Fourth Sunday in Lent
Preaching
Preaching and Reading the Old Testament Lessons
With an Eye to the New
Object:
This story forms the beginning of the narrative of David's rise to power that is found in 1 Samuel 16--2 Samuel 5. In that narrative, three different stories are told about how David comes to public attention. At the end of chapter 16, he becomes a member of Saul's court because he can play skillfully upon the lyre to soothe Saul's fits of depression. In chapter 17, David is celebrated as the slayer of Goliath. And in 18:5-9, David is honored by the populace as a warrior who is always successful in their battles against the threatening Philistines. It is David's anointing here in chapter 16:1-13, however, that gives the interpretive framework for all else that follows.
It is important to remember that at the time of this story, Saul is still king over Israel. Toward the end of the eleventh century B.C., Israel was literally threatened with annihilation at the hands of the Philistines, who dwelt in five city states along the coast of Palestine. The loose federation of the twelve tribes that had up to that time furnished volunteers for Israel's army was too weak to withstand the Philistine incursion. As a result, the people of Israel demanded that Samuel appoint for them a king to lead them in battle (1 Samuel 8:4-22). Samuel objected to such a request, because he knew that the Lord was the real King over Israel (1 Samuel 8:4-8) and that the people's demand was evidence of a lack of faith in the Lord's defense of his covenant folk (1 Samuel 10:17-19; 12:6-12). As a result, the kingship of Saul had a cloud of disapproval over it from the beginning -- a disapproval that is found also in later prophetic writings (cf. Hosea 8:4). And the theology of human kingship in the Old Testament always stands in some tension with the Mosaic theology of the Hexateuch (cf. Deuteronomy 17:14-20).
Nevertheless, here begins in our text for the morning the initiation of that royal theology that leads eventually to the thought of a Messiah, an anointed davidic king, and to the expectation of the coming of a perfectly righteous king who will guarantee the Lord's favor toward Israel (cf. Isaiah 9:1-7; 11:1-9; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Ezekiel 37:24-25).
Despite the fact that Saul is still on the throne, God has rejected him as the king over Israel (1 Samuel 16:1). The stories leading up to that rejection are found in 1 Samuel 13:1-15 and 15:1-31. Now God seeks a shepherd-king for his people who is a man after his heart. Now God himself accepts the kingship as necessary to his people's existence.
The kingship of the Lord remains prominent in the story, however, for only he can decide who should rule Israel. Indeed, Samuel must explicitly follow the Lord's instructions in order to identify that ruler. Samuel must go to Bethlehem (later known as the "city of David," Luke 2:4), taking with him a sacrifice.
Bethlehem is in the southern region of Palestine, outside of Saul's circle of influence, and it is a risky trip -- a flaunting of Saul's authority. Anyone as important as Samuel is obviously not making the journey just to offer a sacrifice; Samuel is plotting treason against Saul. And so Jesse and his family nervously receive Samuel and go along with his deception. They ritually prepare themselves and accompany Samuel to the place of offering.
The scene that follows deliberately builds suspense for the reader. One by one Jesse calls his seven sons to pass in front of Samuel. The first son, Eliab, is so handsome that Samuel thinks surely he must be the chosen one. But God tells Samuel to judge, not by outward appearance, but by the heart and character of the man. So the next six do not pass the test. Is there then no one left? Well, there is an eighth young son who is out tending the sheep. A messenger is sent to fetch the as-yet-unnamed youth, while they all wait for the young man's appearance. Finally, he arrives and the Lord tells Samuel that the young shepherd is the chosen one. Samuel therefore follows the Lord's instructions and anoints the chosen future king. Only then are we finally told that his name is David.
Two classes of persons were anointed in Israel -- priests and kings -- and the anointing with oil was the outward symbol of the gift of the Spirit, just as our baptism with water is a similar outward symbol of the receipt of the Spirit. Our text says therefore that "the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward" (v. 13). Just as with baptism, that sacramental act is entirely the Lord's doing. David has not deserved the gift or done anything to receive it. Rather he is the recipient of the objective act of God.
It is strange in our text that despite verse 7, the outward appearance of David is described in verse 12 -- surely an indication of the narrator's and the people's subsequent love for David. He was so fair to look at, they remember! And yet what mixed blessings awaited him, according to the stories that follow in the Samuel books!
The point of the narrative for us, however, is very clear. God's choice of persons and events is the determining factor of human history. We may think that God has little hand in the round of our daily lives and world. We may think that all of our fortunes and misfortunes stem from our own efforts and actions. But this story, and indeed all of the biblical stories, give the lie to such thoughts. God is the real Ruler. He chooses and establishes leaders, or he brings them to disgrace and fall (cf. Isaiah 40:23-24; Jeremiah 1:10). He searches the hearts of individuals and blesses them or curses (cf. Psalm 139:23; Jeremiah 17:10). Indeed, human history is one great dialogue between God and human beings, in which God speaks and acts, and human beings react accordingly. And then God in turns shapes events and motives nevertheless to further his good purpose.
