1 Samuel 16:1-23

3. Human character. Man's judgment of character is necessarily imperfect; for words are not always a revelation of the inner man, but the reverse, and the seat of motive is not pierced by the human eye. There is often a worse heart than appears on the surface of a man's conduct, and, also, a better heart than a marl sometimes gets credit for, We are too apt to be influenced by prejudice, social considerations, personal interests, and to estimate the principles of others by the narrow standard of our own. Some men are suspicious, or self-righteous, or limited in their area of observation, and therefore they can never be sure of their judgment of other men. Others are easily caught by what is fair and conformable to custom, and, like Samuel, they spring to hasty conclusions. It is better often to fall into the hands of God than of man. On the other hand, God's judgment of us is perfect. The most secret avenue of thought and feeling is naked and open to his eye. He reads us entirely. His knowledge is not inferential from words and actions, but is that of the disposition and hidden motive (Psalms 139:1-24.).

4. Fitness for position. Samuel was in error in supposing that the qualities which might be inferred from his outward appearance to exist in Eliab would enable him to perform the part required of a true king in Israel. God alone knew the high spiritual work to be done by the coming king, and he alone could see the latent qualities in David by which it could be performed. At best our judgment is guess work. We especially feel this in seeking to fill up secular offices, and more so when making appointments to spiritual duties (Acts 1:24; 1 Timothy 5:22).

General lessons:—

1. There is abundant scope in life for caution, patience, charity in our estimate of others.

2. The best qualities of life are not always those which come to the surface on first acquaintance.

3. It should be an effort to be inwardly such as God will approve, and then all else will follow in due course.

4. Reticence in reference to the character of others is the sign of a proper estimate of our powers.

5. It should be a spring of comfort to the sincere that God knows them and approves when man errs in judgment.

1 Samuel 16:12, 1 Samuel 16:13

The coming king.

The facts are—

1. The personal appearance of David is pleasing.

2. Samuel is instructed to anoint him as the chosen of God.

3. Subsequent to the anointing the Spirit of God rests on David.

4. Samuel, having performed this important duty, retires to Ramah.

Samuel, like many a servant of God in public affairs, carried in his heart a great secret. He sought the coming king, but not a word was said to indicate to the family of Jesse the specific object of his mission. For anything they knew, the selection of one of the family might be designed for some purpose connected with Samuel's work not yet made plain. The command to anoint was based, not on any discovery of qualities from mere outward appearance, though these were not unfavourable, but on God's knowledge of the inner life. Man's king had been chosen because of his being an average representative of the age, and an embodiment of the physical and mental qualities agreeable to the people. The coming king was chosen because God knew him to be the best representative of the spiritual vocation of Israel in the world. The coming king may be regarded as—

I. A TYPE. Events under the Old Testament dispensation were so ordered of God as to shadow forth the Christ, and both Old and New Testaments especially speak of David as the type of the true King in Zion. This is seen in several respects.

1. In qualities. Of course no man, no words, no institutions can adequately set forth the qualities of the "express image" of the Father's person. But, in comparison with others, David certainly shadowed forth more than any one some of the features of character so prominent in Christ. Negatively, there was an absence of the qualities on which men were accustomed to depend. Great physical strength, lofty stature, overpowering physique were not his. And so in Christ there was an absence of the outward form which men of tow type count powerful. He was not apparently competent to subdue the world by the only force which men take count of. But, positively, there was in this coming king an adumbration of the higher spiritual qualities which shone so brightly in Christ. The allusions to his personal appearance are both to indicate that he was not the embodiment of mere physical force, and that he did possess what was of more value, namely, vigour and freshness, capable of buoyant effort in any good endeavour; grace of spirit—gentle, approachable, one of whom the poor and needy need not be afraid; sincerity and ingenuousness of mind, free from double motives and self-seeking; love of what is right and good because right and good, uncorrupted by long and dubious association with the world's business; sympathy with God that finds joy in quiet fellowship with him by prayer or holy psalm; aspirations after the future elevation of mankind to a holier life; subordination of spirit to a higher will, for the working out of the covenant made with his people. He who sees not as man sees knew that these qualities were actually or germinally in the youngest son of Jesse. How fully the same were in Christ is evident from his life and words and sacrificial work.

