1 Samuel 16:1-13
1The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.” 4Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5He said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 6When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before the Lord.” 7But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 8Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 9Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 10Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” 11Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” 12He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.” 13Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.
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Sometimes we just need to move on.
Samuel was the Billy Graham of his day and the advisor to the political leader Saul, the problem child of Israel. Samuel anointed Saul to the first king of Israel. But soon, things began to fall apart. Samuel watched while Saul disobeyed God, and soon it became Samuel’s job to inform Saul that God had rejected him as king. Our reading tells us that Samuel “grieved” over Saul. But the Lord told Samuel that the time for grieving was over, and it was time to appoint a new king.
When Samuel resists, he hears the voice of God directing him to a better future. That future will include David the shepherd boy. Then another shepherd will arrive. Jesus the Good Shepherd will be the Light of the World. Like Samuel, the disciples will “get stuck” in the past. But Jesus, pushing them into a new time, new ways, new understanding. The past? It is gone; it is history. The future is bright with the Living Christ.
So, let us move on from yesterday; let go of that which is less than life—sins that have been forgiven, regrets that keep us bound, those things that are less than life—to life abundant in Christ, in the present.
Prayer: Gracious God, in your grace, free us from whatever keeps us locked in the past, so that we might live your abundant life today. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
–Pastor Mark Nelson