Teks -- 1 Samuel 16:1-23 (NET)

Samuel Anoints David as King

16:1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long do you intend to mourn for Saul? I have rejected him as king over Israel. Fill your horn with olive oil and go! I am sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem, for I have selected a king for myself from among his sons.” 16:2 Samuel replied, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me!” But the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 16:3 Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you should do. You will anoint for me the one I point out to you.” 16:4 Samuel did what the Lord told him. When he arrived in Bethlehem, the elders of the city were afraid to meet him. They said, “Do you come in peace?” 16:5 He replied, “Yes, in peace. I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” So he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 16:6 When they arrived, Samuel noticed Eliab and said to himself, “Surely, here before the Lord stands his chosen king!” 16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t be impressed by his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way men do. People look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 16:8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one, either.” 16:9 Then Jesse presented Shammah. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” 16:10 Jesse presented seven of his sons to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” 16:11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Is that all of the young men?” Jesse replied, “There is still the youngest one, but he’s taking care of the flock.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we cannot turn our attention to other things until he comes here.” 16:12 So Jesse had him brought in. Now he was ruddy, with attractive eyes and a handsome appearance. The Lord said, “Go and anoint him. This is the one!” 16:13 So Samuel took the horn full of olive oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers. The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day onward. Then Samuel got up and went to Ramah.

David Appears before Saul

16:14 Now the Spirit of the Lord had turned away from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him. 16:15 Then Saul’s servants said to him, “Look, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you!” 16:16 Let our lord instruct his servants who are here before you to look for a man who knows how to play the lyre. Then whenever the evil spirit from God comes upon you, he can play the lyre and you will feel better.” 16:17 So Saul said to his servants, “Find me a man who plays well and bring him to me.” 16:18 One of his attendants replied, “I have seen a son of Jesse in Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave warrior and is articulate and handsome, for the Lord is with him.” 16:19 So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is out with the sheep. 16:20 So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a container of wine, and a young goat and sent them to Saul with his son David. 16:21 David came to Saul and stood before him. Saul liked him a great deal, and he became his armor bearer. 16:22 Then Saul sent word to Jesse saying, “Let David be my servant, for I really like him.” 16:23 So whenever the spirit from God would come upon Saul, David would take his lyre and play it. This would bring relief to Saul and make him feel better. Then the evil spirit would leave him alone.

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per frasa)

Wesley: 1Sa 16:1 - Mourn

And pray for his restitution, which the following words imply he did.

Wesley: 1Sa 16:1 - Oil

Which was used in the inauguration of kings. But here it is used in the designation of a king; for David was not actually made king by it, but still remained a subject. And the reason of this anticipation was the comfort of Samuel, and other good men, against their fears in case of Saul's death, and the assurance of David's title, which otherwise would have been doubtful.

Wesley: 1Sa 16:1 - I have provided

This phrase is very emphatical, and implies the difference between this and the former king. Saul was a king of the people's providing, he was the product of their sinful desires: but this is a king of my own providing, to fulfil all my will, and to serve my glory.

Wesley: 1Sa 16:4 - Trembled

Because it was strange and unexpected to them, this being but an obscure town, and remote from Samuel, and therefore they justly thought there was some extraordinary reason for it.

Wesley: 1Sa 16:4 - Peaceable

The Hebrew phrase, comest thou in peace, is as much as to say (in our phrase) is all well?

Wesley: 1Sa 16:5 - He sanctified

It seems evident that there was something peculiar in Jesse's invitation. For first, both he and his sons were invited, whereas the others were only invited for their own persons. Secondly, the different phrase here used, that he sanctified these, when he only bade the other sanctify themselves; argues a singular care of Samuel in their sanctification. Which makes it probable, that the rest were only to join with them in the act of sacrificing; but these, and only these, were invited to feast upon the remainders of the sacrifices.

Wesley: 1Sa 16:6 - Before him

That is, in this place where God is now present. For it is observable, that not only the sacrifice is said to be offered, but even the feast upon the remainders of it is said, to be eaten before the Lord, Deu 12:7, that is, before or near his altar, where God was present in a special manner. This I take to be the person I am sent to anoint: wherein yet be was mistaken, as other prophets sometimes were, when they hastily spake their own thoughts, before they had consulted God.

Wesley: 1Sa 16:10 - Seven

There are but seven named, 1Ch 2:13-15, because one of them was either born of a concubine: or, died immediately after this time.

Wesley: 1Sa 16:11 - Keepeth sheep

And consequently is the most unfit of all my sons for that high employment. Either therefore he did not understand David's wisdom and valour, or he judged him unfit, by reason of his mean education. And God so ordered it by his providence, that David's choice might plainly appear to be God's work, and not Samuel's, or Jesse's. David signifies beloved: a fit name for so eminent a type of the Beloved Son. It is supposed, David was now about twenty years old. If so, his troubles by Saul lasted near ten years: for he was thirty years old when Saul died. Samuel having done this went to Ramah. He retired to die in peace, since his eyes had seen the salvation, even the sceptre brought into the tribe of Judah.

Wesley: 1Sa 16:13 - Anointed him

David's brethren saw David's unction, yet did not understand, that he was anointed to the kingdom; but were only told by Samuel, that he was anointed to some great service, which hereafter they should know. Thus Jesse only, and David, understood the whole business, and his brethren were able to attest to that act of Samuel's anointing him, which, with other collateral evidences, was abundantly sufficient to prove David's right to the kingdom, if need should be. The spirit, &c, - That is, he was immediately endowed with extraordinary gifts of God's Spirit, as strength, and courage, and wisdom, and other excellent qualities which fitted him for, and put him upon noble attempts.

Wesley: 1Sa 16:14 - Departed

God took away that prudence, and courage, and alacrity, and other gifts wherewith be had qualified him for his public employment.

Wesley: 1Sa 16:14 - From the Lord

That is, by God's permission, who delivered him up to be buffeted of Satan.

Wesley: 1Sa 16:14 - Troubled

Stirred up in him unruly and tormenting passions; as envy, rage, fear, or despair. He grew fretful, and peevish, and discontented, timorous and suspicious, frequently starting and trembling.

Wesley: 1Sa 16:16 - Be well

And the success confirms their opinion. For although music cannot directly have an influence upon an evil spirit to drive him away; yet, because the devil, as it seems, had not possession of him, but only made use of the passions of his mind, and humours of his body to molest him: and because it is manifest, that music hath a mighty power to qualify and sweeten these, and to make a man sedate and chearful; it is not strange, if the devil had not that power over him when his mind was more composed, which he had when it was disordered; as the devil had less power over lunaticks in the decrease, than in the increase of the moon: Mat 17:15, Mat 17:18. And seeing music prepared the Lord's prophets for the entertainment of the good Spirit, as 2Ki 3:15. Why might it not dispose Saul to the resistance of the evil spirit? And why might not the chearing of his heart, in some measure strengthen him against those temptations of the devil, which were fed by his melancholy humour? And by this means, David without any contrivance of him or his friends, is brought to court, soon after he was anointed to the kingdom. Those whom God designs for any service, his providence will concur with his grace, to prepare and qualify them for it.

Wesley: 1Sa 16:18 - Prudent

Wonder not, that David was so suddenly advanced, from a poor shepherd, to so great a reputation; for these were the effects of that Spirit of the Lord which he received when he was anointed.

Wesley: 1Sa 16:18 - The Lord, &c.

That is, directs and prospers all his undertakings.

Wesley: 1Sa 16:20 - Sent him

This present, though in our times it would seem contemptible, yet was very agreeable to the usage of those times, and to the condition of Jesse, which was but mean in the world. And it seems to have been the custom of those times, (as it is yet in the eastern countries) when they made their appearance before princes, or great persons, to bring a present.

Wesley: 1Sa 16:21 - Stood before him

That is, waited upon him.

Wesley: 1Sa 16:21 - And he loved him greatly

So there was something good in Saul still: he had not lost all, tho' he had lost the kingdom.

Wesley: 1Sa 16:21 - Armour

bearer - He had that place conferred upon him, though we do not read that he ever exercised it; for it seems he was gone back to his father upon some occasion not related; and had abode with him some considerable time before the war described, 1Sa. 17:1-53, happened.

Wesley: 1Sa 16:23 - Departed

Namely, for a season. And the reason of this success, may be, partly natural, and partly, supernatural, respecting David; whom God designed by this means to bring into favour with the king, and so to smooth the way for his advancement.

JFB: 1Sa 16:1 - the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul

Samuel's grief on account of Saul's rejection, accompanied, doubtless, by earnest prayers for his restitution, showed the amiable feelings of the man; but they were at variance with his public duty as a prophet. The declared purpose of God to transfer the kingdom of Israel into other hands than Saul's was not an angry menace, but a fixed and immutable decree; so that Samuel ought to have sooner submitted to the peremptory manifestation of the divine will. But to leave him no longer room to doubt of its being unalterable, he was sent on a private mission to anoint a successor to Saul (see on 1Sa 10:1). The immediate designation of a king was of the greatest importance for the interests of the nation in the event of Saul's death, which, to this time, was dreaded; it would establish David's title and comfort the minds of Samuel and other good men with a right settlement, whatever contingency might happen.

JFB: 1Sa 16:1 - I have provided me a king

The language is remarkable, and intimates a difference between this and the former king. Saul was the people's choice, the fruit of their wayward and sinful desires for their own honor and aggrandizement. The next was to be a king who would consult the divine glory, and selected from that tribe to which the pre-eminence had been early promised (Gen 49:10).

JFB: 1Sa 16:2 - How can I go?

This is another instance of human infirmity in Samuel. Since God had sent him on this mission, He would protect him in the execution.

JFB: 1Sa 16:2 - I am come to sacrifice

It seems to have been customary with Samuel to do this in the different circuits to which he went, that he might encourage the worship of God.

JFB: 1Sa 16:3 - call Jesse to the sacrifice

That is, the social feast that followed the peace offering. Samuel, being the offerer, had a right to invite any guest he pleased.

JFB: 1Sa 16:4 - the elders of the town trembled at his coming

Beth-lehem was an obscure town, and not within the usual circuit of the judge. The elders were naturally apprehensive, therefore, that his arrival was occasioned by some extraordinary reason, and that it might entail evil upon their town, in consequence of the estrangement between Samuel and the king.

JFB: 1Sa 16:5 - sanctify yourselves

By the preparations described (Exo 19:14-15). The elders were to sanctify themselves. Samuel himself took the greatest care in the sanctification of Jesse's family. Some, however, think that the former were invited only to join in the sacrifice, while the family of Jesse were invited by themselves to the subsequent feast.

JFB: 1Sa 16:6-10 - Samuel said, Surely the Lord's anointed is before him

Here Samuel, in consequence of taking his impressions from the external appearance, falls into the same error as formerly (1Sa 10:24).

JFB: 1Sa 16:11 - There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep

Jesse having evidently no idea of David's wisdom and bravery, spoke of him as the most unfit. God, in His providence, so ordered it, that the appointment of David might the more clearly appear to be a divine purpose, and not the design either of Samuel or Jesse. David having not been sanctified with the rest of his family, it is probable that he returned to his pastoral duties the moment the special business on which he had been summoned was done.

JFB: 1Sa 16:12 - he was ruddy, &c.

JOSEPHUS says that David was ten, while most modern commentators are of the opinion that he must have been fifteen years of age.

JFB: 1Sa 16:13 - Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him

This transaction must have been strictly private.

JFB: 1Sa 16:14-18 - The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him

His own gloomy reflections, the consciousness that he had not acted up to the character of an Israelitish king, the loss of his throne, and the extinction of his royal house, made him jealous, irritable, vindictive, and subject to fits of morbid melancholy.

JFB: 1Sa 16:19 - Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David

In the East the command of a king is imperative; and Jesse, however reluctant and alarmed, had no alternative but to comply.

JFB: 1Sa 16:20 - Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them . . . unto Saul

As a token of homage and respect.

JFB: 1Sa 16:21 - David came to Saul

Providence thus prepared David for his destiny, by placing him in a way to become acquainted with the manners of the court, the business of government, and the general state of the kingdom.

JFB: 1Sa 16:21 - became his armour-bearer

This choice, as being an expression of the king's partiality, shows how honorable the office was held to be.

JFB: 1Sa 16:23 - David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well

The ancients believed that music had a mysterious influence in healing mental disorders.

Clarke: 1Sa 16:1 - Fill thine horn with oil

Fill thine horn with oil - Horns appear to have been the ancient drinking vessels of all nations; and we may suppose that most persons who had to travel much, always carried one with them, for the purpose of taking up water from the fountains to quench their thirst. Such a horn had Samuel; and on this occasion he was commanded to fill it with oil, for the purpose of consecrating a king over Israel from among the sons of Jesse.

Clarke: 1Sa 16:2 - Take a heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice

Take a heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice - This was strictly true; Samuel did offer a sacrifice; and it does not appear that he could have done the work which God designed, unless he had offered this sacrifice, and called the elders of the people together, and thus collected Jesse’ s sons. But he did not tell the principal design of his coming; had he done so, it would have produced evil and no good: and though no man, in any circumstances, should ever tell a lie, yet in all circumstances he is not obliged to tell the whole truth, though in every circumstance he must tell nothing but the truth, and in every case so tell the truth that the hearer shall not believe a lie by it.

Clarke: 1Sa 16:3 - Call Jesse to the sacrifice

Call Jesse to the sacrifice - The common custom was, after the blood of the victim had been poured out to God, and the fat burnt, to feast on the flesh of the sacrifice. This appears to have been the case in all, except in the whole burnt-offering; this was entirely consumed.

Clarke: 1Sa 16:4 - The elders of the town trembled at his coming

The elders of the town trembled at his coming - They knew he was a prophet of the Lord, and they were afraid that he was now come to denounce some judgments of the Most High against their city.

Clarke: 1Sa 16:5 - Sanctify yourselves

Sanctify yourselves - Change your clothes, and wash your bodies in pure water, and prepare your minds by meditation, reflection, and prayer; that, being in the spirit of sacrifice, ye may offer acceptably to the Lord.

Clarke: 1Sa 16:7 - Man looketh on the outward appearance

Man looketh on the outward appearance - And it is well he should, and confine his looks to that; for when he pretends to sound the heart, he usurps the prerogative of God

In what way were these communications made from God to Samuel? It must have been by direct inspirations into his heart. But what a state of holy familiarity does this argue between God and the prophet! I believe Moses himself was not more highly favored than Samuel.

Clarke: 1Sa 16:10 - Seven of his sons

Seven of his sons - This certainly was not done publicly; Samuel, Jesse, and his children, must have been in a private apartment, previously to the public feast on the sacrifice; for Samuel says, 1Sa 16:11, We will not sit down till he (David) come.

Clarke: 1Sa 16:12 - He was ruddy

He was ruddy - I believe the word here means red-haired, he had golden locks. Hair of this kind is ever associated with a delicate skin and florid complexion.

Clarke: 1Sa 16:13 - The Spirit of the Lord came upon David

The Spirit of the Lord came upon David - God qualified him to be governor of his people, by infusing such graces as wisdom, prudence, counsel, courage, liberality, and magnanimity.

Clarke: 1Sa 16:14 - The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul

The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul - He was thrown into such a state of mind by the judgments of God, as to be deprived of any regal qualities which he before possessed. God seems to have taken what gifts he had, and given them to David; and then the evil spirit came upon Saul; for what God fills not, the devil will

Clarke: 1Sa 16:14 - An evil spirit from the Lord

An evil spirit from the Lord - The evil spirit was either immediately sent from the Lord, or permitted to come. Whether this was a diabolic possession, or a mere mental malady, the learned are not agreed; it seems to have partaken of both. That Saul had fallen into a deep melancholy, there is little doubt; that the devil might work more effectually on such a state of mind, there can be but little question. There is an old proverb, Satan delights to fish in troubled waters; and Saul’ s situation of mind gave him many advantages

The theory of Dr. Scheuchzer, in his Physica Sacra, on the malady of Saul, is allowed to be very ingenious. It is in substance as follows: Health consists in a moderate tension of the fibres, which permits all the fluids to have an entire freedom of circulation, and to the spirits, that of diffusing themselves through all the limbs; on the contrary, disease consists in tensions of the fibres morbidly weak or morbidly strong. This latter seems to have been the case of Saul; and as the undulations of the air which convey sound communicate themselves to and through the most solid bodies, it is easy to suppose that by the modulations of music all the fibres of his body, which were under the influence of the morbidly increased tension, might be so relaxed as to be brought back into their natural state, and thus permit the re-establishment of a free and gentle circulation of the fluids, and consequently of the animal spirits, and thus induce calmness and tranquillity of mind. I believe this theory to be correct, and I should find no difficulty to amplify and to illustrate the subject. Even a skillful playing upon the harp was one means to bring a disordered state of the nervous and fibrous system into a capacity of affording such uninterrupted tranquillity to the mind as to render it capable of receiving the prophetic influence; see the case of Elisha, 2Ki 3:14, 2Ki 3:15. It has been said: -

"Music hath charms to sooth the savage breast.

This has been literally proved: a musician was brought to play on his instrument while they were feeding a savage lion in the tower of London; the beast immediately left his food, came towards the grating of his den, and began to move in such a way as to show himself affected by the music. The musician ceased, and the lion returned to his food; he recommenced, and the lion left off his prey, and was so affected as to seem by his motions to dance with delight. This was repeatedly tried, and the effects were still the same.

Clarke: 1Sa 16:18 - I have seen a son of Jesse

I have seen a son of Jesse - Dr. Warburton supposes the story is anticipated from 1Sa 16:14-23, and that the true chronology of this part of David’ s life is the following: -

1.    David is anointed by Samuel

2.    Carries provisions to his brethren in the army

3.    Fights with and kills Goliath

4.    Is received into the king’ s court

5.    Contracts a friendship with Jonathan

6.    Incurs Saul’ s jealousy

7.    Retires to his father’ s house

8.    Is after some time sent for by Saul to sooth his melancholy with his harp

9.    Again excites Saul’ s jealousy, who endeavors to smite him with his javelin

This anticipation between the 14th and 23d verse comes in, in the order of time, between 1Sa 16:9 and 1Sa 16:10, 1Sa 18:9, 1Sa 18:10, where the breach is apparent.

Clarke: 1Sa 16:20 - Took an ass laden with bread

Took an ass laden with bread - He must send a present to Saul to introduce his son, and this was probably the best he had. Dr. Warburton pleads still farther on the propriety of his rectification of the chronology in this place. David had at this time vanquished the Philistine, was become a favourite with the people, had excited Saul’ s jealousy, and retired to shun its effects. In the interim Saul was seized with the disorder in question, and is recommended by his servants to try the effects of music. They were acquainted with David’ s skill on the harp, and likewise with Saul’ s bad disposition towards him; the point was delicate, it required to be managed with address, and therefore they recommend David in this artful manner: "As you must have one constantly in attendance, both in court and on your military expeditions; to be always at hand on occasion, the son of Jesse will become both stations well; he will strengthen your camp and adorn your court, for he is a tried soldier and of a graceful presence. You have nothing to fear from his ambition, for you saw with what prudence he went into voluntary banishment when his popularity had incurred your displeasure."Accordingly Saul is prevailed on, David is sent for, and succeeds with his music; this dissipates all former umbrage, and, as one who is ever to be in attendance, he is made Saul’ s armor-bearer. This sunshine still continued till his great successes awakened Saul’ s jealousy afresh, and then the lifted javelin was to strike off all obligations. Thus we see what light is thrown upon the whole history by the supposition of an anticipation in the latter part of this chapter; an anticipation the most natural, proper, and necessary, for the purpose of the historian. Thus reasons Bishop Warburton, and with very considerable plausibility, though the intelligent reader may still have his doubts.

Clarke: 1Sa 16:23 - The evil spirit from God

The evil spirit from God - The word evil is not in the common Hebrew text, but it is in the Vulgate, Septuagint, Targum, Syriac, and Arabic, and in eight of Kennicott’ s and De Rossi’ s MSS., which present the text thus: רוח אלהים רעה ruach Elohim raah , spiritus Domini malus , the evil spirit of God. The Septuagint leave out Θεου, of God, and have πνευμα πονηρον, the evil spirit. The Targum says, The evil spirit from before the Lord; and the Arabic has it. The evil spirit by the permission of God; this is at least the sense

Clarke: 1Sa 16:23 - And the evil spirit departed from him

And the evil spirit departed from him - The Targum says, And the evil spirit descended up from off him. This considers the malady of Saul to be more than a natural disease

There are several difficulties in this chapter; those of the chronology are pretty well cleared, in the opinion of some, by the observations of Bishop Warburton; but there is still something more to be done to make this point entirely satisfactory. Saul’ s evil spirit, and the influence of music upon it, are not easily accounted for. I have considered his malady to be of a mixed kind, natural and diabolical; there is too much of apparent nature in it to permit us to believe it was all spiritual, and there is too much of apparent supernatural influence to suffer us to believe that it was all natural.

Defender: 1Sa 16:7 - outward appearance

God's method is clearly not that commonly followed by either pulpit committees or political parties, but it works better."

Defender: 1Sa 16:10 - seven of his sons

Only six brothers of David are listed in 1Ch 2:13-15. Presumably one of them must have died without children and was not included in the genealogical records."

Defender: 1Sa 16:13 - came upon David

This is the first time David is mentioned by name, but his name (meaning "beloved") is mentioned more in the Bible than that of Moses or Abraham or any other Old Testament personage. His biography occupies 62 chapters, more than that of anyone else except Jesus Christ."

Defender: 1Sa 16:14 - departed from Saul

In the old dispensation, the Holy Spirit evidently came and went from believers in accord with God's purpose and their obedience to His leading. Now, however, according to Christ's promise: "I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; ...for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you" (Joh 14:16, Joh 14:17).

Defender: 1Sa 16:14 - evil spirit

It seems strange that God would send an "evil spirit" to trouble Saul. Even though such evil spirits have evidently followed Satan in his rebellion against God and now have become the fallen "angels that sinned" (2Pe 2:4) or "the devils" (the word is "demons" in Mat 8:31), God can still control them when He so wills, and use them to fulfill His purposes. Compare also the "lying spirit" sent by the Lord to "persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead" (1Ki 22:20-23)."

