Had an election been held in Israel to choose a replacement for King Saul, it’s not likely that the people would have chosen David, but he was God’s first choice. “He also chose David his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds; from following the ewes that had young he brought him, to shepherd Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance” (Ps. 78:70–71 nkjv). Let’s consider some facts about this unusual young man.
David’s city—Bethlehem (vv. 1–5). In spite of the fact that it was a small town in Judah, Bethlehem was a well-known place to the Jewish people. It was when Jacob and his family were on their way to Bethel that his favorite wife, Rachel, died near Bethlehem while giving birth to Benjamin (Gen. 35:16–20). It was in Bethlehem that Ruth, the widow from Moab, found her husband, Boaz, and gave birth to Obed, David’s grandfather (Ruth 4:13–22; Matt. 1:3–6). David himself would make Bethlehem a famous place, and so would Jesus, the Son of David, who would be born there as the Scriptures promised (Mic. 5:2; Matt. 2:6). Bethlehem means “house of bread,” and it was there that the living bread from heaven came to dwell in human flesh.
As Israel’s judge and prophet, Samuel had the right to travel where he pleased in serving the Lord and His people. But these were difficult and dangerous times because Saul was a suspicious man and his spies would report anything Samuel did. From Samuel’s home in Ramah, the road to Bethlehem passed by Gibeah where Saul had his headquarters, and Saul would want to know where Samuel was going and why he was going there. To avoid problems, God commanded His servant to take a heifer and announce that he would sacrifice a fellowship offering in Bethlehem for a select group of people, including Jesse and his sons. Then God would show Samuel which one to anoint as king.
The elders in Bethlehem knew that Saul and Samuel were estranged, so the arrival of Samuel gave them great alarm. Was Samuel recruiting followers to resist Saul? Would Saul interpret his presence in their little town as a declaration of war? Samuel quickly allayed their fears and told them to sanctify themselves and come to the sacrifice and the feast that would follow. “Sanctifying” meant that each of the guests would take a bath and change clothes (Ex. 19:10–15), because nobody ceremonially unclean could partake of the sacrificial feast (Lev. 7:19–21). For Jesse and his sons to be invited to this feast was a high honor, and, of course, nobody but Samuel knew why they were included.
David’s family (vv. 6–10). Before the guests sat down to enjoy the fellowship feast, Samuel looked over seven of Jesse’s sons, thinking that the whole family was there, but he was operating by sight and not by faith. We don’t know what Samuel’s two sons looked like, but we do know that their father admired men who were handsome and well-built. Samuel had already forgotten this mistake he made about Saul (9:2; 10:23–24). David was the eighth son and only six of his brothers are named in Scripture: Eliab, the firstborn; Abinadab, the second; Shimea, the third, also called Shammah; Nethanel, or Nathaniel, the fourth; Raddai, the fifth; and Ozem, the sixth (1 Chron. 2:13–15). David is called the seventh in this genealogy, but 1 Samuel 16:10–11 makes it clear that he was the eighth and youngest son. Apparently one brother died without issue and his name dropped out of the genealogy. David also had two sisters: Zeruiah was the mother of Abishai, Joab, and Asahel; and Abigail, who was the mother of Amasa (1 Chron. 2:16–17). All of these men played important roles in David’s kingdom.
No doubt there was no family in Bethlehem that could boast having seven such brothers, men of strength and stature, and yet none of them was God’s chosen king! Samuel may have looked at their faces and forms, but the Lord examined their hearts. God alone can search the human heart and know what a person’s motives really are (1 Chron. 28:9; Jer. 17:10; Rom. 8:27; Heb. 4:12).
David’s occupation—a shepherd (v. 11). So insignificant was David in the family that Jesse didn’t even call him from the flock to the feast! Saul was hiding among the baggage when Samuel called for him, but David was busy caring for his father’s sheep. In Old Testament times, kings and their officers were looked upon as “shepherds” of the people (see Jer. 23; Ezek. 34), and David was a man with the heart of a shepherd (see 2 Sam. 7:8; 1 Chron. 21:17; Ps. 78:70–72). God’s church today is a flock, and each spiritual leader needs to have the heart of a shepherd and lovingly care for God’s lambs and sheep (John 10:1–18; 21:15–19; 1 Peter 5).
