Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
For further study - I Samuel 16:1-13
This portion of I Samuel selected for our devotional reading today is the record of a young shepherd boy being selected to be the second King of Israel. This account follows the account of Saul, the first King of Israel, who failed to follow the instructions of the Lord that Samuel the prophet had given him.
God had told Samuel to have King Saul kill all of the Amalakites, and even their king, King Agag. King Saul failed to obey the Lord, and thus God rejected King Saul as the King of Israel, I Samuel 15:23.
Samuel mourned for King Saul and as he did so the Lord told the prophet to go to Bethlehem and select one of the sons of Jesse, the Bethlehemite, as the next King of the Jewish people.
In our extended reading you can see the record of Samuel's trip to Jesse's home and how he finally got to the son that the Lord wanted to be King over Israel. It is so interesting to see that God's choice was not among those first seven sons presented by Jesse, their father.
Finally, Jesse brought his youngest son, David, a young shepherd boy, to the prophet. That is when the Lord told Samuel to anoint David as the next King of Israel. This appointment was the beginning of a life given over to God.
In fact, God called David, "His friend", and made a covenant with him, the "Davidic Covenant", which would promise the Jews, through the line of King David, that a King would sit upon a throne in the Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. And that He would rule and reign from that spot forever.
Of course, the Davidic Covenant will be fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ, when He returns to earth to set up His Kingdom. The Lord also has already selected King David to be "co-regent" with Jesus at the Temple for the "thousand year millennial kingdom" that is coming, as promised, Ezekiel 34:23-24 and 37:24-25.
The Lord took a little shepherd boy and set him in the place of high service in the plan of God, during his own lifetime. The Lord has also determined for David a place of service in the future. He selected David to be a special servant unto Himself.
By the way, the Lord does that for us as well when we give our all to Him. God has a special "plan" for each of our lives. All we must do is to be available for Him to use us as He has planned. As we spend time in His Word and prayer He will make known what that "plan" is for us.
PRAYER THOT: Thank you Lord for saving me and using me in your service as I surrender my will to Your will.
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