1 Samuel 16
by Pastor David Groendyk

Today’s chapter marks a turning point in the book of 1 Samuel. From this point forward, the focus is upon David and his preparation for kingship. In some ways, the anointing of David mirrors the anointing of Saul, but there is one crucial difference—David is chosen by God whereas Saul had been chosen by man. Even more so than their own hearts, the most important difference between David and Saul is who chose them to be kings (1 Sam. 13:14).

Saul has already been rejected by the Lord to continue as king, and since then he’s consistently proven his inability to govern and lead according to the Lord’s will. Now, Samuel is given the task of anointing Saul’s successor. As he’s doing so it seems Samuel comes down with the same case of appearance-itis that caused Israel to choose Saul as king. He looks at Jesse’s oldest son and thinks that surely this man looks the part of king. But the Lord quickly corrects him. “Do not look on his appearance… For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (v. 7). The Lord does not care about outward appearances when it comes to being king; he only cares about the heart. Actually it’s interesting to see that David was quite an attractive person (v. 12), but that didn’t matter. David had a heart that would remain committed to following the word of the Lord. He would be a king that delighted in the law of the Lord and meditated on it day and night (Psa. 1:2). He would do whatever the Lord told him was fit to do rather than listen to his own desires and passions. Of course, David was not a perfect man, and, in fact, he would commit really heinous sins, but his life was characterized by a desire to please the Lord rather than doing what was right in his own eyes.

The fact that the Lord looks on the heart rather than outward appearances “should produce sobriety and the fear of the Lord,” as Michael Barrett writes. It’s a sobering reality to know that the Lord sees our true motives and desires, even though we may project a good image to the world. The truth is that it doesn’t matter how many good deeds you do if you haven’t had a new heart and the Holy Spirit put inside of you by God (Ezek. 36:26). If your heart hasn’t been transformed, all of our “good deeds” are ultimately done for our own glory rather than God’s. Therefore, we must be careful that all of our acts of worship and service are truly coming from a purified and single-minded heart. At the same time, saying that God doesn’t look at outward appearances doesn’t mean we can ignore our outward, external actions. A healthy tree is known by the fruit it produces (Matt. 7:16–20). Both the root and fruit, our hearts and our actions, must be in alignment, and both need to be aimed at the glory of God in all that we do.

Verses 13–14 are a significant hinge on which this book turns. As he once did for Saul, now the Holy Spirit rushes upon David, and he leaves Saul for good. In place of the Holy Spirit, a harmful spirit now torments him (a fascinating reversal much like what happens in Judges 9:23 with the anti-judge Abimelech). This is not to say that Saul has lost his salvation, but simply that the Lord is no longer equipping and empowering him to rule as king. Saul is the anti-king now, and the Lord is equipping and empowering David as his true king. And one of Saul’s young men notices this as well when he says that “the Lord is with him” (v. 18). It’s possible that the David and Goliath episode (1 Sam. 17) occurs chronologically before 1 Samuel 16:15ff. since Saul’s young man calls David a “man of war.” So then, we also see another great characteristic of godly men and women in David—humility. He’s the anointed one, king-in-waiting, giant-slaying, Holy Spirit-possessing man of God, but he serves in Saul’s court to play the lyre to refresh him. Of course, David is also well known for his psalm-writing and setting up musicians in the temple (1 Chron. 6:31), so this probably isn’t just soothing music he’s playing but godly music of worship as well. Music should do the same for us when it reminds us of who Jesus is and what he’s done for us. As we just sang on Sunday:

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer’s ear

It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, and drives away his fear

 It makes the wounded spirit whole, and calms the troubled breast

‘Tis manna to the hungry soul, and to the weary rest

 Dear name, the rock on which I build, my shield and hiding place

My never-failing treasury filled with boundless stores of grace