This is his first impression, and this is how he captures it. He says he was a bright-cheeked boy with bright eyes. And why was his cheeks ruddy? Because he's running. He's running.
Dad wants you. And he acts upon it.
So he paused for a minute. This is Samuel's first look at David. What is that first look at our king going to be like in heaven? What is that first look at Jesus going to be like? If there were tears in heaven, then there will not be.
I'd cry a river, but there won't. There'll be joy, and God will take care of it. This is Cross-Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher, Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of 1 Samuel.
Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross-reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching.
Now, here's Pastor Rick with the conclusion of his study called David in 1 Samuel 16.
Now the sacrificial feast was then of course prepared. That would mean there's some time lapse here. You have to, you know, you take the heifer, you cut its throat, you bleed it out properly, you skin it and dress it, and you get the meat, then you gotta cook the meat. First, you gotta go home and wash up and get your clothes on if you come here.
So there's a lot of time going by. If you can just read it, you say, well, it just took me like 30 seconds to read it, they were probably all there. And it took some time. Verse 6.
So it was when they came that he looked at Eliab and said, Surely Yahweh's anointed is before him. These are the sons of Jesse.
So it was, they came. The sons of Jesse, this is you know, the chieftains of Bethlehem are gathered here, the dignitaries. Doesn't mean they're bad people at all. He says that he looked at Eliab and said, Surely Yahweh's anointed is before him.
Well, it's no surprise that Samuel expected This subject before him to be an adequate replacement. Or have adequate stature to replace Saul.
Now, Samuel doesn't know how long this stuff is going to take. It's not going to happen in his lifetime, as a matter of fact. He's probably thinking it's going to be in a week or two. I don't know. It's not going to happen right away.
But this this is very Helpful. God saw David's brothers. And he saw beyond them. To the valley of Elah, all the way past them here in Bethlehem to the valley of Elah, the battle that was going to take place. He saw Eliab at that battle.
all of his strength and stature, afraid of Goliath. God saw that. As were David's brothers. as were his countrymen, and as was their king. God saw it all.
He knew one person. That day in Bethlehem, Was the one that could be king, and he wasn't going to be hiding amongst the equipment. And he wasn't going to be searching for donkeys either. that he never found, incidentally, is all. David alone had the heart for God.
And because of that, he had the courage that comes with it to face the menace when nobody else had it.
So he writes in his Psalms with the fear of the Lord, I can run against a troop. I become like a superpower I get, a superhero. David alone slew the giant, but there was so much more inside this man than the slaying of the giant. What if you take chapter 17 out of the Bible, of 1 Samuel, David killing Goliath, and you just leave everything else about David? You're no less impressed.
It's just I mean the the giant thing is just a giant treat But there was so much in him Just waiting to blessed is the man who walks not in the council of the ungodly, or stands in the path of sinners, or sits in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord. I mean, that's David, Psalm 1. And on and on he just goes, you know, I've been old, I've been young. You know, I mean he says I've Never seen the righteous forsaken or their offspring begging for bread. He just lays out these powerful blessings throughout.
He talks about the in. Psalm one ten I should have bookmarked it. In Psalm 110, he has some interesting things to say. He said, Well, the first verse: the Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool. David was a prophet.
Total prophet, just as much as any other prophet, that's as much as Samuel, not yet, but he's going to be. But then he talks about these other things. He says, your Lord is at your right hand. He shall execute kings in the day of his wrath. He shall execute.
Speakers of the House, presidents and vice presidents, in the day of his wrath. It doesn't matter their position, it means nothing to him. He shall judge among the nations. He shall fill the places with the dead bodies. He shall execute the heads.
of many countries. I mean he just continues on and on. I know, I'm getting a little excited. Because it's so prophetic. He's looking down like a telescope down through the ages.
And this is David there's more to him than killing the giant. That God is going to squeeze out of him. and how many countless multitudes have been blessed by his words and his deeds. Here's an interesting thing about David killing the giant. We have no psalm of him singing about killing the giant.
That would have been my first song. I killed a giant, you did not. I killed a giant. I would just be, every little kid would know that song. Rick killed a giant.
We did not. But David doesn't do that. Yeah. Here's another one I wrote while I was So we have a psalm of David fleeing Absalom his son. We have a psalm of David fleeing Saul.