God desired, in 1000 B.C., to anoint a son of Jesse, to begin that line of davidic kings -- that line of mashiachs or messiahs -- that would, in the fullness of time, find its final representative in Jesus of Nazareth, born in Bethlehem of Judea and yet Son of God, and anointed forever by the Spirit of God to redeem and save the world. God's plan of salvation stretches over centuries of time. But at the end of it lies the goal of the Kingdom of God -- our true Ruler -- come on earth. You and I stand in that ongoing history, and we can further it or oppose it. But God is the Lord, and his purpose will be fulfilled.
It is important to remember that at the time of this story, Saul is still king over Israel. Toward the end of the eleventh century B.C., Israel was literally threatened with annihilation at the hands of the Philistines, who dwelt in five city states along the coast of Palestine. The loose federation of the twelve tribes that had up to that time furnished volunteers for Israel's army was too weak to withstand the Philistine incursion. As a result, the people of Israel demanded that Samuel appoint for them a king to lead them in battle (1 Samuel 8:4-22). Samuel objected to such a request, because he knew that the Lord was the real King over Israel (1 Samuel 8:4-8) and that the people's demand was evidence of a lack of faith in the Lord's defense of his covenant folk (1 Samuel 10:17-19; 12:6-12). As a result, the kingship of Saul had a cloud of disapproval over it from the beginning -- a disapproval that is found also in later prophetic writings (cf. Hosea 8:4). And the theology of human kingship in the Old Testament always stands in some tension with the Mosaic theology of the Hexateuch (cf. Deuteronomy 17:14-20).
Nevertheless, here begins in our text for the morning the initiation of that royal theology that leads eventually to the thought of a Messiah, an anointed davidic king, and to the expectation of the coming of a perfectly righteous king who will guarantee the Lord's favor toward Israel (cf. Isaiah 9:1-7; 11:1-9; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Ezekiel 37:24-25).
Despite the fact that Saul is still on the throne, God has rejected him as the king over Israel (1 Samuel 16:1). The stories leading up to that rejection are found in 1 Samuel 13:1-15 and 15:1-31. Now God seeks a shepherd-king for his people who is a man after his heart. Now God himself accepts the kingship as necessary to his people's existence.
The kingship of the Lord remains prominent in the story, however, for only he can decide who should rule Israel. Indeed, Samuel must explicitly follow the Lord's instructions in order to identify that ruler. Samuel must go to Bethlehem (later known as the "city of David," Luke 2:4), taking with him a sacrifice.
Bethlehem is in the southern region of Palestine, outside of Saul's circle of influence, and it is a risky trip -- a flaunting of Saul's authority. Anyone as important as Samuel is obviously not making the journey just to offer a sacrifice; Samuel is plotting treason against Saul. And so Jesse and his family nervously receive Samuel and go along with his deception. They ritually prepare themselves and accompany Samuel to the place of offering.
The scene that follows deliberately builds suspense for the reader. One by one Jesse calls his seven sons to pass in front of Samuel. The first son, Eliab, is so handsome that Samuel thinks surely he must be the chosen one. But God tells Samuel to judge, not by outward appearance, but by the heart and character of the man. So the next six do not pass the test. Is there then no one left? Well, there is an eighth young son who is out tending the sheep. A messenger is sent to fetch the as-yet-unnamed youth, while they all wait for the young man's appearance. Finally, he arrives and the Lord tells Samuel that the young shepherd is the chosen one. Samuel therefore follows the Lord's instructions and anoints the chosen future king. Only then are we finally told that his name is David.
Two classes of persons were anointed in Israel -- priests and kings -- and the anointing with oil was the outward symbol of the gift of the Spirit, just as our baptism with water is a similar outward symbol of the receipt of the Spirit. Our text says therefore that "the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward" (v. 13). Just as with baptism, that sacramental act is entirely the Lord's doing. David has not deserved the gift or done anything to receive it. Rather he is the recipient of the objective act of God.
It is strange in our text that despite verse 7, the outward appearance of David is described in verse 12 -- surely an indication of the narrator's and the people's subsequent love for David. He was so fair to look at, they remember! And yet what mixed blessings awaited him, according to the stories that follow in the Samuel books!
The point of the narrative for us, however, is very clear. God's choice of persons and events is the determining factor of human history. We may think that God has little hand in the round of our daily lives and world. We may think that all of our fortunes and misfortunes stem from our own efforts and actions. But this story, and indeed all of the biblical stories, give the lie to such thoughts. God is the real Ruler. He chooses and establishes leaders, or he brings them to disgrace and fall (cf. Isaiah 40:23-24; Jeremiah 1:10). He searches the hearts of individuals and blesses them or curses (cf. Psalm 139:23; Jeremiah 17:10). Indeed, human history is one great dialogue between God and human beings, in which God speaks and acts, and human beings react accordingly. And then God in turns shapes events and motives nevertheless to further his good purpose.
God desired, in 1000 B.C., to anoint a son of Jesse, to begin that line of davidic kings -- that line of mashiachs or messiahs -- that would, in the fullness of time, find its final representative in Jesus of Nazareth, born in Bethlehem of Judea and yet Son of God, and anointed forever by the Spirit of God to redeem and save the world. God's plan of salvation stretches over centuries of time. But at the end of it lies the goal of the Kingdom of God -- our true Ruler -- come on earth. You and I stand in that ongoing history, and we can further it or oppose it. But God is the Lord, and his purpose will be fulfilled.
