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1 Samuel chapter 16. Thus far 
in Samuel we have seen the story of Samuel chapters 1 to 7, the 
story of Saul chapters 9 to 15, and now we come to the story 
of Saul and David from this point on to the end of 1 Samuel. So 
I'll just begin reading in chapter 16 at verse 1. Now the Lord said 
to Samuel, how long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have 
rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil 
and go. I am sending you to Jesse the 
Bethlehemite, for I have provided myself a king among his sons. 
And Samuel said, how can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill 
me. But the Lord said, take a heifer with you and say, I have come 
to sacrifice to the Lord. Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, 
and I will show you what you shall do. You shall anoint for 
me the one I named to you.' So Samuel did what the Lord said 
and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled 
at his coming and said, do you come peaceably? And he said, 
peaceably. I have come to sacrifice to the 
Lord. Sanctify yourselves and come 
with me to the sacrifice. Then he consecrated Jesse and 
his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. So it was when 
they came that he looked at Eliah and said, surely the Lord's anointed 
is before him. The Lord said to Samuel, do not 
look at his appearance or at his physical stature because 
I have refused him. The Lord does not see as man 
sees for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks 
at the heart. So Jesse called a Benadab and 
made him pass before Samuel. And he said, neither has the 
Lord chosen this one. And Jesse made Shammah pass by, 
and he said, neither has the Lord chosen this one. Thus Jesse 
made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, 
the Lord has not chosen these. And Samuel said to Jesse, are 
all the young men here? Then he said, there remains yet 
the youngest, and there he is keeping the sheep. And Samuel 
said to Jesse, send and bring him, for we will not sit down 
until he comes here. So he sent and brought him in. 
Now he was ruddy with bright eyes and good looking. And the 
Lord said, arise, anoint him, for this is the one. And Samuel 
took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. 
And the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. 
So Samuel arose and went to Ramah. But the spirit of the Lord departed 
from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled 
him. And Saul's servants said to him, surely a distressing 
spirit from God is troubling you. Let our master now command 
your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is 
a skillful player on the harp. And it shall be that he will 
play it with his hand when the distressing spirit from God is 
upon you, and you shall be well. So Saul said to his servants, 
provide me now a man who can play well and bring him to me. And one of the servants answered 
and said, look, I have seen a son of Jesse, the Bethlehemite, who 
is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent 
in speech, and a handsome person, and the Lord is with him. Therefore, 
Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, send me your son David, 
who is with the sheep. And Jesse took a donkey loaded 
with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat, and sent them by 
his son David to Saul. So David came to Saul and stood 
before him. And he loved him greatly, and 
he became his armor bearer. And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, 
please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in 
my sight. And so it was, whenever the spirit 
from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play 
it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed 
and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him. 
Amen. Well, we've seen the downfall 
of Saul, and now we see the anointing of David. Now, he's anointed 
privately in this particular chapter. Later, it will be a 
public display, specifically in Israel, first in Judah, and 
then over all Israel. But what is being done here is 
similar to what we saw in the Saul narrative. God sends Samuel 
to anoint Saul, and then Saul ultimately is publicly installed 
as the king over Israel. But specifically, we see the 
fall of Saul and the rise of David. David Samora says concerning 
this particular section. He says, in the rest of 1 Samuel, 
God, the Lord of history, providentially guides the lives of two persons, 
Saul and David. The former's decline and the 
latter's rise. However, the emphasis is not 
so much on their political actions as on their internal conditions, 
that is, their spiritual relationships with God. So it's not politics 
that's in the forefront in this particular section of narrative. 
It is theology. how a man walks with God. Now, 
having said that, I need to qualify that when it speaks of the Spirit 
departing from Saul, we're not to consider this in terms of 
redemption. It's not as if Saul was a converted 
man, a saved man, he had the Holy Spirit, and then the Spirit 
was withdrawn from him. You cannot lose your salvation. 
whether you were in the New Covenant or you were in the Old Covenant. 
The Spirit of God came upon Saul and David to equip them for public 
office, specifically to rule and reign as the king over Israel. So that's something we need to 
remember. Nevertheless, as the king of 
Israel, Saul was to maintain fidelity religiously with reference 
to God. He was supposed to be a worshipper. 
He was supposed to be a faithful man. And we see in his decline, 
or when we see his decline, we see with David in his rise that 
theology and God are absolutely crucial. Well, we'll look at 
this chapter under two concerns or two broad sections. One, verses 
1 to 10 deal, I'm sorry, verses 1 to 13 deal with the anointing 
of David. And then secondly, in verses 
14 to 23, the meeting with Saul. Note first, with reference to 
the anointing of David, the prophet Samuel is sent to Bethlehem. Note the situation in verses 
1 to 4. Samuel is still mourning over 
Saul. If you go back to chapter 15 
and verse 35, this links us to the context. In 1535, Samuel 
went no more to see Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless, 
Samuel mourned for Saul, and the Lord regretted that he had 
made Saul king over Israel. We get to chapter 16, verse 1. We see that Samuel is still mourning 
over Saul. God chides gently, but nevertheless, 
he tells Samuel, how long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I 
have rejected him? from reigning over Israel. It's 
not wrong to mourn over Saul, but the time of mourning has 
come to an end. God has a plan. God has a purpose. God's kingdom 
will march on. Whether Saul is in the throne 
or on the throne or not, the kingdom of God will not stop. 
