David Is Chosen by Samuel: The One Who Was Still Outside

The Boy Who Was Not There

The Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have provided a king for myself among his sons."

Samuel filled his horn with oil and set out.

When Samuel came to Bethlehem, the elders of the city came to meet him, trembling. "Do you come peaceably?" they asked.

"Peaceably," Samuel said. "I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me." And he called Jesse and his sons to the sacrifice.

Samuel has come to the house of Jesse, with a horn of oil in his hand, and Jesse’s sons are gathering around him.

What do you think everyone is wondering about Samuel’s visit?

Turn the page.

When Jesse’s oldest son Eliab came before him, Samuel looked at him and thought, "Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him." He was tall and strong. He looked like a king.

But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his face or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. I do not see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

So Jesse called his second son, Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. Samuel said, "The Lord has not chosen this one, either."

Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. "The Lord has not chosen this one, either."

One by one, Jesse’s sons walk past Samuel. Tall son. Strong son. Fine-looking son. And after each one, Samuel shakes his head.

What do you think Jesse is thinking now? What would you be thinking?

Turn the page.

Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen these."

Then Samuel asked, "Are all your children here?"

And Jesse said, "There remains yet the youngest. And behold, he is keeping the sheep."

Samuel said, "Send and get him, for we will not sit down until he comes here."

So they sent for him and brought him in. He was ruddy, with a handsome face and good appearance.

And the Lord said to Samuel, "Arise! Anoint him, for this is he."

Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the middle of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.

The boy who had been sent out to watch the sheep was the one God had chosen.

How to Talk About This Story With Your Child

This chapter is as much about Samuel as it is about David. Samuel walked in and did what he had done all his life: he looked at the outside. He saw a tall, strong young man and was sure that was the one. God had to correct him.

The famous line is simple and worth leaving simple: "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

The boy who was chosen was not even in the room when the choosing began. He was out with the sheep, doing his ordinary job, while his older brothers stood in front of the prophet. They told the story of the chapter better than any lesson could: the ones everyone could see were not the ones God picked.

Let the story say that. It says it best by itself.

Pray Together

You do not have to use these exact words. You can tell God what you think about the story in your own words. Or you can pray this together:

Thank You, God, for the story of David being chosen. Thank You that You do not look at the outside like people do, and that You see each of us by heart. Help us be content with who we are, and help us see other people the way You do. Amen.

The Lord sent Samuel to the house of Jesse with a horn of oil. One by one, Jesse’s seven sons passed before him, and the Lord did not choose any of them.

"Are all your children here?" Samuel asked. And Jesse said the youngest was still out with the sheep.

They brought him in. And the Lord said, "Arise! Anoint him, for this is he."

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