大卫——一个爱神的人
撒母耳记上十六章1至13节
1耶和华对撒母耳说：“我既厌弃扫罗作以色列的王，你为他悲伤要到几时呢？你将膏油盛满了角，我差遣你往伯利恒人耶西那里去，因为我在他众子之内，预定一个作王的。”
2撒母耳说：“我怎能去呢？扫罗若听见，必要杀我。”耶和华说：“你可以带一只牛犊去，就说：‘我来是要向耶和华献祭。’
3你要请耶西来吃祭肉，我就指示你所当行的事。我所指给你的人，你要膏他。”
4撒母耳就照耶和华的话去行。到了伯利恒，那城里的长老都战战兢兢地出来迎接他，问他说：“你是为平安来的吗？”
5他说：“为平安来的。我是给耶和华献祭，你们当自洁，来与我同吃祭肉。”撒母耳就使耶西和他众子自洁，请他们来吃祭肉。
6他们来的时候，撒母耳看见以利押，就心里说：“耶和华的受膏者必定在他面前。”
7耶和华却对撒母耳说：“不要看他的外貌和他身材高大，我不拣选他。因为耶和华不像人看人：人是看外貌，耶和华是看内心。”
8耶西叫亚比拿达从撒母耳面前经过，撒母耳说：“耶和华也不拣选他。”
9耶西又叫沙玛从撒母耳面前经过，撒母耳说：“耶和华也不拣选他。”
10耶西叫他七个儿子都从撒母耳面前经过，撒母耳说：“这都不是耶和华所拣选的。”
11撒母耳对耶西说：“你的儿子都在这里吗？”他回答说：“还有个小的，现在放羊”撒母耳对耶西说：“你打发人去叫他来；他若不来，我们必不坐席。”
12耶西就打发人去叫了他来。他面色光红，双目清秀，容貌俊美。耶和华说：“这就是他，你起来膏他。”
13撒母耳就用角里的膏油，在他诸兄中膏了他。从这日起，耶和华的灵就大大感动大卫。撒母耳起身回拉玛去了。
信息分享
我们不知道扫罗作王多久，才变得偏行己意，不听从神。到最后神终于要说：「够了，我要另选一个人来作王管治我的百姓。」
于是，神差派作先知和祭司的撒母耳到伯利恒，找波阿斯和摩押女子路得的孙子耶西，在耶西家里找到神所拣选的人。当耶西的七个儿子，由大到小排在撒母耳面前，场面一定十分有趣。撒母耳看见长子以利押长得俊美高大，便以为他是神所拣选的人。
但神却对撒母耳说了一句重要的话，请看第7节神伟大的描述：「耶和华不像人看人：人是看外貌，耶和华是看内心。」这句话至今不变。
最后，耶西打发人叫放羊的大卫回来。他没有时间更换衣服，立即从野地跑来，脸颊晒得通红。
神于是吩咐撒母耳说：「就是他，你起来膏立他吧！」
我们并不准确知道大卫要等多久才被膏立，并且从被膏立到真正登基为王之间，过了多少年。没有十五年，至少也有十年。在这等候期间，大卫经历了人生中最艰难和危险的岁月。
有些时候，大卫真的很灰心（见撒上廿七1）；但是，透过他在晚年所写的73首诗篇，我们看见他如何经历神的扶助。检视大卫的一生，将会使我们大得益处。我们不能涵盖每一个细节，只能在后面几天一同察看几个片段。
反思：
神给你的应许，祂必定成就。我们只要等候祂的时间。神必信守诺言。
DAVID - THE MAN WHO LOVED GOD
1 Samuel 16:1-13
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.”
2 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.’
3 Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; you shall anoint for Me the one I name to you.”
4 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?”
5 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.
6 So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before Him!”
7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
8 So Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.”
9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.”
10 Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.”
11 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 till he comes here.”
12 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!”
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.
Message
We do not know how long Saul had reigned when it became apparent he would go his own way and not the Lord's. Finally God said, “Enough, I have chosen another man to be king over my people”.
So God sent the prophet-priest Samuel to Bethlehem, the home of Jesse, who is the grandson of Boaz and Ruth, the Moabites.
There he would find the one God had chosen. It would have been interesting to see the parade of Jesse's seven sons in front of Samuel, beginning with the eldest, Eliab. Samuel was sure that this fine strong young man must be the one.
Then came God's words spoken to Samuel's heart and mind. Notice the final sentence of verse 7 with its tremendous statement, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” How it is still true today.
Finally David, the shepherd boy was sent for. He had no time to change his clothes. He came as he was, his sunburn face showing his constant exposure to the weather.
God spoke again, “This is the one. Anoint him.”
We do not know how long it took before David was crowned king and the span of time between anointing and coronation. At least ten if not fifteen years were to go by. They were difficult and dangerous years and David had to wait for God's time.
Sometimes David was really discouraged (see 1 Samuel 27:1) but some of his experiences with the Lord are preserved for us in Psalms 73 which he later wrote. A study of his life can be richly rewarding. We cannot cover every detail but will look at several incidents together over the next few days.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: If God has given you a promise, He will fulfill it. Wait for His time. God is faithful to His word.