It will not be stayed. It will continue to march onward. Davis makes the observation that 
it's interesting that Samuel mourns over Saul. Probably not 
so much out of a personal relationship, though that might have been some 
of it. But Samuel knew the ramifications. If the king of Israel is ineffective, 
if the king of Israel is an apostate, if the king of Israel is an ungodly 
man, certainly that does not bode well for the nation of Israel. It is legit, it is right, it 
is just for Samuel to be moved to tears with reference to this 
situation. As I said, the time of mourning 
is over and now God gives him a very specific command. He announces 
the fact that he has rejected Saul from reigning over Israel. 
Then he tells him to fill his horn with oil and go, I am sending 
you to Jesse the Bethlehemite for I have provided myself a 
king among his sons. Now we know that Jesse is the 
grandson of Boaz and Ruth. You can see that in Ruth chapter 
4. It goes, Obed, Jesse, and then 
of course, David. This is the first time, verse 
13, that David is mentioned by name in the Bible. And of course, 
he is a primary figure from this point on in redemptive history. So the Lord gently chides Samuel, 
tells him to stop mourning, to fill his horn with oil, and to 
go contact Jesse. And then notice at the end of 
verse 1, for I have provided myself a king among his sons. I have provided myself a king 
among his sons. God the Lord is sovereign, God 
the Lord will make sure that his kingdom is ruled and orchestrated 
and administered properly. Notice Samuel's concern, verse 
2. Again, this is very legitimate. 
And Samuel said, how can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill 
me. Certainly, a sitting king will not take kindly when a prophet 
goes to a neighboring city and anoints another man to be the 
king. Saul would be upset to hear this to be sure. And Samuel 
understands the rub. He sees the tension and he sees 
the concern. So God specifies what he is supposed 
to do when he gets to Bethlehem. The Lord said, verse 2, take 
a heifer with you and say, I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. 
Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice and I will show you what you 
shall do. You shall anoint for me the one 
I named to you. Again, notice the emphasis at 
the end of verse 1 and here at the end of verse 3. Verse 1, 
I have provided myself a king. Verse 3, you shall anoint for 
me the one I named to you. Choosing a king is for the Lord, 
for the king is the human agent of the Lord, the heavenly king. This earthly king is to administer 
the kingdom of God, as it were, on earth. And so the Lord takes 
a vested interest in this and he tells Samuel to go and identify 
one of the sons of Jesse in order to set him apart for this kingship. Now notice he arrives in Bethlehem, 
verse 4. Samuel did what the Lord said 
and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled 
at his coming and said, Do you come peaceably? It's kind of 
interesting, they trembled when the prophet came. Maybe he only 
came to reprove, or maybe he only came to rebuke, or maybe 
he only came when things weren't going well in the particular 
city. John Gill says, for he being 
now an old man and seldom went abroad, they concluded it must 
be something very extraordinary that brought him tithered. And 
they might fear that as he was a prophet of the Lord, that he 
was to come to reprove them or denounce some judgment upon them 
for their sins. So they see the prophet and they 
tremble. They're fearful concerning Samuel's 
arrival in Jerusalem or in Bethlehem at this particular time. Samuel 
reassures them. He says, I have come peaceably. 
I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Sanctify yourselves. Come 
with me to the sacrifice. Then he consecrated Jesse and 
his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. Again, this is 
the means by which God, through the prophet, is going to set 
apart David for the kingdom. Now, God has already purposed. 
God has already planned. God has already determined who 
it would be from before the foundation of the world. It's not as if 
this is the first time that God said, wow, okay, I like David 
out of all the sons of Jesse. I know it's the tribe of Judah, 
and I know it's the sons of Jesse, but I'm not quite sure at this 
particular point. God knows exactly what he's doing. 
He is providentially controlling all of these events. He sends 
Samuel on this particular task or mission. to separate onto 
him David. Now note with reference to this 
search for the king in verses 6 to 10, the first son. So it was when they came that 
he looked at Eliab and said, surely the Lord's anointed is 
before him. Now note that Samuel has fallen 
prey to what Israel fell prey to previously. Why did they choose 
Saul? Because Saul was a tall man. 
