Samuel’s mistake

The offering of sacrifice was followed by a feast., where Jesse’s sons were invited. Jesse had eight sons and two daughters. (1) The first to arrive was the eldest son, Eliab. Samuel looked at him and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed standing before Him.” However, this assessment was incorrect. (2) Eliab was tall and handsome, just like King Saul. In other words, Samuel was applying the same criteria here that the people had used when choosing Saul as king. Interestingly, even someone as discerning as Samuel carried a weakness of being swayed by appearances. (3) At that moment, the Lord spoke those famous words to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him…. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” This principle is still effective today. God is always concerned with what is in our hearts.

Seven sons rejected

Next came the second son, Abinadab. He, too, was not the chosen one. Following him, the third son Shammah and four other sons appeared, but none of them were chosen by the Lord. 1 Chronicles 2:14-15 lists the names of Jesse’s sons. According to the verse, the fourth son is Nethanel, the fifth Raddai, the sixth Ozem, and the seventh is David. Since David is the eighth son, it appears one is missing. It is likely, that the son had died young and thus omitted from the list. Let’s pay close attention to the wonder of God’s selection. God chose the youngest son, who basically was ignored by his father Jesse. God’s way is to pour grace on those insignificant and make them His children. Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth, “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong” (1 Cor. 1:27). As recipients of God’s grace, let’s live today in a way that shines the glory of God.