TSK: 1Sa 16:1 - How long // seeing // horn with oil // Jesse

am 2941, bc 1063, An, Ex, Is, 428

How long : 1Sa 15:11, 1Sa 15:35; Jer 7:16, Jer 11:14

seeing : 1Sa 16:15, 1Sa 16:23, 1Sa 13:13, 1Sa 13:14, 1Sa 15:23, 1Sa 15:26; Jer 6:30, Jer 14:11, Jer 14:12, Jer 15:1; 1Jo 5:16

horn with oil : 1Sa 9:16, 1Sa 10:1; 2Ki 9:1, 2Ki 9:3, 2Ki 9:6

Jesse : 1Sa 13:14; Gen 49:8-10; Rth 4:18-22; 1Ch 2:10-15; Psa 78:68-71, Psa 89:19, Psa 89:20; Isa 11:1, Isa 11:10, Isa 55:4; Act 13:21, Act 13:22; Rom 15:12

TSK: 1Sa 16:2 - How can I go // Take an heifer // with thee // I am come

How can I go : Exo 3:11; 1Ki 18:9-14; Mat 10:16; Luk 1:34

Take an heifer : For the prudent management of the affair, and to avoid suspicion, Samuel was directed to go to Bethlehem to sacrifice, as he probably did from time to time in many different places; and the answer which he was instructed to return was strictly true though he did not tell the principal design of his coming; for though no man in any circumstances should tell a lie, yet, in all circumstances, he is not bound to tell the whole truth, though he must tell nothing but the truth, and so tell that truth that the hearer shall not believe a lie by it.

with thee : Heb. in thine hand, 1Sa 9:12

I am come : 1Sa 9:12, 1Sa 20:29; Jer 38:26, Jer 38:27

TSK: 1Sa 16:3 - call Jesse // and I will show // anoint

call Jesse : 1Sa 9:12, 1Sa 9:13; 2Sa 15:11; Mat 22:1-4

and I will show : Exo 4:15; Act 9:6

anoint : 1Sa 16:12, 1Sa 16:13, 1Sa 9:16; Deu 17:14

TSK: 1Sa 16:4 - trembled // coming // Comest

trembled : 1Sa 21:1; 2Sa 6:9; 1Ki 17:18; Hos 6:5, Hos 11:10; Luk 5:8, Luk 8:37

coming : Heb. meeting

Comest : 1Ki 2:13; 2Ki 9:22; 1Ch 12:17, 1Ch 12:18

TSK: 1Sa 16:5 - sanctify yourselves

sanctify yourselves : Exo 19:10, Exo 19:14, Exo 19:15; Lev 20:7, Lev 20:8; Num 11:8; Jos 3:5, Jos 7:13; 2Ch 30:17-20; Job 1:5; Psa 26:2-6; Joe 2:16; 1Co 11:28

TSK: 1Sa 16:6 - Eliab // Surely

Eliab : 1Sa 17:13, 1Sa 17:22; 1Ch 2:13, 1Ch 27:18, Elihu

Surely : Jdg 8:18; 1Ki 12:26

TSK: 1Sa 16:7 - Look not // seeth not // looketh // outward appearance // on the heart

Look not : 1Sa 9:2, 1Sa 10:23, 1Sa 10:24; 2Sa 14:25; Psa 147:10, Psa 147:11; Pro 31:30

seeth not : Job 10:4; Isa 55:8, Isa 55:9; Luk 16:15; 1Pe 2:4, 1Pe 3:4

looketh : Joh 7:24; 2Co 10:7, 2Co 10:10

outward appearance : Heb. eyes

on the heart : 1Ki 8:39; 1Ch 28:9; 2Ch 16:9; Psa 7:9, Psa 139:2; Pro 15:11, Pro 16:2; Jer 11:20, Jer 17:10, Jer 20:12; Act 1:24; Heb 4:13; Rev 2:23

TSK: 1Sa 16:8 - Abinadab

Abinadab : 1Sa 17:13; 1Ch 2:13

TSK: 1Sa 16:9 - Shammah

Shammah : 1Sa 17:13; 2Sa 13:3, Shimeah, 1Ch 2:13, Shimma

TSK: 1Sa 16:10 - seven

seven : 1Ch 2:13-15

TSK: 1Sa 16:11 - There remaineth // down

There remaineth : 1Sa 17:12-15, 1Sa 17:28; 2Sa 7:8; 1Ch 17:7; Psa 78:70, Psa 78:71

down : Heb. round

TSK: 1Sa 16:12 - ruddy // of a beautiful countenance // And the Lord // anoint him

ruddy : 1Sa 17:42; Son 5:10; Lam 4:7; Act 7:20; Heb 11:23

of a beautiful countenance : Heb. fair of eyes, 1Sa 16:7

And the Lord : 1Sa 9:17

anoint him : Psa 2:2, Psa 2:6, Psa 89:19, Psa 89:20; Act 4:27

TSK: 1Sa 16:13 - anointed // the Spirit

anointed : 1Sa 10:1; 2Ki 9:6

the Spirit : 1Sa 16:18, 1Sa 10:6, 1Sa 10:9, 1Sa 10:10; Num 11:17, Num 27:18; Jdg 3:10, Jdg 11:29, Jdg 13:25, Jdg 14:6; Isa 11:1-3; Joh 3:34; Heb 1:9

TSK: 1Sa 16:14 - the Spirit // evil spirit // troubled

the Spirit : 1Sa 11:6, 1Sa 18:12, 1Sa 28:15; Jdg 16:29; Psa 51:11; Hos 9:12

evil spirit : The evil spirit was either sent immediately from the Lord, or permitted to come; but whether this was a diabolic possession, or a mere mental malady, is not agreedcaps1 . icaps0 t seems to have partaken of both. That Saul had fallen into a deep melancholy, there is little doubt; and that an evil spirit might work more effectually on such a state of mind, there can be little question. His malady appears to have been of a mixed kind, natural and diabolicalcaps1 . tcaps0 here is too much of apparent nature in it to permit us to believe it was all spiritual; and there is too much of apparently supernatural influence, to suffer us to believe it was all natural. 1Sa 18:10, 1Sa 19:9, 1Sa 19:10; Jdg 9:23; 1Ki 22:22; Act 19:15, Act 19:16

troubled : or, terrified

TSK: 1Sa 16:16 - before thee // play

before thee : 1Sa 16:21, 1Sa 16:22; Gen 41:46; 1Ki 10:8

play : 1Sa 16:23, 1Sa 10:5; 2Ki 3:15

TSK: 1Sa 16:18 - a mighty // and prudent // matters // a comely // the Lord

a mighty : 1Sa 17:32-36; 2Sa 17:8, 2Sa 17:10

and prudent : 2Sa 14:20

matters : or, speech.

a comely : 1Sa 16:12

the Lord : 1Sa 3:19, 1Sa 10:7, 1Sa 18:12-14; Gen 39:2, Gen 39:23; Mat 1:23, Mat 28:20

TSK: 1Sa 16:19 - with the sheep

with the sheep : 1Sa 16:11, 1Sa 17:15, 1Sa 17:33, 1Sa 17:34; Exo 3:1-10; 1Ki 19:19; Psa 78:70-72, Psa 113:8; Amo 1:1, Amo 7:14, Amo 7:15; Mat 4:18-22

TSK: 1Sa 16:20 - an ass laden

an ass laden : Chamor lechem , literally, ""an ass of bread,""rendered by the LXX γομορ αρτων , a gomor of bread; meaning, probably, not an animal, but a vessel containing a certain measure of bread. 1Sa 10:27, 1Sa 17:18, 1Sa 25:18; Gen 43:11; 2Sa 16:1, 2Sa 16:2; Pro 18:16

TSK: 1Sa 16:21 - stood before him // loved him

stood before him : Gen 41:46; Deu 1:38, Deu 10:8; 1Ki 10:8; Pro 22:29

loved him : Psa 62:9, Psa 118:9, Psa 146:3

TSK: 1Sa 16:23 - the evil spirit // Saul

the evil spirit : 1Sa 16:14, 1Sa 16:16

Saul : 1Sa 18:10, 1Sa 18:11; Mat 12:43-45; Luk 11:24-26

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per Ayat)

Poole: 1Sa 16:1 - How long wilt thou mourn for Saul // I have rejected him from reigning over Israel // Fill thine horn with oil // I have provided me a king

How long wilt thou mourn for Saul and pray for his restitution? which the following words imply that he did.

I have rejected him from reigning over Israel: the manifestation of my peremptory will should make thee submit to my pleasure.

Fill thine horn with oil which was used in the inauguration of kings, as 1Sa 10:1 1Ki 1:39 . But here it is used in the designation of a king, though David was not actually made king by it, but still remained a subject, as is evident from 1Sa 24:6 . And the reason of this anticipation was, partly the comfort of Samuel, and other good men, against their great fears in case of Saul’ s death, of which they expected every day to hear; and partly the assurance of David’ s title, which otherwise would have been very doubtful. For the prevention of which doubts, it was very meet that the same person and prophet who had anointed Saul, might now, upon God’ s rejection of Saul, anoint David to succeed him upon his death; and because Samuel was now not far from his death, and was to die before Saul, it was fit that David’ s anointing should be hastened and done before its proper time.

I have provided me a king: this phrase is very emphatical, and implies the difference between this and the former king. Saul was a king of the people’ s providing, he was the product of their inordinate and sinful desires; they desired him for themselves, and for their own glory and safety, as they supposed; but this is a king of my own providing, one that I have spied out, one of that tribe to which I have allotted the kingdom, Gen 49:10 . A king for me ; not one to gratify the people’ s desires, but to fulfil all my will , as is said, Act 13:22 , and to serve my glory. Or, my king ; the Hebrew phrase, to me , or for me , being commonly used for the word mine .

Poole: 1Sa 16:2 - How can I go // I am come to sacrifice to the Lord

How can I go to wit, safely? a question which seems to savour of human frailty; for he should have strongly believed that God, who had set him upon the work, would carry him through it.

I am come to sacrifice to the Lord which he used oft to do, sometimes in one place, and sometimes in another, that so he might encourage and keep up the worship of God in all of them. This was one cause, though not the only cause, of his coming; nor was he obliged to declare all the causes of it.

Poole: 1Sa 16:3 - Call Jesse to the sacrifice // Whom I name

Call Jesse to the sacrifice i.e. invite him to the feast, which, after the manner, was made of the flesh of the sacrifice; and it belonged to Samuel, as the offerer of the sacrifice, to invite whom he pleased.

Whom I name i.e. whom I shall describe, as it were, by name.

Poole: 1Sa 16:4 - The elders of the town trembled at his coming // Peaceably

The elders of the town trembled at his coming partly because it was strange and unexpected to them, this being but an obscure town, Mic 5:2 , and remote from Samuel, and therefore they justly thought there was some extraordinary reason for it; and their guilty consciences made them fear that he came to denounce some dreadful and particular judgment of God upon them; and partly lest Saul, whose heart was estranged from and incensed against Samuel, should upon this occasion conceive a jealousy of them, and a displeasure against them.

Peaceably Heb. in or with peace ; either, first, To thyself. Comest thou voluntarily, or to flee from the rage of Saul? Or, secondly, To us. Comest thou with no evil tidings to us, either from God or from Saul? The Hebrew phrase, Comest thou in peace ? being as much as to say, (in our phrase,) Is all well ?

Poole: 1Sa 16:5 - Sanctify yourselves // To the sacrifice

Sanctify yourselves prepare yourselves in the manner expressed, Exo 19:14,15 .

To the sacrifice Heb. in the sacrifice , i.e. join with me in this act of worshipping God, and offering this sacrifice, thereby to give thanks for the blessings you have received from him, and to pray for what you want. It seems evident fiat there was something peculiar in Jesse’ s invitation. For, first, Both he and his sons were invited, whereas the others are only invited for their own persons. Secondly, The different phrase here used, that he sanctified these , when he only bade the other sanctify themselves, argues a singular care and agency of Samuel in their sanctification; (unless we should say, He sanctified them , is no more but that he caused them to be sanctified ; that is, these in particular amongst others;) which makes it probable that the rest were only to join with him in the act of sacrificing; but these, and only these, were invited to feast upon the remainders of the sacrifice; which feast is here called a sacrifice, as it is above, 1Sa 16:3 . And the only inconvenience of this interpretation is, that the word sacrifice is taken in different senses in the same verse, which is no unusual thing. See Mat 8:22 . And this difference may possibly be intimated by the differing prepositions prefixed to the same word, the first being bazzabach , and the latter lazzabach . Howsoever, that only Jesse and his sons were present at the feast may seem probable, from Samuel’ s design of privacy, and from the following relation.

Poole: 1Sa 16:6 - When they were come // Is before him

When they were come when the most of Jesse’ s sons were come, either to the place of the feast, or to some other place near it, appointed for this private discourse, whither they were to come before they went to the feast. It must also be understood that Samuel had acquainted Jesse with his design, which is easily gathered out of the context, and needed not be expressed.

Is before him i.e. is in this place where God is now present. For it is observable, that not only the sacrifice is said to be offered, but even the feast upon the remainders of it is said to be eaten, before the Lord , Deu 12:7 , i.e. before or near his altar, where God was present in a special manner. And the ground of this expression seems to be this, that Jesse brought not all his sons together, but made one after another to come to the place, and to pass before Samuel, who stood before the Lord, in some place near the altar, that this great business might be managed with more solemnity. And Eliab being the person now before Samuel, is said to be now before the Lord . But whatsoever the ground of this phrase is, this is certain and confessed, that this is his meaning, This I take to be the person whom I am sent to anoint; wherein yet he was greatly mistaken, as other prophets sometimes were, when they hastily spake their own thoughts, before they had consulted God in the case, as 2Sa 7:3 .

Poole: 1Sa 16:7 - The Lord // The height of his stature // Man looketh on the outward appearance // The Lord looketh on the heart

The Lord spake by secret inspiration.

The height of his stature whereby thou wast once deceived in Saul, 1Sa 10:23,24 , and therefore shouldst not now be deceived a second time.

Man looketh on the outward appearance men value men by their outsides.

The Lord looketh on the heart God esteems of men by the goodness of their hearts, and hath now proceeded by that rule in the choice of a king, and would have done so before, if the people’ s sinful desires had not provoked him to give them a bad king.

Poole: 1Sa 16:9 - Shammah

Shammah called also Shimeah , 2Sa 13:3 , and Shimna 1Ch 2:13 .

Poole: 1Sa 16:10 - Seven of his sons

Seven of his sons i.e. the rest of his sons, which were seven, besides David; for in all he had eight, 1Sa 17:12 . It is true, there are but seven of them named 1Ch 2:13-15 , but that may be because one of them was either born of a concubine, or an obscure person; or one that died immediately after this time.

Poole: 1Sa 16:11 - He keepeth the sheep // We will not sit down // Quest // Answ

He keepeth the sheep and consequently is the most unfit of all my sons for that high employment. Either therefore he did not thoroughly understand David’ s great wisdom and valour, or he judgeth him unfit, by reason of his mean education. And God so ordered it by his providence, that David’ s choice might plainly appear to be God’ s work, and not Samuel’ s or Jesse’ s design.

We will not sit down to wit, to the feast.

Quest. How could David be admitted to this feast, being, as it seems, not sanctified with the rest of his brethren?

Answ 1. It is not strange if the prophet, by God’ s direction, dispensed with the ordinary rule, in a person so extraordinary, both for his piety and the dignity to which he was chosen.

2. It is not affirmed that David did sit down with them to the feast, but only that they would not do so till he came. And when he was come, and Samuel had done what he intended with him, David, for aught we know, might depart, and the rest sit down to the feast; for David was not now actually raised to any higher degree, but returned to his former employment; as we read below, 1Sa 16:19 .

Poole: 1Sa 16:12 - He was ruddy // Goodly to look to

He was ruddy which may be referred either to the colour of his hair; or rather, to the complexion of his face.

Goodly to look to of a comely but masculine and majestic aspect.

Poole: 1Sa 16:13 - In the midst of his brethren

In the midst of his brethren: according to this translation, his brethren were present at this act, and knew that David was anointed king. But this seems, to some, neither consistent with Samuel’ s design of secrecy, nor with Eliab’ s scornful words concerning him after this, 1Sa 17:28 . But to this others reply, that David’ s brethren saw David’ s unction, but did not particularly understand that he was anointed to the kingdom; but were only told by Samuel at he was anointed to some great service, which hereafter they should know, but at present it was fit to be concealed. Thus Jesse only and David understood the whole business, and his brethren were able to attest to that act of Samuel’ s anointing him, which, with other collateral evidences, was abundantly sufficient to prove David’ s right to the kingdom, if need should be. And this seems fairly to accord and explain the matter. But the words may be otherwise translated out of the Hebrew, that he anointed him out of the midst of his brethren , i.e. he selected him from amongst the rest of his brethren to be king; as Christ is said to be raised from the midst of his brethren . And whereas the Hebrew word is bekereb, in the midst , not mikkereb, out of the midst ; it is confessed that the preposition beth, in , is oft used for min, of , or out of , as hath been formerly showed by many instances; and so it may be here. And further, the place may be thus rendered, that Samuel anointed him , being taken out of the midst of his brethren ; and so these words may be added, to signify that Samuel took him out from the rest of the company, and privately anointed him; Jesse only being present at the action. And thus there is an ellipsis of a verb or particle, which is frequent; as Gen 12:15 , The woman was taken (i.e. was taken and carried) into Pharaoh’ s house ; and many such places.

The Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward , i.e. he was immediately endowed with extraordinary gifts of God’ s Spirit, as strength, and courage, and wisdom, and magnanimity, and other excellent qualities, which fitted him for and put him upon noble attempts; for which he presently grew famous, even whilst he lived a private life. See below, 1Sa 16:18 17:34 , &c.

Poole: 1Sa 16:14 - An evil spirit // From the Lord // Troubled him

God took away that prudence, and courage, and alacrity, and other gifts and assistances of God’ s Spirit, wherewith he had qualified him for the management of his public employment.

An evil spirit properly so called; for what need is there of forsaking the proper signification of the word? It is evident, both from Scripture and experience, that God hath permitted some men to be really acted and disquieted by the devil; and why not Saul as well as others?

From the Lord i.e. by God’ s permission or judgment, delivering him up to Satan.

Troubled him stirred up in him unruly and tormenting passions; as envy, rage, fear, despair, and the like.

Poole: 1Sa 16:16

And the success confirms their opinion. For although music cannot directly have any influence upon an evil spirit to drive him away; yet because the devil, as it seems, had not possession of him, but only made use of the passions of his mind and ill humours of his body to molest him; and because it is manifest that music hath a mighty power to qualify and sweeten these, and to make a man sedate and cheerful, as is evident by the unanimous consent of learned writers, and by common experience; it is not strange if the devil had not that power over him when his mind was more composed, which he had when it was disordered; as the devil had less power over lunatics in the decrease than in the increase of the moon, Mat 17:15,18 . And seeing music prepared the Lord’ s prophets for the entertainment of the good Spirit, as 2Ki 3:15 , why might it not dispose Saul to the resistance of the evil spirit? and why might not the cheering of his heart, in some measure, strengthen him against those temptations of the devil which were fed by his melancholic humour?

Poole: 1Sa 16:18 - The Lord is with him

Wonder not that David was so suddenly advanced, from a poor contemptible shepherd, to so great reputation; for these were the effects of that Spirit of the Lord, which he received when he was anointed; though some would hence infer, that the things related in this chapter happened after the history of 1Sa 17 , though it be placed before, such transpositions being not unusual in historical relations.

The Lord is with him i.e. directs and prospers all his undertakings.

Poole: 1Sa 16:20

This present, though in our times it would seem contemptible, yet was very agreeable to the usage of those times, and to the condition of Jesse, which was but mean in the world. And it seems to have been the custom of those times, as it is yet in the eastern countries (when they made their appearance before princes or great persons, to bring a present: see Gen 32:20 43:25,26 , and elsewhere); to which civil custom that religious precept seems consonant, Exo 23:15 Deu 16:16 . None shall appear before me empty . And he might send it, partly as a testimony of his respect to his sovereign, and partly to gain David favour and acceptance with him, being sensible that he was going into a place and state of hazard; but knowing Saul’ s furious temper, he durst not refuse to send him; and he sent him the more willingly, because this seemed a most likely means to accomplish God’ s promise of the kingdom, and to prepare him for it.

Poole: 1Sa 16:21 - Stood before him // He became his armour-bearer

Stood before him i.e. ministered unto him; or (as we use to speak) waited upon him, as that phrase oft signifies; as Deu 1:38 10:8 .

He became his armour-bearer he had that place conferred upon him, though we do not read that he ever exercised it; for it seems he was gone back to his father upon some occasion not related, and had abode with him some considerable time before the war described, 1Sa 17 , happened.

Poole: 1Sa 16:23

To wit, for a season. And the reason of this success may be partly natural and common; of which see on 1Sa 16:16 ; and partly supernatural and special, respecting David, whom God designed by this means to bring into favour with the king and his court, and so to smooth the way for his advancement.

Haydock: 1Sa 16:1 - How long // Horn

How long. It seems his tears were not soon dried up, as he lamented the fall of one whom he had formerly so much admired, and perceived what evils would ensue. (Salien) ---

He had hoped that the decree might have been revokable. But God now convinces him of the contrary, by ordering him to go and anoint a successor. ---

Horn. Such vessels were formerly very common, and were used to contain liquor, and instead of cups, 3 Kings i. 39. (Horace, ii. Sat. 2.) The ancient silver cups, at Athens, resembled horns. (Atheneus xi. 7.) But the northern nations, particularly Denmark, &c., used horns to drink, as the Georgians still do. The rims are ornamented with silver, &c. (Pliny, [Natural History?] xi. 37.) (Chardin) (Calmet) ---

A fragile vile was not used, but a horn, to denote the duration and abundance of David's reign. (Rupert) (Menochius)

Haydock: 1Sa 16:2 - Of the herd // Lord

Of the herd. Hebrew, "a heifer in thy hand." (Haydock) ---

Females might be employed as peace-offerings, Leviticus iii. 1. ---

Lord. This was one, though not the principal reason. No one doubted but that he might lawfully offer sacrifice, at a distance from the tabernacle, as he was guided by God. The Jews allow that prophets have this privilege, and may dispense with the ceremonial law, (Grotius) when they act by God's authority, as we ought to believe they do, as long as there is no proof to the contrary. (Haydock)

Haydock: 1Sa 16:3 - Sacrifice

Sacrifice, to partake of the feast, (Menochius) which must be consumed in two days, or thrown into the fire, Leviticus vii. 16. (Calmet)

Haydock: 1Sa 16:4 - Wondered

Wondered. Hebrew, "trembled," being full of consternation, (Haydock) as the prophet did not now stir much from home; and fearing lest he had some bad news to impart, or had incurred the king's displeasure, (Calmet) unless he came to punish some of the people at Bethlehem. (Menochius)

Haydock: 1Sa 16:5

Sanctified, prepared by aspersions, washing, and continence, Exodus xix 14. What sorts of uncleanness excluded from the feast, are specified, Leviticus xxii. (Menochius) ---

Samuel arrived in the evening, and announced that sacrifice would be offered the ensuing morning. (Tirinus)

Haydock: 1Sa 16:6 - Him

Him. Hebrew, "surely the Lord's anointed is in his presence." This he spoke by his own spirit, judging from the comeliness of Eliab. (Calmet) ---

But the beauty of Saul's body had concealed a deformed soul. (Haydock)

Haydock: 1Sa 16:7 - Rejected // Heart

Rejected, or not chosen. (Menochius) ---

God had positively rejected this eldest son, as his pride seems to have been the greatest, chap. xvii. 28. (Haydock) ---

Heart. This is one of God's perfections. Glorified saints see man's heart in his light, for their own and our advantage, (St. Gregory, Mor. xii. 11.; St. Augustine) as the prophets have sometimes done, 3 Kings xiv. (Worthington)

Haydock: 1Sa 16:10 - Seven

Seven. David was absent. Isai had eight sons, chap. xvii. 12. Yet only seven are mentioned, 1 Paralipomenon ii. 13. Perhaps one of those whom he produced on this occasion, might be a grandson, or one is omitted in Chronicles [Paralipomenon]. (Calmet)

Haydock: 1Sa 16:11 - Young son

Young son, ( parvulus, ) "a little one;" (Haydock) or the youngest, who might be about 15, (Calmet) or 28. (Seder. olam. iii.) (Menochius)

Haydock: 1Sa 16:12 - Ruddy // Behold

Ruddy, like the spouse, Canticle of Canticles v. 10. Some explain it of his hair. So Alexander [the Great] is said to have had reddish or golden locks. ---

Behold. Hebrew, "with the beauty of the eyes."

Haydock: 1Sa 16:13 - Brethren // Came upon

Brethren. Some say, without informing him, (Calmet) or them, (Menochius) what the unction meant. If he told the brothers, he would no doubt take the necessary precautions to keep it secret, as the whole family would have been in imminent danger, if the transaction had come to the ears of Saul, ver. 2. Josephus says, that Samuel only informed Isai in private: and David's brothers treated him with no peculiar distinction. Whence it is inferred, that they had not been present when he was anointed. Some witnesses seem, however, to have been requisite, as the title of David to the regal dignity depended on this ceremony, and none were more interested than his own family to assert his pretensions. He now had a right to the kingdom, but not the possession; being like a son expecting his father's estate as his future right, of which, as yet, he cannot dispose. (Calmet) ---

Came upon, to make him prosper. (Menochius) ---

Hebrew, "came with prosperity; (Septuagint) impetuosity." God endued him with all those graces which might render him fit to command. (Calmet) ---

So David prays himself, "with a princely spirit confirm me;" (Psalm l. 14.) or, strengthen me with a perfect spirit. Salien observes, that he did not now receive the spirit of charity, as if he had hitherto been in enmity with God, (chap. xiii. 14.) but he began to advance in virtue with more rapid strides, while Saul became every day more criminal and abandoned to the devil. (Haydock) ---

David received the spirit of fortitude and of prophecy, of which Saul had formerly had some experience, when he was first elevated to that high dignity, chap. x. He was changed into a new man, and adorned with all that could render a king most glorious. Though he returned to his wonted occupations, the spirit of the Lord enabled him to destroy wild beasts, as in play, (Ecclesiasticus xlvii. 3.) and to compose and sing many of those divine canticles [the Psalms] which we still admire. (Salien, the year of the world 2969.) ---

Whether he composed all the Psalms, as St. Chrysostom endeavours to prove, (præf.) we shall examine hereafter. (Haydock)

Haydock: 1Sa 16:14 - From the Lord

From the Lord. An evil spirit, by divine permission, and for his punishment, either possessed or obsessed him. (Challoner) ---

We no longer behold in Saul any generous sentiments. He falls a prey to melancholy, anger, suspicion, and cruelty. "He was seized with an illness, inflicted by the devil, says Josephus, ([Antiquities?] vi. 9.) so that he seemed to be choking; nor could the physicians discover any other means to alleviating his distress, except by employing some person skilled in music.... David alone could bring the king ot his right senses, by singing hymns with the sound of the harp. Wherefore Jesse consented that his son should remain with the king, since he was so much delighted with his company." (Haydock) ---

The Jews, and many Christians, suppose that Saul's illness was melancholy, or "madness," as St. Chrysostom calls it. It was inflicted by an evil, or even by a good angel, as the minister of God's vengeance, (Exodus xi. 4.; Calmet) who punished his former pride and rebellion, by reducing him to so mean a condition. (Haydock) ---

St. Augustine and Ven. Bede suppose, that the evil spirit troubled him by God's permission. (Worthington)

Haydock: 1Sa 16:16 - Easily

Easily. The effects which have been produced by music are truly surprising, if we may believe what the ancients have related. Our music may not at present be so striking, or we may keep a greater restraint upon our passions, and moderate the exterior demonstrations of our sentiments more than they did. (Calmet) ---

But, in the present case, there was probably some miraculous interference. (Haydock) ---

The disciples of Pythagoras lay a great stress on music, to calm the passions, (Quintil. ix. 4.; Menochius) or to rouse them. (p. 439.) (Haydock) ---

It may also frequently contribute to restore health. (Gallien, &c.) See chap. x. 10., and 4 Kings iii. 15. (Calmet) ---

but God made it so efficacious here, to shew the virtue of David, and the injustice of Saul. (Worthington) ---

Thus, by the prayers of the Church, the devil is expelled. (Theodoret) (Tirinus)

Haydock: 1Sa 16:18 - Him

Him. Some think that this took place before David's victory over Goliath; others believe, that David was only made armour-bearer to Saul, after that event. We must not disturb the order of the sacred historian without some cogent reason: and the courtiers might already have heard of David's prowess and virtue, of which he gave such evident proofs, after he was confirmed by the Holy Spirit, ver. 13. (Calmet)

Haydock: 1Sa 16:20 - Laden

Laden. So Chaldean. (Menochius) ---

Literally, plenum, "full of." (Haydock) ---

Septuagint, "a gomor," which they seem to have read instead of the Hebrew chamor, "an ass of bread," as Sosibius says, "he eats three asses' of panniers of loaves." (Calmet) ---

Protestants supply, " laden. "

Haydock: 1Sa 16:21 - Bearer

Bearer. This was an honourable office. (Haydock) ---

Cyrus had been employed by his grandfather Astyages in the same capacity, before he came to the empire. (Atheneus xiv.) (Calmet)

Haydock: 1Sa 16:22 - Sight

Sight. He had sent him back, as people of a melancholy temper are often hard to please; (Menochius) and before David married Michol, he did not remain with the king, but only came when his presence was deemed necessary. (Calmet)

Haydock: 1Sa 16:23 - Departed from him

Departed from him. Chased away by David's devotion. (Challoner) ---

The melody of David's harp, as some of the Fathers remark, represent that sweet and engaging demeanour, which should distinguish the peaceful ministers of the gospel,...whether they strive to allay the rage, or dispel the fears of a troubled mind." (Reeves) ---

Nothing can equal the divine harmony of those sublime truths which are contained in the Psalms of David, and nothing can so powerfully contribute to drive away the spirit of pride from our hearts, and awaken them to the voice of heaven. (St. Augustine) ---

Some of these truths might make some passing impression even on the mind of Saul; and the devil could not bear to hear the praises of God. (Haydock)

Gill: 1Sa 16:1 - And the Lord said unto Samuel // seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel // fill thine horn with oil // and go, and I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite // for I have provided me a king among his sons

And the Lord said unto Samuel,.... In a vision or dream, or by an articulate voice: how long wilt thou mourn for Saul? he does not blame him for mourning, but for mourning so long; but how long that was cannot be said; and though his affection for him might cause him to indulge to it, yet it was in vain, seeing the sentence was irreversible:

seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? that is, his posterity; for he himself reigned as long as he lived, though in a very inglorious manner:

fill thine horn with oil; with common oil; for that this was the holy anointing oil kept in the tabernacle, as the Jewish writers generally suppose, with which they say David and Solomon, and the kings of Judah, were anointed, there is no reason to believe; since the tabernacle, where this oil was, was at a distance from Samuel, and which seems to have been only for the anointing of the priests. This was not a phial he was bid to take, as when he anointed Saul; but an horn, denoting the abundance of gifts bestowed on David, and the firmness and duration of his kingdom:

and go, and I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite; the son of Obed, whom Boaz begat of Ruth the Moabitess, Rth 4:21.

for I have provided me a king among his sons; but which he says not; this was reserved for an later discovery; however God had in his own mind picked him, whom he would hereafter make known; this was a king for himself, raised up to fulfil his will; Saul was chosen by him, but then it was at the request of the people, and so he was rather their king than his; but this was not at their desire, nor with their knowledge, but of his own good will and pleasure; the one was given in wrath, and the other in love; the one was to the rejection of God as King, the other to the rejection of Saul by the will of God.

Gill: 1Sa 16:2 - And Samuel said, how can I go // if Saul hear it, he will kill me // and the Lord said, take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord

And Samuel said, how can I go?.... Which argues weakness of faith in Samuel, and fear of man, and a diffidence in and distrust of divine power; for otherwise he that sent him on such an errand could protect him:

if Saul hear it, he will kill me; should hear that Samuel went and anointed another king, it would so enrage him, that he would either immediately lay hands on him, and put him to death, or order him to be put to death; and indeed were it not that this was done by the command of God, he would deserve to die; it being an overt act of treason to anoint another king:

and the Lord said, take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord; a peace offering, which might be done any where in those unsettled times, the ark being at one place, and the tabernacle at another; and might be offered upon a private altar, and by a private person; and as it seems Samuel used to sacrifice at different places; see 1Sa 7:9. Ben Gersom relates it as the sense of one of their Rabbins in his age, that there was a person slain in those parts, not known by whom he was slain; and so Samuel is ordered to take an heifer to fulfil the law in Deu 21:1 and therefore Saul would make no inquiry into his reason of going thither with an heifer, and this is commended both by him and Abarbinel.

Gill: 1Sa 16:3 - And call Jesse to the sacrifice // and I will show thee what thou shall do // and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee

And call Jesse to the sacrifice,.... His family, both him and his sons, to partake of the peace offerings; as every offerer had a right to invite his friends, and whomsoever he pleased, to eat of those parts of them which belonged to him, as a feast before the Lord:

and I will show thee what thou shall do; when Jesse and his family were with him:

and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee; that is, anoint him to be king over Israel, whom he should point out so plainly to him, as if he called him by name.

Gill: 1Sa 16:4 - 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 Samuel did that which the Lord spake,.... He filled a horn of oil, and took an heifer with him:

and came to Bethlehem; where Jesse and his family lived, which, according to Bunting ^y, was sixteen miles from Ramah; though it could hardly be so much, since Ramah was six miles from Jerusalem on one side, as Bethlehem lay six miles from it on the other ^z:

and the elders of the town trembled at his coming; for he being now an old man, and seldom went abroad, they concluded it must be something very extraordinary that brought him thither; and they might fear that as he was a prophet of the Lord, that he was come to reprove them, or denounce some judgment upon them for their sins. The Targum is,"the elders of the city gathered together to meet him;''out of respect and in honour to him, and to the same sense Jarchi's note is,"they hasted to go out to meet him'';see Hos 11:11.

and, said comest thou peaceably? the word "said" is singular; one of the elders put this question, the chiefest of them, perhaps Jesse; and the meaning of it is, whether he came with ill news and bad tidings, or as displeased with them himself on some account or another; or with a message from God, as displeased with them; or whether he came there for his own peace and safety, to be sheltered from Saul; and which, if that was the case, might not be for their peace and good; but would draw upon them the wrath and vengeance of Saul; for they doubtless knew that there was a variance, at least a shyness, between Saul and Samuel.

Gill: 1Sa 16:5 - And he said, peaceably I am come to sacrifice unto the Lord // sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice // and he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice

And he said, peaceably I am come to sacrifice unto the Lord,.... Which he could say with truth, it being one end of his coming, though not the only one for which he came, and which he was not obliged to tell:

sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice; prepare themselves for it, which was done by washing their garments, &c. and then attend with him, and assist him in the sacrifice:

and he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice; he ordered them to sanctify themselves; he distinguished them from the rest of the inhabitants, and invited them to partake of the feast, the remainder of the peace offerings.

Gill: 1Sa 16:6 - And it came to pass, when they were come // that he looked on Eliab // and said, surely the Lord's anointed is before him

And it came to pass, when they were come,.... Jesse and his sons, into the house where the entertainment was; and perhaps before they sat down, went into a private apartment by the direction of Samuel, where he acquainted Jesse with the business he came upon:

that he looked on Eliab; who was Jesse's firstborn, 1Ch 2:13, called Elihu, 1Ch 27:18.

and said, surely the Lord's anointed is before him; or this is the person it is his pleasure should be anointed king.

Gill: 1Sa 16:7 - But the Lord said to Samuel // 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

But the Lord said to Samuel,.... By a secret impulse upon his mind, as if he had spoken with an articulate voice to him:

look not on his countenance; which was comely and majestic:

or on the height of his stature; which was like that of Saul's; and because the Lord had chosen him, who was superior to the people in this respect, Samuel thought he meant to have such an one now anointed king:

because I have refused him; or it is not my pleasure that he should be king; though Ben Gersom thinks this refers to Saul, that the Lord had rejected him, though of an high stature, and therefore Samuel should not look out for such a person to be king; and Abarbinel refers it to the height of stature itself, that God had rejected that, and laid it aside as a qualification of a king, or as a rule to judge of a proper person to be a king; but no doubt it respected Eliab:

for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; man only sees what is without, but the Lord sees what is within; only the outward visible form of the body is seen by man, but the inward qualifications and endowments of the mind are seen by the Lord:

for man looketh on the outward appearance; the comeliness of a man's person, the majesty of his countenance, the height of his stature, and size of his body, things which recommended men to be kings among the nations of the world; See Gill on 1Sa 9:2, or "to the eyes" ^a; the liveliness, and briskness, and sharpness of them, thereby to judge of the sagacity and penetration of the mind, as physiognomists do; who guess at the disposition of men by them, when they are small or great, watery or dry, of this or the other colour ^b:

but the Lord looketh on the heart; and knows what is in that, what wisdom and prudence, justice and integrity, mercy and goodness, and other princely qualifications are in that. The Jewish writers conclude from hence that the heart of Eliab was not right; it may be, full of wrath, pride, envy, &c. which disqualified him for government.

Gill: 1Sa 16:8 - Then Jesse called Abinadab // and made him pass before Samuel // and he said, neither hath the Lord chosen this

Then Jesse called Abinadab,.... His second son, 1Sa 17:13.

and made him pass before Samuel: that he might take a full view of him:

and he said, neither hath the Lord chosen this; which he knew by a private suggestion from him.

Gill: 1Sa 16:9 - Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by // and he said, neither hath the Lord chosen this

Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by,.... His third son, 1Sa 17:13, sometimes called Shimma, and Shimeah, 1Ch 2:13.

and he said, neither hath the Lord chosen this; which he knew in the same way as before.

Gill: 1Sa 16:10 - Again Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel // and Samuel said unto Jesse, the Lord hath not chosen these

Again Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel,.... Not seven more, for he had but eight sons in all with David, 1Sa 17:12 but four more, which with the other three made seven; three of these four are mentioned by name, Nathanael, Raddai, and Ozem, 1Ch 2:14, but the fourth we nowhere read of; perhaps he died quickly after this, was an obscure person, and of no fame and note, or might be by another woman:

and Samuel said unto Jesse, the Lord hath not chosen these; not anyone of them.

Gill: 1Sa 16:11 - And Samuel said unto Jesse, are here all thy children // and he said, there remaineth yet the youngest // and, behold, he keepeth the sheep // and Samuel said unto Jesse, send and fetch him // for we will not sit down till he come hither

And Samuel said unto Jesse, are here all thy children?.... For neither of these being the person God would have anointed king, and yet it was one of Jesse's sons that was to be anointed, he concluded he must have more, at least one more, and therefore puts this question to him:

and he said, there remaineth yet the youngest; or, "the little one" ^c; not of a little diminutive stature, for he was a mighty man, a man of strength, courage, and valour, 1Sa 16:18 or of a puerile age, for the Jews say ^d he was now twenty nine years of age; but that is not likely, he hardly exceeded more than twenty, or was so much; thereabout he might be; but he is so called because he was the youngest son, as we render it:

and, behold, he keepeth the sheep: and from following them, he was taken and anointed king; see Psa 78:70. Some of the greatest of men have been taken from rustic employment, as Moses, Gideon, Saul, and others:

and Samuel said unto Jesse, send and fetch him; out of the field by a messenger:

for we will not sit down till he come hither; that is, at table, to eat of that part of the peace offerings which belonged to the offerer Samuel, and which he had invited Jesse and his sons to partake of.

Gill: 1Sa 16:12 - And he sent and brought him in // now he was ruddy // and withal of a beautiful countenance // and goodly to look to // and the Lord said, arise, anoint him, for this is he

And he sent and brought him in,.... Sent messengers into the field and to the flock for him, and being come home Jesse introduced him into the room where Samuel was:

now he was ruddy; which some understand not of the ruddiness of his complexion, or of his cheeks, but of the redness of his hair; the former seems best:

and withal of a beautiful countenance; of comely features: or "beautiful eyes" ^e; bright, clear, and sparkling; eyes that are black or blue are reckoned beautiful:

and goodly to look to; of a pleasant countenance, delightful to behold; he carried sweetness as well as majesty in his face; in this he was a type of Christ, Son 5:10. A beautiful aspect, as well as shape and height, recommended persons for government, as with the Ethiopians, as Aristotle ^f relates; so Agamemnon is represented by Priamus ^g for his personable appearance, as like a king, and fit to be one:

and the Lord said, arise, anoint him, for this is he; that he had spoken to him of, and who it was his pleasure should be anointed king; and therefore, by a secret strong impulse upon his mind, was put upon doing it immediately, without any hesitation or delay.

Gill: 1Sa 16:13 - Then Samuel took the horn of oil // and anointed him in the midst of his brethren // and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward // so Samuel rose up and went to Ramah

Then Samuel took the horn of oil,.... Out of his pocket, which he brought along with him by the direction of God:

and anointed him in the midst of his brethren; not in the presence of them, they sitting around, or standing by and seeing the ceremony performed; which is not consistent with the secrecy with which Samuel was directed to manage this affair, and which was necessary to observe, to keep it from the knowledge of Saul; and with Eliab's treatment of David afterwards, who would never have addressed him in the manner he did, had he known that he was anointed king, 1Sa 17:28 but the sense is, according to Kimchi and Abarbinel, that he was selected out of them, and separated from them, and privately anointed by Samuel, and at most only his father Jesse present; wherefore some observe, that the words may be rendered, "anointed him from the midst of his brethren" ^h; that is, he took him apart from them, and anointed him:

and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward; not as a spirit of grace and holiness, which probably had come upon him before this time; but a spirit of prophecy, as did on Saul after his unction; and which particularly showed itself in music and poetry, in which he immediately became very eminent, and he was taken notice of for it, and which was the means of bringing him into Saul's court; and a spirit of wisdom and prudence, in civil as well as in sacred things; and a spirit of fortitude, as the Targum, of strength of body, and courage and valour of mind; whereby he was enabled to encounter with the lion and bear, and get the mastery of them; which, with all other gifts of the spirit fitting him for government, he was now endowed with, and which continued with him:

so Samuel rose up and went to Ramah his native place, and where he resided; that is, after the festival of the peace offerings, to which Jesse and his sons were invited; for the anointing seems to be before that.

Gill: 1Sa 16:14 - But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul // and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him

But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul,.... As a spirit of prophecy as at first, as a spirit of wisdom and prudence in civil government, and as a spirit of fortitude and courage, as the Targum:

and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him; the reverse of the former, which by the permission of God, and as a punishment to him for his sins, came upon him; he seemed to be a demoniac, as Josephus represents ⁱ him, as if possessed with the devil; by whom he was almost suffocated and strangled, as well as was distracted in his counsels, and became weak and foolish; lost all courage and greatness of mind, was timorous and fearful, and alarmed by everything, and was full of envy, suspicion, rage, and despair.

Gill: 1Sa 16:15 - And Saul's servants said unto him // behold, now an evil spirit from God troubleth thee

And Saul's servants said unto him,.... His courtiers, who observing him to act in a frantic manner, to be dull and melancholy, timorous, and irresolute, unsteady, divided, and distressed; or his physicians, who were called in to assist him, and remove his disorder from him:

behold, now an evil spirit from God troubleth thee: the disorder was not from any natural cause, or any bodily disease, and therefore out of the reach of physicians to do any service, but was from an evil spirit suffered of God to harass and disturb him.

Gill: 1Sa 16:16 - Let our Lord now command thy servants which are before thee // to seek out a man who is a cunning player on the harp // and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee // that he shall play with his hand // and thou shalt be well

Let our Lord now command thy servants which are before thee,.... Meaning either themselves, or some of a more inferior rank, who were in some post and office at court, waiters there, such as yeomen of the guards:

to seek out a man who is a cunning player on the harp: a musical instrument much in use in those days:

and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee; when in a melancholy mood, and Satan takes the advantage of it to distress and terrify, to spread the gloom, and stir up evil passions, and promote distraction and confusion:

that he shall play with his hand: upon the harp, that being not an instrument of wind, but of hand music:

and thou shalt be well: music being a means of cheering the spirits, and removing melancholy and gloomy apprehensions of things, and so of restoring to better health of body and disposition of mind; and that music has such an effect on the bodies and minds of men is certain from observation and experience in all ages. Music has been found to be medicine to various diseases, not only for the curing of the bite of vipers, and of the tarantula, but for easing the pains of the sciatica, and for helping persons labouring under the disorders of the frenzy ^k; and Pythagoras used to compose the mind, and remove the perturbations of it, by the use of the harp ^l, the thing here advised to.

Gill: 1Sa 16:17 - And Saul said unto his servants // provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me; for being

And Saul said unto his servants,.... Approving of, and pleased with the advice they gave:

provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me; for being a sovereign prince, he could command whom he would to attend to his person and service.

Gill: 1Sa 16:18 - Then answered one of the servants // and said, behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite // that is cunning in playing // and a mighty valiant man // and a man of war // and prudent in matters // and the Lord is with him

Then answered one of the servants,.... Which the Jews say ^m was Doeg the Edomite, who out of envy and ill will to David spake of him, that Saul might have an opportunity of slaying him; but this is not at all likely; rather it was one of David's friends and acquaintance, that was desirous of promoting him at court, and no doubt was directed to that motion by the overruling providence of God:

and said, behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite; he does not mention the name of his son, but so describes him, that he might be easily known by those who knew anything of the family of Jesse; besides it was sufficient that he was one of Jesse's sons, to find him out:

that is cunning in playing; that is, on the harp; has good skill in music, and is expert in it:

and a mighty valiant man; as appeared by his encountering with and slaying the lion and the bear; an event now past, as very probable:

and a man of war some think this character of him was given after the affair of his fighting with Goliath and killing him, but here put by a prolepsis or anticipation; and indeed if David had been taken into Saul's court before that affair, it is difficult to account for Saul's ignorance of him, since he must be so near him, and so often with him, as his musician and armourbearer; though that difficulty may be removed, as may be observed in its proper place:

and prudent in matters; in his talk and conversation, and conduct and behaviour; knew how to carry himself, even in a prince's court: and a comely person; which always recommended to the courts of the eastern nations; See Gill on Dan 1:4.

and the Lord is with him; prospering and succeeding him in whatsoever he is engaged; and seeing the Lord was with him, it might be expected the evil spirit would depart from Saul, when this person, with whom the Lord was, was in his presence. The Targum is,"the Word of the Lord is for his help;''all that is said of him showed that he was fit to be in the palace of a king, and a proper person to be with Saul in his present circumstances.

Gill: 1Sa 16:19 - Wherefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse // and said, send me David, thy son, which is with the sheep

Wherefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse,.... For David; not choosing to take him without his leave, though Samuel suggests that kings would do so, 1Sa 8:11.

and said, send me David, thy son, which is with the sheep; he had learnt his name, and what was his employment; and which last he mentions not by way of contempt, it not being reckoned mean and despicable even in the sons of great personages, in those times and countries, to attend flocks and herds: so with the Arabs, as Philo ⁿ testifies, young men and maids of the most illustrious families fed cattle; and with the ancient Romans, the senator ^o fed his own sheep. Paris, son of Priamus, king of Troy, is said ^p to feed his father's oxen and sheep; and Saul himself had done the same; but to describe him particularly.

Gill: 1Sa 16:20 - And Jesse took an ass laden with bread // and a kid // and sent them by David his son unto Saul

And Jesse took an ass laden with bread,.... Laden with a load of bread, as the Targum; with as much as it could carry, or was used to carry; the Septuagint version is, an omer of bread, which was as much as a man could eat in one day; and, according to Kimchi and Ben Melech, it may be interpreted an heap of bread, agreeably to the use of the word in Jdg 15:16, and a bottle of wine; or a skin of wine, a leather bag or sack, which held more than our bottles; the Targum is, a flagon of wine:

and a kid; of the goats, as the same Targum:

and sent them by David his son unto Saul; some think that Jesse suspected that Saul had known the secret of David's being anointed, and was fearful that he had a design upon his life, and therefore sent this present by his son to pacify him, and ingratiate him unto him; but rather he sent it as a token of respect and subjection to his sovereign, and according to the custom of those times, when men used to carry presents when they waited upon princes, and indeed in their common visits; and do in the eastern countries to this day; See Gill on 1Sa 9:7.