Saul probably had big muscles. Saul was the all Israelite champion 
of whatever sport he played. Saul was the red-blooded, strong 
guy that you would want to be in front of troops. Eliab is the same sort of a man. Notice what God says in verse 
7. Do not look at his appearance. 
or at his physical stature, because I have refused him." In fact, 
that description reminds us of chapter 9, verse 2, and chapter 
10, verse 23, where it describes Saul in such language. He's identified 
as a man of great stature, physical strength, prowess, ability. This is what we typically gravitate 
toward. When we choose leaders, we probably 
wouldn't choose the Apostle Paul. Paul says in 1 Corinthians, when 
I came to you, it was in great fear. It was with much trembling. There was a whole lot of insecurity, 
if we want to read between the lines when it comes to the Apostle 
Paul. The prophet conducts himself 
the way Israel did with Saul. He looked at the physical appearance. Now note that God says, I have 
refused him. And then he underscores this 
by making this statement in verse 7. For the Lord does not see 
as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the 
Lord looks at the heart. Now this doesn't mean that God 
only wants ugly leaders. This does not mean that God only 
wants leaders who no one can stomach being in their presence 
because they're so physically hideous. When we drop down in 
the narrative, David is described as ruddy. He's described as a 
good-looking man. He's described as a handsome 
man. The point of the narrative is that God looks on the heart 
and it's not about externals. It's not about formalism. It's 
about heart religion. And God the Lord sees in David, 
not a sinless man, but a submissive man. If we had to see a difference 
between Saul and David, it wouldn't be in the fact that they were 
sinless. Saul, of course, wasn't sinless, 
but neither was David. As the former prophet Samuel 
continues, especially when we get to 2 Samuel, we'll notice 
that David was a sinner. David was a horrific sinner. 
But David nevertheless was a man after God's own heart in that 
he was submissive to the Lord. You see, that's fundamental and 
that's key. God underscores this lesson for 
Samuel by saying that man looks upon the outward. It's only what 
we see physically that appeals to us. But the Lord does not 
see as man sees for man looks at the outward appearance, but 
the Lord looks at the heart. Now Ralph Davis has a very appropriate 
comment here because unfortunately we probably do the same sort 
of thing today. Listen to what Davis says. The 
text then contains a warning to prophets and others among 
God's people. It provides a revelation of our 
need. It shows us the discernment we 
lack. Only Yahweh's wisdom is adequate for directing His kingdom. It's absolutely crucial. Only 
Yahweh's wisdom is adequate for directing His kingdom. In other 
words, God, thankfully, is sovereign. Because if He was not, there 
would be no kingdom of God. If Christ did not build His church 
and and promise that the gates of Hades shall not prevail against 
it, then there would be no church, because we would implode, we 
would turn against each other, we would mess up, we'd pick the 
wrong guys every single time. Thankfully, Christ, by His Spirit 
and Word, rules from the right hand of the Father and orchestrates 
the affairs of the church. Back to the quote, only Yahweh's 
wisdom is adequate for directing his kingdom. There is at least 
one thing we can seek to do. Beware of the impressiveness 
of external appearances. Beware of the impressiveness 
of external appearances. We stumble here, for example, 
when congregations or denominations select pastors. What we seem 
to want are the movers and the shakers, the aggressive extroverts, 
the pushers who meet people well and sell the church in a community 
who are smooth in the pulpit. He says, do we ever ask how does 
he pray? Does he enjoy being with his 
wife? Can he weep? But if this text 
reveals our need, it also gives us reason for praise. Sometimes 
Yahweh must save us from our saviors, our self-chosen solutions 
to kingdom needs or personal dilemmas, and how often he has. Praise God Almighty that while 
we look upon the appearance or on the impressiveness of the 
externals, There are times when God restrains His people from 
entering into folly and taking the man that is actually the 
man after God's own heart. So in this instance, with reference 
to Eliah, Samuel is dazzled and Samuel said, this is the man, 
this is the successor, and God says, not so fast there, Samuel. You need to understand, it's 
not about physical stature, it's not about the external impressiveness, 
it's about the heart. It's about what a man is like 
in private. It's about his prayer life. It's 
about his commitment to Scripture. It's about worship. It's about 
his relationship to his wife. It's about his relationship to 
his children. It's about his relationship in 
society and in the world at large. Is he a faithful man? Again, 
not a sinless man, but a submissive man. A submissive man to the 
Lord God Almighty. This is the King that is described 
as a man after God's own heart. I think all of this helps us 
when we get to 2 Samuel, and we see David fall into sin, and 
God restores him. Again, we need to understand 
the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. We may not like the implications 
of that, but it is nevertheless the case. He cleanses us from 
all sin. I mean, we may not like the implications 
of that for others and their sin, But it is the case, brethren, 
God cleansed David from the sins of murder and adultery. The key 
difference between David and Saul is that Saul was not submissive 
to God Most High. When David is found out in his 
sin, when he is reproved by Nathan the prophet, he owns his sin. 
God atones for it. God restores him to service. 
