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Chapter 62
The Anointing of David
[This chapter is based on 1 Samuel 16:1-13.]
A few miles south of Jerusalem, "the city of the great King," is
Bethlehem, where David, the son of Jesse, was born more than a thousand
years before the infant Jesus was cradled in the manger and worshiped by
the Wise Men from the East. Centuries before the advent of the Saviour,
David, in the freshness of boyhood, kept watch of his flocks as they
grazed on the hills surrounding Bethlehem. The simple shepherd boy sang
the songs of his own composing, and the music of his harp made a sweet
accompaniment to the melody of his fresh young voice. The Lord had
chosen David, and was preparing him, in his solitary life with his
flocks, for the work He designed to commit to his trust in after years.
While David was thus living in the retirement of his humble shepherd's
life, the Lord God was speaking about him to the prophet Samuel. "And
the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I
have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil,
and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided
Me a king among his sons. . . . Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am
come to sacrifice to the Lord. And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I
will show thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto Me him
whom I name unto thee. And Samuel did that which the Lord spake, and
came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming,
and said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably." The elders
accepted an invitation to the sacrifice, and Samuel called also Jesse
and his sons. The altar was built and the sacrifice was ready. All the
household of Jesse were present, with the exception of David, the
youngest son, who had been left to guard the sheep, for it was not safe
to leave the flocks unprotected.
When the sacrifice was ended, and before partaking of the offering
feast, Samuel began his prophetic inspection of the noble-appearing sons
of Jesse. Eliab was the eldest, and more nearly resembled Saul for
stature and beauty than the others. His comely features and finely
developed form attracted the attention of the prophet. As Samuel looked
upon his princely bearing, he thought, "This is indeed the man whom God
has chosen as successor to Saul," and he waited for the divine sanction
that he might anoint him. But Jehovah did not look upon the outward
appearance. Eliab did not fear the Lord. Had he been called to the
throne, he would have been a proud, exacting ruler. The Lord's word to
Samuel was, "Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his
stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth;
for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the
heart." No outward beauty can recommend the soul to God. The wisdom and
excellence revealed in the character and deportment, express the true
beauty of the man; and it is the inner worth, the excellency of the
heart, that determines our acceptance with the Lord of hosts. How deeply
should we feel this truth in the judgment of ourselves and others. We
may learn from the mistake of Samuel how vain is the estimation that
rests on beauty of face or nobility of stature. We may see how incapable
is man's wisdom of understanding the secrets of the heart or of
comprehending the counsels of God without special enlightenment from
heaven. The thoughts and ways of God in relation to His creatures are
above our finite minds; but we may be assured that His children will be
brought to fill the very place for which they are qualified, and will be
enabled to accomplish the very work committed to their hands, if they
will but submit their will to God, that His beneficent plans may not be
frustrated by the perversity of man.
Eliab passed from the inspection of Samuel, and the six brothers who
were in attendance at the service followed in succession to be observed
by the prophet; but the Lord did not signify His choice of any one of
them. With painful suspense Samuel had looked upon the last of the young
men; the prophet was perplexed and bewildered. He inquired of Jesse,
"Are here all thy children?" The father answered, "There remaineth yet
the youngest, and behold, he keepeth the sheep." Samuel directed that he
should be summoned, saying, "We will not sit down till he come hither."
The lonely shepherd was startled by the unexpected call of the
messenger, who announced that the prophet had come to Bethlehem and had
sent for him. With surprise he questioned why the prophet and judge of
Israel should desire to see him; but without delay he obeyed the call.
"Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to
look to." As Samuel beheld with pleasure the handsome, manly, modest
shepherd boy, the voice of the Lord spoke to the prophet, saying,
"Arise, anoint him: for this is he." David had proved himself brave and
faithful in the humble office of a shepherd, and now God had chosen him
to be captain of His people. "Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and
anointed him in the midst of [from among] his brethren: and the Spirit
of the Lord came upon David from that day forward." The prophet had
accomplished his appointed work, and with a relieved heart he returned
to Ramah.
Samuel had not made known his errand, even to the family of Jesse, and
the ceremony of anointing David had been performed in secret. It was an
intimation to the youth of the high destiny awaiting him, that amid all
the varied experiences and perils of his coming years, this knowledge
might inspire him to be true to the purpose of God to be accomplished by
his life.
The great honor conferred upon David did not serve to elate him.
Notwithstanding the high position which he was to occupy, he quietly
continued his employment, content to await the development of the Lord's
plans in His own time and way. As humble and modest as before his
anointing, the shepherd boy returned to the hills and watched and
guarded his flocks as tenderly as ever. But with new inspiration he
composed his melodies and played upon his harp. Before him spread a
landscape of rich and varied beauty. The vines, with their clustering
fruit, brightened in the sunshine. The forest trees, with their green
foliage, swayed in the breeze. He beheld the sun flooding the heavens
with light, coming forth as a bridegroom out of his chamber and
rejoicing as a strong man to run a race. There were the bold summits of
the hills reaching toward the sky; in the faraway distance rose the
barren cliffs of the mountain wall of Moab; above all spread the tender
blue of the overarching heavens. And beyond was God. He could not see
Him, but His works were full of His praise. The light of day, gilding
forest and mountain, meadow and stream, carried the mind up to behold
the Father of lights, the Author of every good and perfect gift. Daily
revelations of the character and majesty of his Creator filled the young
poet's heart with adoration and rejoicing. In contemplation of God and
His works the faculties of David's mind and heart were developing and
strengthening for the work of his afterlife. He was daily coming into a
more intimate communion with God. His mind was constantly penetrating
into new depths for fresh themes to inspire his song and to wake the
music of his harp. The rich melody of his voice poured out upon the air,
echoed from the hills as if responsive to the rejoicing of the angels'
songs in heaven.
Who can measure the results of those years of toil and wandering among
the lonely hills? The communion with nature and with God, the care of
his flocks, the perils and deliverances, the griefs and joys, of his
lowly lot, were not only to mold the character of David and to influence
his future life, but through the psalms of Israel's sweet singer they
were in all coming ages to kindle love and faith in the hearts of God's
people, bringing them nearer to the ever-loving heart of Him in whom all
His creatures live.
David, in the beauty and vigor of his young manhood, was preparing to
take a high position with the noblest of the earth. His talents, as
precious gifts from God, were employed to extol the glory of the divine
Giver. His opportunities of contemplation and meditation served to
enrich him with that wisdom and piety that made him beloved of God and
angels. As he contemplated the perfections of his Creator, clearer
conceptions of God, opened before his soul. Obscure themes were
illuminated, difficulties were made plain, perplexities were harmonized,
and each ray of new light called forth fresh bursts of rapture, and
sweeter anthems of devotion, to the glory of God and the Redeemer. The
love that moved him, the sorrows that beset him, the triumphs that
attended him, were all themes for his active thought; and as he beheld
the love of God in all the providences of his life, his heart throbbed
with more fervent adoration and gratitude, his voice rang out in a
richer melody, his harp was swept with more exultant joy; and the
shepherd boy proceeded from strength to strength, from knowledge to
knowledge; for the Spirit of the Lord was upon him.
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