The Way
Oil Poured on Jesse's Youngest
People look at the face, God looks at the heart
Story
The old prophet Samuel had long been grieving over Saul, the king God had rejected. Then the Lord spoke to him: “How long will you go on grieving? Fill your horn with oil and go to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen a king from among his sons.” Samuel answered, “If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say you have come to offer a sacrifice.”
When the prophet arrived, the elders of Bethlehem came out trembling. “Do you come in peace?” they asked. Samuel answered, “I do. I have come to offer a sacrifice.” When Jesse's eldest son Eliab stood before him, Samuel thought, “Surely this is the one.” But the Lord said, “Do not look at his face or his height. People look at the outside, but I look at the heart.”
Not Abinadab, and not Shammah either. When all seven sons had passed by, Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?” Jesse answered, “The youngest is left, but he is out tending the sheep.” Samuel said no one would sit down until the boy arrived. When the boy called in from the fields walked through the door, the Lord said, “Get up and anoint him. This is the one.” The oil ran down before his brothers' eyes, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David.
Walk this scene on the map →Words of God and David
Do not look at his face or his great height. I have not chosen him. People see what the eyes can see, but I, the Lord, see the heart.
Get up and anoint him. This is the one.
Send for the boy and bring him here. We will not sit down until he comes.
The sayings are fresh renderings of the original meaning in today's language. Text: 1 Sam 16:1–13
Background
Anointing with oil was how God set a person apart as king or priest. In Hebrew, “the anointed one” is the Messiah. Saul too had earlier been anointed by Samuel.
Pause and Reflect
Do I judge people only by their looks and their circumstances?