes up permanent residence in each and every believer and does not leave. So you got to be carefully we don’t read the New Testament back into the Old Testament and then we get confused understandings of the Holy Spirit’s ministry. Go back to Exodus Chapter 31. An early example of this doesn’t pertain to a king because obviously we are well before the time of the kings in Israel.

Exodus Chapter 31, this has to do with the construction of the tabernacle according to the instructions given to Moses. Now verse 2, the Lord spoke to Moses and said, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur of the tribe of Judah. I have filled in with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge and all kinds of craftsmanship to make artistic designs for working gold, silver, bronze, cutting the stones and so on. Here is a man empowered by the spirit with special wisdom and knowledge and ability to craft the items necessary for the tabernacle.

You see the spirit comes upon him to enable him and empower him for a special and unique ministry. We have seen in the time of the Judges, come over to Judges Chapter 3. Verse 10, Israel’s first judge, the spirit of the Lord came upon him and he judged Israel. These actions do not necessarily say anything about whether the individual is truly a saved individual. This is enabling power of the spirit of God for a special task for this person and can come and go.

Chapter 6, as it is we have already looked at in previous studies. Chapter 6 verse 34 context of Gideon, so the spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon to empower him for his role in being a deliverer in Israel. Chapter 14, verse 6 of Judges, the spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily, it was Samson. So that power of God coming upon to enable them for special tasks. In First Samuel Chapter 10, verse 10, this is key for Saul here. In First Samuel 10:10 after Samuel has anointed him to be king, then one of the things that happens, the end of verse 10, the spirit of God came upon him mightily, upon Saul and he prophesized and he see the spirit is there to provide a special enablement, a special empowering.

Now the spirit of the Lord departs from Saul, that special enabling power is gone. The terrible thing, Saul is now king of Israel, but he is without the supernatural provision of God to enable him for the task. One other passage Psalm 51, passage also misunderstood and misused failing to consider its Old Testament context. Psalms 51 and the Psalm has a subtitle there at the head of the Psalm. A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had gone into Bathsheba after David’s sin and then he is confronted by Nathan the prophet.

David wrote this psalm and, you know, you read in verse 11, his prayer to God, do not cast me away from your presence and do not take your holy spirit from me, what is he asking? Don’t make me another Saul. Don’t reject me from being your king. Don’t take your holy spirit from me. That’s not a prayer you and I pray today as a believer in Jesus Christ because he would not take the spirit from us, but has to lose our salvation because if any man does not have the spirit of Christ he does not belong to him, Romans eight says. But David’s concern is he realizes his sin. He is so serious that he could suffer the fate of Saul and the spirit of Lord could depart from him and he would be left a hollow shell if you will.

So back in First Samuel Chapter 16, the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord terrorized him. It’s not just that the spirit of Lord is gone, now a demonic spirit comes upon Saul and that causes great problems and troubles, you know, we read an evil spirit from the Lord terrorized him. This evil spirit comes from the Lord because the Lord is sovereign and even the activity of Satan and his demons is controlled in this extend so that their rebellion and their activities accomplishes the purposes of God.

You see how serious Saul’s rebellion has been, it leads him now as a man who has lost the blessings of God and now has a demonic spirit. First Kings Chapter 22, interesting insight again I realize we looked at these earlier, but important they are fixed in our minds. What does happen with demonic spirits and the activity of demons? This is the prophet Micaiah remember, going to prophesy the death of King Ahab and Micaiah said in verse 19 of First Kings 22, therefore hear the word of the Lord and here he had been given a vision of a heavenly scene. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right and on his left.

So, here you have a throne seen in heaven and all the angels are gathered before him. The Lord said who will entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead. It’s God’s intention that they Ahab die in the Battle at Ramoth-gilead. So who is going to carry out this? One said this and another said that, then the spirit came forward and stood before the Lord and said, I will entice him. The Lord said to him oh he said I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. He said go you are to entice him and also prevail go and do so. Now therefore behold the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all your prophets and the Lord has proclaimed his acts against you. I think that is a demonic spirits sent out, you can’t send out an un-fallen angel to tell lies, but you are sent out here. So you have demonic beings present themselves before the Lord and some of you are of thinking of Job 1. So why don’t you turn to Job 1?

There it is like as I mentioned we just get little glimpses into the spirit world and there are many questions not answered for us, but we do get insight into what is happening in the spirit world. In Job Chapter 1 verse 6, there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan also came among them as the kind of scene that Micaiah the prophet saw in Kings.