So we need to understand, nevertheless, the Lord is full of mercy and 
grace. The rest of the sons, verses 
8 to 10, they pass before. God says, nope, nope, nope, seven 
times. And so Samuel's probably scratching 
his head about this time. And he said, the Lord has not 
chosen these. And then he says to Jesse, are 
all the young men here? Then he said, there remains yet 
the youngest, and there he is keeping the sheep. Again, notice 
the counter wisdom of God. We would never choose the youngest. 
We would never choose the one that was out tending the sheep. 
We'd choose Eliab first. And if we couldn't get Eliab, 
then we'd get the second, then the third, then the fourth, the 
fifth, the sixth, the seventh. We certainly wouldn't grab the 
eighth son. That's just not the way we operate. 
If we can't have a liable, get the second one. Notice the wisdom 
of God in this. There remains yet the youngest, 
and there he is keeping the sheep. I wonder if that's a bit of foreshadowing 
there. David will be the shepherd over 
Israel most certainly. And David's greater son is certainly 
the shepherd supreme over his Israel. Now notice the prophet 
anoints David in verses 11 to 13. The youngest son is spoken 
of. Samuel said to Jesse in verse 
11, send and bring him for we will not sit down until he comes 
here. In other words, we're not going 
to eat the peace offering with reference to this sacrifice until 
we get this done. God sent Samuel there, not in 
the first place to eat food with Jesse's family. He sent Samuel 
there in the first place to find David, the king to be. So he sent and brought him in. 
Now he was ruddy with bright eyes and good looking. Again, 
it's not just ugly men that ought to be leaders. It's not just 
the hideous. It's not just the terrible. So 
he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy with bright 
eyes and good looking. And the Lord said, arise, anoint 
him, for this is the one. There's a blessed excitement 
in that statement or in that expression, arise, anoint him 
for this is the one. God says there's the man after 
my own heart. Remember he's already said that 
in chapter 13 at verse 14 when Saul makes his first major blunder 
and God says to Samuel he is not going to be a dynasty. There 
is going to be a king, a man after my own heart. So now God 
sees this man after his own heart. He says, Arise, anoint him, this 
is the one. Verse 13, Then Samuel took the 
horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. 
Now this may not necessarily mean they were all present. It 
may just be that he was there and Samuel and David were there. The way Eliab speaks to him in 
chapter 17 seems to indicate that he wasn't too savvy on him 
having been anointed as king. I mean, Eliab is not very pleasant 
to David when David comes to the battlefront to see what's 
going on with the uncircumcised Philistine. So it might have 
been just something that Samuel, David, and probably Jesse knew 
about. Samuel took the horn of oil, 
anointed him in the midst of his brothers, and the Spirit 
of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose 
and went to Ramah. Isn't it interesting? Because 
here we have the Spirit of the Lord comes upon David. Again, 
probably with reference to his public office as the king over 
Israel. If we understand David as a man, 
probably the Spirit of the Lord had come upon him previous to 
this, then he was already a godly man, he's already in Christ. 
But in David's psalm, or in David's psalm of repentance, in Psalm 
51, what does he plead? Take not thine Holy Spirit from 
me. Perhaps Saul always lived as 
a reminder to David as one from whom the Spirit of God could 
depart. And David did not want anything like that ever to happen. 
You see, there's a completely different vibe that we get, a 
different ethos between the two men. David falls, David confesses, 
and David cries to God, take not thine Holy Spirit. What happens 
with Saul is not the same. He doesn't cry out to God for 
the Holy Spirit of God. And so David is anointed, we 
come now to the meeting with Saul in verses 14 to 23. Again, God is sovereign in his 
providence. The spirit of the Lord has departed 
from Saul, 14. And a distressing spirit from 
the Lord troubled him. A distressing spirit from the 
Lord troubled him. Now that verse may trouble some 
Christians today because it could also be translated, an evil spirit 
from the Lord troubled him. Now the idea, of course, is that 
God is absolutely sovereign. Nothing happens in this world 
apart from the plan and decree of God Most High. The idea here 
specifically is to create an occasion least, so that David 
and Saul will come into contact. So this distressing spirit from 
the Lord troubles Saul. The idea may be that the spirit 
is evil or bad, not because it's a demon, not because it's a malevolent 
spirit. It's one of God's spirits, but 
it's evil or bad in the sense because those are the effects 
that that's producing on Saul. There's many ways to understand 
this. We're going to just gloss over 
it. Suffice it to say, God is not the author of sin, and he 
does not send evil in the sense of an enticement to sin in this 
particular instance. It's a distressing spirit from 
the Lord to trouble him. The servants observed this. Notice 
in verse 15, Saul's servants said to him, surely a distressing 
spirit from God is troubling you. So there's some theologically 
inclined servants, I must say. I mean, I don't know if I saw 
Saul freaking out, I would conclude that the spirit, it was an evil 
spirit or distressing spirit sent from the Lord to trouble 
you. I mean, that's good theology on the part of these servants. 
