David Anointed King

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

Samuels Obedience

4 Samuel did what the LORD commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?”
5 And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

In our last post, as we entered into David’s anointing, we found Samuel being thrust into a precarious situation, between obeying the Lord, and being safe in relation to King Saul. Samuel understood that anointing the new king of Israel may very well end up with his head on a chopping block. After expressing his concern to the Lord, we see the compassion of the Lord in adjusting His command to allow for an “alternative delivery” method. The Lord told Samuel to take a heifer for sacrifice to use as a cover for this uncommon trip. And it was an uncommon trip, for as we see in the opening verse this morning, the first thing out of the elders mouth was to see if Samuel was coming “peaceably”.

What gives there? Is this a question that informs us of the general nature of the prophet, or of the elders suspicion of problems associated with the visit. The text tells us the elders were trembling as the prophet met them. Something must be wrong! After all, Bethlehem was a small village. Of no real importance at the time.

As an aside, isn’t this typical of those who live under a law system, that a first response is that there is trouble, that some type of discipline or judgement is about to happen. Not that a blessing was about to drop on the village, that the little town would find out they produced one for the greatest kings that ever lived, or that they would eventually become the town where the eternal King would begin His earthly life. But I am getting ahead of myself!

Samuel quieted the concerns of the elders, and informed them they needed to prepare for the sacrifice he was to make in the town. Samuel also sought out Jesse, informed him of the need of his presence along with his sons, and consecrated them prior to this eventful meeting.

No information regarding the reason for the sacrifice was given, at least that the record tells us.

Jesse – you just need to bring your sons…

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