ACE #411: Have You Ever Been Overlooked?

1 Samuel 16:1-13 (NIV)

Samuel Anoints David

16 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

² But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”
The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ ³ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.”
⁴ Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?”
⁵ Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
⁶ When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”
⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
⁸ Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” ⁹ Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.” ¹⁰ Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” ¹¹ So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”
“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”
¹² So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.
Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”

¹³ So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.

Last week, I told my husband that the Lord was leading me to study about when Samuel anointed David.  As we began to study, a few things occurred to me.  David was never man's choice, but he was always God's choice.

God confronted Samuel and basically told him to get himself together because he had work to do.  But Samuel was so consumed by his broken relationship with Saul that he had forgotten that he was always on a mission from God.  After all, he was specifically consecrated at birth for this.  God told Samuel that he would show him what to do and who to anoint.

When Samuel follows God's instructions and travels to Bethlehem, he is looking for the one God has chosen to be the king.  He arrives at Jesse's house.  Each of Jesse's sons came before Samuel and the response was the same, "The Lord has not chosen this one either."  Seven came before Samuel, but then there was another - the youngest one who was tending the sheep.  While everyone else was standing around only wishing to be "the one", the real "one" was laboring.  There is something to be said about continuing to labor in the field while others are just standing around.

Even Jesse, David's father, did not think that David was worthy enough to be presented. He didn't even have the baby boy in sight.  That is beyond being overlooked.  But Samuel declared that he was not moving from that place until David was presented.  David was described as "ruddy" in the King James Version.  In the Message translation Jesse called him a "runt".  But it was clear that David was healthy and handsome...even though he was dirty and hot from tending sheep.  Imagine that...your value shining through your filth. And then God said, "This is the one."  When Samuel anointed David with the oil, the Word says that the Spirit of the Lord entered David like a rushing wind with God vitally empowering him for the rest of his life.

Don't worry, Beloved.  God is preparing to anoint you in the presence of everyone in view - the doubters, the haters, and the blockers - even in the face of rejection.  He's preparing you for the rest of your life.  Like David, just keep working.  If a shepherd can become a king, then what can you become?