Unknown
Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
16:1-31:13 The Story of Saul and David. Now that Saul has been completely disqualified as king, David is introduced as his successor, and God trains David, through suffering, to lead his people.
16:1-23 Introduction of David. In chs. 13 and 15, Saul was told that he and his dynasty had been rejected and that the kingdom had been given to a neighbor, a man after the Lord's heart (cf. 13:14; 15:28). It is now revealed that this neighbor is a son of Jesse of Bethlehem--but his name is not stated until the middle of ch. 16. In the second half of the chapter, the Lord uses the words of one of Saul's attendants to bring David to court. The Lord is with David, while his Spirit has left Saul and has been replaced by a spirit that does harm and turns him against David.
16:1-13 Anointing of David. God indicates to Samuel that of all the sons of Jesse, David, the least likely, is his choice. After David's anointing (which is done with a limited audience), the Spirit of God empowers him for service.
16:1 Jesse was a descendant of Perez, son of Judah and Tamar (Gen. 38:29), and a grandson of Ruth and Boaz (Ruth 4:18-22). Bethlehem is in Judah, about
16:2 and say, "I have come to sacrifice to the Lord." This was a true but incomplete statement of the reasons for Samuel to come to Bethlehem (see v. 1), and yet the Lord told him to say it, so it should not be considered morally wrong. It seems that telling part of what one knows to be true, in order to conceal other information, is morally right in some situations, particularly adversarial situations such as this one. Moreover, the Lord had the right to hide his intentions from Saul, who had proved himself faithless.
16:5 Consecrate yourselves. They would probably wash themselves and perhaps also wash their clothes (Ex. 19:10; Num. 8:21; 11:18). As in 1 Sam. 9:22, the feast seems to have a selective guest list.
16:7 man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. Outward appearance cannot predict whether someone will faithfully obey the Lord, for a person's actions flow from his heart (cf. 2 Chron. 16:9; Ps. 51:10; Prov. 4:23; Mark 7:21-23; Luke 6:45; 1 Thess. 2:4). The "heart" in Scripture refers to a person's inward moral and spiritual life, including the emotions, will, and reason.
16:8-9 And he said. It is not clear whether the Lord is speaking to Samuel or Samuel is speaking to Jesse.
16:10 seven of his sons. Was David the seventh son or the eighth? David is listed as "seventh" in 1 Chron. 2:15, but this may represent a "telescoping" of a genealogy to give David the number of perfection (see notes on 1 Chron. 2:9-17; Matt. 1:17). Other interpreters suggest that David may have had an additional brother who died childless and was omitted from the genealogy in 1 Chronicles 2 (1 Sam. 17:12 also says that Jesse had eight sons).
16:13 David's name is mentioned here for the first time. the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. See note on 10:6. The narrator does not say who among those present knew what the anointing was for.
16:14-23 David at Saul's Court. Saul and David become acquainted when David begins serving Saul. As the story develops, David will become Saul's most successful servant.
16:14 The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul as soon as the Lord's Spirit came upon David to anoint him for kingship (see v. 13). This statement is not relevant to the issue of whether people can lose their salvation; it is not describing the Holy Spirit's role in individual regeneration in a NT sense. Rather, in light of v. 13, it should be seen as being about gaining or losing the Spirit's empowering for the role of king (see 10:1, 6, 10; 11:6; 16:13; and perhaps Ps. 51:11). From this point to the end of his life, Saul will continually make futile attempts to govern without the empowering of the Holy Spirit. A harmful spirit sent by the Lord tormented Saul as a form of judgment for his sin of turning against the Lord (1 Sam. 15:22-29). Though God himself never does evil, he sometimes sends evil agents to accomplish his purposes (such as the Babylonians coming to punish Israel, cf. Jer. 20:4-6; or sinful people crucifying Christ, cf. notes on Gen. 50:18-21; Mark 14:21; Acts 2:23; 4:27; 4:28; see also 1 Kings 22:20-23).
16:16-18 David was already skillful in playing the lyre, but a man of valor, a man of war probably refers to his ability and not his experience (cf. 17:13, 33); perhaps some knew of how he single-handedly defeated both lions and bears (cf. 17:36). The Lord is with him is a continual theme in David's story (17:37; 18:12; 20:13; 2 Sam. 5:10; 7:3, 9; see also Gen. 21:22; 26:3; 28:15; 31:3; 39:2; Ex. 3:12).
16:20 donkey laden. Some scholars think this was a specific amount, similar to the Assyrian unit "donkey," which was about
16:21 An armor-bearer was a close personal attendant. Both Jonathan's armor-bearer (14:1) and Saul's (31:4-5) had a close relationship with their masters.
16:23 and the harmful spirit departed from him. David is referred to as "the sweet psalmist of Israel" (2 Sam. 23:1) and as the author of several songs (2 Sam. 1:17-27; 22:1-51; 1 Chron. 16:7-36; see also Amos 6:5) and many psalms. He is also credited with establishing the temple musicians (1 Chron. 6:31). The music that David habitually played in Saul's presence was not merely beautiful, but music of worship to the Lord, causing Saul to be refreshed and the harmful spirit to flee (cf. 2 Chron. 5:13-14).