Gill: 1Sa 16:21 - And David came to Saul, and stood before him // and he loved him greatly // and he became his armourbearer

And David came to Saul, and stood before him,.... As a servant, and ministered to him in the way, and for the purpose for which he was sent:

and he loved him greatly; being a comely person, and a well behaved youth, and especially as he was serviceable to him with his music, in driving away melancholy from him:

and he became his armourbearer; that is, he appointed him to this office, though we never read that he exercised it; nor did he go with Saul in this capacity to the battle related in the following chapter: it may be literally rendered: "and he was to him a bearer of vessels", or "instruments" ^q; and Abarbinel thinks this is to be understood not of instruments of war, but of instruments of music to play with; which he brought in and bare before him when he went in to the king.

Gill: 1Sa 16:22 - And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, let David, I pray thee, stand before me // for he hath found favour in my sight

And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, let David, I pray thee, stand before me,.... Continue in his service; which was great condescension in him, and great respect shown to Jesse, not to detain his son without his leave, and to ask it as a favour of him:

for he hath found favour in my sight: was very acceptable to him which must be very pleasing to Jesse to hear; especially if he was in any fear that Saul had an ill design upon him, when he first sent for him.

Gill: 1Sa 16:23 - And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul // that David took an harp, and played with his hands // so Saul was refreshed, and was well // and the evil spirit departed from him

And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul,.... See 1Sa 16:14 though the word evil is not in the text here; wherefore Abarbinel thinks that this here was the Spirit of God, which stirred up in him thoughts of divine things, put him in mind of what God had said, that he had rejected him from being king, and had rent the kingdom from him; and this filled him with grief and trouble, and he became melancholy:

that David took an harp, and played with his hands; upon it; and, as Josephus ^r says, at the same time sung hymns and psalms; made use both of vocal and instrumental music:

so Saul was refreshed, and was well; became cheerful, his grief was removed, his black and gloomy apprehensions of things were dispersed, and he was cured of his melancholy disorder for the present:

and the evil spirit departed from him: at least for a while; he had his fits and intervals; of the effects of music in a natural way; see Gill on 1Sa 16:16, though no doubt the music of David was more than natural, being attended with the power and blessing of God, in order to raise his fame and credit at court.

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Ayat / Catatan Kaki

NET Notes: 1Sa 16:1

¹ tc The Lucianic recension of the Old Greek translation includes the following words: “And the Lord said to Samuel.”

² map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

³ tn Heb “for I have seen among his sons for me a king.”

NET Notes: 1Sa 16:2

¹ tn Heb “in your hand.”

NET Notes: 1Sa 16:3

¹ tn Heb “say”; KJV, NRSV “name”; NIV “indicate.”

NET Notes: 1Sa 16:4

¹ tn Heb “said.”

² map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

³ tc In the MT the verb is singular (“he said”), but the translation follows many medieval Hebrew mss and ancient versions in reading the plural (“they said”).

NET Notes: 1Sa 16:6

¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Samuel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Heb “saw.”

³ tn Heb “said”; the words “to himself” are implied, given the secrecy surrounding Samuel’s mission to Bethlehem (v. 2).

⁴ tn Heb “his anointed one.”

NET Notes: 1Sa 16:7

¹ tn Heb “don’t look toward.”

² tn Heb “for not that which the man sees.” The translation follows the LXX, which reads, “for not as man sees does God see.” The MT has suffered from homoioteleuton or homoioarcton. See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 274.

³ tn Heb “to the eyes.”

NET Notes: 1Sa 16:8

¹ tn Heb “and caused him to pass before.”

² tn Heb “he” (also in v. 9); the referent (Samuel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

NET Notes: 1Sa 16:9

¹ tn Heb “caused to pass by.”

NET Notes: 1Sa 16:10

¹ tn Heb “caused seven of his sons to pass before Samuel.” This could be taken as referring to seven sons in addition to the three mentioned before this, but 1 Sam 17:12 says Jesse had eight sons, not eleven. 1 Chr 2:13-15 lists only seven sons, including David. However, 1 Chr 27:18 mentions an additional son, named Elihu.

NET Notes: 1Sa 16:11

¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jesse) has been specified in the translation both here and in v. 12 for clarity.

NET Notes: 1Sa 16:12

¹ tn Heb “and he sent and brought him.”

NET Notes: 1Sa 16:14

¹ tn Or “an injurious spirit”; cf. NLT “a tormenting spirit.” The phrase need not refer to an evil, demonic spirit. The Hebrew word translated “evil” may refer to the character of the spirit or to its effect upon Saul. If the latter, another translation option might be “a mischief-making spirit.”

NET Notes: 1Sa 16:16

¹ tn Heb “and he will play with his hand.”

² tn Heb “and it will be better for you.”

NET Notes: 1Sa 16:17

¹ tn Heb “see.”

NET Notes: 1Sa 16:18

¹ tn Heb “answered and said.”

² map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

³ tn Heb “mighty man of valor and a man of war.”

⁴ tn Heb “discerning of word.”

⁵ tn Heb “a man of form.”

NET Notes: 1Sa 16:20

¹ tn Heb “a kid of the goats.”

² tn Heb “by the hand of.”

NET Notes: 1Sa 16:21

¹ tn Heb “he loved him.”

NET Notes: 1Sa 16:22

¹ tn Heb “Let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my eyes.”

NET Notes: 1Sa 16:23

¹ tn Heb “would turn aside from upon him.”

Geneva Bible: 1Sa 16:1

And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, ^{( a )} 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.

^{( a )} Signifying that we should not show ourselves more pitiful than God, nor to lament those whom he casts out.

Geneva Bible: 1Sa 16:2

And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear [it], he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come ^{( b )} to sacrifice to the LORD.

^{( b )} That is, to make a peace offering, which may be done even though the ark was not there.

Geneva Bible: 1Sa 16:4

And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town ^{( c )} trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?

^{( c )} Afraid, lest some grievous crime had been committed, because the prophet was not wont to come there.

Geneva Bible: 1Sa 16:6

And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD'S ^{( d )} anointed [is] before him.

^{( d )} Thinking that Eliab had been appointed by God to be made king.

Geneva Bible: 1Sa 16:14

But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an ^{( e )} evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.

^{( e )} The wicked spirits are at God's commandment to execute his will against the wicked.

Geneva Bible: 1Sa 16:18

Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a ^{( f )} son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, [that is] cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD [is] with him.

^{( f )} Though David was now anointed king by the prophet, yet God would strengthen and test him in various ways before he had the use of his kingdom.

Geneva Bible: 1Sa 16:23

And it came to pass, when the [evil] spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was ^{( g )} refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

^{( g )} God would have Saul receive this benefit from David's hand, that his condemnation might be even more evident, for his cruel hate toward him.

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Rentang Ayat

Maclaren: 1Sa 16:1-13 - The Shepherd-King

1 Samuel 16:1-13

The chief purpose in these verses is to bring out that the choice of David was purely God's. The most consummate art could have taken no better way of heightening the effect of his first appearance than that adopted in this perfectly unartificial story, which leads us up a long avenue to where the shepherd-boy stands. First, we have Samuel, with his regrets and objections; then Jesse with his seven stalwart sons; and at last, when expectation has been heightened by delay and by the minute previous details, the future king is disclosed,--a stripling with his ruddy locks glistening with the anointing oil, and his lovely eyes. We shall best catch the spirit by simply following the letter of the story.

I. We Have Samuel And His Errand To Bethlehem.

After that sad day at Gilgal, he and Saul met no more, though their homes were but a few miles apart, and it must have been difficult to avoid each other. Samuel yearned over the man whom he had learned to love, and it must have been pain to him to see the shattering of the vessel which he had formed. However natural his mourning, and however indicative of his sweet nature, it was wrong, because it showed that he had not yet reconciled himself to God's purpose, though his conduct obeyed. The mourning which submits while it weeps, and which interferes with no duty. is never rebuked by God. He never says, How long dost thou mourn?' unless sorrow has deepened into accusation of His providence, or tears have blinded us to the duty that ensues. But the true cure for overmuch sorrow is work, and, for vain regrets after vanished good, the welcome to the new good which God ever sends to fill the empty place. His resources are not exhausted because one man has failed. There are as good fish in the sea as ever came out of it.' Saul has been rejected, but a king shall be found; and Samuel is to dry his tears and anoint him. He evidently had no thought of a successor to Saul till this command came; and when it comes, how little it tells him! He gets light enough for the next step, but no more. That is always God's way. Duty opens by degrees, and the way to see farther ahead is to go as far as we see.

Samuel's sorrow and the incomplete command show plainly that he was but an instrument. At every step the view is confuted which makes him a far-seeing statesman who inaugurated and carried through a peaceful revolution. The history, which is our only source, tells another story, and makes God the actor, and the prophet only a tool in His hands. If we cut the supernatural out of the story, the fragments do not hang together, and no reason is forthcoming why they should be any more true than are the rejected pieces. Samuel does not show to advantage in either of the two things mentioned about him here. In neither was he true to his early vow, Speak, for Thy servant heareth.' But there was much reason for his fear, if once God was left out of the account; for Saul's ever-wakeful suspicion had become a disease, and it was not wonderful that he should be on the watch for any act which looked like putting the sentence of deposition into effect. If ever a man lived with a sword hanging by a hair over him, it was this unhappy king, who knew that he was dethroned, and did not know when or by whom the divine rejection would be made visible to all men. But Samuel had faced worse dangers without a murmur; and no doubt his alarm now, which makes him venture all but flatly to refuse to obey, indicates that, to some extent, he had lost his hold of God by his indulgence in his sorrow. If he had been true to his high calling, he would have filled his horn,' and gone on God's errand, careless of a hundred Saul's or a hundred deaths. But it is easy for us, who have never periled anything for obedience, to sit in judgment on him. Wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself.' God judges him mercifully, and provides a shelter for his weakness, which he should not have needed. To hide his true errand behind the cloak of the sacrifice was second-best, and only permitted in consideration of his fear which had a touch of sin in it. He was not, at the moment, up to treading the heroic plain path; and God opened an easier one for him. It is sometimes allowable to use an avowed purpose to conceal the real one, but it is a permission which should be very sparingly used.

II. We Have Samuel At Bethlehem, With Jesse And His Sons.

An old man is suddenly seen coming up the hill to the gate of the little city on foot, driving or leading a heifer, and carrying a horn in his hand. In such humble fashion did the prophet travel; but reverential awe met him, and his long years of noble service surrounded him as with a halo. Apparently, Bethlehem had not been included in his usual circuits, and the village elders were somewhat scared by his sudden appearance. Their question may give a glimpse into the severity which Samuel sometimes had to show, and is a strange testimony to the reality of his power: Comest thou peaceably?' One old man was no very formidable assailant of a village, even if he did not come with friendly intent; but, if he is recognized as God's messenger, his words are sharper than any two-edged sword,' and his unarmed hand bears weapons mighty to pull down strongholds.' Why should the elders have thought that he came with a rod ? Because they knew that they and their fellow-villagers deserved it. If men were not dimly conscious of sin, they would not be afraid of God's messenger or of God.

The narrative does not tell whether or not the sacrifice preceded the review of Jesse's sons. Probably it did, and the interval between it and the feast was occupied in the interview It is evident that Samuel kept the reason of his wish to see Jesse's sons to himself; for disclosure would have brought about the danger which he was so anxious to avoid. It appears, too, from verse 13, that only the family of Jesse were present. So we have to fancy the wondering little cluster of burly husbandmen with their father surrounding the prophet, and, one by one, bracing themselves to meet his searching gaze. Again the choice is emphatically represented as God's, by the mention of Samuel's hasty conclusion, from the look of the eldest, that he was the man. Had not Samuel had enough of kings of towering stature? Strange that he should have been in such a hurry to fix on a second edition of Saul! The most obedient waiters on God sometimes outrun His intimations, and they always go wrong when they do. Samuel has to learn two lessons, as he is bidden to repress the too quick thought: one, that he is not choosing, but only registering God's choice; and one, that the qualifications for God's king are inward, not bodily. In these old days, the world's monarchs had to be men of thews and sinews, for power rested on mere brute force; but God's chosen had to rule, not by the strength of his own arm, but by leaning on God's. The genius of the kingdom determined the principle of selection of its king. Samuel does not again attempt to forecast the choice; but he lets the other six pass, and, hearing no inward voice from God, tells Jesse, as it would seem, that the Lord has not chosen them for whatsoever mysterious purpose was in His mind.

III. We Have The Lord's Chosen.

Samuel was staggered by the apparent failure of his errand. God had told him that he had provided a king from this family, and now they had passed in review before him, and none was chosen. Again he is made to feel his own impotence, and his question, Are here all thy children?' has a touch of bewilderment in it. God seldom shows us His choice at first; and both in thought and practice we get at the precious and the true by a process of exclusion, having often to reject seven' before we find in some all-but-forgotten eighth' that which we seek. David's insignificance in Jesse's eyes was such that his father would never have remembered his existence but for the question, and his answer is a kind of assurance to the prophet that he need not take the trouble to see the boy, for he will never do for whatever he may have in view. His youth and occupation put him out of the question. We know, from the other parts of his story, that his brothers had no love for him; nor does his father seem to have had much. Probably the lad had the usual lot of genius,--to grow up among uncongenial, commonplace people, understanding him little, and liking him less. It is a hard school; but where it does not sour, it makes strong men. His solitary shepherd life taught him many precious lessons, and, at any rate, gave him the priceless gift of solitude, which is the nurse of poetry, heroism, and religion. The glorious night-piece in Psalm viii., and its companion day-piece in Psalm 19., may bear the impress of the shepherd life; which is idealized and sanctified for ever in the immortal sweetness of Psalm 23. There were many worse schools for the future king than a solitary shepherd's life on the bare hills round Bethlehem.

The delay of the feast and the pause of idle waiting heighten the expectation with which we look for David's coming. When he does come, what a bright young figure is lovingly painted for us! He is ruddy, and withal fair of eyes, and goodly to look upon,'--of fair complexion, with golden hair (rare among these swarthy Orientals), and with lustrous poet's eyes. What a contrast to Saul's grim face and figure,--like a sunbeam streaming athwart a thunder-cloud seamed with its own lightning! Silently the divine voice spoke, and silently, as it would seem, Samuel poured the oil on the boy's bowed curls. No word of the purpose escaped his lips, and the awestruck youth was left to wonder for what high destiny he was chosen. One can fancy the looks of his brothers as they bitterly watched the anointing with hearts full of envy, contempt, and rage. 1 Samuel 17:28 shows what they felt to David.

What was the use of this enigmatical anointing for an undisclosed purpose? It is Samuel's last act, and his last appearance, except for the mention of David's flight to him from the court of Saul, and that weird scene of Saul prophesying and lying naked before Samuel and David for a day and a night. It was therefore the solemn final act of the prophet,-transferring the monarchy; but it was for David the beginning of his training for the throne, in two ways, The Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.' There was an actual communication of divine gifts fitting him for his unknown office, and he was conscious of a new spirit stirring in him. Beside this, the consciousness of a call to unknown tasks would mature him fast, and bring graver thoughts, humbler sense of weakness, and clinging trust in God who had laid the burden on him; and the necessity for repressing his dreams of the future, in order to do his obscure present duties, would add patience and self-control to his youthful ardor. What a whirl of thoughts he carried back to his flock, and how welcome would the solitude be!

The great lesson here is the one so continually reiterated in Scripture, from Isaac downwards, that God chooses the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty,' and thereby magnifies both the sovereign freedom of His choice and the power of His Spirit, which takes the stripling from the sheepcotes and qualifies him to be the antagonist of the grim Saul, and the king of Israel. There are subsidiary lessons, especially for young and ardent souls confined for the present to lowly tasks, and feeling some call to something higher in a dim future. Patience, the faithful doing of to-day's trivial tasks, the habit of self-repression, the quiet trust in God who opens the way in due time,--these, and such like, were the signs that David was called to a throne, and that God's Spirit was preparing him for it. They are the virtues which will best prepare us for whatever the future may have in store for us, and will be in themselves abundant reward, whether they draw after them a high position, which is a heavy burden, or, more happily, leave us in our sheltered obscurity.

MHCC: 1Sa 16:1-5

It appears that Saul was grown very wicked. Of what would he not be guilty, who durst think to kill Samuel? The elders of Bethlehem trembled at Samuel's coming. It becomes us to stand in awe of God's messengers, and to tremble at his word. His answer was, I come peaceably, for I come to sacrifice. When our Lord Jesus came into the world, though men had reason to fear that his errand was to condemn the world, yet he gave full assurance that he came peaceably, for he came to sacrifice, and he brought his offering with him; A body hast thou prepared me. Let us sanctify ourselves, and depend upon His sacrifice.

MHCC: 1Sa 16:6-13

It was strange that Samuel, who had been so disappointed in Saul, whose countenance and stature recommended him, should judge of another man by that rule. We can tell how men look, but God can tell what they are. He judges of men by the heart. We often form a mistaken judgment of characters; but the Lord values only the faith, fear, and love, which are planted in the heart, beyond human discernment. And God does not favour our children according to our fond partiality, but often most honours and blesses those who have been least regarded. David at length was pitched upon. He was the youngest of the sons of Jesse; his name signifies Beloved; he was a type of God's beloved Son. It should seem, David was least set by of all the sons of Jesse. But the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. His anointing was not an empty ceremony, a Divine power went with that instituted sign; he found himself advanced in wisdom and courage, with all the qualifications of a prince, though not advanced in his outward circumstances. This would satisfy him that his election was of God. The best evidence of our being predestinated to the kingdom of glory, is, our being sealed with the Spirit of promise, and experience of a work of grace in our hearts.

MHCC: 1Sa 16:14-23

Saul is made a terror to himself. The Spirit of the Lord departed from him. If God and his grace do not rule us, sin and Satan will have possession of us. The devil, by the Divine permission, troubled and terrified Saul, by the corrupt humours of his body, and passions of his mind. He grew fretful, peevish, and discontented, and at times a madman. It is a pity that music, which may be serviceable to the good temper of the mind, should ever be abused, to support vanity and luxury, and made an occasion of drawing the heart from God and serious things. That is driving away the good Spirit, not the evil spirit. Music, diversions, company, or business, have for a time often been employed to quiet the wounded conscience; but nothing can effect a real cure but the blood of Christ, applied in faith, and the sanctifying Spirit sealing the pardon, by his holy comforts. All other plans to dispel religious melancholy are sure to add to distress, either in this world or the next.

Matthew Henry: 1Sa 16:1-5

Samuel had retired to his own house in Ramah, with a resolution not to appear any more in public business, but to addict himself wholly to the instructing and training up of the sons of the prophets, over whom he presided, as we find, 1Sa 19:20. He promised himself more satisfaction in young prophets than in young princes; and we do not find that, to his dying day, God called him out to any public action relating to the state, but only here to anoint David.

I. God reproves him for continuing so long to mourn for the rejection of Saul. He does not blame him for mourning on that occasion, but for exceeding in his sorrow: How long wilt thou mourn for Saul? 1Sa 16:1. We do not find here that he mourned at all for the setting aside of his own family and the deposing of his own sons; but for the rejecting of Saul and his seed he mourns without measure, for the former was done by the people's foolish discontent, this by the righteous wrath of God. Yet he must find time to recover himself, and not go mourning to his grave, 1. Because God has rejected him, and he ought to acquiesce in the divine justice, and forget his affection to Saul; if God will be glorified in his ruin, Samuel ought to be satisfied. Besides, to what purpose should he weep? The decree has gone forth, and all his prayers and tears cannot prevail for the reversing of it, 2Sa 12:22, 2Sa 12:23. 2. Because Israel shall be no loser by it, and Samuel must prefer the public welfare before his own private affection to his friend. "Mourn not for Saul, for I have provided me a king. The people provided themselves a king and he proved bad, now I will provide myself one, a man after my own heart. "See Psa 89:20; Act 13:22. "If Saul be rejected, yet Israel shall not be as sheep having no shepherd. I have another in store for them; let thy joy of him swallow up thy grief for the rejected prince."

II. He sends him to Bethlehem, to anoint one of the sons of Jesse, a person probably not unknown to Samuel. Fill thy horn with oil. Saul was anointed with a glass vial of oil, scanty and brittle, David with a horn of oil, which was more plentiful and durable; hence we read of a horn of salvation in the house of his servant David, Luk 1:69.

III. Samuel objects the peril of going on this errand (1Sa 16:2): If Saul hear it, he will kill me. By this it appears. 1. That Saul had grown very wicked and outrageous since his rejection, else Samuel would not have mentioned this. What impiety would he not be guilty of who durst kill Samuel? 2. That Samuel's faith was not so strong as one would have expected, else he would not have thus feared the rage of Saul. Would not he that sent him protect him and bear him out? But the best men are not perfect in their faith, nor will fear be wholly cast out any where on this side heaven. But this may be understood as Samuel's desire of direction from heaven how to manage this matter prudently, so as not to expose himself, or any other, more than needed.

IV. God orders him to cover his design with a sacrifice: Say, I have come to sacrifice; and it was true he did, and it was proper that he should, when he came to anoint a king, 1Sa 11:15. As a prophet, he might sacrifice when and where God appointed him; and it was not all inconsistent with the laws of truth to say he came to sacrifice when really he did so, thought he had also a further end, which he thought fit to conceal. Let him give notice of a sacrifice, and invite Jesse (who, it is probable, was the principal man of the city) and his family to come to the feast upon the sacrifice; and, says God, I will show thee what thou shalt do. Those that go about God's work in God's way shall be directed step by step, wherever they are at a loss, to do it in the best manner.

V. Samuel went accordingly to Bethlehem, not in pomp, or with any retinue, only a servant to lead the heifer which he was to sacrifice; yet the elders of Bethlehem trembled at his coming, fearing it was an indication of God's displeasure against them and that he came to denounce some judgment for the iniquities of the place. Guilt causes fear. Yet indeed it becomes us to stand in awe of God's messengers, and to tremble at his word. Or they feared it might be an occasion of Saul's displeasure against them, for probably they knew how much he was exasperated at Samuel, and feared he would pick a quarrel with them for entertaining him. They asked him, " Comest thou peaceably? Art thou in peace thyself, and not flying from Saul? Art thou at peace with us, and not come with any message of wrath?"We should all covet earnestly to stand upon good terms with God's prophets, and dread having the word of God, or their prayers, against us. When the Son of David was born king of the Jews all Jerusalem was troubled, Mat 2:3. Samuel kept at home, and it was a strange thing to see him so far from his own house: they therefore concluded it must needs be some extraordinary occasion that brought him, and feared the worst till he satisfied them (1Sa 16:5): " I come peaceably, for I come to sacrifice, not with a message of wrath against you, but with the methods of peace and reconciliation; and therefore you may bid me welcome and need not fear my coming; therefore sanctify yourselves, and prepare to join with me in the sacrifice, that you may have the benefit of it."Note, Before solemn ordinances there must be a solemn protestation. When we are to offer spiritual sacrifices it concerns us, by sequestering ourselves from the world and renewing the dedication of ourselves to God, to sanctify ourselves. When our Lord Jesus came into the world, though men had reason enough to tremble, fearing that his errand was to condemn the world, yet he gave full assurance that he came peaceably, for he came to sacrifice, and he brought his offering along with him: A body hast thou prepared me. Let us sanctify ourselves, that we may have an interest in his sacrifice. Note, Those that come to sacrifice should come peaceably; religious exercises must not be performed tumultuously.

