Saturday 7 December 2024
The Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.” (v. 12)
Background
According to the writer of 1 Samuel, the first part of the reign of Saul was a period of military victory in which the new monarch (thanks to the heroics of his son, Jonathan) pushed back Israel’s enemies and established a degree of security. But it appears that it did not take long for the balance of power between Saul and Samuel to be upset. Firstly (1 Samuel 13), Saul usurped Samuel’s position as priest by conducting a sacrifice; then (14:35) Saul began to establish altars. Finally (1 Samuel 15), Saul ignored Samuel’s instruction to destroy booty taken in battle and Samuel proclaimed that God had rejected Saul as king.
Samuel was deeply saddened by these developments, which is where we pick up the story at the beginning of chapter 16. Samuel is told not to grieve for Saul any longer but to anoint one of the sons of Jesse of Bethlehem to be king. Samuel has come to be afraid of Saul, but obeys. It seems that he does not intimate to Jesse or anyone else in Bethlehem why he is inviting them to a sacrifice. As the sacrifice was a communal meal in which the people were dedicated to God, Jesse may simply have presented his sons to Samuel as those with whom he was to be eating.
The choice of David is presented as a surprise. He is the youngest of the sons and, although handsome, he lacks the impressive characteristics of his eldest brother (Eliab). In the previous chapter, the criterion for the new king was given by Samuel when he first opposed Saul. Saul’s kingdom will be handed to one "after the Lord’s heart" (1 Samuel 13:14).
We can presume that, whatever outward appearances might indicate, David is just such a person. Of course, the readers know that David will go on to become a great (if not perfect) king; the writer plays with us a little by not actually naming the hero until after the anointing has happened.
Anointing was a ritual act (as seen in Britain in 2022 it is still part of coronation rites). It both symbolises that the anointed one is God’s choice and signifies the power of God with her or him. As happened to Saul before him (1 Samuel 10:9-11), the Spirit of the Lord comes mightily on David (v. 13) once he has been anointed.
To Ponder:
- Samuel was warned not to consider Eliab’s ‘stature and height’, although these were among the positive characteristics when Saul was chosen as king. In the Methodist Church, we have all been offered training to recognise our unconscious bias. If you have undertaken that training, reflect on the bias in this story. If you have not yet encountered the training, why not explore it? (See Introduction to Unconscious Bias.)
- Today’s passage began with Samuel grieving what had happened with Saul. 2024 has been a year of elections around the world and some people will be deeply unhappy with some of the outcomes. What does it mean to grieve when it seems that your values and principles have been defeated? In what ways can this grief lead to action within God’s purposes?
Bible notes author: The Revd Dr Jonathan Hustler
Jonathan Hustler is a presbyter who currently serves as the Secretary of the Conference.