Now, note what they suggest. They propose music. Music does 
calm the savage beast, doesn't it? Music does have a very beneficial 
effect upon a man. I found this to be quite intriguing 
in John Gill's commentary. He says, music being a means 
of cheering the spirits. I've observed, just not this 
isn't in Gill, but I've observed it's hard to listen to Mexican 
music and not be happy. I mean, you could be depressed, 
wanting to jump off a bridge. Just play someone some Mexican 
music, and they'll dance right back into a place of safety. 
I don't know what it is. It's a happy music. And I think 
we can all testify, music does have an effect upon us. That's 
why In the church, we need to be very cautious about the use 
of music because we don't want to run roughshod over the mind 
and manipulate the emotions through music. We go through the mind 
to the heart. We are not about manipulating 
people or making them swear. or move their heads or, you know, 
do their hands and get caught up in the feeling so they make 
a decision for Jesus. We need to be cautious in the 
way that we approach music with reference to the worship in God's 
house. I'm not saying that you can't 
listen to stuff, you know, in your car when you're driving 
to church, but not everything you listen to in your car is 
necessarily something that the church should include in its 
musical repertoire. Don't know if I pronounced that 
right, but there you go. So music has an effect. And there has been, at least 
in the last however long, churches that, in my estimation, are using 
music to manipulate people, to bring emotive responses to people. We want emotion, but we want 
it driven by a change of the will. And that only comes through 
the powerful work of the Spirit of God through the truth of God. So music can be very powerful. Anyways, back to Gill. Roger, 
while you were out, I introduced, and I'm going to read a quote, 
kind of wanted to make sure you were here. This was in Gill's 
commentary. I thought this was really interesting. 
and I'm probably going to mispronounce a word, so forgive me ahead of 
time. Music being a means of cheering 
the spirits and removing melancholy and gloomy apprehensions of things, 
and so of restoring to better health of body and disposition 
of mind. and that music has such an effect 
on the bodies and minds of men is certain from observation and 
experience in all ages. Music has been found to be medicine 
to various diseases, not only for the curing of the bite of 
vipers, wow, I had never heard that, and of the tarantula, but 
for easing the pains of the sciatica, So if your sciatica hurts, listen 
to some music. And according to John Gill, you 
will find some medical relief. Actually, I'm sure he's just 
echoing what he had read. This man was very well read in 
just about everything that had ever been written. I mean, he's 
got footnotes to philosophers, Jewish rabbis, doctors. He certainly was well studied. 
and for persons or helping persons laboring under the disorders 
of the frenzy. And Pythagoras used to compose 
the mind and remove the perturbations of it by the use of the heart, 
the thing here advised to." So Saul has this distressing spirit. He is troubled. It is manifesting 
itself evidently to his servants. Whatever happened to him, the 
servants could see a change in terms of his demeanor, and in 
terms of his disposition, and in terms of his overall gait. 
And so the servant says, you need music. You need heart. You need sounds to soothe that 
disposition. Saul liked the idea. Provide 
me now a man who can play well and bring him to me. verse 17. Now notice the meeting in verses 
18 to 22, the recommendation of David. One of the servants 
answered and said, look, I have seen a son of Jesse, the Bethlehemite. Again, not David. He's still 
the son of Jesse, the Bethlehemite. He's been introduced already 
in verse 13 as David, but he's still sort of you know, behind 
the scenes as it were. He is skillful in playing. You don't compose the Psalter 
of Israel and not be skillful when it comes to music. David 
certainly had a gift A mighty man of valor, a man of war. Some say, how could he have been 
known as a man of war up to this point? Because as of yet, he 
hadn't been engaged in any war. Could be that Jesse, his father, 
was a man of war. And by virtue of the fact that 
David is of the son of Jesse, it wouldn't be out of the ordinary 
to classify a son along with the father. Prudent in speech 
and a handsome person. There it is again. You don't 
have to be ugly to be a leader. And then notice what is key, 
what is most important, and what carries the narrative concerning 
David from this point onward. And the Lord is with him. You 
see, that's the fundamental difference between a Saul and a David. The 
Lord is with him. How is the Joseph narrative, 
when he goes to Potiphar's house, bracketed? The Lord is with Joseph. In the Bible, when we read that 
the Lord was with someone, that is to alert you to the reality 
that this is a person whose heart knows the grace of God. This 
is a person upon whom God looks favorably. This is a person upon 
whom God finds great delight. So David, the response then, 
is that therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, verse 19, and said, 
send me your son David, who is with the sheep. Jesse took a 
donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat and 
sent them by his son David to Saul. It's a sign of courtesy, 
a gift given to the king in order to show respect. So David came 
to Saul and stood before him, and he loved him greatly. This 
is Saul loved David greatly. And he, David, became his armor-bearer. Certainly he probably had a few 
armor-bearers. Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying, 
Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in 
my sight. Isn't this an amazing situation? God the Lord chooses David. Now Saul chooses David. Now this doesn't hold, of course. 