VI. He had a particular regard to Jesse and his sons, for with them his private business lay, with which, it is likely, he acquainted Jesse at his first coming, and took up his lodging at his house. He spoke to all the elders to sanctify themselves, but he sanctified Jesse and his sons by praying with them and instructing them. Perhaps he had acquaintance with them before, and it appears (1Sa 20:29, where we read of the sacrifices that family had) that it was a devout religious family. Samuel assisted them in their family preparations for the public sacrifice, and, it is probable, chose out David, and anointed him, at the family-solemnities, before the sacrifice was offered or the holy feast solemnized. Perhaps he offered private sacrifices, like Job, according to the number of them all (Job 1:5), and, under colour of that, called for them all to appear before him. When signal blessings are coming into a family they ought to sanctify themselves.

Matthew Henry: 1Sa 16:6-13

If the sons of Jesse were told that God would provide himself a king among them (as he had said, 1Sa 16:1), we may well suppose they all made the best appearance they could, and each hoped he should be the man; but here we are told,

I. How all the elder sons, who stood fairest for the preferment, were passed by.

1. Eliab, the eldest, was privately presented first to Samuel, probably none being present but Jesse only, and Samuel thought he must needs be the man: Surely this is the Lord's anointed, 1Sa 16:6. The prophets themselves, when they spoke from under the divine direction, were as liable to mistake as other men; as Nathan, 2Sa 7:3. But God rectified the prophet's mistake by a secret whisper to his mind: Look not on his countenance, 1Sa 16:7. It was strange that Samuel, who had been so wretchedly disappointed in Saul, whose countenance and stature recommended him as much as any man's could, should be so forward to judge of a man by that rule. When God would please the people with a king he chose a comely man; but, when he would have one after his own heart, he should not be chosen by the outside. Men judge by the sight of the eyes, but God does not, Isa 11:3. The Lord looks on the heart, that is, (1.) He knows it. We can tell how men look, but he can tell what they are. Man looks on the eyes (so the original word is), and is pleased with the liveliness and sprightliness that appear in them; but God looks on the heart, and sees the thoughts and intents of that. (2.) He judges of men by it. The good disposition of the heart, the holiness or goodness of that, recommends us to God, and is in his sight of great price (1Pe 3:4), not the majesty of the look, or the strength and stature of the body. Let us reckon that to be true beauty which is within, and judge of men, as far as we are capable, by their minds, not their mien.

2. When Eliab was set aside, Abinadab and Shammah, and, after them, four more of the sons of Jesse, seven in all, were presented to Samuel, as likely for his purpose; but Samuel, who not attended more carefully than he did at first to the divine direction, rejected them all: The Lord has not chosen these, 1Sa 16:8, 1Sa 16:10. Men dispose of their honours and estates to their sons according to their seniority of age and priority of birth, but God does not. The elder shall serve the younger. Had it been left to Samuel, or Jesse, to make the choice, one of these would certainly have been chosen; but God will magnify his sovereignty in passing by some that were most promising as well as in fastening on others that were less so.

II. How David at length was pitched upon. He was the youngest of all the sons of Jesse; his name signifies beloved, for he was a type of the beloved Son. Observe, 1. How he was in the fields, keeping the sheep (1Sa 16:11), and was left there, though there was a sacrifice and a feast at his father's house. The youngest are commonly the fondlings of the family, but, it should seem, David was least set by of all the sons of Jesse; either they did not discern or did not duly value the excellent spirit he was of. Many a great genius lies buried in obscurity and contempt; and God often exalts those whom men despise and gives abundant honour to that part which lacked. The Son of David was he whom men despised, the stone which the builders refused, and yet he has a name above every name. David was taken from following ewes to feed Jacob (Psa 78:71), as Moses from keeping the flock of Jethro, an instance of his humility and industry, both which God delights to put honour upon. We should think a military life, but God saw a pastoral life (which gives advantage for contemplation and communion with heaven), the best preparative for kingly power, at least for those graces of the Spirit which are necessary to the due discharge of that trust which attends it. David was keeping sheep, though it was a time of sacrifice; for there is mercy that takes precedence of sacrifice. 2. How earnest Samuel was to have him sent for: " We will not sit down to meat"(perhaps it was not the feast upon the sacrifice, but a common meal) " till he come hither; for, if all the rest be rejected, this must be he."He that designed not to sit at table at all is now waited for as the principal guest. If God will exalt those of low degree, who can hinder? 3. What appearance he made when he did come. No notice is taken of his clothing. No doubt that was according to his employment, mean and coarse, as shepherds' coats commonly are, and he did not change his clothes as Joseph did (Gen 41:14), but he had a very honest look, not stately, as Saul's, but sweet and lovely: He was ruddy, of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to (1Sa 16:12), that is, he had a clear complexion, a good eye, and a lovely face; the features were extraordinary, and there was something in his looks that was very charming. Though he was so far from using any art to help his beauty that his employment exposed it to the sun and wind, yet nature kept its own, and, by the sweetness of his aspect, gave manifest indications of an amiable temper and disposition of mind. Perhaps his modest blush, when he was brought before Samuel, and received by him with surprising respect, made him look much the handsomer. 4. The anointing of him. The Lord told Samuel in his ear (as he had done, 1Sa 9:15) that this was he whom he must anoint, 1Sa 16:12. Samuel objects not the meanness of his education, his youth, or the little respect he had in his own family, but, in obedience to the divine command, took his horn of oil and anointed him (1Sa 16:13), signifying thereby, (1.) A divine designation to the government, after the death of Saul, of which hereby he gave him a full assurance. Not that he was at present invested with the royal power, but it was entailed upon him, to come to him in due time. (2.) A divine communication of gifts and graces, to fit him for the government, and make him a type of him who was to be the Messiah, the anointed One, who received the Spirit, not by measure, but without measure. He is said to be anointed in the midst of his brethren, who yet, possibly, did not understand it as a designation to the government, and therefore did not envy David (as Joseph's brethren did him), because they saw no further marks of dignity put upon him, no, not so much as a coat of divers colours. But bishop Patrick reads it, He anointed him from the midst of his brethren, that is, he singled him out from the rest, and privately anointed him, but with a charge to keep his own counsel, and not to let his own brethren know it, as by what we find (1Sa 17:28), it should seem, Eliab did not. It is computed that David now was about twenty years old; if so, his troubles by Saul lasted ten years, for he was thirty years old when Saul died. Dr. Lightfoot reckons that he was about twenty-five, and that his troubles lasted but five years. 5. The happy effects of this anointing: The Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward, 1Sa 16:13. The anointing of him was not an empty ceremony, but a divine power went along with that instituted sign, and he found himself inwardly advanced in wisdom, and courage, and concern for the public, with all the qualifications of a prince, though not at all advanced in his outward circumstances. This would abundantly satisfy him that his election was of God. The best evidence of our being predestinated to the kingdom of glory is our being sealed with the Spirit of promise, and our experience of a work of grace in our own hearts. Some think that his courage, by which he slew the lion and the bear, and his extraordinary skill in music, were the effects and evidences of the Spirit's coming upon him. However, this made him the sweet psalmist of Israel, 2Sa 23:1. Samuel, having done this, went to Ramah in safety, and we never read of him again but once (1Sa 19:18), till we read of his death; now he retired to die in peace, since his eyes had seen the salvation, even the sceptre brought into the tribe of Judah.

Matthew Henry: 1Sa 16:14-23

We have here Saul falling and David rising.

I. Here is Saul made a terror to himself (1Sa 16:14): The Spirit of the Lord departed from him. He having forsaken God and his duty, God, in a way of righteous judgment, withdrew from him those assistances of the good Spirit with which he was directed, animated, and encouraged in his government and wars. He lost all his good qualities. This was the effect of his rejecting God, and an evidence of his being rejected by him. Now God took his mercy from Saul (as it is expressed, 2Sa 7:15); for, when the Spirit of the Lord departs from us, all good goes. When men grieve and quench the Spirit, by wilful sin, he departs, and will not always strive. The consequence of this was that an evil spirit from God troubled him. Those that drive the good Spirit away from the do of course become prey to the evil spirit. If God and his grace do not rule us, sin and Satan will have possession of us. The devil, by the divine permission, troubled and terrified Saul, by means of the corrupt humours of his body and passions of his mind. He grew fretful, and peevish, and discontented, timorous and suspicious, ever and anon starting and trembling; he was sometimes, says Josephus, as if he had been choked or strangled, and a perfect demoniac by fits. This made him unfit for business, precipitate in his counsels, the contempt of his enemies, and a burden to all about him.

II. Here is David made a physician to Saul, and by this means brought to court, a physician that helped him against the worst of diseases, when none else could. David was newly appointed privately to the kingdom. It would be of use to him to go to court and see the world; and here his doing so is brought about for him without any contrivance of his own or his friends. Note, Those whom God designs for any service his providence shall concur with his grace to prepare and qualify for it. Saul is distempered; his servants have the honesty and courage to tell him what his distemper is (1Sa 16:15), an evil spirit, not by chance but from God and his providence, troubleth thee. Now, 1. The means they all advised him to for his relief was music (1Sa 16:16): "Let us have a cunning player on the harp to attend thee."How much better friends had they been to him if they had advised him, since the evil spirit was from the Lord, to give all diligence to make his peace with God by true repentance, to send for Samuel to pray with him and to intercede with God for him! then might he not only have had some present relief, but the good Spirit would have returned to him. But their project is to make him merry, and so cure him. Many whose consciences are convinced and startled are for ever ruined by such methods as these, which drown all care of the soul in the delights of sense. Yet Saul's servants did not amiss to send for music as a help to cheer up the spirits, if they had but withal sent for a prophet to give him good counsel. And (as bishop Hall observes) it was well they did not send for a witch or diviner, by his enchantments to cast out the evil spirit, which has been the abominably wicked practice of some that have worn the Christian name, who consult the devil in their distresses and make hell their refuge. It will be no less than a miracle of divine grace if those who thus agree with Satan ever break off from him again. 2. One of his servants recommended David to him, as a fit person to be employed in the use of these means, little imagining that he was the man whom Samuel meant when he told Saul of a neighbour of his, better than he, who should have the kingdom, 1Sa 15:28. It is a very high character which the servant of Saul's here gives of David (1Sa 16:18), that he was not only fit for his purpose as a comely person and skilful in playing, but a man of courage and conduct, a mighty valiant man, and prudent in all matters, fit to be further preferred, and (which crowned his character) the Lord is with him. By this it appears that though David, after he was anointed, returned to his country business, and there remained on his head no marks of the oil, so careful was he to keep that secret, yet the workings of the Spirit signified by the oil could not be hid, but made him shine in obscurity, so that all his neighbours observed with wonder the great improvements of his mind on a sudden. David, even in his shepherd's garb, has become an oracle, a champion, and every thing that is great. His fame reached the court soon, for Saul was inquisitive after such young men, 1Sa 14:52. When the Spirit of God comes upon a man he will make his face to shine. 3. David is hereupon sent for to court. And it seems, (1.) His father was very willing to part with him, sent him very readily, and a present with him to Saul, 1Sa 16:20. The present was, according to the usage of those times, bread and wine (compare, 1Sa 10:3, 1Sa 10:4), therefore acceptable because expressive of the homage and allegiance of him that sent it. Probably Jesse, who knew what his son David was designed for, was aware that Providence was herein fitting him for it, and therefore he would not force Providence by sending him to court uncalled, yet he followed Providence very cheerfully when he saw it plainly putting him into the way of preferment. Some suggest that when Jesse received that message, Send me David thy son, he began to be afraid that Saul had got some intimation of his being anointed, and sent for him to do him a mischief, and therefore Jesse sent a present to pacify him; but it is probable that the person, whoever he was, that brought the message, gave him an account on what design he was sent for. (2.) Saul became very kind to him (1Sa 16:21), loved him greatly, and designed to make him his armour-bearer, and (contrary to the manner of the king, 1Sa 8:11) asked his father's leave to keep him in his service (1Sa 16:22): Let David, I pray thee, stand before me. And good reason he had to respect him, for he did him a great deal of service with his music, 1Sa 16:23. Only his instrumental music with his harp is mentioned, but it should seem, by the account Josephus gives, that he added vocal music to it, and sung hymns, probably divine hymns, songs of praise, to his harp. David's music was Saul's physic. [1.] Music has a natural tendency to compose and exhilarate the mind, when it is disturbed and saddened. Elisha used it for the calming of his spirits, 2Ki 3:15. On some it has a greater influence and effect than on others, and, probably, Saul was one of those. Not that it charmed the evil spirit, but it made his spirit sedate, and allayed those tumults of the animal spirits by which the devil had advantage against him. The beams of the sun (it is the learned Bochart's comparison) cannot be cut with a sword, quenched with water, or blown out with wind, but, by closing the window-shutters, they may be kept out of the chamber. Music cannot work upon the devil, but it may shut up the passages by which he has access to the mind. [2.] David's music was extraordinary, and in mercy to him, that he might gain a reputation at court, as one that had the Lord with him. God made his performances in music more successful, in this case, than those of others would have been. Saul found, even after he had conceived an enmity to David, that no one else could do him the same service (2Ki 19:9, 2Ki 19:10), which was a great aggravation of his outrage against him. It is a pity that music, which may be so serviceable to the good temper of the mind, should ever be abused by any to the support of vanity and luxury, and made an occasion of drawing the heart away from God and serious things: if this be to any the effect of it, it drives away the good Spirit, not the evil spirit.

Keil-Delitzsch: 1Sa 16:1-13

Anointing of David. - 1Sa 16:1. The words in which God summonedSamuel to proceed to the anointing of another king, " How long wilt thoumourn for Saul, whom I have rejected, that he may not be king overIsrael? "show that the prophet had not yet been able to reconcile himselfto the hidden ways of the Lord; that he was still afraid that the people andkingdom of God would suffer from the rejection of Saul; and that hecontinued to mourn for Saul, not merely from his own personal attachmentto the fallen king, but also, or perhaps still more, from anxiety for thewelfare of Israel. He was now to put an end to this mourning, and to fillhis horn with oil and go to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for the Lord had chosena king from among his sons.

1Sa 16:2-3

But Samuel replied, "How shall I go? If Saul hear it, he will killme." This fear on the part of the prophet, who did not generally showhimself either hesitating or timid, can only be explained, as we may seefrom 1Sa 16:14, on the supposition that Saul was already given up to thepower of the evil spirit, so that the very worst might be dreaded from hismadness, if he discovered that Samuel had anointed another king. Thatthere was some foundation for Samuel's anxiety, we may infer from thefact that the Lord did not blame him for his fear, but pointed out the wayby which he might anoint David without attracting attention (1Sa 16:2, 1Sa 16:3). " Take a young heifer with thee, and say (sc., if any one ask the reason foryour going to Bethlehem), I am come to sacrifice to the Lord ."There wasno untruth in this, for Samuel was really about to conduct a sacrificialfestival and was to invite Jesse's family to it, and then anoint the onewhom Jehovah should point out to him as the chosen one. It was simply aconcealment of the principal object of his mission from any who mightmake inquiry about it, because they themselves had not been invited. "There was no dissimulation or falsehood in this, since God really wishedHis prophet to find safety under the pretext of the sacrifice. A sacrificewas therefore really offered, and the prophet was protected thereby, sothat he was not exposed to any danger until the time of full revelationarrived"(Calvin).

1Sa 16:4

When Samuel arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the city came tomeet him in a state of the greatest anxiety, and asked him whether hiscoming was peace, or promised good. The singular ויּאמר maybe explained on the ground that one of the elders spoke for the rest. Theanxious inquiry of the elders presupposes that even in the time of Saul theprophet Samuel was frequently in the habit of coming unexpectedly to oneplace and another, for the purpose of reproving and punishing wrong-doing and sin.

1Sa 16:5

Samuel quieted them with the reply that he was come to offersacrifice to the Lord, and called upon them to sanctify themselves and takepart in the sacrifice. It is evident from this that the prophet wasaccustomed to turn his visits to account by offering sacrifice, and sobuilding up the people in fellowship with the Lord. The reason whysacrifices were offered at different places was, that since the removal ofthe ark from the tabernacle, this sanctuary had ceased to be the only placeof the nation's worship. התקדּשׁ , to sanctify one's self by washings andlegal purifications, which probably preceded every sacrificial festival (vid.,Exo 19:10, Exo 19:22). The expression, "Come with me to the sacrifice," is constructio praegnans for "Come and take part in the sacrifice."" Call tothe sacrifice "(1Sa 16:3) is to be understood in the same way. זבח isthe slain-offering, which was connected with every sacrificial meal. It isevident from the following words, "and he sanctified Jesse and his sons," that Samuel addressed the general summons to sanctify themselves moreespecially to Jesse and his sons. For it was with them that he was about tocelebrate the sacrificial meal.

1Sa 16:6-7

When they came, sc., to the sacrificial meal, which was nodoubt held in Jesse's house, after the sacrifice had been presented upon analtar, and when Samuel saw the eldest son Eliab, who was tall andhandsome according to 1Sa 16:7, " he thought ( lit . he said, sc., in his heart), Surely His anointed is before Jehovah ,"i.e., surely the man is nowstanding before Jehovah whom He hath chosen to be His anointed. ButJehovah said to him in the spirit, " Look not at his form and the height ofhis stature, for I have rejected him: for not as man seeth (sc., do I see); forman looketh at the eyes, and Jehovah looketh at the heart ."The eyes, ascontrasted with the heart, are figuratively employed to denote the outwardform.

1Sa 16:8-10

When Jesse thereupon brought up his other sons, one afteranother, before Samuel, the prophet said in the case of each, "This alsoJehovah hath not chosen." As Samuel must be the subject to the verb ויּאמר in 1Sa 16:8-10, we may assume that he had communicatedthe object of his coming to Jesse.

1Sa 16:11

After the seventh had been presented, and the Lord had notpointed nay one of them out as the chosen one, " Samuel said to Jesse, Arethese all the boys? "When Jesse replied that there was still the smallest ,i.e., the youngest, left, and he was keeping the sheep, he directed him tofetch him; "for," said he, "we will not sit down till he has come hither," סבב , to surround, sc., the table, upon which the meal wasarranged. This is implied in the context.

1Sa 16:12-13

When David arrived, - and he was ruddy , also of beautiful eyesand good looks ( אדמוני , used to denote the reddish colour ofthe hair, which was regarded as a mark of beauty in southern lands, wherethe hair is generally black. עם is an adverb here = therewith), andtherefore, so far as his looks and figure were concerned, well fitted,notwithstanding his youth, for the office to which the Lord had chosenhim, since corporeal beauty was one of the outward distinctions of a king, - the Lord pointed him out to the prophet as the chosen one; whereupon heanointed him in the midst of his brethren. Along with the anointing theSpirit of Jehovah came upon David from that day forward. But Samuelreturned to Ramah when the sacrificial meal was over. There is nothingrecorded concerning any words of Samuel to David at the time of theanointing and in explanation of its meaning, as in the case of Saul (1Sa 10:1). In all probability Samuel said nothing at the time, since, according to 1Sa 16:2,he had good reason for keeping the matter secret, not only on his ownaccount, but still more for David's sake; so that even the brethren of Davidwho were present knew nothing about the meaning and object of theanointing, but may have imagined that Samuel merely intended toconsecrate David as a pupil of the prophets. At the same time, we canhardly suppose that Samuel left Jesse, and even David, in uncertainty asto the object of his mission, and of the anointing which he had performed. He may have communicated all this to both of them, without letting theother sons know. It by no means follows, that because David remainedwith his father and kept the sheep as before, therefore his calling to be kingmust have been unknown to him; but only that in the anointing which hehad received he did not discern either the necessity or obligation to appearopenly as the anointed of the Lord, and that after receiving the Spirit ofthe Lord in consequence of the anointing, he left the further developmentof the matter to the Lord in childlike submission, assured that He wouldprepare and show him the way to the throne in His own good time.

Keil-Delitzsch: 1Sa 16:14-23

David's Introduction to the Court of Saul. - 1Sa 16:14. With the rejection of Saulon the part of God, the Spirit of Jehovah had departed from him, and anevil spirit from Jehovah had come upon him, who filled him with fear andanguish. The " evil spirit from Jehovah "which came into Saul in the placeof the Spirit of Jehovah, was not merely an inward feeling of depression atthe rejection announced to him, which grew into melancholy, andoccasionally broke out in passing fits of insanity, but a higher evil power,which took possession of him, and not only deprived him of his peace ofmind, but stirred up the feelings, ideas, imagination, and thoughts of hissoul to such an extent that at times it drove him even into madness. Thisdemon is called " an evil spirit (coming) from Jehovah ,"because Jehovahhad sent it as a punishment, or " an evil spirit of God "( Elohim : 1Sa 16:15), orbriefly " a spirit of God "( Elohim ), or " the evil spirit "(1Sa 16:23, compare 1Sa 18:10), as being a supernatural, spiritual, evil power; but never "theSpirit of Jehovah,"because this is the Spirit proceeding from the holyGod, which works upon men as the spirit of strength, wisdom, andknowledge, and generates and fosters the spiritual or divine life. Theexpression רעה יהוה רוּח (1Sa 19:9) isan abbreviated form for יהוה מאת רעה רוּח , and is to be interpreted according.

1Sa 16:15-16

When Saul's attendants, i.e., his officers at court, perceivedthe mental ailment of the king, they advised him to let the evil spirit whichtroubled him be charmed away by instrumental music. " Let our lord speak (command); thy servants are before thee (i.e., ready to serve thee): theywill seek a man skilled in playing upon the harp; so will it be well withthee when an evil spirit of God comes upon thee, and he (the man referredto) plays with his hands ."The powerful influence exerted by music uponthe state of the mind was well known even in the earliest times; so that thewise men of ancient Greece recommended music to soothe the passions, toheal mental diseases, and even to check tumults among the people. Fromthe many examples collected by Grotius , Clericus, and more especiallyBochart in the Hieroz . P. i. l. 2, c. 44, we will merely cite the words ofCensorinus ( de die natali , c. 12): " Pythagoras ut animum sua semper divinitate imbueret, priusquam se somno daret et cum esset expergitus, cithara ut ferunt cantare consueverat, et Asclepiades medicus phreneticorum mentes morbo turbatas saepe per symphoniam suae naturae reddidit. "

1Sa 16:17-18

When Saul commanded them to seek out a good player upona stringed instrument in accordance with this advice, one of the youths( נערים , a lower class of court servants) said, "I have seen a sonof Jesse the Bethlehemite, skilled in laying, and a brave man, and a man ofwar, eloquent, and a handsome man, and Jehovah is with him." Thedescription of David is " a mighty man "and " a man of war "does notpresuppose that David had already fought bravely in war, but may beperfectly explained from what David himself afterwards affirmedrespecting his conflicts with lions and bears (1Sa 17:34-35). The courageand strength which he had then displayed furnished sufficient proofs ofheroism for any one to discern in him the future warrior.

1Sa 16:19-20

Saul thereupon sent to ask Jesse for his son David; and Jessesent him with a present of an ass's burden of bread, a bottle of wine, and abuck-kid. Instead of the singular expression לחם חמור , an ass with bread, i.e., laden with bread, the lxx read לחם חמר , and rendered it γόμορ ἄρτων ; but this iscertainly wrong, as they were not accustomed to measure bread in bushels. These presents show how simple were the customs of Israel and in thecourt of Saul at that time.

