NL 407: God Calls David

October 24, 2021

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Initial Thoughts

  • 2 Cor. - Faith not sight. 1 Sam - Heart, not sight.

  • This week and next week can be thought of as “The Rise of David.” Here is his introduction - an afterthought; an insignificant shepherd.

  • Next week David is still in obscurity, but defeats Goliath and rises to prominence.

Bible Study

  • Skips over the monarchy of Saul, but begins with a bombshell of a verse: “The Lord regretted making Saul king over Israel.”

    • Saul, the king that the people demanded, did exactly what God warned he would do - taxed, and drafted soldiers.

    • Lost favor first in ch 13 after he gave burnt offerings when he worried about Samuel’s late arrival. Here, his dynasty was cut off.

    • Saul lost favor with God in chap 15 after giving in to the demands of his army, who wanted the spoils of war. Here, God decides he needs a new King.

    • Both times that Saul fails, it is for capitulating to the pressures of his soldiers instead of listening to God (through Samuel). He is impatient and does not trust God’s word. First his dynasty is cut off. Then he is utterly replaced (though not without intrigue and bloodshed)

  • Grief and Regret

    • Samuel is grieved over Saul and the broken relationship. 

      • Grief over the broken relationship or grief that he picked Saul in the first place?

    • Even God regrets making Saul king.

      • If God can regret, what does that mean for the omnipotence of God? What does it mean about the nature of the future? If God knows all - even the future, how can God regret an action from the past?

      • God regrets God’s own action.

      • Samuel grieves for Saul’s lack of faith.

  • God pushes Samuel to move forward. There is a time for grief and regret, but God pushes Samuel to the next thing, and doesn’t allow him to wallow in grief and regret.

    • Saul is no longer of concern to God, but is of concern to Samuel.

    • Anointing a new king while there  is a king is dangerous business.

    • God provides a cover story for Samuel, confident that the next thing is all that matters.

  • David

    • The most important figure in the nation of Israel. The turning point in the story - moving from Law and Patriarchs into Kings and Prophets. 

    • The promise made to David is eternal and endures. The Kingship of David is unquestioned - and it is the House of David upon which Jesus builds his kingdom.

    • When we meet David, he is an afterthought. Not first born - not even included in the “Parade of Brothers.”

      • First born is Eliab, who makes a good impression on Samuel. God’s response “"Have no regard for his appearance or stature, because I haven't selected him. God doesn't look at things like humans do. Humans see only what is visible to the eyes, but the LORD sees into the heart."

      • “Samuel is poised to repeat his error in being impressed by the ‘appearance’ and ‘lofty stature’ of Jesse's firstborn. This whole story is also a heightened and stylized playing out of the theme of the reversal of primogeniture that dominates Genesis. Instead of an elder and a younger son, Jesse has the formulaic seven sons, plus an eighth, the youngest of all, who will be chosen.” (Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible: The Prophets, p. 240)

    • Yet when we are introduced to David, the narrator can’t help but mention David’s looks.

    • David is tending the flocks.

      • Not even considered an option (like Cinderella among her sisters)

      • “The tending of flocks will have a symbolic implication for the future leader of Israel.” (Alter, p. 241)

      • For the rest of David’s life, when he is acting as a shepherd, he is doing well. He gets into trouble when he forgets his roots - the shepherd tending the flocks.

    • God’s choosing of David does not have immediate effect. It is almost forgotten in ensuing stories, yet it is the lens through which we see the rest of the saga/struggle between David and Saul. From this point on, God is with David, and not with Saul. 

Thoughts and Questions

  • What does it mean to worship a regretful God? Not even sure what else to say, I just think the question itself is so profound, it must be pondered.

  • What can we learn of God who regrets? God moves onto the next thing. There may be a time for regret, but then God moves swiftly and decisively to a new thing. God regretted Saul, so God is intentional not to make the same mistake (outward appearance doesn’t matter). When we fail, how much to do we dwell in regret and grief? The next thing is all that matters, with a simple lesson from the last thing to go with us.

  • God judges the heart. There is nothing about David that suggests he should be King. He is a shepherd boy, ignored even by his own family, yet it is upon David that God builds the Kingdom. This is especially good news for those who are not ‘credentialed.’ Those that have no business changing the world are the ones God usually choose to do just that.

Psalm 51:10-14

  • Heart Transplant

    • Create in me a clean heart – to ask for a completely new thing

    • Heart – the center of being – the brain – the Spirit- the controlling essence of a person

    • There is not fixing what was broken, but God has the power of creation – the ability to make some new

    • We cannot go back, we cannot undo what was done, but we can confess and work to make something new

    • The goal of the Psalmist is to be back in right relationship – NOT to escape consequences.

  • Then what?

    • Teach, Sing and Praise God

    • “How Can I Keep from Singing?”

    • Having experienced God’s steadfast love (hesed), the Psalmist cannot help but share the story of what God has done in their lives

Year 4Eric Fistler1 SamuelComment