And Samuel said to him, “No, the Lord hasn’t chosen any of these.” Then he asked him, “Do you have any more sons?”
Jesse answered, “There is still the youngest, but he is out taking care of the sheep.”
“Tell him to come here,” Samuel said. “We won’t offer the sacrifice until he comes.” So Jesse sent for him. He was a handsome, healthy young man, and his eyes sparkled. The Lord said to Samuel, “This is the one—anoint him!” Samuel took the olive oil and anointed David in front of his brothers. Immediately the spirit of the Lord took control of David and was with him from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.
And then all continues like nothing had ever happened!!! Samuel returned to his home and David to his sheep. How different this is from the signs and wonders that accompanied Saul (1 Samuel 10:1-12)! And how different their outward attractiveness (1 Samuel 10:23-24) and how they came into power – David via the lowly and painful path of attrition (2 Samuel 3:1)… And what of the Messiah born in a barn, covered with rags (Luc 2:8-12) and of ordinary appearance (Isaiah 53:2)?
So how is it that I am continually bent on looking for signs and wonders in my life? The proof of God’s choosing / loving me is in the person I am becoming (Acts 13:22). I always need to remind myself that God leaves fingerprints on the man, not on the circumstances.
God could have passed over Saul and annoint David as king directly just as he could have taken the Israelites along the shortest path to Palestine after they left Pharaoh’s Egypt (Exodus 13:17-18). [Shortcuts are often the longest and only God knows what it takes for us to arrive at the finish line!] Here the difficult lesson to not trust appearances (1 Samuel 16:7). Did the people learn from the painful experience of living under Saul (1 Samuel 31:6-7)? It would be just a few generations later where David will be rejected for the much more seductive and visually appealing Absalom (2 Samuel 14:25-26; 15:13-14) just like the apostle Paul many years later in favor of so-called “super apostles” (2 Corinthiens 10:7; 11:5). Nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9)…
So how is it that I am continually seduced by appearances? Oh, how I would like to see differently, Father! Please train me to look through your eyes out onto the world and others.