You can drive cattle but you have to lead sheep or they will scatter. The shepherd must know his sheep individually, love them, and take care of them according to their needs. For the most part, sheep are defenseless and do not see well, so they depend on the shepherd to guide and protect them. Though David was a literal shepherd who was called to be a “national” shepherd, he saw himself as one of the Lord’s sheep and wrote about it in Psalm 23. This psalm wasn’t the product of a young man but of a seasoned saint who looked back at a long life and confessed that the Lord had been faithful to him all the days of his life (23:6). David was exactly the kind of leader Israel needed to repair all the damage that Saul had done to the nation.
God calls people who are busy, not people looking for ways to avoid responsibility. Moses (Ex. 3), Gideon (Judg. 6), Elisha (1 Kings 19:19–21), Nehemiah (Neh. 1), Amos (Amos 7:14–15), Peter, Andrew, James, and John (Mark 1:16–20), and Matthew (Matt. 9:9–13) were all busy when the Lord called them. God’s pattern for leadership is stated in Matthew 25:21—“Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord” (nkjv). David had been faithful as a servant over a few things and God promoted him to being a ruler over many things— from a flock to a whole nation! Unlike Saul, David could be trusted with exercising authority because he had been under authority and had proved himself faithful.
David’s appearance (v. 12a; see 17:42). While the physical appearance wasn’t the most important thing for a king (16:7), David was so striking in his appearance that the Lord calls our attention to it. Saul was different from most Semitic people of that day because he was tall, but David’s distinctive was that he was fair rather than swarthy. The word translated “ruddy” is the same as Esau’s nickname “Edom—red” (Gen. 25:24–34). Some have interpreted this to mean that David was a redhead, but it may only mean that, unlike the average Semite, he was fair of skin and hair. Like Joseph, he was handsome (39:6) and had a winsome personality (1 Sam. 16:18). He was the kind of person who attracted people and won and held their confidence.
David’s anointing (vv. 12a–13). After looking at Jesse’s seven sons, Samuel at last found the man of God’s choice, a man after God’s own heart (13:14). It’s interesting that David (“beloved”) was number eight, because in Scripture eight is often the number of a new beginning. God did use David to bring a new beginning to Israel, both governmentally and spiritually.
In Scripture, only prophets, priests, and kings were anointed, and the anointing had to be performed by a person authorized by the Lord. In biblical imagery, oil can symbolize the Holy Spirit and the endowment of His power upon His servants (Zech. 4). The Hebrew word “Messiah” and the Greek word “Christ” both mean “anointed.” The Spirit of God came upon young David in great power, and ever after that, David was God’s man, but at the same time, the Spirit of God departed from Saul (1 Sam. 16:14). Without the power of the Spirit, the servant of God is helpless to do the will of God and glorify Christ. As we abide in Christ, we receive the power we need, for Jesus said, “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15: nkjv).
How much did David’s father and brothers understand about this anointing? In view of David’s subsequent association with King Saul, perhaps they interpreted the event as a consecration for David’s special service to the king. It’s likely that Samuel privately told David that he had been chosen by the Lord to be the next king. If so, his behavior while serving Saul was remarkably mature for a young man who one day would wear the crown. No doubt it was the assurance of this future hope that helped to keep David faithful during the ensuing years of trial and persecution. But his trials and testings during those wilderness years helped to build his faith and develop his godly character and prepare him for the ministry that God had planned for him.
When David and Jonathan became friends (1 Sam. 18:1) and covenanted to be faithful to each other (18:3; 20:16), it’s certain that David revealed to Jonathan that he was God’s anointed king. When David became king, he would make Jonathan second in command (23:16–18). It’s not likely that Jonathan told his paranoid father about David or their covenant, but somehow Saul discovered that David was his successor (20:30–31) and tried all the more to kill him. He expected his men to inform him about David and his whereabouts and Saul let them know that David was chosen to be the next king (22:6–8).