David is Chosen - The Book of 1 Samuel

In this Bible Story, God chooses David, a young shepherd boy no older than 17, and is anointed king over Israel by Samuel. David did not know that he was anointed king, for only Samuel and God knew. This story is inspired by 1 Samuel 16. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is 1 Samuel 16:7 from the King James Version.

Episode 84: While Samuel was mourning Saul’s disobedience, God came to him and commanded him to go to Jesse’s household, in the land of Bethlehem, to anoint the new King that God had chosen. David, the youngest among his brothers, was chosen as King and anointed by Samuel because of his heart. Meanwhile, Saul was tossing and turning, growing increasingly disturbed in his spirit. So his servant requested that Saul should send for David the son of Jesse to play music for Saul and to ease his troubled mind.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray. But the Lord said unto 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 First Samuel sixteen seven.

(00:24):
Thank you God that the same anointing that rested on
David in First Samuel sixteen is the same anointing that
rests on my life. When men try to overlook me
because of what they perceive as a hindrance, I thank
you that you will anoint me in their presence because
you determine elevation by the heart. Therefore, keep my heart

(00:46):
pure through all circumstances and seasons of my life, because
this will be the key to my opportunities and advancement.
Just like you strategically placed David in the palace, the
place of his future destiny, I thank you for placing
me in the vicinity of my destiny as well. Father,

(01:07):
you can call upon me because my heart is positioned
to do your will fully and completely. If you anoint
me and choose me, I'll go. Thank you for anointing
me and calling me in the presence of those who
doubt me in Jesus name, Amen, thank you for praying

(01:31):
with me to day. Continue listening for an incredible Bible
story brought to you by Bible in a Year dot com.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
David is Chosen. In our last story, we learned about
Saul's rejection as king. His pride, greed, and disobedience lost
him the favor of God. Samuel wept for Saul's fall.
Now we will learn about God's new king, chosen not
for a stature or a status, but his heart. Inspired

(02:09):
by the Book of First Samuel.

Speaker 3 (02:14):
Hello, I'm pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
Bible in a Year podcast. In yesterday's story, we saw
how Saul disobeyed God and lied to Samuel when confronted
with his sin. Saul had rejected God and chosen to
exalt himself rather than obey God. As a result, God
tells Saul that he will lose his throne and it

(02:35):
will be given to another. Today we will hear how
God chooses a young man, a shepherd boy that nobody
would have expected to be God's picked for such a
mighty king. But this young man had the heart that
God desired. In a leader, and he would grow into
the greatest king Israel would ever know. Let's listen now
to today's reading.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
Samuel mourned the loss of Saul's soul to the burden
of power. He mourned the state of Israel under a
king with a weakness for status and fame. God came
to Samuel in his mourning and said, why do you
grieve over Saul. I have rejected him. Go fill up
your horn with oil and go to the home of

(03:18):
Jesse in Bethlehem. I have provided Israel with a new
king among his sons. Samuel's heart began to pound. Excitement
filled his old bones. He gathered sacrifices to be made
in Bethlehem, for he did not want Saul to know
he was searching for a king. Samuel greeted Jesse, and

(03:38):
the two of them ate together and consecrated the land
for God. Samuel looked at Jesse intently and asked if
he could bring forth his sons. When they came, Samuel
looked at the oldest Eliab. He was a well built man, tall, muscular,
and had charismatic qualities that made up a king. Surely

(03:58):
this must be the Lord anointed, Samuel thought, to himself.
Yet God interrupted him and said, do not look at
his stature or looks, for I do not see as
man sees man looks at the outward appearance, but I
look upon the heart. Abinadab came forth before Samuel, and
he too was not the one God had chosen. Seven

(04:20):
more of his sons passed by Samuel, and none of
them were the one God had spoken of. Frustrated and
a bit flustered, Samuel turned to Jesse and said, are
these all your sons? Jesse scratched his head and said, well,
there is still the youngest. He is out in the
field tending to the sheep. David was in the fields.

(04:42):
The day was almost over, and the cool spring air
whistled across the grass where the sheep fed. David often
took them to a hill not too far from home,
where he would sit and look at the stars. David
sat in complete peace, but still on alert for any
predators that may lurk around the corner. David took a
deep breath, soaking in the last rays of good sunlight.