A day when the sons of God, here an expression used to be referring to the angels, they come to present themselves before the Lord and Satan is there with them. So it includes un-fallen and fallen angels and then the discussion focuses around Job and then the Lord said in verse 12 to Satan, behold all that he has in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him. So, Satan departed from the presence of the Lord. So you see what happened, now Satan is given permission by God to afflict Job but he can’t bring bodily harm or hurt to him on this occasion.

Chapter 2 begins in Job. Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord. Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord. Evidently there are times designated where God calls all angelic beings into his presence. That’s why we say Satan and his angels have lost their position in heaven, but they have not lost their access to heaven. In the Book of Revelation Chapter 12 there will be war in heaven between Michael and his angels and the devil and his angels and on that occasion which is yet future in the middle of the coming 70th week of Daniel, then Satan and his angels will lose their access, they are cast out of heaven.

Now they are still part of that group that are called to assemble before the Lord. Down in Verse 6 if you are still in Job 2, the Lord said to Satan, behold it’s in your power only spare his life, now Satan is given permission to do added things to Job including to afflict him with physical trouble, but not allowed to take his life. So, we say here is God giving demonic beings and Satan himself permission to do certain things. God is sovereign over all. He doesn’t cause the sin that is done, but it happens within his power for the accomplishing of this purposes.

Come back to First Samuel Chapter 16. Verse 15, Saul’s servants then said to him behold now an evil spirit from God is terrorizing you, isn’t it amazing? We don’t know how they recognize this, how they know, but they recognized the changes occurred and now rather than the spirit of God working in Saul’s life and on Saul’s behalf there is a demonic spirit, an evil spirit.

They recognized that, similar in Jesus’ day when Jesus walk here they recognized the activity of demonic beings in the life. So here Saul’s servants say an evil spirit from God. They see that this is God’s doing and how this affected Saul is terrorize, maybe great fear comes over him, trembling we are not told, but they recognized, he becomes somewhat non-functional and it’s caused by a demonic being. So there is solution, let the Lord now command your servants who are before you. Let them seek a man who is skilled player on the harp and should come about when the evil spirit from God is on you. He shall play the harp with his hand and you will be well. Saul says good, go find such a man.

All of the details we raise say, I wonder how they knew to do this, I wonder whether God is sovereignly at work. The solution to your problem Saul is we need a skilled musician and when this comes over you and obviously it brought certain physical and mental things to him that the playing of the harp will be the soothing to quiet you and the evil spirit will leave. Obviously, harps don’t drive away evil spirits, but there is a certain soothing quality in the music that would get him relieved from the activity of the evil spirit and that would happen, we had a series of passages on music and the use of harps the Old Testament but we won’t take time to look at those right now. What's key to us is this is part of God’s plan because who do you think is going to play the harp for Saul?

Verse 18, then one of the young men, one of the Saul’s servants said behold I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a mighty man of valor, a warrior, one proven in speech, a handsome man, the Lord is with him. Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said send me your Son David who is with the flock. How this man knew all this about David, we are not told. Obviously had some kind of contact with David and perhaps he had been a shepherd himself and been after with David and they had spent some evenings together. We don’t know but here he has heard David playing the harp and he is a skillful musician and he is also a man of valor and a courageous man and he has proven in his speech and we can appreciate that that Saul must of Israel and the Lord is with him. Now, see the contrast here and what God is doing.

David has been anointed and here now he is going to bring him into the very royal household, part of this preparation for him to become the key. When the King sends for your son, you send your son. So Jesse sends David, of course he have to send him with a gift to the king and so he does send him. Verse 21, David came to Saul attended him. Saul loved him greatly and he became his armor bearer and it came about in Verse 23 whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul David would take the harp, play with his hand Saul will be refreshed and be well, the evil spirit would depart from him.

God use this as part of his plan to bring David into the household of Saul, into the palace amazing isn’t it the sovereignty of God? I mean the chapter begins, Samuel’s grieving over Saul and doesn’t know he could follow God’s instructions and then anoint a new king without Saul killing him, but he follows through and does what God says him before the chapter is over the young man who has been anointed as Saul’s replacement, the one on whom the spirit of God now he has been invited by Saul himself to come into his house and Saul loves him, the sovereignty of God. We sit down and try to figure it all out for God because well what's going to happen here? And we just think if we don’t come up with a good plan for God, what's God going to do? And so I think simplify your life, just do what God tells you. Just be obedient to the word, let God workout his purposes and plan. He is never stuck.