When we get to chapter 18, Saul has a completely different take 
on David. But at this particular point, 
it is intriguing. A double confirmation of David, 
the man who is anointed king. Davis says that David's music 
brings relief from Saul's terror and derangement. He says, no 
wonder the writer has placed 16, 1 to 13, and 16, 14 to 23 
back to back. Some suggest that 14 to 23 are out of place. I 
don't think that at all. I think 14 to 23 go with 1 to 
13. Davis obviously thinks that as 
well. He says, he is saying to us, 
the author, look at that. Doesn't that beat all? David 
is not only Yahweh's choice, but Saul's choice, doubly chosen. What confirmation. And it's the 
chosen king who keeps the rejected king from falling apart. The 
chosen king is not a threat, but a means of grace to Saul. 
But the sadness remains, Davis points out. And I think this 
is key. The sadness remains. Saul has 
therapy, but not the spirit of God. David's harping. David's 
soothing, David's calming, Saul's dispositional change, the melancholy 
leaving, the derangement lacking, all of that is good and beneficial. Spirit has not returned to Saul. Summary statement in verse 23, 
And so it was, whenever the Spirit from God was upon Saul, that 
David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would 
become refreshed and well. and the distressing spirit would 
depart from him. Now, we learn a few things from 
this particular passage. First, the sovereign providence 
of God. We cannot read 1 Samuel and not 
bump into that along the way. I mean, how does God get Samuel 
to Saul? It's through some lost donkeys. 
How does God get Samuel to David? It's through seven sons. God is overruling all things 
that transpire. God is giving us what happens 
according to his plan and according to his decree. The rejection 
of Saul the choice of David, and interestingly enough, it 
is this distressing spirit that is sent from the Lord that is 
the occasion that brings them together. I mean, it just so 
happens that the servants are able to identify and pinpoint 
that Saul has come under the effect of a distressing spirit 
sent from the Lord? I mean, really, are servants 
that well skilled in things theological? Are servants that well... God's 
providence is overruling this. And it just so happens to be 
the case that another servant that is there knows of David. I mean, you really have to suspend 
all rationality to conclude that there's no hand of providence 
at work in 1 Samuel 16. I happen to know a harpster. He's a handsome man. He's a good 
man. He's a man of valor and a man 
of war. And the Lord is with him. Well, 
send him to me. It just happens to be David? 
I mean, come on, brethren. God is at work in 1 Samuel. God is at work in building His 
kingdom. God is overruling history. God 
is Lord of history. And God is working out His plan 
for His people. Secondly, we cannot miss the 
emphasis in verse 7. Do not leave 1 Samuel 16 thinking 
that your religion is good as long as it is external. Not that I think anyone here 
thinks that. We need internal religion. Notice in the prophet 
Micah chapter 6 and verse 8. Very famous passage that has 
a long history in terms of biblical revelation. Micah chapter 6 and 
verse 8. This is the one we typically 
know in terms of memory work. He has shown you, O man, what 
is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, 
to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. This originates 
in Deuteronomy 10 at verse 12. It's repeated at least to some 
degree in Proverbs 21, 3, Hosea 12, 6, Zechariah 7, 8 to 10, 
and then, of course, Matthew 23, 23. You tithe mint and anise 
and cumin. But you neglect the weightier 
matters of the law, justice, mercy, and faith. You see, God 
has never been about externals only in religion. He's always 
been about the heart. He has always said that this 
is what is appealing to him. It is a humble and a contrite 
spirit. Interesting in the Micah context. I wanted to go there specifically 
because the emphasis here is external versus internal. If you go back for just a moment 
to chapter 6 and verse 1. Hear now what the Lord says. 
This is what's called a covenant lawsuit. God is angry with Israel 
because they sin against him. They have broken his covenant. 
So God sends the prophet as his prosecuting attorney to sue the 
people, to call them to repentance and faith. More often than not, 
that's how the prophets in Israel function. They're not there to 
teach Israel on how to have a better day. They're not there to give 
them an emotional boost. They're not there simply to give 
them little trinkets of wisdom on how they can have a happier 
business. They are there to call the people to repentance because 
they had broken God's covenant. That's what's going on in chapter 
6 at verse 1. Arise, plead your case before 
the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. Hear, O you 
mountains, the Lord's complaint. and you strong foundations of 
the earth for the Lord has a complaint against his people and he will 
contend with Israel you see the created order stands witness 
against Israel the mountains themselves are in the jury box 
they're the ones hearing this particular testimony now notice 
God opens the argument, or the opening argument is from God. 