(05:06):
As his eyes were closed, he could hear his father's
voice in the distance, beckoning him slowly and methodically. David
corrolled the sheep and stepped into his father's house. Samuel
was sitting when David entered into the home. He had
a smile on his face. He was a handsome young man,
no older than seventeen, and had beautiful eyes that made

(05:26):
you feel warm and welcomed. God whispered to Samuel and said, arise,
for this is my king. So Samuel stood up slowly
and laughed. He looked at David and anointed him with oil.
Samuel did not tell David or Jesse that he was
going to be king of Israel, for he knew that

(05:48):
the Lord would call David in due time. From that
time forward, the spirit of God was upon David. Weeks
had passed, and Saul was greatly disturbed at night. His
dreams consumed him, and his days were filled with anxiety, paranoia,
and loneliness. God had departed from him, and he could

(06:08):
not bear the sight of himself in the mirror. Saul's
servant saw how tormented he was and offered respite in
the form of music. My Lord, the servant said, I
know of a man named Jesse who is in Bethlehem.
His son is very skilled with the liar and could
possibly offer you rest with his music. So Saul sent

(06:28):
for David, and David served under Saul as his musician
and armor bearer. Saul grew to love David as a son,
and whenever he was tormented, David would play music and
worship God in his presence. Listening to David's worship was
the closest to God he had felt in months. David
was only a few feet from the throne that God

(06:50):
had called him to sit upon, yet neither him nor
Saul knew that God was in their midst. He would
raise up David as he once did Moses, Joshua, and
every judge that came before him. David was his chosen hero,
destined to change the course of Israel forever.

Speaker 3 (07:13):
Samuel was distraught over Saul's sin and rejection of God's ways.
He took it personally, though it was not him that
Saul had rejected, It was God. This is the same
as when the people rejected God as their king and
Samuel grieved over their demands for a king. Clearly, this
prophet had a heart for his people and a heart

(07:34):
for the Lord, and it saddened him to see the
state of this beloved nation and the leader that God
had appointed, but everything was going just as God had said.
So God told Samuel to dry his tears and to
get his horn ready with anointing oil. The time had
come to choose a new man that God was calling

(07:55):
to the job. He sends Samuel to Jesse, a man
in Bethlehem who has many It was from Jesse's household
that God would call a new king. So Samuel and
Jesse share a meal and consecrate the land. Then Samuel
ask him to call his sons. The oldest is presented
to him. Samuel sees Iliad and is sure this will

(08:16):
be God's pick. But God says to Samuel in First
Samuel sixteen and verse seven, do not look on his
appearance or on the height of his stature, because I
have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees.
Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks
on the heart. So, one at a time, six strong

(08:37):
young men are presented to Jesse. Each one, from a
human perspective, seems to be fit to be the king,
but God is silent on each of them. God is
far less interested in what seems humanly possible or logical.
God does not need the strongest or the brightest to
accomplish his purposes. He used Moses, a timid speaker, to

(08:59):
lead the people out of Egypt. He used Joseph, a
prisoner and a slave, to save a nation from starvation.
God looks much deeper for a heart that is willing
and fully committed to him. So Samuel ask if there
are any more sons, and there is just one more,
But he is an unlikely choice. David wasn't even present

(09:20):
during the survey of the previous sons. He was a
young lad that was out tending the sheep in the field.
Samuel says, he wants to see him too, so he
sent for David. The moment David enters, God tells Samuel
to arise and anoint him because he is the one
that God has chosen. Samuel does just as he is instructed,

(09:41):
and from that day on God's spirit was upon David.
This unlikely king was now the man who had a
heart for God to lead the nation. Meanwhile, Saul was
battling a tormented mind. God's presence had left it, and
without God's presence, Saul was a man without any peace.
So his servants told him of a young man who

(10:03):
played the heart the son of a man named Jesse,
So David, now the anointed king, still a young man,
a shepherd boy was called to play for salt, and
the music soothed and calmed the king. David remained with
Saul in his service, and of course that seems to

(10:23):
be an unlikely path for the next king to take.
But God was at work and his purposes are being fulfilled.
This was just the beginning. Soon David would conquer more
than the evil spirits that tormented Saul. He would slay
a giant that struck fear in all of Israel. And
we'll tell that story the next time. Dear God, thank

(10:45):
you for the story of David. That you seek people
like him after your own heart. God, that you will
use us when we are available and usable help us
to have hearts that are fully committed to you. In
the name of Jesus. Amen, thank you for listening to
today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.

(11:07):
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