We have a psalm of David hiding in a cave. We have a Psalm of David singing about pretending to be crazy in the Philistine king's court. We have him singing about battles fought, but we have no song about him slaying the giant. What does that say? That he did sing of his struggles before God, but not his personal exploits.
And he talked to me, he pled, you know, God, night and day, I'm on my pillow crying out to you: how long are you going to take before you come and answer my prayers? These are the Psalms of David. I can remember a time going through the Psalms years ago saying, oh, it's not a Psalm of David. Almost turning my nose up to it. It was silly, right?
I know, I confess it. But I just so taken by the man. Verse seven. And Yahweh said to Samuel, Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For Yahweh does not see as man sees.
For man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart. Oh boy, do we need to learn that one? How many of us judge another person?
Well, I mean, I do profile a little bit. I think it's not as long as you don't do it too much. You cannot help. to do it. I think if um I don't know if somebody comes into a store at night that I'm in and he's wearing a mask.
I'm going to be suspicious of 'em. A year ago you would have said, yeah, me too.
Now I go to places, I see people in masks, and I'm suspicious of them. But anyway, Here, the great prophet, this is what's powerful about this work. But Yahweh said to Samuel, do not look at his outside appearance or his physical stature. This great prophet is subject to wrong instincts. and misleading impulses.
Samuel, if he can get it wrong, then I can get it wrong. Thus the need for humility and dependence on God. Remember, Samuel's telling us this. There's no way any of us would know about any, like Jonah in the fish. I mean, no one would have known his prayer unless Jonah came out and told us, unless you had p stuck a mic on him.
You know, you gotta love and you recorded his prayer. These men, they were not proud of what they did, but they knew the benefit by the Spirit of saying, listen, this Jonas is the fool that I was on that day. And Samuel is saying, I thought it was Eliab. I mean, you should have seen the kid. He was a perfect replacement.
And God said, no, you're wrong. God is concerned with the character. More than anything, the Sermon on the Mount says to us: conduct comes from character. If your conduct is dark, then your character will be such. If it is light, then your character will be such.
So Samuel missed. He missed how easily one could forget a lesson One could be moved by an outward appearance and be terribly wrong and do it again. Because when he got to Saul, he said, This is the king.
Now he's in front of David Jesse's sons, and he's doing it again. Don't judge a book by its cover. It's such a simple lesson. And David, by no means perfect. David loved and longed for God above all else in his life.
And God knew it. And God tells us about it and finds others doing the same thing. There's a vast difference between committing sin and upholding sin. There is a vast difference. For the Lord, he says here, for Yahweh does not see as a man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance.
Well, that's good news. Unfortunately, it's not practiced enough. We turn up our nose to people, and that's why we're warned. You know, some have entertained angels unaware, we're told in Hebrews. Abraham sitting in his tent, three guys show up.
I would not have been comfortable. Three guys just show up in my unannounced. Uh but Abraham gave him a meal. He had discernment. Anyway, uh Eliab, and when he says, But I have refused him.
He is speaking about Eliab in verse 6. It is not enough. Two Act on a command of God. or a leading I believe it is very helpful to also act very favorably. Imagine being a reluctant bapte.
All right, go ahead.
Well, you wouldn't get baptized. You may get smacked around a little bit, but you wouldn't get baptized. Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior? Maybe, I guess.
Well, I guess you're not getting baptized by me. And so, to be able to act on a command with some zeal, you know, zest. Zeal for your house has consumed me, it was said of Jesus after he made a whip and started driving the. the thieves out of the house of God.
So, and Saul, of course, is an example. He says, For Yahweh does not see as a man sees, but looks on the outward appearance, Jesus Christ. He's in Jerusalem. And he's giving signs and wonders to the people, and they're like, wow, we like this guy. But this is what John writes: John chapter 2.
Now, when he was in Jerusalem at Passover during the feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs which he did. But Jesus did not. Believe himself to them, same Greek word. because he knew all men. and had no need that any one should testify of man, for he knew what was in man.
And so on the outside, they looked like they were all totally on board with this is the Messiah, and we'll do whatever he decides. And that John points out, that wasn't the case, I was there. He says, but he looks at the heart. Um well, we can't always see a person's heart. Matthew 12, verse 35, A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.
You know, you get a guy that just comes in and just ruins everything. I know I said this before. If we just take you out of the picture, everybody's happy. I don't want to be that guy ever.
