If it first you don’t succeed, God directed Samuel, try something different.
Here’s a transcript:
I’m thinking about the end of the fifteenth and the beginning of the sixteenth chapters of First Samuel (1 Samuel 15:34-16:13), the anointing of David to become King of Israel.
God was not pleased with the first King of Israel, Saul. Saul had not done things God wanted him to do; Saul had done things God didn’t want him to do. God directed Samuel to the House of Jesse in Bethlehem because one of Jesse’s sons would be the next King of Israel.
Jesse paraded his sons in front of Samuel from the oldest to the… well, not quite the youngest, as it turned out. Each time Samuel looked at the young man before him and thought he looked like a likely king, but God said, “The Lord does not look at the outward appearance; the Lord looks into the heart,” and so they moved on.
Eventually they had to summon David in from the fields where he was tending the sheep. He wasn’t considered a likely enough candidate to be brought into the parade. This was the one that got approved. This was the one that Samuel anointed to become king.
There’s a lot to think about, with this notion of searching of the human heart rather than being deceived by outward appearance. There’s a lot of outward appearance in our day that is intended to deceive us, and all too frequently does.
Nevertheless, what strikes me this week is the way that God and then Samuel tried something different to make a change from what was an unacceptable situation. The new king wasn’t working, so therefore a change has to be made: “and God was sorry to have made Saul king.” God set out to make the required adjustment.
And then, once these young men started to meet Samuel, each time there was something not quite right, or something, something that could be better, and each time God said we’re going to look for the better. We’re going to find the best alternative to Saul that’s available to us here and now.
We don’t know what that was. God’s selection of David didn’t come with any explanation, just simply: This is the one.
It’s frequently said in English that if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. But it’s also said that if you do the same thing repeatedly and expect a new outcome, that way lies madness. In this story God said, “I’m going to do things differently; I’m not going to continue with the same thing.” And that gets true in the selection process. Each candidate came before Samuel and God looked into the heart and said, “We’re going to keep looking. I need something different.”
What are the differences in your life that could make things better? What are the differences in your life that could make things better for your family? What are the differences in your life that could change things for our community, for our church, for our world, for our faith? What are the differences that would make a change for the better?
That’s what I’m thinking. I’m curious to hear what you’re thinking. Leave me your thoughts in the comment section below. I’d love to hear from you.
