The only other place God expresses such regret is in Genesis where God regrets creating humanity and sends a flood to make a fresh start. So God sends Samuel to make a fresh start, again. David is God’s plan B.
![[1] “David anointed king” by Jan van 't Hoff](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ff6591_467613ed4dff410ebbc633b90df74463~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_685,h_456,al_c,q_80,enc_auto/ff6591_467613ed4dff410ebbc633b90df74463~mv2.jpg)
1 Samuel 15:34-16:13
October 13, 2024
Dr. Todd R. Wright
Perhaps you heard: “A Dutch museum had to pick artwork out of the bin after a staff member thought the display was simply the leftovers of lazy visitors.”[2]
You can’t blame the staff member, really. The artwork titled “All the Good Times We Spent Together” by French artist Alexandre Lavet consisted of two dented beer cans on the floor. At least they looked like ordinary beer cans. Every detail was actually meticulously hand-painted with acrylics, part of an exhibit on food and consumption.
Fortunately, the artwork was discovered intact after a search of the trash, but the display has been moved to a more prominent location near the entrance. The museum director said, “Our art encourages visitors to see everyday objects in a new light. By displaying artworks in unexpected places, we amplify this experience and keep visitors on their toes.”
David was found in much the same way – God’s pick for the throne of Israel was discovered in a small village no one had ever heard of, Bethlehem, the house of bread.
Treasure among the trash indeed!
But the story in 1 Samuel is more complicated than that. It says a lot about how we select our leaders, then and now, and how David’s saga highlights the interplay between obvious leadership qualities and hidden ones.
Let’s begin with Saul. He was the king, anointed, even though the prophet Samuel had warned the people about all the drawbacks of concentrating that much power in one person’s hands.
Saul got the job because he looked like a king – tall and attractive. But power, predictably, went to his head. He figured being king meant you could do anything and get away with it... even disobey God. That did not go well.
Our passage says “God was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel.”
The only other place God expresses such regret is in Genesis where God regrets creating humanity and sends a flood to make a fresh start.
So God sends Samuel to make a fresh start, again. David is God’s plan B.
But the details of that plan are not apparent … to anyone except God!
God sends Samuel on the road with a horn full of oil. God says he will find a new king among the sons of Jesse, in Bethlehem. God says, pretend to are just there to make a sacrifice.
It is a dodge; a way to act secretly without attracting Saul’s notice; a way to pick a new king without it looking like treason; a way to plant a seed that will grow right under Saul’s nose.
There is no scheduled interview process, or athletic contest, or talent show, or vote, just a gathering to worship God. The leaders of the city are invited. So are Jesse and his sons.
How do you picture that scene?
I imagine prayers and incense, ritual and sacrifice. I imagine everyone dressed in their Sunday best, sitting where they usually sit. Maybe Jesse and his sons sit on the back row. Maybe the boys are a bit bored or antsy, nodding off or elbowing each other, laughing at whispered jokes or smiling at any young women present, completely unaware that this is anything out of the ordinary.
But Samuel is watching them, evaluating them, measuring them.
Jesse has brought seven sons – the biblical number representing completion, perfection! A writer could not have scripted it better!
Samuel sees the oldest, Eliab, and is sure he is seeing who God means to anoint.
One scholar writes, “Eliab appears to be the kind of take-charge person who has ‘future’ written all over him.”[3] He is the heir; most likely to succeed; like Saul, tall and good-looking.
But the Lord says, “Nope!”
It turns out the Lord is looking for something on the inside not the outside.
Which begs the question: What should we look for in our leaders?
We have a presidential election in less than a month.
Candidates often talk about the economy or a strong role in the world. They point to their record of being effective leaders, what they’ve gotten done. They criticize their opponents.
It all appeals to the practical, the logical, the analytical … on the surface.
But if you dig deeper, many people seem to vote for reasons that aren’t policy related:
they vote for someone who looks and sounds presidential;
someone who they can imagine having a beer with;
and it is almost always the taller candidate.
God says the key is looking on their heart, instead!
Did you know that in Biblical Hebrew the heart is not the seat of emotions? It is the seat of the will. So when God looks for a good heart, our Lord is calculating whether the person will have the will to do what is right, to do what is best for the people, to do what God would do.
One scholar muses: “Perhaps a good heart would prevent failure. Perhaps a good heart would preclude giving in to any temptation to abuse power. Perhaps a candidate who already had a good heart [like David] was better than God equipping a candidate [like Saul] with a new heart.”[4]
Imagine Samuel’s panic when God whispers no to each of the seven sons in turn!
Fortunately, there is one more – the runt of the litter, the one forgotten about, the one who
arrives smelling of sheep and ruddy from the sun.
This is the one God has chosen! Not because of his height or strength, but because of his heart!
We should have seen it coming! Scott Hoezee writes,
“This is the God, after all, who preferred Abel over his older brother Cain; who preferred a childless couple of senior citizens to found his mighty nation over the scads of perfectly fertile younger [ones] that must have been available. This is the God who chose Jacob over Esau, Joseph over all of his older brothers. And ultimately, the God who will surprise the world with a Messiah born in a place called Bethlehem, probably not far from where David was anointed …”[5]
God elects people based less on their qualities than on the way they fit God’s plan.
Sometimes that plan requires certain skills – like Moses’ knowledge of the Pharoah’s court and the way to keep sheep alive in the wilderness, or Shiphrah and Puah’s experience as midwives.
But just as often that plan requires that the person be so unlikely to succeed that the result can only be because of God’s power – like when Abraham and Sarah have a baby, or Joshua brings the walls of Jericho down… with trumpets!
David brings skill – underdog courage – and yet is so unlikely a choice that God must get credit for his success! And he, like all the others listed, was willing to be used by God! Are you?
When the anointing oil stops dripping from David’s head, there are no speeches, no party, no parade. Samuel goes back to Ramah, where he started, and David goes back to the sheep.
We must be patient. God’s plan will unfold in God’s good time. But David will be ready.
The story is just beginning. We will learn more about David … and about leadership as it unfolds. Amen.
[1] “David anointed king” by Jan van 't Hoff
[2] Here and following, from https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8705j33jyzo
[3] From Doug Bratt’s reflections on the text for cepreaching.org, 6/17/18
[4] From Alphonetta Wines comments on the text for workingpreacher.org, 6/17/18
[5] From Scott Hoezee’s reflections on the text for cepreaching.org, 6/14/15
コメント