1Sa 16:21-23

When David came to Saul and stood before him, i.e., servedhim by playing upon his harp, Saul took a great liking to him, andnominated him his armour-bearer, i.e., his adjutant, as a proof of hissatisfaction with him, and sent to Jesse to say, "Let David stand beforeme," i.e., remain in my service, "for he has found favour in my sight." Thehistorian then adds (1Sa 16:23): " When the (evil) spirit of God came to Saul ( אל , as in 1Sa 19:9, is really equivalent to על ), and David tookthe harp and played, there came refreshing to Saul, and he became well,and the evil spirit departed from him ."Thus David came to Saul's court,and that as his benefactor, without Saul having any suspicion of David'sdivine election to be king of Israel. This guidance on the part of God was aschool of preparation to David for his future calling. In the first place, hewas thereby lifted out of his quiet and homely calling in the country intothe higher sphere of court-life; and thus an opportunity was afforded himnot only for intercourse with men of high rank, and to become acquaintedwith the affairs of the kingdom, but also to display those superior gifts ofhis intellect and heart with which God had endowed him, and thereby togain the love and confidence of the people. But at the same time he wasalso brought into a severe school of affliction, in which his inner man wasto be trained by conflicts from without and within, so that he mightbecome a man after God's heart, who should be well fitted to found thetrue monarchy in Israel.

Constable: 1Sa 16:1--31:13

IV. SAUL AND DAVID 1 Sam. 16--31

The basic theme in Samuel, that blessing, and in particular fertility of all kinds, follows from faithful commitment to God's revealed will, continues in this section. However another major motif now becomes more prominent. We might call it the theme of the Lord's anointed.

"The theological thread running through Samuel and Kings is God's choice of a leader to represent Him as He implements His covenants with Israel."¹⁶⁸

Saul had been God's anointed vice-regent, but with Saul's rejection David began to move into that position. These chapters record the gradual transition and slow transformation of the nation as the Israelites and others increasingly realized that David was now God's anointed. Saul remained the Lord's anointed as long as he lived. Part of the reason David succeeded was he recognized this and related to Saul accordingly. However, David too was God's anointed though God was still preparing him to take leadership and mount the throne. While the hero of this last half of 1 Samuel is David, Saul is also prominent. Saul declined as the old anointed as David arose as the new anointed.

"There will be many twists in the story of David's progress towards the throne, and not a few crisis-points, yet all is told in the knowledge that God can put his men where he wants them to be, whether the route is direct, or ever so circuitous."¹⁶⁹

Chronology of David's Life170
Event	Date	Age	Reference
Birth	1041	0	2 Sam. 5:4-5
Anointing by Samuel	1029	12	1 Sam. 16:1-13
Defeat of Goliath	1024	17	1 Sam. 17
Exile from Saul	1020-1011	21-30	1 Sam. 21-31
Anointing as King over Judah	1011	30	2 Sam. 2:1-4
Anointing as King over all Israel	1004	37	2 Sam. 5:1-3
Philistines Wars	1004	37	2 Sam. 5:17-25
Conquest of Jerusalem	1004	37	2 Sam. 5:6-10
Mephibosheth's Move to Jerusalem	996	45	2 Sam. 9:1-13
The Three Year Famine	996-993	45-48	2 Sam. 21:1-14
The Ammonite Wars	993-990	48-51	2 Sam. 10-12
Adultery and Murder	992	49	2 Sam. 11
Birth of Solomon	991	50	2 Sam. 12:24-25
Rape of Tamar	987	54	2 Sam. 13:1-22
Death of Amnon	985	56	2 Sam. 13:23-36
Exile of Absalom	985-982	56-59	2 Sam. 13:37-39
Absalom's Return to Jerusalem	982-980	59-61	2 Sam. 14:21-24
Construction of Palace	980-978	61-63	1 Chron. 15:1
Construction of Tabernacle	977	64	1 Chron. 15:1
Move of Ark to Jerusalem	977	64	2 Sam. 6:12-19
Absalom's Rebellion and David's Exile	976	65	2 Sam. 15-18
Rebellion of Sheba	976	65	2 Sam. 20:1-22
The Census	975	66	2 Sam. 24:1-17
Purchase of Temple Site	973	68	2 Sam. 24:18-25
The Davidic Covenant	973	68	2 Sam. 7
Co-regency with Solomon	973-971	68-70	1 Chron. 23:1
Rebellion of Adonijah	972	69	1 Kings 1:5-37
Coronation of Solomon	971	70	1 Chron. 29:22-23
Death	971	70	1 Kings 2:10-11

Constable: 1Sa 16:1--18:6

A. David's Rise as the New Anointed 16:1-18:5

According to Swindoll, more was written in the Bible about David than about any other character--66 chapters plus 59 references to his life in the New Testament.¹⁷¹ This large amount a material reflects his great importance for Bible readers.

Constable: 1Sa 16:1-23

1. God's selection of David for kingship ch. 16

"One of the many indications that the two halves (vv. 1-13, 14-23) of chapter 16 are closely related is that each section is framed by an inclusio: Horn with/of oil' is found in vv. 1 and 13, and the phrase Spirit . . . departed from' constitutes the first words of v. 14 and the last words of v. 23 . . ."¹⁷²

Constable: 1Sa 16:1-13

David's anointing 16:1-13

This time God's choice was not a king for the people according to their desires, but a king for Himself (v. 1) who would put Yahweh first (13:14; cf. Gal. 4:4-5). Saul would have perceived Samuel's anointing another man as king as an act of treason (v. 2). He showed more concern for his own interests than for the will of God. Evidently Samuel had gained a reputation as an executioner when he had killed Agag (v. 4; cf. 15:33).

Samuel judged Jesse's sons by their external qualities just as the Israelites judged Saul acceptable because of those characteristics (v. 6). Verse 7 clarifies how God evaluates people, namely, on the basis of their hearts (affections), not their appearance or abilities (cf. Matt. 3:17; Mark 10:31; 1 Cor. 1:27). As He had done earlier in Scriptural history, God chose the son that was not the natural choice showing that He does not bind Himself to what is traditional. It is unusual that Jesse did not have David present for Samuel's inspection since he too was one of his sons. This may suggest that Jesse did not think as highly of David as he did of his other sons (cf. Ps. 27:10, where David wrote of his parents forsaking him). Was David a neglected or even an abused child that his father viewed more as hired help than as a son?

"It's remarkable, isn't it, how Jesse reveals two very common mistakes parents make. Number one, he didn't have an equal appreciation for all of his children. And number two, he failed to cultivate a mutual self-respect among them. Jesse saw his youngest as nothing more than the one who tended the sheep."¹⁷³

"The shepherd/flock image is a kind of Leitmotif for David from this point on. . . . The book's last story shows David deeply concerned for the flock [2 Sam. 24:17]."¹⁷⁴

David (probably meaning "beloved of the Lord") was physically attractive (v. 12; cf. Isa. 53:2). Nevertheless God did not choose him for that reason but because of God's sovereign election and because of David's heart attitude.¹⁷⁵

"What does it mean to be a person after God's own heart? Seems to me, it means that you are a person whose life is in harmony with the Lord. What is important to Him is important to you. What burdens Him burdens you. When He says, God to the right,' you go to the right. When He says, Stop that in your life,' you stop it. When He says, This is wrong and I want you to change,' you come to terms with it because you have a heart for God."¹⁷⁶

David and his family were the first after Samuel to learn that he would be the next king. In time all Israel would learn this as David became the instrument through whom God blessed the nation. He became successful because God's Spirit came on David, remained with him from then on, and empowered him for service (cf. Matt. 3:16-17).¹⁷⁷

Verse 13 records Samuel's departure for his home in Ramah. At this point in the book he becomes a minor figure who no longer plays an active role in the progress of events. His anointing of David, therefore, was the climax and capstone of his career.

Constable: 1Sa 16:14-23

David's introduction to the royal court 16:14-23

"In addition to being the middle chapter of 1 Samuel, chapter 16 is pivotal in another way as well: Its first half (vv. 1-13), ending with a statement concerning David's reception of the Spirit of God, describes David's anointing as ruler of Israel to replace Saul; its second half (vv. 14-23), beginning with a statement concerning Saul's loss of the Spirit and its replacement with an evil spirit' sent by God, describes David's arrival in the court of Saul. Thus the juxtaposition of vv. 13 and 14 delineates not only the transfer of the divine blessing and empowerment from Saul to David but also the beginning of the effective displacement of Saul by David as king of Israel. The transition at vv. 13-14 can thus be arguably defined as the literary, historical, and theological crux of 1 Samuel as a whole."¹⁷⁸

Verse 14 describes God's relationship to Saul following the Lord's rejection of him. Yahweh had less and less contact with His faithless representative. His empowering Spirit left him without the divine enablement that he had once enjoyed (cf. Judg. 9:23; 16:20; 1 Kings 22:21-23; Ps. 51:11).

"When YHWH's Spirit came upon David his anointer [Samuel] left, leaving him in good hands. When YHWH's Spirit left Saul an evil spirit came upon him, leaving him in dire straits."¹⁷⁹

The evil spirit that Yahweh permitted to trouble Saul has been the subject of considerable interest among Bible students. It may have been a spirit of discontent (cf. Judg. 9:23), a demon who afflicted him periodically (cf. 1 Kings 22:20-23), or a demon who indwelt him from then on.¹⁸⁰ In any case it was a discipline for departing from God. When people depart from God, their troubles really begin.

"Saul's evil bent was by the permission and plan of God. We must realize that in the last analysis all penal consequences come from God, as the Author of the moral law and the one who always does what is right."¹⁸¹

The writer mentioned Saul's fits of terror to explain, in addition to his deteriorating mental state, why Saul called for a musician and how David gained access to the royal court. It is tempting to suggest that Saul's mental problems may have resulted from his spiritual rebellion, which is common, but the text does not state that connection outright. Apparently some people already regarded David as a mighty man of valor and a warrior (v. 18) because he had single-handedly defeated lions and bears (17:34-35). Most important, the Lord was with David.¹⁸² The fact that Jesse could provide a donkey suggests that he was fairly prosperous since this is how the more wealthy classes travelled in Israel (v. 20). Yet David's family was not outstanding in Israel (cf. 18:18).

Initially Saul loved David greatly, as Jonathan did (cf. 18:1, 3; 20:17). However, Saul's attitude would change. The king appointed an armorbearer to that position because of his courage, his ability to handle weapons, and his ability to get along with the king. David was probably a teenager at this time since he was 30 when he began to reign (2 Sam. 5:4). He was not Saul's bodyguard. He just helped the king handle his armor. Whatever kind of spirit afflicted Saul, David's sweet music reduced its ill effects. Saul was becoming dependent on the one who would replace him.

God was elevating David from the ranks of a shepherd of sheep (v. 11) to become the shepherd of His people, and David's musical ability (v. 18) enabled him to lead the Israelites in the worship of Yahweh later.

"This story of how David first met Saul and how he came to the royal court makes two points. The first is that David did not engineer it. David was no ruthlessly ambitions man, determined to rise up the social ladder--any more than Saul himself had been (cp. chapter 9). David's hands were clean. The second point is that God overruled to bring David to court, through the sheer chance (as it seemed) that one of Saul's courtiers knew something about him and brought him to Saul's attention [cf. Joseph]. So it was God, not David, who was responsible for the young man's first steps towards the throne."¹⁸³

Guzik: 1Sa 16:1-23 - God Chooses David

1 Samuel 16 - God Chooses David

A. Samuel anoints David as king.

Psalms that may go with this period: 8, 19, 23, and 29.

1. (1-3) God tells Samuel to go and anoint a new king over Israel.

Now the LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons." And Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; you shall anoint for Me the one I name to you."

a. How long will you mourn for Saul: There is a time to mourn, but there is also a time to move on and do what God wants us to do. Fill your horn with oil must have excited Samuel, because he knew that God wanted him to anoint someone else as king over Israel.

i. God will never allow His work to die with the death or failure of a man. If it is God's work, it goes beyond any man. Perhaps Samuel was paralyzed with mourning because of Saul's tragic rebellion, but God was not paralyzed.

ii. Surely, Satan wanted Samuel to remain trapped in mourning over the tragedies of the past. He wanted Samuel stuck there, unable to move on with the LORD. But there are times when God tells us to simply move on. This is what God told Moses at the shores of the Red Sea: Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. (Exodus 14:15) It was time for Samuel to go forward.

b. I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite: The new king for Israel would be found among his sons, the sons of Jesse. Jesse was the grandson of Ruth and Boaz (Ruth 4:17, 22).

c. How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me: We can certainly understand Samuel's fear. There isn't any doubt that Saul would consider this treason. At the same time, it shows a note of fear in Samuel we are almost surprised to see. Perhaps Samuel's excessive mourning over Saul has introduced an element of fear and unbelief in his heart. In truth, Samuel didn't have anything to worry about, because God promised I will show you what you shall do.

i. Was God telling Samuel to lie? Not at all. "This was strictly true; Samuel did offer a sacrifice; and it does not appear that he could have done the work which God designed, unless he had offered this sacrifice, and called the elders of the people together, and this collected Jesse's sons. But he did not tell the principle design of his coming; had he done so, it would have produced evil and no good: and though no man, in any circumstances, should ever tell a lie, yet in all circumstances he is not obliged to tell the whole truth, though in every circumstance he must tell nothing but the truth, and in every case so tell the truth that the hearer shall not believe a lie by it." (Clarke)

d. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons: Years before this, Israel rejected the LORD God as their king, and they wanted a human king instead. God gave them their human king, after their own desire (Saul), but God is still on the throne, crowning who He pleases, as He pleases.

i. The simple fact was that God was ruling Israel. They could recognize His rule, submit to it, and enjoy the benefits; or they could resist His reign over Israel, and suffer because of it. It does not matter what my attitude towards God is, as far as it affects His ultimate victory. The LORD is God and King, and will always triumph. But my attitude matters everything as it affects my ultimate destiny.

ii. Poole on I have provided Myself a king: "This phrase is very emphatical, and implies the difference between this and the former king. Saul was a king of the people's providing, he was the product of their inordinate and sinful desires; they desired him for themselves, and for their own glory and safety, as they supposed; but this is a king of my own providing, one that I have spied out, one of that tribe to which I have allotted the kingdom."

iii. We don't have to fear for the future when we know God has provided for Himself leaders. In some unlikely place, God is raising up leaders for His people. He will keep them obscure and hidden until the right time, then God will raise them up. God will always provide for Himself leaders.

e. You shall anoint for Me the one I name to you: The first king of Israel was anointed for the people. He was the "king from central casting," the kind of king the people wanted. Now, the "people's choice" had failed and disqualified himself. Now, the LORD said, it's time for a king for Me. God was going to show Israel His king.

i. Because Israel was not walking in God's heart, and God's mind, we should expect that God's king would not look like the "people's choice" king. God had no interest in bringing "Saul Number Two" to the throne of Israel. This would be a different kind of king, who would be unto the LORD a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:14).

2. (4-5) Samuel comes to sacrifice at Bethlehem.

So Samuel did what the LORD said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" And he said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice.

a. So Samuel did what the LORD said, and went to Bethlehem: Bethlehem was a small town, not very far from Jerusalem. It was the home of Ruth and Boaz, from whom the family of Jesse descended. It was a hilly grain-growing region, with many small grain fields carved into the hillsides.

b. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" Considering what Samuel had just done with the Amalekite king Agag (1 Samuel 15:33), it's no wonder the elders of Bethlehem were afraid.

c. Come with me to the sacrifice: The idea was not that Jesse and his sons were to just watch Samuel sacrifice this heifer. They would watch the sacrifice, then they would share in a large ceremonial meal, eating the meat that came from the sacrificed animal.

i. When an animal was sacrificed to atone for sin, none of it was eaten and it was all burned before the LORD. But when an animal was sacrificed as a peace offering, a fellowship offering, or a consecration offering, then part of the animal was burnt before the LORD, and part of it was eaten in a special ceremonial meal.

3. (6-10) God doesn't choose any of Jesse's older sons.

So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, "Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him." But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." So Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen these."

a. Surely the LORD's anointed is before Him: As Samuel looked at Eliab, the oldest son of Jesse, he thought "This man sure looks like a king. This must be the one God will tell me to anoint. That's a good choice, God!" Samuel saw a tall, good looking young man who looked like he would be a great king and leader.

b. Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him: Samuel made the mistake of judging Eliab based on his appearance. This was the same mistake Israel had made when it came to the failed king Saul. Saul looked the part of a king, but he didn't have the heart a king of God's people should have. It didn't matter how good Eliab looked, because God said, "I have refused him."

c. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. This was both a statement of fact, and an exhortation to godly thinking.

i. First, it was a statement of fact. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. Even the best of men will look at the outward appearance. Samuel was guilty of it right at that moment. We must understand that we can't read the secrets of someone else's heart, and we often do only judge on outward appearance. "The world is full of idolatries, but I question if any idolatry has been more extensively practices than the idolatry of the outward appearance." (Blaikie)

ii. Second, it was an exhortation to godly thinking. God was telling Samuel, "Your natural inclination is to only judge on outward appearance. But I can judge the heart that you can't see. So look to Me, and don't be so quick to judge a person only on their outward appearance." Samuel needed to know his natural inclination to judge only on outward appearance, but he didn't have to give into it. He could seek the LORD and seek God's heart and mind when looking at people.

d. The LORD has not chosen these: God told Samuel that He had not chosen any of the seven sons of Jesse who attended the sacrificial feast. It wasn't that these sons of Jesse were bad men, but they were not God's choice. God had a man in mind different from Samuel's or Jesse's expectation.

i. Eliab and the seven oldest sons of Jesse were perfect potential kings as far as the flesh is concerned. But God didn't want a king after the flesh. Israel already had one of those! God needed to do more than fix up a fleshly king; God looked for a different kind of king. "To educate and refine the flesh so that it may become profitable in His service is never God's plan. He insists on the sentence of death upon everything that you and I are in ourselves . . . There is only one place for all that is 'self' - on Calvary." (Redpath)

ii. "All the things which men count as privileges, and therefore as creating fitness for position and high service, are in themselves of no value in the sight of God. He looketh on the heart. He considers the deepest fact in personality, the inner and hidden impulse, desire, affection." (Morgan)

4. (11) Samuel asks about a missing son.

And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all the young men here?" Then he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here."

a. Are all the young men here? Samuel had a problem. God had told him of Jesse, I have provided Myself a king among his sons (1 Samuel 16:1). Yet here were the seven sons of Jesse, and God had not chosen any of these. Since Samuel knew God's word was true, he knew there must be another son of Jesse who was not at the sacrificial feast.

i. Samuel was a prophet, and knew how to trust the word of the LORD given to him. He might have said, "I guess the LORD was wrong when He told me it would be one of Jesse's sons," but he didn't say that. He might have said, "It has to be one of these seven sons, so pass them by me again" but he didn't say that. He had confidence in the word of the LORD when it came to the prophecy regarding Jesse's sons, and he had confidence in the word of the LORD when it came to God's rejection of each of the seven sons. We should trust God's Word as much as Samuel trusted the word of the LORD!

b. There remains the youngest: This shows the low regard David had among his own family. First, his father doesn't even mention him by name. Second, he wasn't even invited to the sacrificial feast. Third, he would not have been brought unless Samuel insisted on it.

i. "So small was David in his father's esteem that it wasn't considered necessary to include him in the family when the prophet of God called them to sacrifice." (Redpath)

ii. When we consider that David was the youngest of eight sons, we aren't surprised at the low regard he had in his own family. It wasn't because David's character or conduct was unworthy, it was simply because he was the youngest of eight sons.

iii. This is often how God chooses. Paul wrote that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called (1 Corinthians 1:26). God often chooses unlikely people to do His work, so that all know the work is God's work, not man's work. He wants to work in a way so that people regard His servants as they regarded Samson: they wondered at the secret of his strength (Judges 16:5).

iv. "You may not be intellectual or well thought of in your family circle; you may be despised by others for your faith in Christ. Perhaps you had only a little share in the love of your parents, as David did. But remember that those who are rejected of men often become beloved of the Lord." (Redpath)

v. "You may have nothing in your outward semblance, nothing in your surroundings or circumstances, to indicate the true royalty within; but if you bare your heart to God, you shall stand revealed as his son, as a priest and a king unto Himself." (Meyer)

c. And there he is, keeping the sheep: When was David called for this great anointing? When he was out keeping the sheep. David was simply doing his job, being faithful in small things and doing what his father told him to do.

i. Keeping the sheep was a servant's job. The fact that David was out keeping the sheep showed that the family of Jesse was not especially wealthy, because if they were, a servant would have been keeping the sheep. But they were not affluent enough to have servants. David was the servant, and keeping the sheep was a servant's job. "David was none of your strutting peacocks who cannot be content unless all eyes are upon them; he sang God's praises as the nightingale will sing in the dark when no human ear is listening and no eye is admiring. He was content to bloom unseen, knowing that the sweetness of a renewed heart is never wasted on the desert air. He was satisfied with God alone as his auditor, and he coveted not the high opinion of man." (Spurgeon)

ii. Keeping the sheep meant you had time to think. David would spend a lot of time looking over the sheep and looking at the glory of God's creation. God built in him the heart that would sing,

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. (Psalm 19:1-4)

O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth, who have set Your glory above the heavens! Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, because of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy and the avenger. When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen; even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8)

iii. Keeping the sheep took a special heart, a special care. It meant you knew how sheep needed the care and help of a good shepherd. It meant that you knew you were a sheep and God was your shepherd. During these years, God built in David the heart that would sing,

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (Psalm 23)

iv. Keeping the sheep meant you had to trust God in the midst of danger. David had lions and bears and wolves to contend with, and the sheep had to be protected. "The country round Bethlehem was not a peaceful paradise, and the career of a shepherd was not the easy life of lovesick swains which poets dream." (Blaikie)

v. Does God have you keeping the sheep right now? Are you in a humble, lowly, servant's place, but feel that God has called you to greater things? If He has, it will only be fulfilled as you are faithful in keeping the sheep right where you are at. This isn't waiting time, this is training time. David was a great man, and a great king over Israel, because he never lost his shepherd's heart.

5. (12-13) David is chosen and anointed.