2. In object. Saul's reign was a failure in so far as concerned the elevation of the nation to its proper position. The object for which the coming king was anointed was to deliver Israel from thraldom, fear, and degradation, and enable them to more worthily subserve the ulterior spiritual ends of their existence as a nation. In large measure David did this. In this he was certainly a type of him who was chosen for the deliverance of a larger community from worse evils; and that, too, with reference to a permanent order of things stretching beyond the day of judgment (John 17:1-26.; 1 Corinthians 15:1-58.).

3. In call and preparation. Leaving out the fact that Bethlehem was the place of birth to David and Christ, we may notice two or three correspondences. This youth was specially chosen of God irrespective of popular voice; he grew up in quietude, awaiting the opening of events before entering on his predestined work; and was anointed with the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit, and so gradually became qualified for his important duties. Emphatically, Christ was "the Chosen One," "Elect," "Precious;" in youth he grew in wisdom and stature, far removed from the worries of public business, and received the anointing of the Spirit "without measure."

II. A MODEL. Confining attention to the qualities of this coming king, and the objects that in due course he set before himself, he may be regarded as the model king. It had been well for Israel had all subsequent kings shared these qualities and kept before them the same lofty spiritual ends. And although civilisation in the West differs from that of the East in David's age, yet it would be a great boon to the nations if all kings and queens would adopt and manifest the same principles, and seek to harmonise all the people's habits and aspirations with Messiah's kingdom. Likewise, as each Christian is to be a "king" unto God (Revelation 1:5), we may see in the qualities and aspirations of this model king what manner of persons we ought to be.

III. A CONTRAST. This is obvious. Saul was man's man; David was God's. Saul was man's device for saving the people (1 Samuel 8:5, 1 Samuel 8:19, 1 Samuel 8:20); David was God's provision for raising them to the Messianic standard. Man's device failed—the instrument partook too largely of the weaknesses of the people to be raised; God's provision succeeded, in so far as related to national freedom, higher spiritual elevation, and actual furtherance of Messianic purposes. The contrast is suggestive of a wider expedient and a more blessed provisions. Mankind was in need of deliverance from the evils consequent on sin. During long ages the human expedient of "wisdom'' was tried, but in vain. But "after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." The CHRIST has become the Deliverer. His gospel is the power of God unto salvation. By him the highest and most blessed issues are wrought out for mankind. The contrast may be traced, also, in respect to our personal deliverance and elevation to the loftiest position attainable by human nature. Our bare human reason, human morality, human force of will must issue in trouble. We need the Anointed One, the God given Saviour. He transfusing our natural powers with his glorious energy, will make us "more than conquerors."

General lessons:—

1. Great natures may be nurtured in lowly places while engaged in quiet pursuits.

2. Amidst the intricacies of life God keeps his eye on his loved ones, and calls them forth in due time.

3. Aspirations are awakened, but insight into the future is not perfected at once. David was stimulated, but knew not all at first.

4. Full confidence is felt when God reveals his call: then the "horn," not the vial (1 Samuel 10:1), may be used.

5. To God's true servants the Holy Spirit comes as abiding Helper, to teach, sanctify, comfort, and elevate.

1 Samuel 16:14-23

Disquietude caused by sin.

