๐ 1 Samuel 16 — Key Summary: ๐ “I, the Lord, Look at the Heart”
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In chapter 15, we saw Saul carry out the Lord God’s command — the destruction of the Amalekites — according to his own judgment, and we could see God’s regret and Samuel’s sorrow.
๐ Key Summary of 1 Samuel 16
๐ The Lord God chooses David as the future king (v. 1)
The Lord God, seeing Samuel mourning because of Saul, reveals that He has already chosen a new king.
God says to Samuel:
→ “Fill your horn with oil and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”
๐ God and Samuel know about Saul’s evil character (v. 2)
Samuel says:
“How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”
God then tells Samuel what to do:
Say that you have come to offer a sacrifice to the Lord.
๐ In this conversation, we can see that Samuel knew Saul’s evil character, and God also knew it and showed Samuel how to proceed. ๐
Before becoming king → a man of questionable character(?)
→ an ignorant king
→ a man who acted foolishly before God
→ an imprudent king
→ a reckless king
→ a king willing to kill even his own son
→ a king who disobeyed the Lord’s command
→ a king who shifted the blame onto the people
✔️ Saul had even reached the point of saying to his own son, “You will surely die!” Therefore, it is difficult to imagine that Samuel did not know Saul’s character.
๐ “I, the Lord, Look at the Heart” (v. 7)
Samuel says that he has come to offer a sacrifice, as God had commanded, and invites Jesse and his sons to the sacrifice (v. 5).
๐ Samuel anoints David according to the word of the Lord (vv. 12–13)
When Samuel sees Eliab, he immediately thinks:
“Surely this is the Lord’s anointed.”
But God says to him:
Do not consider his appearance or his height.
Man looks at what is before his eyes,
✔️ but “I, the Lord, look at the heart.” (v. 7)
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๐ The Spirit of the Lord and the Evil Spirit Sent by the Lord
When Samuel anoints David, the Spirit of the Lord comes powerfully upon David. (v. 13)
Then an evil spirit from the Lord comes upon Saul and torments him. (v. 14)
✔️ The Spirit of the Lord is the Spirit who brings salvation → whenever David plays his harp, Saul feels better and the evil spirit leaves him. (v. 23) ๐
๐ Normally, when the Bible describes someone as being sent or commissioned, it refers to someone acting under another’s authority.
Here we see something interesting:
→ even the evil spirit is under God’s control and authority. ๐๐๐
๐ We can also see another example of this in Judges 9:23, where God sends an evil spirit.
๐ Conclusion — 1
In 1 Samuel 16, we see that the Lord God chooses David to be king.
God anoints David,
David is filled with the Spirit of the Lord,
and the Spirit of the Lord departs from Saul.
✔️ But we also see punishment coming upon Saul. ๐
“An evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.”
(vv. 14–15)
๐ Conclusion — 2
๐ In chapter 14, we saw Saul’s second oath.
“Saul said, ‘Jonathan, you will surely die!’ May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you do not.”
(1 Samuel 14:44) ๐
✔️ Jonathan was saved and remained alive.
So we can consider this possibility:
Since Jonathan did not die, could Saul’s own declaration — “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely” — have ultimately been fulfilled upon Saul himself? ๐
๐ Conclusion — 3
Then something rather ironic happens:
Saul and David come to be together.
Clearly, this was part of God’s will.
But a question arises:
๐ Why did God bring Saul and David together in this way?
๐ What was God’s greater purpose behind all of this?
This is what makes us curious.
As we continue to follow the lives of Saul and David in the chapters ahead, I hope we will gradually come to understand what God’s greater purpose was behind everything that happened.
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