So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!" Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

a. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking: The physical description of David tells us he was of fair complexion (this is probably the meaning of ruddy, and alight complexion was considered attractive in that culture). He had bright eyes, which speak of vitality and intelligence. And he was good-looking.

i. David had a pleasant appearance, but he did not look like Saul, who was a choice and handsome young man. There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people. (1 Samuel 9:2) David looked nice, but you didn't look at him and say, "There's a born leader. There is a king." That is what people said when they looked at Saul. When they looked at David, they said "That's a nice looking boy."

ii. But look at what God said to Saul about David prophetically in 1 Samuel 15:28: The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you. As unlikely as he appeared, David was better than Saul in the eyes of God.

iii. We don't know how old David was at this time. The ancient Jewish historian Josephus says that David was ten years old. Others guess he was about fifteen years old. It's safe to say he was somewhere in that range.

b. And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!" David's seven brothers, by all outward appearance, seemed to be better material for royalty. David, as unlikely as he was, was the one.

i. If it was strange for God to find the king of Israel at the sheepfold, it was even stranger for the Savior of the World to come from a carpenter's shop. God looks for different qualities in leaders than we normally look for.

ii. David was a shepherd, but there were a lot of shepherds. David was good-looking, but so were a lot of young men. David was young, but there were plenty of young men God could have chosen. God described what made David special in 1 Samuel 13:14: The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD had commanded him to be commander over His people. What made David the one was that he was a man after God's own heart.

iii. God's choice of David shows that we don't have to quit our jobs and enter into full-time ministry to be people after God's own heart. We don't need to be famous or prominent to be people after God's own heart. We don't need to be respected or even liked by others to be people after God's own heart. We don't need status, influence, power, the respect or approval of men, or great responsibilities to be people after God's own heart.

iv. Where did David get this heart? Obviously, from time spent with the LORD. But someone started him on that path. David says nothing of his father, but twice in the Psalms he refers to his mother as a maidservant of the LORD (Psalm 86:16 and 116:16). Probably, it was David's godly mother who poured her heart and love and devotion of the LORD into him, and gave him a foundation to build on in his own walk with the LORD. Like Timothy, another young man used of the LORD, God used David's mother to pour into him a godly faith (2 Timothy 1:5). Mothers, might God use you to raise up a David or a Timothy?

d. Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers: From the actions of David, Jesse, and David's brothers from this point on, we can gather that only God and Samuel knew exactly what was happening here.

i. Everyone else probably thought that Samuel was just honoring David for some reason. Probably no one even dared to think that this was David's anointing to be king over all Israel. But God knew, because He had been working in David's heart for a long time. "The public anointing was the outcome of what had taken place in private between David and God long before." (Redpath)

ii. In some ways, David's anointing was similar to Saul's (1 Samuel 10:1). Both were anointed in secret, and neither immediately took the throne. But over time, David responded to the anointing of God in a completely different way than Saul.

iii. There were three outward evidences of the destiny God had for David's life. The first evidence was the anointing. He received that immediately. The second evidence was the spiritual battle he entered into with Saul. The final evidence was when he received the crown and was enthroned in Israel, some 25 years later. It was a long time between the time David was chosen and anointed to be a king and the time he was crowned. In our lives, it is a long time for most of us between when we are chosen and anointed, and the time when we receive our crowns (2 Timothy 4:8). In between, there is a lot of conflict and spiritual warfare God has for us. The spiritual warfare is just as much evidence of our destiny as the anointing and the crowning!

e. And the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward: The real anointing happened when the Holy Spirit came upon David. The oil on the head was just a sign of this inward reality.

i. The symbol of the Holy Spirit coming upon David was the anointing oil on his head. The symbol of the Holy Spirit coming upon Jesus was the dove that appeared from heaven. The symbol of the Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples was the tongues of fire that appeared over their heads. The Holy Spirit loves to do His work as He wills, in many different ways.

f. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah: What? Didn't Samuel begin a "Let's Enthrone David" political party? Didn't he begin to undermine Saul's throne, and look for a way to establish David as king? No. Samuel took one look at David, and reacted exactly the way God wanted him to: "LORD, I don't know why You chose this kid. But You will have to put him on the throne. I can't do it."

i. And God would do it. 1 Samuel 16:13 is the first mention of the name David in the book of 1 Samuel. He has been prophetically referred to on several occasions before (1 Samuel 13:14, 15:28). But this is the first mention of his name, which means "Beloved" or "Loved One."

ii. David will become one of the greatest men of the Bible, being mentioned more than 1,000 times in the pages of Scripture - more than Abraham, more than Moses, more than any man in the New Testament. It's no accident that Jesus wasn't known as the "Son of Abraham" or the "Follower of Moses," but as the Son of David (Matthew 9:27 and at least a dozen other places).

iii. "From whatever side we view the life of David, it is remarkable. It may be that Abraham excelled him in faith, and Moses in the power of concentrated fellowship with God, and Elijah in the fiery force of his enthusiasm. But none of these was so many-sided as the richly gifted son of Jesse." (Meyer)

iv. But it all began here - as David was keeping the sheep. No wonder the LORD would later say of David, in Psalm 78:70-72: He also chose David His servant, and took him from the sheepfolds; from following the ewes that had young He brought him, to shepherd Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance. So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.

B. Saul's distressing spirit.

1. (14) Saul's distressing spirit troubles him.

But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him.

a. In 1 Samuel 16:13, the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. As the Spirit of the LORD comes upon David, a distressing spirit came to Saul, and troubled him.

b. If God is all-good, why did He send a distressing spirit upon Saul? There are two senses in which God may send something. He may send something in the active sense, or He may send something in a passive sense. Actively, God never initiates or performs evil; He is the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning (James 1:17). Passively, God may withdraw the hand of His protection, and therefore allow evil to come, without being the source of the evil itself.

c. This is indicated by what happened with Saul. First, the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul. This meant Saul lost his spiritual "protection" and covering. So, Satan was more than ready to send a distressing spirit to fill the void in Saul.

i. "God seems to have taken what gifts he had, and given them to David; and then the evil spirit came upon Saul; for what God fills not, the devil will." (Clarke)

ii. This is why the continual presence of the Holy Spirit for all Christians is such a comfort for us. We don't have to fear that God will take the Holy Spirit from us (Romans 8:9-11, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

iii. Ellison on the distressing spirit: "With us it suggests a spirit that was morally evil . . . here it merely conveys the thought that the outcome of his working was calamitous for Saul."

c. Why? Did God allow all this? Perhaps this was to judge Saul's past wickedness and rebellion against the Holy Spirit's guidance. This may be an example of God giving Saul over to his sin.

i. Saul clearly had the Spirit of the LORD upon him at one time (1 Samuel 10:10). Yet, as he showed himself proud and rebellious against God, Saul resisted the Holy Spirit. He told the Holy Spirit "No" and "Go away" so many times, that God finally gave Saul what he wanted. But Saul never realized the price he would pay when the Spirit of the LORD departed from him. Saul thought he would be more free to do his thing without the Spirit of the LORD "bugging" him. He didn't realize he would be in even more bondage to a distressing spirit that troubled him.

ii. Even in this, Saul could have repented. He was not past the place of repentance and restoration before God. It was up to him to receive God's correction and respond with a tender, repentant heart before the LORD.

d. A distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him: Today, Saul would probably be diagnosed as mentally ill. Yet his problem was spiritual in nature, not mental or psychological.

i. There are many people in mental hospitals today that are really suffering from spiritual problems. It is certainly wrong to assume that every case of mental distress is spiritual, because chemical imbalances and physiological problems are also real in our fallen world. Even so, there are certainly some that liberation from a distressing spirit, and may never find it in our modern mental health system.

ii. "I have considered his malady to be of a mixed kind, natural and diabolical; there is too much of apparent nature in it to permit us to believe it was all spiritual, and there is too much of apparent supernatural influence to suffer us to believe that it was all natural." (Clarke)

2. (15-17) A solution suggested.

And Saul's servants said to him, "Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you. Let our master now command your servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp; and it shall be that he will play it with his hand when the distressing spirit from God is upon you, and you shall be well." So Saul said to his servants, "Provide me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me."

a. Saul's servants said to him, "Surely a distressing spirit from God is troubling you." It was obvious to Saul's servants, but it does not seem to have been obvious to Saul. Often our spiritual condition is far more apparent to others than it is to our selves.

b. Seek out man who is a skillful player: Essentially, Saul's servants are advising that he find what we would call a "worship leader." They will seek out a man who can, using music, bring the love, peace, and power of God to Saul.

i. God created music, and gave it the capability to touch people with great power. Music can be used for great good or for great evil, because it is such a power tool of communication to our inner being.

ii. Especially, God wants the power of music to be used in worshipping Him. In heaven, God's people worship Him with music and singing (Revelation 14:2-3). On earth, we should worship God the same way (Psalm 150). Worship is, and should be, more than music and singing; but certainly music and singing are wonderful, God-appointed ways to worship the LORD!

iii. God wants His people to worship Him, and God can do a tremendous work in the hearts and lives of His people through worship. Because worship is so important, worship leaders are important. Saul needed to be led into worship, so it was important to seek out a man to do the job.

iv. There is a sense in which the worship minister is like a priest in the Old Testament, standing between God and the congregation. His job is not to entertain the people, or even to please the people, but to lead them into worshipping God in Spirit and in truth.

v. In describing the ministry of priests in Exodus 28:1-21, 29, the LORD repeatedly called them to minister to Me. Clearly, the job of the priests was to offer ministry unto God; yet at the same time, God wanted them to have a heart for the people. On their shoulders and over their hearts, God wanted to priests to have the names of the tribes of Israel. This shows both aspects of worship ministry - it has to be done unto the LORD, yet with the people on our hearts and shoulders. In worship ministry, there can be two harmful extremes. We can do ministry connected to the LORD, but not to the people; or we can do ministry connected to the people but not to the LORD. We have to be in close communion with God, and have the people on our hearts (loving them) and on our shoulders (working hard for them).

c. You shall be well: In the past, Saul received the Spirit of the LORD in the presence of music (1 Samuel 10:10). Perhaps this is an effort to recreate that experience.

3. (18) A man is nominated.

Then one of the servants answered and said, "Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the LORD is with him."

a. Look, I have seen a son of Jesse: Saul's servants suggested that Saul command a search; Saul commanded the search, and then one of Saul's servants answered and said he had found a man to be Saul's worship leader. What kind of man was this son of Jesse (David), to make him a fit worship leader for Saul?

b. Skillful in playing: To lead Saul in worship, and to minister to him in music, David had to be skillful in playing. The technical quality of music makes a difference in being an effective worship leader. The heart matters, but so does technical ability.

i. This doesn't mean that a person has to be a virtuoso before they can be used of God. But it does mean that they cannot tolerate a too casual, unconcerned, lazy, "we don't really need to practice" attitude. Skillful in playing reflects an attitude as much as it reflects ability.

c. A mighty man of valor, a man of war: Worship ministry is a constant battleground. There are often conflicts and contentions surrounding worship ministry, and if someone isn't equipped and ready for spiritual warfare, they will probably be spiritually and emotionally "injured" in worship ministry, and probably "injure" others!

i. So much of what makes a person a good musician or a good artist goes against true worship ministry. The desire for the spotlight, the desire for prominence, the desire for attention, the need for ego satisfaction, all work against effective worship.

ii. Worship ministers must make war against the world. Worldly ideas and approaches to music don't belong in worship ministry. This isn't to say that certain musical styles are off-limits; much of today's "old fashioned gospel music" was cutting edge when first composed. But it does mean that the things that are important to the world in music shouldn't be important in worship.

iii. Worship ministers must make war against the devil. He is constantly trying to stir up strife, jealousy, hurt feelings, pride, discouragement, and anything else he can find. Satan has a special "regard" for worship ministry, because before his fall, he was the "worship leader" of heaven (Ezekiel 28:12-15).

iv. Worship ministers must make war against the flesh. To be effective in worship ministry, or in any ministry, one must die to self. If you "must" be up on the platform, you need to die to self. If you "must" have a solo, you need to die to self. If you "must" have it your way, you need to die to self. Much of the conflict in worship ministry blamed on the devil really comes just from the flesh. The devil just doesn't have the time to be the source of all the problems that can come up in worship ministry! Sometimes it is much more convenient to blame then devil than to die to self and crucify the flesh with its passions and desires.

d. Prudent in speech: Good worship ministry needs a lot of diplomacy. Everyone has an opinion on music, and everyone has a suggestion. Effective worship ministers know when to speak and when to be quiet on the platform, among the team, and in the congregation.

e. A handsome person: David was a good-looking young man (1 Samuel 16:12). An effective worship minister doesn't need to be a fashion model, but their appearance is important. They need to present themselves so as to be invisible. If they are so dressed up, or so dressed down, that their appearance calls attention to themselves, it needs to change.

f. The LORD is with him: This is the most important attribute. The other measures will grow and develop, but it must be said of any worship minister, the LORD is with him. This means that they called by God, submitting to God, and submitting to whatever leadership the LORD has placed over them.

4. (19-23) David enters Saul's court.

Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, "Send me your son David, who is with the sheep." And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat, and sent them by his son David to Saul. So David came to Saul and stood before him. And he loved him greatly, and he became his armorbearer. Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying, "Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight." And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him.

a. Send me your son David, who is with the sheep: Since this happened after Samuel anointed David, we know that he simply returned to the sheep after he was anointed king. Perhaps David didn't understand the significance of what Samuel did yet. Or, if he did, he understood that it was God's job to bring him to the throne. In the meantime, David would simply go back to the sheep.

b. David did not have to manipulate his way into the palace or into Saul's favor. He allowed the LORD to open the doors for him. David didn't have to wonder, "Is this of the LORD or is of me?" because he let the LORD open the doors for him.

i. "Wonder not that David was so suddenly advanced, from a poor contemptible shepherd, to so great a reputation; for these were the effects of that Spirit of the Lord, which he received when he was anointed." (Poole)

c. And he loved him greatly, and he became his armorbearer: David was an outstanding young man who was worthy of his name ("Beloved" or "Loved One"). Saul took to him immediately, and gave him the important and trusted position of armorbearer, his chief assistant in battle. A soldier's life would often depend on the courage and faithfulness of his armorbearer, and Saul knew David was worthy of this position.

i. This was an important time in David's life and training for the destiny God had for him. For the first time, he was in a royal court, and began to learn the customs and manners that he would need to be a good king later in life.

d. David would take a harp and play it: A harp is a lyre, the ancient version of the guitar. This isn't speaking of one of the big harps you might find in an orchestra.

e. Then Saul would become refreshed and well: God used David to minister to Saul. David was happy to be used. What seemed like a great arrangement would not stay great for very long.

i. God was at work in ways no one could see. It seems plain to us from our distant perspective, but at the time, perhaps only Samuel knew what was going on. "Unwittingly, Saul was becoming dependent on the one designated to succeed him." (Baldwin)

© 2001 David Guzik - No distribution beyond personal use without permission

Pendahuluan / Garis Besar

JFB: 1 Samuel (Pendahuluan Kitab)

THE FIRST AND SECOND BOOKS OF SAMUEL. The two were, by the ancient Jews, conjoined so as to make one book, and in that form could be called the Book of Samuel with more propriety than now, the second being wholly occupied with the relation of transactions that did not take place till after the death of that eminent judge. Accordingly, in the Septuagint and the Vulgate, it is called the First and Second Books of Kings. The early portion of the First Book, down to the end of the twenty-fourth chapter, was probably written by Samuel; while the rest of it and the whole of the Second, are commonly ascribed to Nathan and Gad, founding the opinion on 1Ch 29:29. Commentators, however, are divided about this, some supposing that the statements in 1Sa 2:26; 1Sa 3:1, indicate the hand of the judge himself, or a contemporary; while some think, from 1Sa 6:18; 1Sa 12:5; 1Sa 27:6, that its composition must be referred to a later age. It is probable, however, that these supposed marks of an after-period were interpolations of Ezra. This uncertainty, however, as to the authorship does not affect the inspired authority of the book, which is indisputable, being quoted in the New Testament (1Sa 13:14 in Act 13:22, and 2Sa 7:14 in Heb 1:5), as well as in many of the Psalms.

JFB: 1 Samuel (Garis Besar)

• OF ELKANAH AND HIS TWO WIVES. (1Sa 1:1-8)
• HANNAH'S PRAYER. (1Sa 1:9-18)
• SAMUEL BORN. (1Sa 1:20)
• HANNAH'S SONG IN THANKFULNESS TO GOD. (1Sa 2:1-11)
• THE SIN OF ELI'S SONS. (1Sa 2:12-17)
• SAMUEL'S MINISTRY. (1Sa 2:18-26)
• A PROPHECY AGAINST ELI'S HOUSE. (1Sa 2:27-35)
• THE LORD APPEARS TO SAMUEL IN A VISION. (1Sa 3:1-10)
• ISRAEL OVERCOME BY THE PHILISTINES. (1Sa 4:1-11)
• ELI HEARING THE TIDINGS. (1Sa 4:12-22)
• THE PHILISTINES BRING THE ARK INTO THE HOUSE OF DAGON. (1Sa 5:1-2)
• DAGON FALLS DOWN. (1Sa 5:3-5)
• THE PHILISTINES ARE SMITTEN WITH EMERODS. (1Sa 5:6-12)
• THE PHILISTINES COUNSEL HOW TO SEND BACK THE ARK. (1Sa 6:1-9)
• THE ARK AT KIRJATH-JEARIM. (1Sa 7:1-2)
• THE ISRAELITES, THROUGH SAMUEL'S INFLUENCE, SOLEMNLY REPENT AT MIZPEH. (1Sa 7:3-6)
• WHILE SAMUEL PRAYS, THE PHILISTINES ARE DISCOMFITED. (1Sa 7:7-14)
• OCCASIONED BY THE ILL-GOVERNMENT OF SAMUEL'S SONS, THE ISRAELITES ASK A KING. (1Sa. 8:1-18)
• SAUL, DESPAIRING TO FIND HIS FATHER'S ASSES, COMES TO SAMUEL. (1Sa 9:1-14)
• GOD REVEALS TO SAMUEL SAUL'S COMING, AND HIS APPOINTMENT TO THE KINGDOM. (1Sa 9:15-27)
• SAMUEL ANOINTS SAUL, AND CONFIRMS HIM BY THE PREDICTION OF THREE SIGNS. (1Sa. 10:1-27)
• NAHASH OFFERS THEM OF JABESH-GILEAD A REPROACHFUL CONDITION. (1Sa 11:1-4)
• THEY SEND TO SAUL, AND ARE DELIVERED. (1Sa 11:5-11)
• SAUL CONFIRMED KING. (1Sa 11:12-15)
• SAMUEL TESTIFIES HIS INTEGRITY. (1Sa 12:1-5)
• HE TERRIFIES THEM WITH THUNDER IN HARVEST-TIME. (1Sa 12:17-25)
• SAUL'S SELECTED BAND. (1Sa 13:1-2)
• HE CALLS THE HEBREWS TO GILGAL AGAINST THE PHILISTINES. (1Sa 13:3-4)
• THE PHILISTINES' GREAT HOST. (1Sa 13:5)
• THE ISRAELITES' DISTRESS. (1Sa 13:6-8)
• SAUL, WEARY OF WAITING FOR SAMUEL, SACRIFICES. (1Sa 13:9-16)
• JONATHAN MIRACULOUSLY SMITES THE PHILISTINES' GARRISON. (1Sa 14:1-14)
• SAUL SENT TO DESTROY AMALEK. (1Sa 15:1-6)
• HE SPARES AGAG AND THE BEST OF THE SPOIL. (1Sa 15:7-9)
• GOD REJECTS HIS FOR DISOBEDIENCE. (1Sa 15:10-11)
• SAMUEL SENT BY GOD TO BETHLEHEM. (1Sa 16:1-10)
• HE ANOINTS DAVID. (1Sa 16:11-14)
• THE ISRAELITES AND PHILISTINES BEING READY TO BATTLE. (1Sa 17:1-3)
• GOLIATH CHALLENGES A COMBAT. (1Sa 17:4-11)
• DAVID ACCEPTS THE CHALLENGE, AND SLAYS HIM. (1Sa. 17:12-58)
• JONATHAN LOVES DAVID. (1Sa 18:1-4)
• SAUL ENVIES HIS PRAISE. (1Sa 18:5-9)
• SEEKS TO KILL HIM. (1Sa 18:10-12)
• FEARS HIM FOR HIS GOOD SUCCESS. (1Sa 18:13-16)
• HE OFFERS HIM HIS DAUGHTER FOR A SNARE. (1Sa 18:17-21)
• JONATHAN DISCLOSES HIS FATHER'S PURPOSE TO KILL DAVID. (1Sa 19:1-7)
• SAUL'S MALICIOUS RAGE BREAKS OUT AGAINST DAVID. (1Sa 19:8-17)
• DAVID FLEES TO SAMUEL. (1Sa 19:18-23)
• SAUL PROPHESIES. (1Sa 19:24)
• DAVID CONSULTS WITH JONATHAN FOR HIS SAFETY. (1Sa 20:1-10)
• THEIR COVENANT RENEWED BY OATH. (1Sa 20:11-23)
• SAUL, MISSING DAVID, SEEKS TO KILL JONAHAN. (1Sa. 20:24-40)
• JONATHAN AND DAVID LOVINGLY PART. (1Sa 20:41-42)
• DAVID, AT NOB, OBTAINS OF AHIMELECH HALLOWED BREAD. (1Sa 21:1-7)
• HE TAKES GOLIATH'S SWORD. (1Sa 21:9)
• AT GATH HE FEIGNS HIMSELF MAD. (1Sa 21:10-15)
• DAVID'S KINDRED AND OTHERS RESORT TO HIM AT ADULLAM. (1Sa 22:1-8)
• DOEG ACCUSES AHIMELECH. (1Sa 22:9-16)
• SAUL COMMANDS TO KILL THE PRIESTS. (1Sa 22:17-19)
• ABIATHAR ESCAPES AND FLEES AFTER DAVID. (1Sa 22:20-23)
• DAVID RESCUES KEILAH. (1Sa 23:1-6)
• SAUL'S COMING, AND TREACHERY OF THE KEILITES. (1Sa 23:7-13)
• DAVID ESCAPES TO ZIPH. (1Sa 23:14-18)
• SAUL PURSUES HIM. (1Sa 23:19-29)
• DAVID IN A CAVE AT ENGEDI CUTS OFF SAUL'S SKIRT, BUT SPARES HIS LIFE. (1Sa 24:1-7)
• HE URGES THEREBY HIS INNOCENCY. (1Sa 24:8-15)
• SAMUEL DIES. (1Sa 25:1-9)
• THE CHURLISH ANSWER PROVOKES HIM. (1Sa 25:10-13)
• ABIGAIL PACIFIES HIM. (1Sa. 25:14-35)
• NABAL'S DEATH. (1Sa 25:36-44)
• SAUL COMES TO THE HILL OF HACHILAH AGAINST DAVID. (1Sa 26:1-4)
• DAVID STAYS ABISHAI FROM KILLING SAUL, BUT TAKES HIS SPEAR AND CRUSE. (1Sa. 26:5-25)
• SAUL HEARING THAT DAVID WAS FLED TO GATH, SEEKS NO MORE FOR HIM. (1Sa 27:1-4)
• DAVID BEGS ZIKLAG OF ACHISH. (1Sa 27:5-12)
• ACHISH'S CONFIDENCE IN DAVID. (1Sa 28:1-6)
• SAUL SEEKS A WITCH, WHO, BEING ENCOURAGED BY HIM, RAISES UP SAMUEL. (1Sa. 28:7-25)
• DAVID MARCHING WITH THE PHILISTINES TO FIGHT WITH ISRAEL. (1Sa 29:1-5)
• THE AMALEKITES SPOIL ZIKLAG. (1Sa 30:1-5)
• BUT DAVID, ENCOURAGED BY GOD, PURSUES THEM. (1Sa 30:6-15)
• AND RECOVERS HIS TWO WIVES AND ALL THE SPOIL. (1Sa. 30:16-31)
• SAUL HAVING LOST HIS ARMY AT GILBOA, AND HIS SONS BEING SLAIN, HE AND HIS ARMOR-BEARER KILL THEMSELVES. (1Sa 31:1-7)
• THE PHILISTINES TRIUMPH OVER THEIR DEAD BODIES. (1Sa 31:8-10)
• THE MEN OF JABESH-GILEAD RECOVER THE BODIES AND BURY THEM AT JABESH. (1Sa 31:11-13)

TSK: 1 Samuel (Pendahuluan Kitab)

The First Book of SAMUEL, otherwise called " The First Book of the KINGS."