Verse 3, O my people, what have I done to you? And how have I 
wearied you? Testify against me. In other 
words, if I have done something to deserve this sort of behavior, 
then please pony up the evidence. Please demonstrate for me what 
I have done in this regard. For I brought you up from the 
land of Egypt. I redeemed you from the house 
of bondage, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. Oh, my people, remember now what 
Balak, king of Moab, counseled, and what Balaam, the son of Baal, 
answered him, from Acacia Grove to Gilgal, that you may know 
the righteousness of the Lord. I'm sorry that you may know the 
righteousness of the Lord. So what God says is open or tell 
me what I have done. My track record or my history 
with you has only been beneficial. I have delivered. I have delivered. 
I have delivered. Now, notice in verse six, here's 
the people or here's the defendant. With what shall I come before 
the Lord and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before 
him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord 
be pleased with thousands of rams, ten thousand rivers of 
oil? Shall I give my firstborn for 
my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? Do you see what these wretches 
are doing? God says, testify against me. And they're saying, what's his 
problem? What's the issue? With what shall 
I come before the Lord? How can I bow myself before the 
high God? Shall I come before him with 
burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be 
pleased with thousands of rams? Will this get him off of our 
bags? If we bring thousands of rams 
and 10,000 rivers of oil, shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, 
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? Can I just multiply 
sacrifice to get God off our backs? That's what they're doing, 
brethren. God says, testify against me. 
I have only delivered you. And they're basically saying, 
what's the problem? What is it that you want? Do 
you want us to bring all these animals? Do you want us to sacrifice 
our firstborn? That's where verse 8 comes to 
play. He has shown you, O man, what 
is good. You don't even have to ask the 
question because it's in the law that you've broken. Deuteronomy 
10, 12. It's always been that way. It 
has never changed as long as Israel has been the covenant 
people. He has shown you, O man, what 
is good. Notice that. The law is good. 
What does John say? To the one who's in Christ, the 
commandments of God are not burdensome. Oh, what a weariness, the commandments 
of God. If somebody has that sentiment, 
they're not converted. Because the converted man loves 
the law of God. The converted man is that Psalm 
1 man. We struggle, we sin, we resist, 
and we still have our issues to be sure. But there is a love 
for the law of God. What could be more lovely than 
that which reflects the character of our holy God? Of course we 
love those things. He has shown you, O man, what 
is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, 
to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. The Lord God Most 
High has always been about the heart. He's always been about 
the internals. Now, when we live and conduct 
ourselves in a manner that God specifies internally, certainly 
there will be external manifestation of such things. And we ought 
to expect that. But let us not degenerate to 
the place of that Pharisee that we saw in Luke 18 on Sunday morning. I thank you, Lord, that I'm not 
like other men, that I'm not like this tax collector. But 
I tithe and I fast and I this and those are all externals. 
The man is standing there congratulating him when he's supposed to be 
praying to God. Is that man's religion external 
or internal? It is external alone. And it's 
because of that fact or that's a manifestation that he is not 
going to his house justified. He doesn't seek the sinless heart 
in his people, but the submissive heart. Now again, I'm not saying 
this so you can go out and sin. But you've got to understand, 
brethren, that Christians sin. We fall, and we stand in need 
of the Savior. This is the point in 1 John. 
My little children, I write these things to you so that you may 
not sin. Why is John writing to his little 
children? So that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, 
we have an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ the 
righteous. Isn't that wonderful? Isn't that 
good news for sinners? Isn't that a blessing? Pardon 
my iniquity, O Lord, for it is great. Psalm 25, 11. If you, 
Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But 
there is forgiveness with you that you may be feared. If we 
confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to 
cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This is why Luther said, and 
people take this out of context and you may struggle with it, 
when you sin, sin boldly. I don't think he means by that 
run the red light at 100 miles an hour rather than 50. But the idea being is that when 
you sin, realize you have a great and a glorious Savior. What does 
John Newton say? I have learned this. I am a great 
sinner, but Christ is a great Savior. You see, when we read 
of David later on, and it's not just adultery, and it's not just 
murder for David. Apart from those two instances, 
does David always just conduct himself in a perfect manner? 
Does David just hobble around Israel doing everything that's 
right all the time? No! David had sin in his heart, 
but God is merciful to those who by grace are submissive to 
him. This is how I think David can 
be a man after God's own heart. When David takes pen to paper 
and he pens Psalm 51, his psalm of repentance, what does he do? 
He essentially stands next to God and condemns himself. He 
doesn't try to hide, he doesn't try to run, he doesn't try to 
redefine, he doesn't say, you know, it was these circumstances 
or it was because Bathsheba was good looking and because she 
was bathing where she shouldn't have been. He doesn't do that. 
