(1 Sam 16:13 MSG) Samuel took his flask of oil and anointed him, with his brothers standing around watching. The Spirit of GOD entered David like a rush of wind, God vitally empowering him for the rest of his life. Samuel left and went home to Ramah.
Yesterday we discussed how God is always there for us, even when others are not. Shammah’s fellow soldiers left high-and-dry. If it were not for Godly intervention Shammah would have surely been killed. As I thought about this David came to mind. Others too failed David on several occasions. Now, it is one thing to be failed by fellow soldiers and quite something else to be failed by your own family. To explain my point let’s take a look at David selection as Saul’s successor.
In 1st Samuel 15 the Lord rejected Saul and sent Samuel the prophet to Jesse’s house (in Bethlehem) to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as the next king. Samuel had to make up a story about why he was going to Bethlehem, because Saul would surely have him killed if he knew what he was up to. So Samuel said he was going to make a sacrifice and invited Jesse to come to the sacrifice with his sons.
Jesse arrived with his sons and Samuel thought his mission almost complete when he saw Eliab. Eliab was Jesse’s eldest son and he was handsome, tall, and strong, but the Lord told Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Let’s be thankful that divine selections are not beauty contests! God is not as superficial as we are. So then Jesse called Abinadab, his second oldest, and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” And this went on with five other boys. Seeing that the Lord had not chosen any of them, Samuel asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” Reluctantly, Jesse admitted that he had one more son, but he was out tending the sheep. In other words, “Yeah, I have one more, but you don’t want to see him. He is out with the sheep. If he comes in here he will still be smelling like sheep and goats. He can’t be the one.” But Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” So here comes David, smelly and all, and sure enough, God confirmed that he was the one. Samuel took his flask of oil and anointed him right in front of his father and brothers. Wow!!!
What bothered me about this story was that it seemed like David did not have one friend in the camp. While he was out tending the sheep and fighting off lions and bears, his brothers were with his Dad and he seemed to be the outsider. When it came time for Jesse to line up his sons before the prophet the thought never passed his mind that David might be the one.
Even if his father failed to mention David, at least one of his brothers could have brought his name up. At least one of them must have been his friend. Someone could have said, “Daddy, I know David is not going to get picked, but shouldn’t he at least be in the line up?” But no, David was omitted, overlooked, and maybe even overworked, but God saw what others failed to see!
So what does this mean to you? It means that we can find solace in the fact that God will be there for us, even when others fail to and when He manifests His glory in our lives He has a way of making sure that all those who ‘passed’ on us are around when we get promoted! So have faith in God.
You may be denied, derailed and even dismissed by others, but you are still destined by God!
Father, I thank You for having a plan for me that far exceeds the plans of others. I may be overlooked and oppressed by others, but I am confident that I have been selected for greatness by You. Yes, I may be denied and even dismissed by others, but I have been destined by You. You have never, nor will You ever fail me. I am thankful for all those You have placed in my life to be a blessing to me and for me to be a blessing to, but my trust in not in man. I have faith and trust in You and I declare, by faith, that Your best will manifest in my life, whether others try to stop me or not. Their poison can’t stop my purpose! In Jesus’ name. Amen
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