Well, depends. It depends. If I'm in the workplace and I'm preaching Christ and everybody's unhappy, I want to be that guy. But when it comes to just being righteous or unrighteous, of course, I don't want to be the bully or the troublemaker. Or the devil's instrument.
Verse eight: So Jesse called Abenadab. and made him pass before Samuel, and he said, Neither has Yahweh chosen this one. Then Jesse made Shemah pass by, And he said, Neither has Yahweh chosen this one. Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, Yahweh has not chosen these.
So here, three times we read. He made them pass by, and they passed by. And it's a picture of the dad's okay, next, and the son's just doing what they're told. There doesn't seem any, you know, these kind of snapshots in scripture. Are on purpose and they're meaningful.
If they were written this way in some other piece of literature, it could be just part of the writer's style. But when God does it, and preserves it. is a lesson. Every jot, every tittle, Do not pass away. It's all meaningful.
Jesse was a respected father in his home amongst his boys, even though they had now coming into manhood.
So, with the process of elimination, it will be a clear choice when it's made. We know who it won't be. Only Samuel can hear God's voice. The people have to accept the prophet's decision. Uncommon sense was in rhythm with God, verse eleven, and Samuel said to Jesse, Are all you The young men here.
Then he said, There remains yet the youngest, And there he is keeping the sheep. Samuel said to Jesse, Send and bring him, for we will not sit down till he comes here. This, Samuel said to Jesse, are all the men. What if he never asked that question? I mean, David was so insignificant in his home that his father didn't even think to bring him.
Not that he was disliked or anything. But he's just a kid out with the sheep. You're looking for someone to anoint. Can't be him.
So That's how unassuming he was, too, in the eyes of men. Men could not see what God saw in David. You know, Michelangelo could look at a stone and he could see a sculpture. I look at a stone and I think about, oh, I'd like to break that. Yeah, you know, he just you know, God of course has that perception that is divine.
Well, what was it about David? Was David an embarrassment to his dad because his dad noticed his creative abilities? He has a harp. You show up on him. Maybe he didn't appreciate it.
He's not as manly as Eliab. Look at Eliab. Go ahead, Eliab. Flex for everybody. And uh he's a puny kid.
He probably was a puny kid at this point in his life. But again, God saw beyond all this. He saw beyond the valley of Elah. Jesse, as I mentioned, he will be remembered by God as the father of the one who raised the sweet psalmist of Israel, the lamp of Israel. It continues in verse 11, and there he is keeping the sheep.
Because he won't let anybody else have them. No.
Alright, so it doesn't mean that. This is a surprising prophetic word. Unintended by Jesse. Jesse is just natural conversation. There he is keeping the sheep, but God says, Yes, the shepherds, the kings of Israel, were to be shepherds.
They were not to be men who lost their donkeys and couldn't find them. That contrast matters. It's part of the story, it's a fact. And it's amazing how it all comes together.
So at this word, There he is keeping the sheep. I think Samuel saw in a flash. that this was something. that could not be ignored. That this was the one.
He may have even gotten a little excited, and here's why I say that: notice his insistence. Where he says Here in verse 11, send and bring him, for we will not sit down till he comes here. Let me reread it. In my translation, Send and bring him, for nobody eats till I see him before the Lord. Nobody is not going to be at dinner if I don't see this kid.
They rushed out and get him. They could smell the heifer cooking and they were ready. Of course, that's just levity, not really part of the story. But that is what he said precisely. Nobody eats until I get a look at the lad.
Now when Samuel first met King Saul, As I mentioned, He was a donkey driver, who couldn't find his father's donkeys. Evidently a non a good Not a good one. He spent days in search of them without Success. And that's how Saul led the nation. And not in a very noble or successful manner.
And this is all going to be different with this king because We won't find him hiding amongst the equipment, as I mentioned earlier. We're going to find him leading the army, because he had a shepherd's heart. And he had a shepherd's heart because he had a heart for God. They go together. You cannot have the separate The shepherd's heart in the context of Yahweh.
Without Yahweh taking hold of you. Verse 12.
So he sent and brought him in.
Now he was ruddy with bright eyes. and good looking. And Yahweh said, Arise, anoint him, for this is the one. And Samuel said, Yeah, baby. No, you didn't say that.
So.
So he went uh he sent and brought him. Samuel's first sight of David. This is his first impression, and this is how he captures it. He says he was a bright-cheeked boy with bright eyes. And why was his cheeks ruddy?
Because he's running. He's running. Dad wants you. And he acts upon it.
