The Shepherd Boy Chosen

“For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.” — 1 Samuel 16:7

When Samuel was old, the people of Israel came to him. “We want a king,” they said, “like all the other nations have.” Samuel was upset, because God was already their King. But God told Samuel to give them what they asked for.

So Samuel anointed a man called Saul to be the first king of Israel. Saul was tall and handsome, a head taller than everyone else. But Saul didn’t obey God. Again and again he did what he wanted instead of what God said. So God said that Saul’s family would not go on being kings.

Then God said to Samuel, “Fill your horn with oil and go to Bethlehem, to a man called Jesse. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

So Samuel went to Bethlehem. He invited Jesse and his sons to come to a special sacrifice to worship God.

When Jesse’s oldest son, Eliab, came in, Samuel looked at him. Eliab was tall and strong. “Surely this is the one God has chosen,” Samuel thought.

But God said to Samuel, “Don’t look at how handsome he is or how tall he is. I haven’t chosen him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way people do. People look at the outside, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Then Jesse called his next son, Abinadab. “The Lord hasn’t chosen this one either,” said Samuel. Then came Shammah. “Not this one.” Jesse brought seven of his sons to Samuel, one after another. But Samuel said, “The Lord hasn’t chosen any of these.”

Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?”

“There is still the youngest,” said Jesse. “But he’s out looking after the sheep.”

Nobody had thought it was worth calling the youngest boy in from the fields.

“Send for him,” said Samuel. “We won’t sit down to eat until he gets here.”

So Jesse sent for him. He was a young shepherd boy, with a healthy glow and bright eyes, and he was good-looking. His name was David.

And the Lord said, “Get up and anoint him. He is the one.”

So Samuel took the horn of oil and poured it on David’s head, right there in front of his brothers. And from that day on, the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on David.

David didn’t become king straight away. He went back to looking after the sheep. But God had chosen him. One day, this shepherd boy would be the greatest king Israel ever had. And he would write many of the songs in the book of Psalms, like the one that begins, “The Lord is my shepherd.”

Looking ahead to Jesus: David was born in Bethlehem. A thousand years later, another baby was born in Bethlehem, into David’s own family. When the angels told the shepherds about Him, they said, “Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord!” (Luke 2:11). Jesus is the great King from David’s family.

Read it in your Bible: 1 Samuel 16:1–13

Dear God, thank you that you look at my heart, not at how I look on the outside. Please give me a heart that loves you, like David’s. Amen.