I sometimes seem like it’s a dead end, I don’t know what to do next. I don’t have to know what to do next. All I have to know is I have to be obedient, right? So Samuel had to know and God’s sovereignty through it all, let me just mention several points here quickly.

Chapter opened up and I took a number of these from the first verse, as discouragements must not hinder our ongoing service for the Lord, you know we do grieve when things you know happen and they are contrary to what we would desire, we can’t help, but grieve over Saul in that sense and his unfaithfulness, but you know Saul is done, the end has not yet come but he is done, but God’s work is not done, so we can’t let that keep us from moving on.

Number two, God’s plans don’t depend on men. Saul has great opportunity but God’s plan for Israel don’t depend on Saul and David realize they don’t depend on me either that’s why we read Psalm 51, don’t take your holy spirit from me. He realized he is an instrument, he is a servant.

Number three, sometimes times of greatest grief come before time of greatest blessings. Samuel didn’t know as he grieved over Saul that he was on the brink of anointing the one who would be Israel’s greatest king until the Messiah himself would come on the scene. The Messiah would be known as what, the son of David and what a great man David would be in the plan of God. God’s choices are always best. The end of verse 16, I have selected a king for myself, you know, God’s work goes on.

Number five, obedience makes us effective in the service of the Lord. I love verse 4, so Samuel did what Lord said, allow that to be the statement of my life. So Gill did what the Lord said, put your name in, so he did what the Lord said, that’s it. He doesn’t say Samuel worked out all the problems for God. Samuel came up with a plan that God could use Saul. Samuel did what the Lord said, be obedient. Samuel, when we look at Samuel I would say well Samuel's responsibility was pretty easy, just do what God tells you and I look and say well here it is, God put it in black and white, just do what he tells you.

So I got to be - what we desire is the testimony of our life, you can put it on our tools down, put in your name so and so he did what the Lord said, a great testimony. That’s what makes Samuel effective in the service of the Lord. God is not looking on outward appearances verse 7, verse, it’s often referred to and it ought to be fixed in our heart. He is looking at our hearts, don’t look at what men say, we look around and say oh that person, would they be this? Wouldn’t they be great in that? This is what they, all of the Lord would only save them and you, Lord is looking at hearts and that’s why we have to say Lord guide us and direct us to the right person, the right people.

Lord you have to lead this, I can’t see their heart, you can. That’s what the Lord is looking at. God chooses his servants, verse 12, when it comes time the end of verse 12 anoint him, this is he, God’s selection, God’s choice. God empowers the servants he chooses verse 13, he chooses David, the spirit of the Lord comes on David and we realize that power of the spirit to enable us, we have been talking about spiritual gifts in First Corinthians 13 and what is that power, what are these? This is manifestation the spirits presents in our lives. So he empowers us with a service, he calls us to and something that you and I as God’s people can take great comfort and God controls all things even the demons. I mean that nothing that can take place outside the perfect plan of God.

I am his child, so I can say with confidence he causes all things to work together for good to those who love him and are called according to his purpose. I mean I have the healthy respect for Satan and the demons and I realize we don’t do battle against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers and the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly, but my God is sovereign. Satan is not sovereign, God is sovereign. The demons aren’t running around frustrating the plans of God even their rebellious activity is sovereignly used of God for the accomplishing of this purposes and so verse 19, God uses men to accomplish his work. David is going to be the man.

Saul, the rejected man will be used of God. Who calls for David? Saul. Didn’t we read in verse 13, the spirit of the Lord left Saul, verse 14 and an evil spirit comes and who calls for David to come and live in the palace and be a special servant to Saul? Saul does, even rejected man will be used of God to accomplish his purposes. God is working his plans in all things. That’s how the chapter ends, can’t believe from where the chapter starts to where it ends, here is David playing his harp. The object of special attention from Saul. No, we serve the same God and that spirit as by God’s grace come to indwell us, enable us, empower us and how faithfully we must serve him. Let’s pray together.

Thank you, Lord for your purpose and plans for Israel that you raised up David, Lord, in what might seem like strange ways you have prepared him being your servant, the shepherd from the sheep. Lord, all the preparation from his musical training and experience in protecting the sheep, and all your hand is in it all. The little things part of your preparation. Well, thank you for your sovereignty over all things. Thank you for the privilege we have to know you to belong to you and be your servants. Thank you for your spirit who indwells us and will never leave us. Lord, may the passion of our heart be to be faithful and obedient to draw upon his power to do all that you have called us to do that you might be honored with our lives. We pray in Christ’s name, amen.