TSK: 1 Samuel 16 (Pendahuluan Pasal)

Overview

1Sa 16:1, Samuel sent by God, under pretence of a sacrifice, comes to Beth-lehem; 1Sa 16:6, His human judgment is reproved; 1Sa 16:11, He anoints David; 1Sa 16:15, Saul sends for David to quiet his evil spirit.

Poole: 1 Samuel (Pendahuluan Kitab)

FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL OTHERWISE CALLED

THE FIRST BOOK OF THE KINGS.

THE ARGUMENT.

IT is not certainly known who was the penman of this Book, or whether it was written by one or more hands; nor is it or any great importance; for since there are sufficient evidences that God was the chief author of it, it matters not who was the instrument. As when it appears that such a thing was really an act of parliament, or of the council-table, it is not considerable who was the clerk or which was the pen that wrote it. And this is the less material in such historical hooks, wherein there is but little which concerns the foundation of faith and good life, and therefore it was not necessary to name the writer of them. It may abundantly suffice that there were in these times divers prophets and holy men of God; as Samuel, and Nathan, and Gad, and David himself, who might each of them write some part of this and the following book. But if any man will out of perverseness doubt or deny that these wrote it, yet this I suppose no discreet and impartial man will deny, that it is wholly incredible that such books should be written in their times, and recommended to the church as a part of the Holy Scriptures, and so received by the succeeding generation, without their approbation, who had so great a power and authority in the church and commonwealth of Israel.

Poole: 1 Samuel 16 (Pendahuluan Pasal)

SAMUEL CHAPTER 16

Samuel is sent by God; who, under pretence of a sacrifice for fear of Saul, cometh to Bethlehem; sanctifieth Jesse and his sons, 1Sa 16:1-5 . His human judgment in choosing Eliab the eldest son is reproved, 1Sa 16:6,7 . God had chosen David the youngest to be king in Saul’ s place, 1Sa 16:8-12 . Samuel anointeth him, and the Spirit of God cometh upon him; but departeth from Saul, and an evil spirit cometh on him, 1Sa 16:13,14 . He sends for David to quiet it: his praise: Saul loveth him, and maketh him his armour-bearer: he playeth before Saul when the evil spirit disquieted him, 1Sa 16:15-23 .

MHCC: 1 Samuel (Pendahuluan Kitab)

In this book we have an account of Eli, and the wickedness of his sons; also of Samuel, his character and actions. Then of the advancement of Saul to be the king of Israel, and his ill behaviour, until his death made way for David's succession to the throne, who was an eminent type of Christ. David's patience, modesty, constancy, persecution by open enemies and feigned friends, are a pattern and example to the church, and to every member of it. Many things in this book encourage the faith, hope, and patience of the suffering believer. It contains also many useful cautions and awful warnings.

MHCC: 1 Samuel 16 (Pendahuluan Pasal)

(1Sa 16:1-5) Samuel sent to Bethlehem to Jesse.

(1Sa 16:6-13) David is anointed.

(1Sa 16:14-23) Saul troubled with an evil spirit, is quieted by David.

Matthew Henry: 1 Samuel (Pendahuluan Kitab)

An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The First Book of Samuel

This book, and that which follows it, bear the name of Samuel in the title, not because he was the penman of them (except of so much of them as fell within his own time, to the twenty-fifth chapter of the first book, in which we have an account of his death), but because the first book begins with a large account of him, his birth and childhood, his life and government; and the rest of these two volumes that are denominated from him contains the history of the reigns of Saul and David, who were both anointed by him. And, because the history of these two kings takes up the greatest part of these books, the Vulgar latin calls them the First and Second Books of the Kings, and the two that follow the Third and Fourth, which the titles in our English Bibles take notice of with an alias: otherwise called the First Book of the Kings, etc. The Septuagint calls them the first and second Book of the Kingdoms. It is needless to contend about it, but there is no occasion to vary from the Hebrew verity. These two books contain the history of the last two of the judges, Eli and Samuel, who were not, as the rest, men of war, but priests (and so much of them is an appendix to the book of Judges), and of the first two of the kings, Saul and David, and so much of them is an entrance upon the history of the kings. They contain a considerable part of the sacred history, are sometimes referred to in the New Testament, and often in the titles of David's Psalms, which, if placed in their order, would fall in these books. It is uncertain who was the penman of them; it is probable that Samuel wrote the history of his own time, and that, after him, some of the prophets that were with David (Nathan as likely as any) continued it. This first book gives us a full account of Eli's fall and Samuel's rise and good government, ch. 1-8. Of Samuel's resignation of the government and Saul's advancement and mal-administration, ch. 9-15. The choice of David, his struggles with Saul, Saul's ruin at last, and the opening of the way for David to the throne, ch. 16-31. And these things are written for our learning.

Matthew Henry: 1 Samuel 16 (Pendahuluan Pasal)

At this chapter begins the story of David, one that makes as great a figure in the sacred story as almost any of the worthies of the Old Testament, one that both with his sword and with his pen served the honour of God and the interests of Israel as much as most ever did, and was as illustrious a type of Christ. Here I. Samuel is appointed and commissioned to anoint a king among the sons of Jesse at Bethlehem (1Sa 16:1-5). II. All his elder sons are passed by and David the youngest is pitched upon and anointed (1Sa 16:6-13). III. Saul growing melancholy, David is pitched upon to relieve him by music (1Sa 16:14-23). Thus small are the beginnings of that great man.

Constable: 1 Samuel (Pendahuluan Kitab)

Introduction

Title

First and Second Samuel were originally one book called the Book of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. The Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament (made ca. 250 B.C.) was the first to divide it into two books. The Septuagint translators titled these books 1 and 2 Kingdoms. That division has persisted ever since and has even been incorporated into subsequent editions of the Hebrew Bible (since A.D. 1517). The title "Samuel" was given by Jerome in his Latin translation, the Vulgate (ca. A.D. 400).

The Jews gave the name "Samuel" to it because Samuel is the first major character in the book. Samuel anointed both Saul and David, so in this respect he was superior to them both.

Date and Writer

Statements in the Book of Samuel imply that someone who had witnessed at least some of the events recorded wrote it. However the original writer must have written most of it after Samuel's death (i.e., -1 Sam. 25-2 Sam. 24) and some of it even after the division of the kingdom following Solomon's death (e.g., 1 Sam. 27:6). These features have made it difficult to date the book.

"Our guess is that the author was a high state official in frequent attendance at the court, enjoying the full confidence of David and his household, who served David throughout his reign in Jerusalem and also Solomon during the early years of his reign, and whose duties may have been connected with literary work."¹

Most conservative scholars prefer the view that Samuel may have written or been responsible for noting the record of earlier events in the book (chs. 1-24). Then some unidentifiable writer put it in its final form later, perhaps soon after Solomon's death.

Rationalistic critics of the book tend to believe it was the result of much more piecing together, and some of them date its final form as late as 500 B.C.²

Scope

The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.³ David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11; 5:5). This means he came to power in 1011 B.C. Saul also reigned for 40 years (Acts 13:21) so he became king in 1051 B.C. We can estimate the date of Samuel's birth fairly certainly on the basis of chronological references in the text to have been about 1121 B.C.⁴ Thus the Book of Samuel covers about 1121-971 B.C., or about 150 years of history.

We should note that the first part of 1 Samuel overlaps historically with the end of the judges period that we find in the Book of Judges. Apparently Samson was born just a few years before Samuel. Samson's 20-year judgeship evidently began shortly before the battle of Aphek (1104 B.C.) at which time Eli died (1 Sam. 4:18). It ended not many years before the battle of Mizpah (1084 B.C.) when the Philistine domination of Israel ceased temporarily (1 Sam. 7:13). Samuel's ministry therefore probably ran concurrent with that of Samson until Samson died. Saul began to reign about 35 years after Samson died (i.e., 1051 B.C.). Samuel evidently lived about 30 years after that.⁵

Old Testament History
Events	Biblical References
Creation to Israel's move to Egypt	Genesis 1-50
The Exodus	Exodus 1-18
Israel at Mt. Sinai	Exodus 19--Numbers 10
The Wilderness Wanderings	Numbers 11-21
Israel on the Plains of Moab	Numbers 22--Joshua 2
The Conquest and Division of Canaan	Joshua 3-24
The Amphictyony	-Judges 1-1 Samuel 7
The Reign of Saul	1 Samuel 8-31; 1 Chronicles 10
The Reign of David	2 Samuel 1-24; 1 Chronicles 11-29
The Reign of Solomon	1 Kings 1-11; 2 Chronicles 1-9
The Divided Monarchy	-1 Kings 12-2 Kings 17; 2 Chronicles 10-31
The Surviving Kingdom of Judah	2 Kings 18-25; 2 Chronicles 32-36
The Return under Zerubbabel	Ezra 1-6
The Return under Ezra	Ezra 7-10
The Return under Nehemiah	Nehemiah 1-13

Message⁶

First and 2 Samuel are really one story. The translators divided them into two books for convenience, not because of subject matter.

First Samuel records Israel's transition from amphictyony to monarchy.

The key passage that explains this transition is 8:4-7. Two statements from this passage are especially significant.

The human desire that produced the transition expressed itself in verse 5: "Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations." God had brought Israel into existence as a nation to be unlike all the nations (Exod. 19:5-6). The essence of its uniqueness was Yahweh's rule over it as King. God wanted Israel to be a demonstration for all the world to see how glorious it can be to live under the authority of God.

The real meaning of the people's request comes out in verse 7: ". . . they have rejected me from being king over them." During the period of the judges, religious apostasy spread and characterized Israel. The people refused to obey their King. It is this attitude that finds expression in verse 5. The people wanted to substitute the false for the true. This is the essence of sin, and it results in idolatry. Every idol is a witness to man's need of God. When people reject the true God they must put something in His place to meet that need. Human beings must have a god.

Israel turned from God as her King in 1 Samuel. She desired a king like the other nations. This book shows the immediate effects of that desire.

One of the great revelations of 1 Samuel is how from the human viewpoint God adapts to continue His reign.

This statement appears to contradict 8:7, but it does not. The people rejected Yahweh, but they did not dethrone Him. The first act is possible, the second is not. This is a major lesson of 1 Samuel. The great revelation of this book is not primarily its three central figures: Samuel, Saul, and David. It is Yahweh reigning by adapting to human situations and moving surely and steadily toward the fulfillment of His purposes. In spite of disobedience or obedience, failure or success, rebellious or loyal people, the reign of God moves on. We see this great lesson in the history of 1 Samuel's three central figures: Samuel, Saul, and David.

The writer introduced Samuel's story with his mother Hannah's experience with God. Hannah was a great woman of faith who lived in the judges period. Her faith became God's foothold for advance. Her song reveals a profound appreciation for Yahweh as the God who reigns over all (2:6-8, 10). The similarities between this prayer and Mary's Magnificat in Luke 1 are interesting and noteworthy.

Samuel was a prophet. In one sense he was the first of the prophets (Acts 3:24). Of course, Moses was a prophet and so was Abraham, but Samuel was the first of the order of prophets who mediated between God and the Israelites during the monarchy. The kings of Israel and Judah were never mediators between God and the people in the sense of speaking for God to the people. When the Israelites rejected Yahweh as their king, He withdrew from close communion and intimate fellowship with them. He never recognized their kings as standing between Himself and them to mediate His Word to the people. He chose their kings for them. He allowed their desire for a human king to work itself out in ultimate disaster through the centuries that followed. Yet He never spoke to the people through the king. He always spoke to them through the prophets. Samuel was the first of these. David, of course, was a king and a prophet. The role of the kings was to govern the people. The role of the prophets was to reveal God's will to them.

With Samuel the office of prophet in Israel emerges as that of Yahweh's authoritative representative to His people. Samuel became the king-maker finding and anointing both Saul and David. >From now on when God had a message for the people it normally did not come directly to the king but to the king and the people through the prophet. The prophet's office was always superior to that of Israel's kings. (You have the privilege of speaking for God to your generation. You have a high calling similar to that of Israel's prophets.) When Israel rejected Yahweh as her king, God chose Samuel, the child of a woman's simple faith, trained him in the tabernacle, and called him when he was only a boy. Then He gave him a message to deliver and sent him to anoint Saul as the king after the people's own heart, and David as the king after God's own heart. The prophets became God's mediators, His messengers, and the interpreters of His law. Thus Yahweh reigned though He adapted His methods of ruling by raising up the prophets. He called Samuel as the first of these mediators. During the monarchy God provided guidance through two offices rather than through one as He had done previously. The kings provided political leadership, and the prophets gave the people spiritual leadership. God had previously provided both types of leadership through single individuals namely Moses, Joshua, and the judges.

Saul's story is one of the most tragic in Scripture. It is unusually fascinating and has tremendous power in its appeal to our lives. When God placed Saul on Israel's throne He answered the prayer of His rebellious people in 8:5. God "gave them their request, but sent a wasting disease among them" (Ps. 106:15; NASB).

Saul was a revelation to the Israelites of what the possession of "a king like the nations" really meant. He had unusual physical strength, but he was fitful and he failed the people. He had mental acumen, but he was moody and eventually turned into a madman. He was sluggish and dull spiritually lacking in spiritual insight and power, and eventually he abandoned Yahweh for a witch.

His reign was also a disaster. At the beginning of his reign, Israel was virtually without a leader. At its end it was under the control of an enemy neighbor. Saul was never able to expand the borders of Israel because he never was strong enough to dominate his enemy neighbors. David on the other hand did both of these things. At the end of Saul's reign, Israel had almost destroyed itself through its wars with the Philistines.

David's story is one of the most glorious in Scripture. After Saul, God gave His people another king, but this time he was a man after God's own heart.

God prepared David for the throne by putting him through training as a shepherd in the fields, a courtier in the palace, and an "outlaw" in exile. (By "outlaw" I do not mean David was lawless but that he lived outside Saul's control.) His shepherd training prepared him to care for and protect the Israelites under his charge. His courtier experience prepared him to deal with high governmental leaders. His "outlaw" years perfected the disciplines that enabled him to become a strong ruler. These disciplines included relying on God in every situation, practicing self-restraint, and leading his people.

In all David's training God was reigning, moving forward to the fulfillment of His plans and purposes. God had previously done this by making the child of faith, Samuel, His prophet. He had also done this by making outwardly promising Saul a revelation to the nation of her sins in turning away from God.

The second great revelation of this book is that people cooperate with God by either being loyal or by being disloyal to Him.

In Samuel's case he had opportunity to glorify God because of his parentage, his call by God, and his appointment as God's prophet. He responded obediently, with loyalty to God. Consequently God's messages got delivered, and God's work moved ahead. Samuel was an instrument of blessing.

In Saul's case he had opportunity to glorify God too. His opportunity came in his call by God, his anointing by Samuel, his friendship with Samuel, his popularity with the people, and his personal abilities. He responded disobediently, with disloyalty to God as seen in his vacillating and self-will. Consequently he failed as a king, and he died under the judgment of God. His life was a failure.

In David's case his opportunities were his call, his anointing, his waiting, and his suffering. He responded obediently, with loyalty to God. Consequently he became God's instrument of progress and blessing. He was a success.

Each man had his opportunity, made his response, and experienced the consequences of his response. Two obeyed, one disobeyed. All cooperated with God in fulfilling His ultimate purposes either to his own blessing or to his own blasting.

As a result of these two major revelations I would summarize the message of 1 Samuel as follows. God will accomplish His purposes regardless of man's personal response to Him. However man's response to God's revealed will determines a person's own success or failure in life.

First Samuel teaches us the methods of the sovereign God. All territory is within God's jurisdiction, every person is under His control, and all events are in His hands. All of God's plans and purposes are moving toward accomplishment. He makes use of all antagonistic facts and forces as well as all positive facts and forces. He also makes use of all the agents He has chosen to use regardless of their responses. Paul's comments in 2 Tim. 2:20-21 are very much to the point here.

First Samuel also teaches us that God's ultimate victory is independent of the attitudes and actions of individuals and groups of people (e.g., Israel) toward Him. Nevertheless the ultimate destiny of individuals and groups of people depends on their attitudes and actions toward Him.

Samuel was obedient, was God's instrument, and experienced deliverance. Saul was disobedient, was God's instrument, and experienced destruction. David was obedient, was God's instrument, and experienced deliverance. My attitudes and actions do not determine God's ultimate victory, but they do determine my ultimate destiny. Everything depends on my choices and me regarding my earthly destiny. Nothing depends on me regarding God's ultimate victory. God uses all people, loyal and rebellious, to produce His ultimate purposes. However we determine the outcome of our lives by our attitudes and responses to Him. We see these principles working themselves out around us all the time. Dr. Walvoord is an example of a Samuel or a David in our day. The DTS graduates in prison are examples of the Sauls of our day.

Constable: 1 Samuel (Garis Besar)

Outline

I. Eli and Samuel chs. 1-3

A. The change from barrenness to fertility 1:1-2:10

1. Hannah's condition 1:1-8

2. Hannah's vow 1:9-18

3. Hannah's obedience 1:19-28

4. Hannah's song 2:1-10

B. The contrast between Samuel and Eli's sons 2:11-36

1. Eli's sons' wickedness 2:11-17

2. Hannah's godly influence on Samuel and its effect 2:18-21

3. Eli's lack of influence on his sons and its effect 2:22-26

4. The oracle against Eli's house 2:27-36

C. God's first revelation to Samuel ch. 3

1. Samuel's call 3:1-18

2. Samuel's ministry 3:19-4:1a

II. The history of the ark of the covenant 4:1b-7:1

A. The capture of the ark 4:1b-22

1. The battle of Aphek 4:1b-11

2. The response of Eli 4:12-18

3. The response of Phinehas' wife 4:19-22

B. Pagan fertility foiled by God ch. 5

C. The ark returned to Israel by God 6:1-7:1

1. The plan to terminate God's judgment 6:1-9

2. The return of the ark to Bethshemesh 6:10-18

3. The removal of the ark to Kiriath-jearim 6:19-7:1

III. Samuel and Saul 7:2-15:35

A. Samuel's ministry as Israel's judge 7:2-17

1. Samuel's spiritual leadership 7:2-4

2. National repentance and deliverance 7:5-14

3. Samuel's regular ministry 7:15-17

B. Kingship given to Saul chs. 8-12

1. The demand for a king ch. 8

2. The anointing of Saul 9:1-10:16

3. The choice of Saul by lot 10:17-27

4. Saul's effective leadership in battle 11:1-11

5. The confirmation of Saul as king 11:12-12:25

C. Kingship removed from Saul chs. 13-15

1. Saul's disobedience at Gilgal 13:1-15

2. Saul's struggle against the Philistines 13:16-14:23

3. Saul's cursing of Jonathan 14:24-46

4. Saul's limited effectiveness in battle 14:47-52

5. Yahweh's final rejection of Saul ch. 15

IV. Saul and David 1 Sam. 16-31

A. David's rise as the new anointed 16:1-18:5

1. God's selection of David for kingship ch. 16

2. The reason for God's selection of David ch. 17

3. The results of God's selection of David ch. 18:1-19:17

B. David driven out by Saul 19:18-20:42

1. God's deliverance in Ramah 19:18-24

2. Jonathan's advocacy for David ch. 20

C. David in exile chs. 21-31

1. David's initial movements chs. 21-22

2. Saul's pursuit of David ch. 23

3. David's goodness to two fools ch. 24-26

4. The end of Saul's reign 27-31

(Continued in notes on 2 Samuel)

Constable: 1 Samuel

1 Samuel

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_____. "Saul's Meningitis According to Targum 1 Samuel XIX 24" Vetus Testamentum 37:1 (January 1987):39-49.

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_____. "The Tragedy of King Saul: A Study of the Structure of 1 Samuel 9-31." Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 6 (February 1978):18-27.

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_____. "Israel's Demand for a King." Bibliotheca Sacra 120:477 (January-March 1963):56-64.

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Copyright 2003 by Thomas L. Constable

Haydock: 1 Samuel (Pendahuluan Kitab)

THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL;

otherwise called,

THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS.

INTRODUCTION.

This and the following Book are called by the Hebrews, the Books of Samuel, because they contain the history of Samuel, and of the two kings, Saul and David, whom he anointed. They are more commonly named by the Fathers, the First and Second Book of Kings. As to the writer of them, it is the common opinion that Samuel composed the first book, as far as the twenty-fifth chapter; and that the prophets Nathan and Gad finished the first and wrote the second book. See 1 Paralipomenon, alias 1 Chronicles, xxix. 19. (Challoner) --- The authors of the Third and Fourth Books of Kings were also prophets, but we know not exactly their names. These works have nevertheless been always esteemed authentic (Haydock) and canonical. (Worthington) --- Ven. Bede takes occasion to observe, from the Books of Kings (or as the Septuagint read, "of kingdoms;" Haydock) being placed after that of Judges, that the everlasting kingdom of Christ will succeed the general judgment. The translation of the priesthood and of the regal dignity, recorded in these books, denote also that Christ would united both in his own person; as the two wives of Eleana intimated, that both Jews and Gentiles would acknowledge the same Lord. (St. Jerome; St. Augustine; &c.) --- The transactions of Heli, Samuel and Saul, and the persecutions which David sustained from the latter, form the subject of the first book, (Haydock) during the space of 100 years. All the four books carry down the sacred history near 600 years, from the year of the world 2849 till the transmigration of Juda, in the year 3420. (Calmet) (Usher)

Gill: 1 Samuel (Pendahuluan Kitab)

INTRODUCTION TO 1 SAMUEL

This book, in the Hebrew copies, is commonly called Samuel, or the Book of Samuel; in the Syriac version, the Book of Samuel the Prophet; and in the Arabic version, the Book of Samuel the Prophet, which is the First Book of the Kings; and the Septuagint version, the Book of the Kingdom: it has the name of Samuel, because it contains an history of his life and times; and the Jews say ^a it was written by him; and as it may well enough be thought to be, to the end of the twenty fourth chapter; and the rest might be written by Nathan and Gad, as may he gathered from 1Ch 29:29 as also the following book that bears his name; and both may be called the Books of Kings, because they give an account of the rise of the kings in Israel, and of the two first of them; though some think they were written by Jeremiah, as Abarbinel; and others ascribe them to Ezra: however, there is no doubt to be made of it that this book was written by divine inspiration, when we consider the series of its history, its connection and harmony with other parts of Scripture; the several things borrowed from it, or alluded to in the book of Psalms, particularly what is observed in Psa 113:7, seems to be taken out of 1Sa 2:8, and the sanction which the Lord gives to it, by referring to a fact in it, whereby he stopped the mouths of the Scribes and Pharisees cavilling at his disciples, Mat 12:3, compared with 1Sa 21:3, yea, even, as Huetius ^b observes, some Heathen writers have by their testimonies confirmed some passages in these books, which they seem to have been acquainted with, as Nicolaus of Damascus ^c, and Eupolemus ^d; it contains an history of the government of Eli, and of the birth of Samuel, and his education under him; of the succession of Samuel in it, and the resignation of it to Saul, when he was chosen king; of his administration of his office, and of things done in the time of it, both before and after his rejection, and of the persecution of David by Saul, and is concluded with his death.

Gill: 1 Samuel 16 (Pendahuluan Pasal)

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 16

In this chapter Samuel is ordered to anoint a king among the sons of Jesse of Bethlehem, 1Sa 16:1 all whose sons were made to pass before him, excepting David, 1Sa 16:6 who being then with his father's sheep, was sent for and was anointed, 1Sa 16:11, after which the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and he became melancholy, and it was advised to seek out a musician for him, and David was mentioned to him as a proper person, 1Sa 16:14 upon which he was sent for, and acted as a musician to Saul, and also became his armourbearer, which was the first rise of him, 1Sa 16:19.