1 Samuel 16 -- God Chooses The Next King

"Saul was still in office and yet was unfit to lead the nation, and Samuel had broken fellowship with him.  In his grief, Samuel must have felt like a dismal failure as a father, a spiritual leader, and a mentor to the new king ... In spite of how he felt about himself, Samuel's work wasn't over yet, for God wanted him to anoint the new king, David," my commentary said.

"Samuel ... admired men who were handsome and well-built.  Samuel had already forgotten this mistake he made about Saul ... Samuel looked over seven of Jesse's sons, thinking that the whole family was there, but he was operating by sight and not by faith ... Samuel may have looked at their faces and forms, but the Lord examined their hearts.  GOD ALONE CAN SEARCH THE HUMAN HEART AND KNOW WHAT A PERSON'S MOTIVES REALLY ARE."

"David was exactly the kind of leader Israel needed to repair all the damage that Saul had done to the nation ... Samuel at last found the man of God's choice, a man after God's own heart ... His trials and testings during those wilderness years helped to build his faith and develop his godly character and prepare him for the ministry that God had planned for him."

"No matter how you examine David's life and abilities, you find him to be a unique individual -- and he was that way because God made him that way!  It was David's musical ability that introduced him into the royal court and then he was promoted to military service.  The opportunities of life matched his giftedness and David was wise to obey the will of the Lord.  Just as he refused to wear Saul's armor when facing Goliath, so he rejected that which wasn't prepared and planned for him by the Lord ... David knew his gifts, he experienced the power of God in using these gifts in his daily life.  He loved the Lord and worshiped Him and he surrendered himself to do the work God had called him to do."

Father, I love hearing again how You uniquely prepared David even in his mother's womb to be Your servant.  I know You do that for each of us.  Thank You for bending me to Your will and for helping me to realize that it is a good thing to surrender to You and Your will for my life.  Please help my sons to discover this early in their lives as well.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford