Under God’s instructions, Samuel travels to Bethlehem and to anoint a new king, a son of Jesse, in place of Saul. After rejecting Jesse’s first seven sons, God chooses the youngest, David the shepherd. “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart… 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 (1 Samuel 16:7b, 13 NKJV).
Pastor Kevin begins this message with a recap of last week’s teaching on Saul’s failure to completely obey God’s command to complete destroy the Amalekites and how, as a result, the Jewish people have suffered violence by their descendants (“the tents of Edom”) to this very day. Psalm 83 and other prophecies foretell their ultimate judgment in a future war, a conflict that today’s headlines indicate could be imminent.
Today’s passage reveals what God values most in His people – a heart that is wholly devoted to Him. It is what is inside the person that is most important. Why did Jesse present at first only his seven oldest seven sons to Samuel, leaving David in the fields with the sheep? Pastor Kevin poses possible explanations consistent with the culture and other Scriptures. As God put His Spirit upon David, the Holy Spirit indwells believers today, empowering us to be God’s witnesses in this dying world.
Maranatha!
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