The Spirit Of The LORD Came Upon David From That Day Forward
“And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.” —I Samuel 16:11-13
The sixteenth chapter of I Samuel centers on three central characters: Samuel, Saul, and David. Each person presents to us a great biblical lesson.
Samuel
Samuel was the last judge in Israel and the first man to stand in the office of the prophet. Acts 3:24 says, “Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those who follow after.” In the old covenant, it was the office of the prophet that guided Israel as God’s voice giving guidance and warning to the nation.
The true prophet of God operates in two distinct functions: forthtelling and foretelling. Foretelling has to do with prediction concerning present or future events. Forthtelling speaks of the proclamation of righteousness and repentance. If you look at all the prophets found in the Bible, you will see a common trend of powerful preaching on righteousness and a call for repentance.
One problem in the modern church is self-appointed prophets who speak false words and fleece the body of Christ. The true prophet is called by God and God alone, just as Samuel was called by God alone (I Sam. 3:4). It is interesting to note that the greatest honor that Samuel could have was to be the one to anoint David—a type of Christ—as king of Israel. The true prophet points the church to Christ and Christ alone. I believe my point is proved by I Samuel 16:5: “I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” The sacrifice refers to the cross of Christ.
Samuel also represents the fact that in spite of apostasy, there is still some righteous leadership to follow.
Saul
Saul, the first king of Israel, was the choice of the people, but not the choice of the Lord. The church is out of godly order when it tries to appoint men whom God has not chosen. Israel wanted to be like the nations that surrounded them, we read in I Samuel 8:5: “Make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
As king, Saul’s leadership can be summed up in one word: Take.
In I Samuel 8:11-18, the Lord through Samuel tried to warn the people. In His warning, the Lord said of Saul:
• He will take your sons.
• He will take your daughters.
• He will take your fields.
• He will take your vineyards.
• He will take the tenth of your seed.
• He will take your menservants.
• He will take your maidservants.
• He will take the tenth of your sheep, and you shall be his servants.
Simply put, Saul represents apostate leadership in the church. Apostate leadership always subjugates and lords over the people. Apostate leadership always takes and never gives anything to the people. Apostate leadership will always seek the things of the world and try to offer it up to the Lord just as Saul took the best sheep and oxen of the Amalekites on the pretext of offering them up to the Lord, however the Lord will never accept that which is of the world.
David
David was God’s choice to be the first king of Israel. One must never forget the truth that God’s plan may be delayed by what people do or don’t do here on earth, but in the end God’s plan will always come to pass.
The next truth is that of I Samuel 16:6-7, which deals with outward appearance. When Samuel saw Eliab he said, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him.” However, the Lord’s response was “I have refused him.”
The point is, no human being is infallible, not even a true prophet. Therefore, the believer must never assume anything based on observation alone; he must seek the guidance of the Lord.
The Spirit Of The Lord
I Samuel 16:13 says, “The Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward.” This speaks of the help and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. All of David’s accomplishments for good were done with the help of the Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit of God, David could have never killed a lion or a bear, much less a giant. Without the Spirit of God, David’s playing of the harp could have never driven away the evil spirits that would cause Saul torment. Without the Spirit of the Lord, David could have never defeated the Jebusites, conquered the city of Jebus, and renamed it Jerusalem—the stronghold of Zion.
Without the Spirit of the Lord we can do nothing. With the Spirit of the Lord great and mighty things can be done for God. We must never forget the words in Zechariah 4:6, “Not by might (human might), nor by power (human power), but by My Spirit, saith the LORD of Hosts.”
Samuel and David had the Spirit of God, and both were used by God to do mighty things. Saul rejected God, and God rejected him; his end result was suicide (I Sam. 31:4). Self-will always brings destruction; the Holy Spirit always brings life. Seek daily for the Spirit of the Lord to be upon your life.
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