The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.” Samuel did what the LORD commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. (1Samuel 16:1-5 ESV).
This story is so familiar to so many. God sends Samuel on a mission to anoint a new king. All Samuel knows is that God will choose one of Jesse’s sons. So, Samuel prepares Jesse and his sons and invites them to a special ceremony. Jesse brings his seven eldest sons. One by one they appear, tall and strong men who are proven warriors. However, God chooses none of them. What? “Are these all the sons you have?” Samuel asks. Jesse explains that the youngest is out tending the family’s sheep. Samuel sends for him and they wait until the young shepherd arrives.
In this awkward, unlikely scene, we witness an unexpected and awesome pause. God does not make decisions the way people do. And God, not anyone else, will make this choice. David the young shepherd is anointed to become king of Israel. God tells Samuel to anoint him because “the Lord looks at the heart” rather than merely outward appearances. And by God’s power working through him, David goes on to become one of the greatest kings in Israel’s history.
Jesus, God’s Son, is a shepherd as well (cf. John 10:11-16). He came to be the Messiah (“Anointed One”), the long-promised deliverer of God’s people. In a way like Jesse’s family had to wait, Israel waited for the Messiah. Jesus was God’s chosen one. We are identified and chosen by God by his grace and mercy, not by the outward appearance of our life. Thank God that is true. His forgiveness was extended “even while we were in our sin” (cf. Romans 5:1).