So he paused for a minute. This is Samuel's first look at David. What is that first look at our king going to be like in heaven? What is that first look at Jesus going to be like? If there were tears in heaven, then there will not be.
I'd cry a river, but there won't. There'll be joy, and God will take care of it. Well, anyway, this ruddy look, this redness about him, more than likely from the run answering his father's call. David has no idea what is coming. And he is a lively choice though.
And Samuel remembers it that way. He was bright eyes and good looking. And so he's seeing the lad coming, and Samuel's judging him, you know, not in a negative way, he's looking him over. saying to himself, don't look at the outside appearance, don't look at the outside appearance. No, you were not.
But forget already, Samuel, God told you, don't do that.
So later on, when he goes to get home and days made up, however, later, he writes this down. He reminisces about this moment.
So the question always comes back: not am I qualified, am I called? That's the story of David. He wasn't qualified to be anything but a shepherd boy. And yet God says he is the one, just like that. Anoint him.
Verse 13, then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers, and the spirit of Yahweh came upon David from that day forward.
So Samuel arose and went to Ramah. I mean, this is so much nicer than reading about Saul. Which we'll get to next. We just couldn't put the two together because it's very troublesome, the next section of this scripture, which Saul and his melancholy, evil melancholy at that.
So here, verse 13: when Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. As I mentioned, this pouring the oil on him I mean, not to be flippant, but it is a little comical. Imagine if I went to the auto parts store and I got a can of, you know, I don't know, 10, 30, what, and I pour it on your head. Everybody's going to be looking at that and notice it.
So well Here you have somebody like Samuel. A holy man In a very solemn moment, nobody's laughing, nobody's doing anything but staring at this moment. The brothers have gotta be saying, What is this? What is this all about? But we're not told.
Samuel, we don't read of Samuel saying, well, he's going to be the king.
Well, wisely so, because what would happen if word got around like that?
Well That be end of David.
So everyone else is also ready to eat. I'm sure when David caught some flack for this from his brothers, where did David sit at the meal? Did he sit like Saul did at the table with Samuel? Probably so. And his brothers were probably saying, what is...
Are we in the Twilight Zone? What just happened to us?
So, Josephus, the Jewish historian, says that David was 10 years old. I doubt that. Josephus gets stuff wrong a lot. He gets some things that are helpful, but a lot of stuff he gets wrong. David is likely 14 or 15 years old at this anointing.
When he goes to slay the giant, he's either 16 or 17 years old. He's starting to, he's certainly taller and beginning to fill out a little bit more. Little hints that when Jonathan offers him his armor, well, you know, if he's this tall, he's not going to give him his armor. He's topple him over. Say, you can kill a giant, but you can't wear armor.
So anyway, David again would not sit on the throne for another 16 years. It'd be sixteen years of getting into the king's court and then being chased out of the king's court. Struggles he went through. He'd be 30 years old when he finally becomes king over Judah. 37 years old when he is crowned king over all of Israel.
And so between this first anointing And the second anointing, when he becomes king of Judah, there are a lot of trials and suffering and humiliations, but they're also that he's becoming the man of God. It is the making of a man of God. Incidentally, that's Alan Redpath's title for his. Commentary on the life of David, the making of a man of God, a very appropriate title, but he was called to endure. He was hated and persecuted by he loved Saul.
Also. And he writes a song about Saul after Saul is ex is is killed. Even though Saul hunted him like a partridge, When Paul was called, God said to Ananias, For I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name's sake. I mean, I feel I suffer just over inconveniences. Just running out of half and half just bothers me to no end.
And I'm not proud of these things, but quick we become irritated. The Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. Contrast, look at verse 14. Where the Spirit departs from Saul. And that is intentional.
Samuel is making these sweeping contrasts between. The king that God rejected, and the one that is now anointed.
So David now becomes the protagonist. He is the dominant character of the story from this point forward. Saul will still have his place because he is the antagonist. He is the one that is coming against uh the main character. And it is going to be vicious.
Dark ages of Saul will continue for years to come. And it says: So Samuel arose and went to Ramah. Life for Samuel and therefore ministry for Samuel goes on. But it's so, you know, anticlimactic. You know, you would expect.
And Samuel's heart swelled, you know, like the Grinch or something. You know, you would hope something like that would be said. You just get Samuel and went home. Um Thanks for joining us for today's edition of Cross-Reference Radio. This is the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville, in Virginia.
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