Devotion 09 March 2026

Jesse sent and had David brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features.  Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one.”  1 Samuel 16: 12

READING:  1 Samuel 16: 6-13

In our reading today we see how God chooses things in a different way to that which we humans choose or discern something. After the death of Saul our Lord sends Samuel to Bethlehem to the home of Jesse in order to select one of his sons to be the one who was to succeed Saul as king.  We read about how God chooses David as the future king.  Jesse calls in one after the other of his seven, but the Lord does not choose one of them.  The Lord says to Samuel he does not look at their appearances, their faces nor their height.  He says that God does not look at things in the same way as a man does.  Man looks at the outward appearances, while God looks at the heart and soul of a man. (verse 7)  While going through the seven of Jesses’s sons, Samuel learns from God how to select the right one.  He asks Jesse if he has any other sons.  Jesse says his youngest son, David, is out in the fields caring for the sheep.  Samuel immediately asks him to be called to come in.  That is when God says to Samuel, “Rise and anoint him: he is the one.”  Our reading ends with the anointing with oil by David, and “ from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power.”

How do we choose someone to be a friend, or someone to be a leader in our Church or in our community?  I had the experience recently of not liking the appearance of a particular person, but who has turned out to be a loving Christian friend.

We read in Acts 17 : 11 how the Bereans examined the Scriptures in order to discern whether the Apostle Paul was preaching the truth about Jesus.  We should choose what pleases God.  In Psalm 119 : 125 we read how David sought to do the right thing by approaching God in prayer, “I am Your servant; give me discernment that I may understand Your statutes.”

Prayer

Lord Jesus help us to understand Your will and to make the right choices in our lives.  Be our Guide so that we may know Your will and Your way. Give us the strength to follow it, so that our lives may bring glory to Your Name.  Amen