The facts are—

1. Saul, being left to himself, is troubled by an evil spirit from the Lord.

2. His servants, in their concern for his peace, suggest music as an alleviation, and obtain permission to provide it.

3. David, being famed for music, is sent for, and finds favour with Saul.

4. The music of David brings relief to Saul's troubled spirit. The narrative relates the effect of God's judicial abandonment of Saul to the impenitent spirit he had deliberately cherished (1 Samuel 15:23-29). The transaction between him and Samuel in reference to his sin and rejection had been private, and during the interval from the departure to Ramah (1 Samuel 15:34) up to the date of the reference in 1 Samuel 16:14, the secret knowledge of this fact had wrought its subjective effect on the mind of Saul. The secrecy of the business is a clue to much that follows. It matters not to our purpose what sense be put on "an evil spirit from the Lord;" the fact is clear that disquietude of mind follows on transgression duly brought home to conscience yet not repented of, and that this disquietude is aggravated by secrecy.

I. THE CAUSES OF MENTAL DISQUIETUDE. There are instances of mental disquietude (Psalms 42:5; John 12:27; John 14:1) differing in character and cause from that before us. In the case of Saul there was a strange blending of sullen remorse, despondency, instability, passion, fear, and desperation. He was sometimes beyond self-control, and his outbursts aroused the apprehensions of his attendants. The manifestations of a disquieted spirit will be partly determined by natural temperament, and partly by external conditions, and partly by bodily health. But of the class of which Saul's is an example, the general causes are akin to those which operated in him.

1. A secret consciousness of sin. That Saul had done wrong in the matter of the sacrifice (1 Samuel 13:13), the rash vow (1 Samuel 14:45), and the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:18, 1 Samuel 15:19) he knew full well; that the people knew that something was amiss with him is evident from their deliverance of Jonathan and Samuel's slaying of Agag; but that their knowledge of Saul's conduct was coextensive with his own is not probable. The more private interviews with Samuel had brought him face to face with sin as it appeared to the Lord. His admission, "I have sinned" (1 Samuel 15:24), being a conviction without true repentance, remained in his memory after his final separation from Samuel. The fact that his people did not know all only served to make the sad secret of guilt more distressing. Now it is impossible for a man's spirit to be at ease when he carries with him at home and abroad a thorough conviction of being guilty before God. His sin haunts him as a ghost. It creates a desire to flee from himself. It causes him to feel theft he is a disgraced, degraded being, the bearer of a dark secret, the subject of a remorse that will not die.

2. Knowledge of loss of a goodly heritage. Saul's mind dwelt much in the past. He remembered the comparative innocence of rural life, when seeking his father's asses; the unexpected honour shadowed forth by the prophet; the private anointing; the bestowment of special gifts that won the confidence of the sons of the prophets; the high and elevating intercourse concerning the manner of the kingdom, and the solemn proclamation of his kingship over the chosen race. Now all that was gone. It was of the past in a double sense. The splendid prospects had faded; the rejection by God had been privately announced by one whose word never failed. But the future had to be feared, and Saul, when daring to look into it, saw and felt that Providence was against him. The same elements of disappointment, bitter regret, and fearful foreboding enter into the life of others. How many a man in crowded cities is forced by conscious secret guilt to look back on a splendid heritage of good gone forever! How many feel that, though friends and the world may flatter, God has turned away his face, and that, being bent on their secret guilty way, the whole force of Providence is against them in the future!

3. Fear of exposure. Samuel took no steps to dethrone Saul or to alienate the people from him.. He kept the secret of rejection, and expressed the Divine will only in ceasing to hold official intercourse with Saul, and in quietly selecting David as one favoured of God. Saul knew his coming doom in rough outline. The dread of this was foreshadowed in the prayer that Samuel would not openly dishonour him before the people (1 Samuel 15:30). A moody temperament, naturally subject to impulse, would easily be urged, under this dread, now to desponding and melancholy, and now to the sudden grasping at a shadow of hope; and the alternations of hope and despair could not but induce a nervous condition which, while a guilty secret was covered, might express itself in painful irritability. The fear of exposure drives men in upon themselves, and induces an abnormal condition of mind and nerve. Guilty men, who will not sincerely repent and seek rest in Christy know that judgment is coming, but they take care to hide that truth from others, and often bear a terrible strain on their spirits.

