1 Samuel 16

There are so many things that I love about this chapter, and I have heard it preached so many times that I will not repeat the significance of how God chose David above his brothers and all of the wonderful symbolism laden in these verses. I cannot do them justice, and I am no preacher, so I will not even bother to attempt it.

What I see in these verses is the absolute sovereignty of God in both the lives of Samuel and David. David writes in Psalms 37: 23 that "The steps of a [good] man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way," and how true this is in David's life. Israel already had a King--Saul--and yet God had a plan to make David the king. He planned every minute of David's life and led him from the fields at his father's home into the courts of King Saul. And look at all of the things that had to happen to make it so that David did come to Saul's home under good circumstances. If Saul had immediately known that the Lord had chosen David to rule, I can't imagine the king would be too pleased--even Samuel is worried about Saul's reaction when God tells him to go to see Jesse so that one of his sons can be annointed. Instead, Saul "just happens" to have an evil spirit come upon him and "just happens" to decide that he needs a harpist to help calm his spirit, and it "just happens" that someone in his courts knows that David can play. These things don't "just happen." These things cannot just be a coincidence. That David finds favor in Saul's eyes is ironic, but again, a testimony that God is sovereign and that he orders our steps.

I also sometimes think about how David felt through all of this. Here is a young man who has just been annointed to be King by a prophet of God, and suddenly he is summoned to see the current king. I wonder if he was terrified; if he thought that Saul found out and wanted to kill him; if he ever imagined that he--the elected ruler of Israel--would actually come to the aid of the man he would one day replace. Perhaps David did not even blink an eye. Maybe he had great faith at a young age. He certainly shows incredible strength of character and courage as his life moves on, but one thing is for sure: no matter if David went to Saul trembling, or in full confidence, that he went is a testimony of the faith that God gave him. Whenever I need an extra dose of faith in my own life, I will remember that David went. It doesn't matter how he went, in this case, just that he went.