He says against thee and thee only have I sinned and done this 
evil in your sight. Very often, brethren, we try 
to minimize the effects of our own sin. And by doing so, we're 
actually minimizing the effects of the Christian gospel. Jesus 
died for our sins and he rose again. That's how I think we're 
supposed to understand that idea of sin boldly, not go out and 
be wicked. Not go out and do horrible things, 
but when you do wicked things and when you do horrible things, 
go to the throne of grace and fetch mercy in your time of need. Because Christ, our forerunner, 
has gone before us. We have an advocate with the 
Father. The last lesson I want to draw 
out of this particular passage is from verse 13. Then Samuel took the horn of 
oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit 
of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose 
and went to Ramah. Now we need to understand the 
presence of the Spirit did not mean the absence of trouble for 
David. The presence of the spirit did 
not mean the absence of trouble for David. What happens from 
this point on in the David-Saul story? David is a man on the 
run. David has a lot of issues and 
a lot of problems and a lot of trials. Perhaps when David was 
sitting there shepherding his sheep, dealing with lions and 
bears were certainly difficult. As soon as we leave this chapter, 
he's going to deal with a giant, Goliath. That's probably nothing 
compared to some of the other things that David would undergo. You see, there's this idea that 
spirit-filled believers are destined only for pleasure, joy, and happiness. And the Bible simply does not 
evidence that this is the case. Listen to Davis again on this 
whole idea. The gift of Yahweh's spirit is 
not merely gracious, it is severe. Yahweh equips David for conflict, 
one that will frequently make spine-tingling brawls with lions 
and bears seem dull. No sooner does the spirit touch 
David than he is catapulted into endless trouble. The envy, anger, 
and plots of Saul from chapter 18 on. David, the man with the 
spirit, will be hunted and betrayed, trapped and escaping, hiding 
in caves, living in exile, driven to the edge, right to the end 
of 1 Samuel. We must see this larger view 
of verse 13 in the context of the whole. The spirit comes, 
the trouble begins. You see, That's something that 
the Christian church desperately needs to hear, because it was 
not only true of David, it was true of David's greater son. 
Remember what happens in Matthew chapter 3? I know we're going 
back a little while in our studies in Matthew, but Matthew chapter 
3, Jesus is baptized. Remember? He goes into the River 
Jordan. The Father says, this is my beloved 
Son in whom I am well pleased. The Spirit descends upon Him. 
We've got all three persons of the Trinity there. As Turin says, 
the ancients used to say to Arius, if you want to see the Trinity, 
go to the River Jordan. You see the Father, the Son, 
and the Spirit there in Matthew 3. But the spirit descends upon 
Jesus, visibly manifested as a dove. What's the next scene 
in Matthew 4.1? The spirit drives Jesus into 
the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. You see, the spirit 
comes and the trouble begins. And we need to understand the 
presence of the spirit does not mean the absence of trouble for 
the church. One more time with Davis. I'm 
sorry. He was just excellent on this section. He says, if 
we remember David and his descendant concerning passages like Acts 
14, 22, through many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of 
God. I mean, remember who spoke that? It was the Apostle Paul 
after he had been stoned. Not stoned because he went out 
for a party, but stoned by big rocks. And he had been left for 
dead. He probably hobbles into that particular city, and there 
he says through many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of 
God. Nobody probably raised their hand and said, what do you mean, 
Paul? What are you talking about, Paul? Well, you see these welt 
marks on my head? That's a little bit of evidence. 
He speaks to this in Galatians 6. From now on, let no one trouble 
me, for I bear in my body the brand marks of Jesus. But in 
light of Acts 14.22, Davis says, if we remember David and his 
descendant, we begin to understand that this conflict, this spirit 
comes to trouble begins. Listen to this. I think this 
is golden. I think this is very excellent. I think all the people 
of God everywhere need to hear this. If we remember David and 
his descendant, capital D, descendant for Christ, we begin to understand 
that this conflict is not a sign of our sin, but a mark of our 
sonship, that we are under not God's displeasure, but his discipline. The wilderness is not the sign 
of the spirit's absence, but the scene of his presence. God 
treats us as sons, perhaps so we can later tell stories of 
angels who supported us, Mark 1.13. or of Yahweh who redeemed 
my life from all distress, 2 Samuel 4, 9. So David is able to testify. Yahweh has redeemed my life from 
all distress. So brethren, on the heels or 
on the consideration of verse 13, realize that the difficulties 
that you have are part and parcel of the Christian life. It's not 
a sign that you're not a believer. It's probably a sign that you 
are a believer. Difficulties don't necessarily 
It doesn't mean that somebody's a believer, but the idea is that 
God chastens those whom he loves, and we ought to be encouraged 
about that. Well, let us close in a word of prayer. Our Father, 
we thank you for this narrative, this section of Samuel that deals 
with David. Certainly, he was a hero in Israel. He's a hero in the church, but 
even more so, God, his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the hero 
of all of scripture. We thank you for Christ. We thank 
you for his gospel. We thank you for redemption through 
his blood. And I pray that you would go 
with us now and help us to learn these lessons, that God is not 
like us. He does not look on the physical 
appearance, but he looks upon the heart. As well, God, let 
us remember this reality that when the Spirit comes, this does 
not mean the absence of trouble. Grant us grace and perseverance 
and strength to deal with these things, and we pray through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen.