David is Annointed

I don't know how much time had elapsed between Saul becoming king and today's reading. But he had engaged in numerous military campaigns, amassed an elite army of "mighty men", and been victorious at every turn. All this, even though he had been told that the throne would be taken from him. God's discipline does not always strike immediately. In today's reading, we see that the incident with the offerings was not an isolated lapse of judgement. Saul sidestepped God's commands again by taking the plunder after the siege on the Amalekites and by disregarding the command to leave no one alive. Saul's intent in keeping Agag alive was probably to parade him in front of his people as a trophy to herald his own accomplishment. We know he was quite pleased with himself because Samuel found him setting up a monument to himself. When Samuel confroned Saul about Agag and the taking of the plunder, Saul was quick to point out that they were to be sacrificed to "the Lord your God". Not our God? Another peek into his heart is the fact that he begs Samuel, who had just told him that God had torn the kingdom away from him, to "honor him before the elders and the people by coming back with me so that I may worship the Lord your God>' You'd think he'd have been very concerned about the news of losing his kingdom but he was more focused on saving face in front of the people. Disappointing God and losing His favor was not a problem.

Because of all this, it says "the Spirit of the Lord left Saul". In Old Testament times, before the gift of the Holy Spirit that Christians now receive, the Spirit came upon certain individuals to equip them for specific tasks. The two men put in charge of building the Tabernacle are good examples. It was not a permanent indwelling and had nothing to do with salvation. The Spirit left Saul when it became clear that he was not going to serve as God's man on the throne. And when God's spirit left him, a "tormenting spirit" set in, which seems to imply a condition of depression or some other mood disorder. A fall from grace of that magnitude would surely be emotionally upsetting! And this is where David, quite providentially, enterred the story.

Before meeting Saul however, David met Samuel as he was seeking the man God had chosen to anoint as king. Samuel, as a mortal man, thought as most men would, that the anointed king would be big, strong, and handsome. He was quite surprised when the older brothers were passed over for David. But God says, "The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart". David was not perfect and God knew that he would battle some serious sin later on. But David's heart belonged to God, and that was the beauty that He saw in him.

Tomorrow's reading: 1 Samuel 17:32-19:24; Psalm 59