Loving God, you care more about the heart than appearances, and you seek to place within your people a new heart and a new spirit.  Renew us in your love as we gather together today, and unite us by the power of your Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            You may or may not have noticed, but there have been a lot of calls from God lately.  We had the call of Moses a few weeks ago, and last week was the call of Samuel.  Now today is the call of David.  It makes me think of that song that Billious Pond used to sing – “Calling You.”  Surely God continues to call people into ministry today and didn’t stop with David, or Isaiah, or even Jesus’ disciples.

         The call of David, though, happens in a particularly interesting situation.  First of all, Israel already has a king when Samuel comes to anoint David.  Saul is the king of Israel and had also been anointed by Samuel.  However, Saul did not prove to be a faithful king, and his behaviour became more and more erratic.  We are told that God regrets ever making Saul king, for Saul had turned away from following God (1 Sam. 15:11).  Yet, being king is not a term position.  Saul continues to be king.  And so, Samuel has every right to be afraid of what Saul might do if he found out about somebody else being anointed king.

         At the same time, we have David, who is so insignificant in his own family that he isn’t even invited to come to the sacrifice with his brothers.  Samuel comes, expecting to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as king, but it seems that he doesn’t know ahead of time which one he will be anointing.  He is immediately drawn to Eliab, who is both the eldest and the tallest, but this is not the one whom God has chosen.  Human beings look at appearances, but God looks at the heart (1 Sam. 16:7).

         One can almost imagine Samuel standing there, looking a little confused, as seven of Jesse’s sons pass before him, and God hasn’t chosen any of them.  “Are all of your sons here?” asks Samuel (1 Sam. 16:11).  There is another son, the youngest, who is still a boy and is out keeping the sheep.  Ah… that’s the one.  And so David is anointed king in the midst of his brothers.

         If you have ever felt insignificant or forgotten, you might be able to imagine what this was like for David.  The youngest in his family, dismissed by his brothers and perhaps also by his father, he spent his time with the sheep.  He is brought in as an afterthought to join his family at the sacrifice, and suddenly finds himself being anointed in the midst of his brothers.  We are told that “the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward” (1 Sam. 16:13).  What an amazing example of the lowly being lifted up to sit among princes!

         At the same time, if you have ever tried to be faithful to God and have found it to be heart-breaking and even scary at times, you might be able to imagine what this was like for Samuel.  After serving as a prophet and a judge for many years in Israel, he had been disappointed when the people had demanded to have a king.  Yet, he had listened to God’s direction and had anointed Saul as the first king of Israel.  Surely nobody was more upset than Samuel was when Saul turned away from God and proved to be unfaithful.  And perhaps it was even more upsetting that Saul continued to be king over Israel in spite of his unfaithfulness.

         Then, while Samuel is still grieving over Saul, he is asked to anoint somebody else as king.  Surely he must have wondered if this next person might turn out to be unfaithful as well!  Yet, in spite of the fact that Saul probably would have killed him if he had found out, Samuel continues to listen to God and anoints David as the next king of Israel.

         In today’s story, as in others, it is God who calls people to serve as prophets and kings and who sends people like Samuel in order to anoint them.  In the church, too, we continue to believe that God calls people to serve as pastors and diaconal ministers and bishops, as well as in positions of leadership in congregations and in the wider church.  Unfortunately, just as has always been the case, some prove to be faithful and some do not.  This does not mean that God didn’t really call them.  What it does mean is that they have stopped listening to the Holy Spirit and have started listening to other voices, just like Saul.

         One of the things that we learn from the Scriptures is that even people like David - who exhibits a really strong faith and who listens to the Holy Spirit most of the time – even David does some really despicable things during his lifetime.  In most cases, he repents, and his relationship with God is restored, even though he still bears the consequences of his actions.  If nothing else, it shows us how easy it is to fall into sin and to turn away from God.

         Thus, Psalm 51, which is a prayer attributed to David, is a good prayer for us all:

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit. (Ps. 51:10-12)

For our part, we have a companion on the journey that David did not have, and his name is Jesus.  He has borne the consequences of our sin and seeks to be at home in our hearts.  For when the love of Jesus has central place in our hearts and minds, it is then that God can most fully work through us as faithful servants.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Pentecost 20 (NL 4)                                                                                                1 Samuel 16:1-13

October 22, 2017                                                                                         Psalm 51:10-14

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2017 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved