Day 17: 1 Samuel 16:8–13

So Samuel took the horn of oil, anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord took control of David from that day forward (v. 13).

I think you’ll enjoy knowing that the name Jesse is a personal name meaning “man.”7 Christ, you remember, referred to Himself as the “Son of Man” more than any other title. Isn’t it interesting that the King of Israel who often prefigured Jesus was technically also the “son of man”?

David’s occupation made him a candidate for kingship. Do you find God’s activity as fascinating as I do? We might be tempted to go overboard and believe only His grace matters—that we are the hole in the proverbial doughnut. Of David we might think, “God called him in spite of the fact that he was a common shepherd.” The facts prove otherwise. God was working in David’s life from the beginning.

David received invaluable experience in the process of keeping sheep. Psalm 78:70–72 states, “He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.”

I believe God takes the building blocks of our lives and uses them to His glory. Never assume that to follow Him means to throw away who He has made you to be. Few things seem less spiritual than keeping a bunch of smelly sheep, yet God used David’s skills for eternal purposes.

When David arrived at home, Samuel saw that he was “ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features” (v. 12). Still, Samuel did not move. He had already made a mistake based on appearances. Then God said, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one” (v. 12). The next few words send chills up my spine.

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 upon David in power (1 Sam. 16:13).

The Holy Spirit just can’t seem to arrive without power, can He? As we study the life of a shepherd boy, we will no doubt see testimony of that power again and again. Samuel stood before a young lad and with awe and reverence poured the oil on his head. Although the oil surely blurred the vision of the one whose eyes it bathed, God’s vision was crystal clear. He had said, “I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons” (1 Sam. 16:1b kjv).

The Hebrew word for “provided” is ra’ah. It means “to see, to look at, view, inspect, regard, to perceive; . . . to feel; to experience.”8 Second Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him” (nkjv).

That day so many years ago, the eyes of the Lord looked throughout the whole earth and fell upon an obscure little village called Bethlehem. There He found a heart—one like unto His own. He found a heart tender to little lost sheep, and He showed Himself strong on behalf of that heart, just as He promised.