Saul, the first King of Israel had fallen into disobedience to God and thus out of favour with Him,
“So Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you.” (1 Samuel 15:28).
Samuel left Saul never to see him again, only to be summoned by the Almighty to go to the house of Jesse in Bethlehemite and anoint the next king from amongst his sons. (1Samuel 16:16). Starting with the eldest of Jesse’s sons passed before Samuel, but God said,
“do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7).
It is here we read our text today, of the anointing of David the young shepherd lad by Samuel. He was the least expected candidate for King, being a bonnie wee lad and not a mighty man of warlike stature. Saul had been the expected choice by man’s reckoning and had failed. David was chosen by the Divine weighing of his heart for the things of God.
But the Old Testament is not the end of the story regarding God’s anointing of chosen subjects. In Matthew 3:13-17 (Acts 10:38) we find our Lord Jesus Christ being baptized by John the Baptist, and being anointed by the Holy Spirit as He came out of the water. This same Holy Spirit (Helper) was promised by our Lord to His disciples and those after them. (John 14:16; 15:26; Acts 1:5).
Dear reader, the Holy Spirit is still active today amongst the children of God, who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. As His children, He endows us with the Holy Helper to guide us and comfort us in our everyday lives. (1 Corinthians 6:19; 1 John 2:20,27). This is a source of great encouragement as we face the trials of the world, knowing that we are not alone in them.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Devotional Treasures
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