4. Secret persistence in wrong. Saul had said, "I have sinned," but he never repented. No doubt he regretted the consequences that flowed from his preference of self to the will of God; but he still loved to have his own way. The spirit that prompted to set aside God's command for his own choice was unchanged. It in itself was a state of war; but still it was restive, unsubdued; it chafed under restraint and conviction of rejection, and sometimes would break out in fury that its preferences should thus be chastised. "As a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke." It is this element of cherished sin, this persistent continuance in the original state of mind that contracted guilt, which poisons the entire life. It sets the whole man at war with God, and renders irksome what to a penitent, lowly heart would be meekly borne. Truly when men sin, and "will have it so," they are so far left to themselves as to work out in their life all manner of miseries.

II. TEMPORARY ALLEVIATIONS OF MENTAL DISQUIETUDE. The servants of Saul were true philosophers in seeking diversion for their master. In cases of trouble, diversion from self and the causes of trouble always affords relief. This is recognised by guilty men, who seek diversion in business, or pleasure, or public affairs. It is a rule with some wicked men to plunge more deeply into.public or private business in proportion as conscience has to be quieted. The diversion was of a nature to soothe the nervous system. Music has in it something refined and pure and remote from the turmoil and confusion of sinful life. As a curative or alleviative element in certain sicknesses its power has not been sufficiently developed. Saul felt the charm, and for a while the irritation consequent on internal conflict was toned down. The diversion would have increased effect if associated with spiritual song. There is evidence that David cultivated psalmody in his early years; and who can tell the subduing influence on the restless Saul as David poured forth to his harp strains of love and trust and hope in God! We see constantly that even the boldest of impenitent sinners are touched by sweet, simple hymns, which seem to call back a lost purity, and open up a gleam of hope for the most depraved. The songs of Zion are as the echo to many of long lost music. Their power over men should be diligently used. But in all cases of mere diversion the benefit is transitory. The old enmity remains. The old fears come back in force. The true remedy has not been sought.

III. THE RADICAL CURE IS ONE AND CONSTANT. What would have been the course of Providence had he truly repented we know not. But looking at his sin and the rejection from the kingdom in the light of Scripture, we can see what would have been the safe and happy course. Had Saul been true to the passing impulse of tenderness, he would have ceased in his persistence in sin, and have humbled himself before God, and sought mercy in the appointed way. Retirement to private life would then have been no great burden, but rather a willing, loving homage to the holiness of God. The troubled spirit would have found rest. The cure for the internal miseries of men lies in self-renunciation and placing the soul at the mercy of the great Saviour. We must cease to seek rest and peace apart from his loving embrace.

General lessons:—

1. We should faithfully search out how much of our restlessness in daily life is due to unforgiven sin.

2. In all our efforts to alleviate mental distress we should pay due regard to moral causes.

3. The longer the delay in repenting of sin, the more difficult it becomes.

1 Samuel 16:1. (BETHLEHEM.)

David's parentage and education.

(References:—Family register—1Ch 1-3.

I. Early life: shepherd, harper, champion—chs, 16, 17.

II. Courtier and outlaw life—1 Chronicles 18:1-17 -31; 2 Samuel 1:1-27.

III. Royal life in Hebron and Jerusalem—2Sa 2-24; 1 Kings 1:1-53, 1 Kings 2:1-46; 1Ch 10-29.)

While Saul pursued his own way at Gibeah, and Samuel mourned for him at Ramah, there dwelt at Bethlehem (twelve miles from the latter place) a shepherd youth who was destined to attain peerless renown as "a man of war," a ruler over men, an inspired poet and prophet, and (because of his fulfilling the idea of a truly theocratic king more perfectly than any other) a type of One to whom is given "a name which is above every name." Once and again the prophet had declared that Saul would be replaced by a worthier successor (1 Samuel 13:14; 1 Samuel 15:28); but who that successor should be he knew not until the inner voice said, "Arise, anoint him: for this is he" (1 Chronicles 29:12). DAVID (the beloved) was sixteen or eighteen years of age. His personal appearance is minutely described. In comparison with the gigantic Saul, and even his eldest brother, he was of short stature (1 Chronicles 29:7). He had reddish or auburn hair, and a fresh, florid complexion, which were rare among his black locked and swarthy countrymen; a pleasing countenance, keen, bright eyes, and a graceful form. He also possessed great physical strength, courage, intelligence, sagacity, and power of expression (1 Chronicles 29:18); above all, a firm trust in God and ardent love toward him. Many influences combined to make him what he was, and to develop his extraordinary gifts; which, after his anointing, advanced rapidly towards perfection. "It is impossible to draw a line of distinction between his life before and after his designation by Samuel; but we may well believe that those elements of character were already forming which began to shine forth when the Spirit of Jehovah came upon him." "Royalty was inborn in him." Among the formative influences referred to were those of—

I. FAMILY RELATIONSHIP.

1. He belonged to one of the most honourable families in Judah, the foremost tribe of Israel. His ancestor, Nahshon, was prince of the tribe (Numbers 2:3; Numbers 7:12); another, Salmon, married Rahab, "who received the spies in peace" (Matthew 1:5); another, Boaz (great-grandfather of David), married Ruth the Moabitess, "a truly consecrated flower of heathendom turning longingly to the light of Divine revelation in Israel" (Ruth 4:17). His father, Jesse (Isaiah 11:1), who would often speak of them, had attained "a good old age" (1 Samuel 17:12), was in prosperous circumstances, had eight sons, of whom David was the youngest, and two daughters-in-law (2 Samuel 17:25), whose children—Abishai, Joab, and Asabel (sons of Zeruiah), and Amass (son of Abigail)—were old enough to be his companions. Peculiar physical, mental, and moral qualities often characterise certain families, are transmitted from one generation to another, and are sometimes concentrated in a single individual; and great family traditions tend to excite noble impulses and aspirations.

2. He was connected (through Tamar, Rahab, Ruth) with several Gentile races. This served to enlarge his sympathies, and accounts for his friendly intercourse with them (1 Samuel 22:3; 1 Kings 5:1). "No prince of Israel was ever on such friendly, intimate terms with the heathen about him" ('Expositor,' Ruth 2:9).

3. He received a godly training. Jesse was a man of simple piety (verses 1, 5; 1 Samuel 20:6); his mother (whose name has not been recorded) was a "handmaid of Jehovah" (Psalms 86:16; Psalms 116:16). "How much David owed to her we cannot doubt. The memory of it abode with him through all the trials and all the splendours of his subsequent career; and hence, whilst nowhere does he mention his father, he seems in these passages to appeal to the memory of his mother's goodness, as at once a special token of the Divine favour to himself, and an additional reason that he should prove himself the servant of God" (W.L. Alexander).

II. ORDINARY OCCUPATION. Whilst his brothers cultivated fields and vineyards on the slopes of Bethlehem, he kept his father's sheep "in the wilderness" of Judah (1 Samuel 17:28), and his lowly occupation—

1. Was adapted to nurture physical strength, agility, and endurance; to call forth energy, self-reliance, and courage amidst numerous perils in a wild country, from beasts of prey and hill robbers (1 Chronicles 7:21); to make him expert in the use of the sling, like the neighbouring Benjamites ( 20:16; 1 Samuel 17:50; 1 Chronicles 12:9.); and to prepare him to rule over men by developing a sense of responsibility, and leading him to seek the welfare and study the increase and improvement of the flock (Psalms 78:70-72).

2. Left him much alone, and afforded him leisure for meditation and the cultivation of a taste for music, by playing on the hand harp, which he could easily carry with him when he "followed the flock," and the rare gift of song, in both of which he may have greatly improved, after his anointing, by attendance at the school of the prophets at Ramah (1 Samuel 19:18). To his musical skill he owed his first introduction to the court of Saul, and by its means he became "the sweet singer of Israel." "With his whole heart he sang songs, and loved him that made him" (Ec 47:8).

3. Furnished him with the suggestive imagery of many of his psalms, especially Psalms 23:1-6.—'The Divine Shepherd.' "It is the echo of his shepherd life, and breathes the very spirit of sunny confidence and of perfect rest in God."

III. THE NATURAL CREATION. To him the visible universe was a manifestation of the glory of the invisible, immanent, ever-operating God (Psalms 104:1-35.). He regarded nature "not as an independent and self-subsisting power, but rather as the outer chamber of an unseen Presence—a garment, a veil, which the eternal One is ever ready to break through" (Shairp, 'Poetic Inter. of Nature'). Brought into direct and constant communion with it, he felt a boundless delight in contemplating

"The silence that is in the starry sky,

The sleep that is among the lonely hills;"

in listening to its mysterious voices, and watching its ever varying aspects; and poured forth the thought and feeling of his heart in songs of adoration and praise; as in Psalms 19:1-13—'The heavens by day;' Psalms 8:1-9.—'The heavens by night; Psalms 29:1-11.—'The thunderstorm.' "What we call the love of nature is in fact the love and admiration of the Deity (so far forth as he is perceived in external nature). The enthusiasm with which men survey the endless vicissitudes which the spectacle of the universe exhibits is nothing else than the devotional temper, moderated and repressed by the slight veil which sensible objects interpose between us and their author" (D. Stewart).

IV. HISTORIC REVELATION. He was instructed in "the law of the Lord" (Psalms 19:7-14—'The moral law'), and in the wonderful works which he had wrought on behalf of his people in past time (Psalms 105:1-45.); whilst the scenes amidst which his life was spent formed a pictorial Bible, by which they were more deeply impressed on his memory. His acquaintance with the contents of the sacred records then existing would be greatly increased under the teaching of Samuel. "Thy creatures have been my books, but thy Scriptures much more" (Bacon).

V. PROVIDENTIAL PRESERVATION. The same special care which had been exercised by Jehovah over Israel he was taught to recognise in the lowly course of his own individual life. Once and again he was preserved in imminent danger (1 Samuel 17:37), and thus his faith in the ever watchful presence and providence of the Great Shepherd grew strong. "Every Hebrew might consider himself alone in the presence of God; the single being to whom a great revelation had been made, and over whose head an exceeding weight of glory was suspended. His personal welfare was infinitely concerned with every event that had taken place in the miraculous order of Providence His belief in him could not exist without producing, as a necessary effect, that profound impression of passionate individual attachment which in the Hebrew authors always mingles with and vivifies their faith in the Invisible" (A.H. Hallam).

VI. RELIGIOUS INSPIRATION. Led by Divine grace from his earliest years into direct and loving communion with Jehovah, he was endowed with unusual spiritual power, which, as he faithfully surrendered himself to it, wrought in him more and more mightily, and prepared him for his high destiny. And all true spiritual life, as well as the peculiar endowments of the prophets and apostles, is a Divine inspiration (John 3:8; Acts 2:17). "The morning of his day this extraordinary man spent not in colleges nor camps nor courts, but in following, the sheep among the pastures of Bethlehem. There, under the breathings of spring and the blasts of winter; there, in fellowship with fields and flocks and silent stars; there, with the spirit of nature and of God fresh upon him; there, in the land of vision, miracle, and angels—there it was that his character was formed, a character which afterwards exhibited so rare a combination of simplicity and grandeur, sensibility and power" (C. Morris).

Application (to the young):—

1. The morning of life is the appropriate season for education—physical, mental, moral. If neglected, the evil cannot be repaired.

2. No educational advantages can be of service without your own diligent cooperation.

3. All circumstances—adverse as well as propitious, solitude and society, work and recreation—may be helpful to your highest progress.

4. "Have faith in God," the secret of all David's greatness.—D.

1 Samuel 16:4-13. (BETHLEHEM)

David chosen and anointed.

"Arise, anoint him: for this is he" (1 Samuel 16:12). In the exercise of his prophetic office Samuel appears to have been accustomed to visit one place or another, rebuking crime and sin. Hence his presence at Bethlehem (clad in a mantle, his white hair flowing over his shoulders, holding a horn of consecrated oil in his hand, and attended, perhaps, by a servant), driving before him a heifer for sacrifice, filled the elders with consternation. Having quieted their fears, he showed special honour to Jesse and his sons by inviting them to be his principal guests at a sacrificial feast. By the express direction of God he allowed his seven sons, who were introduced to him, to pass by without any mark of distinction; and, having delayed the feast until his youngest son came, poured upon his head the sacred oil, and "anointed him from amongst his brethren." "As far as outward appearances go he simply chooses him as his closest companion and friend in the sacrifice" (Ewald). The act may have been regarded as "somehow connected with admission to the schools of the prophets, or more probably with some work for God in the future, which at the proper time would be pointed out." Its main significance was known only to the prophet, and was not revealed by him at the time to any one else. Consider the Divine choice of David (representing that of others) to eminent spiritual service and honour, as—

I. DIFFERING FROM THE NATURAL JUDGMENT OF MEN (1 Samuel 16:6, 1 Samuel 16:7). They are accustomed—

1. To judge according to the "outward appearance," which alone is clearly perceived, which is often deemed of greater worth than properly belongs to it, and which is erroneously supposed to be united with corresponding inward reality. On this account Saul suited the popular desire.

2. To prefer the eldest before the youngest; an arrangement which is an imperfect one, and often set aside by the choice of God, who thus exhibits his superior knowledge and maintains his sovereign right.

3. Even the oldest and wisest of men fall into error when left to themselves. Not only did Jesse and the brethren of David look upon him as unfit for anything but the lowliest occupation (1 Samuel 17:28), and unworthy to be called to the sacred feast, but Samuel himself thought at first that in Eliab the Lord's anointed was before him. The stone which the builders refuse becomes (by the operation of God, and to the surprise of men) "the head stone of the corner."

II. DETERMINED BY A RIGHT STATE OF HEART, which—

1. In the sight of God is of greater value than anything else, and essential to the worth of everything else.

2. Implies such qualities as sincerity, humility, trust, fidelity, courage, purity? and unselfish, generous, entire devotion, which were eminently displayed by David.

3. Renders capable of noble service, prompts to it, and prepares for the highest honour. "Is thy heart right?" (2 Kings 10:15). Whatever great things may lie in the future, right heartedness is the first condition of attaining them. "My son, give me thine heart."

III. DISTINGUISHING ITS OBJECT IN A SPECIAL MANNER (1 Samuel 16:11, 1 Samuel 16:12).

1. By his separation from others, and by directing their attention to his worth, which had been previously unrecognised. "We will not sit down till he come hither." Circumstances often constrain attention to those who have been despised. "The stone which is fit for the building will not be left in the road."

2. By indications of his being providentially destined to future eminence. David did not himself understand the chief purpose of his anointing, but he must have inferred from it that he was not always to continue in "the sheepfolds" (Psalms 68:1-35:70), and have been impelled to look forward to a higher service on behalf of Israel. Possibly it was afterwards explained to him by Samuel in more familiar intercourse.

3. By communications of Divine grace and strength to his inner life. "And the Spirit of Jehovah came upon David from that day forward." It is recorded of Samson that "the Spirit of Jehovah began to move him at times in the camp of Dan;" it was the same in the case of David (1 Samuel 17:34), and in a much higher manner (see 1 Samuel 10:1, 1 Samuel 10:10; 1 Samuel 11:6). "The natural basis for this symbolism of oil is its power to dispense light and life, joy and healing; by which it sets forth the Spirit's dispensation of light and life, and the gifts and powers therein contained" (Bahr).

IV. DELAYED IN THE FULFILMENT OF ITS ULTIMATE AIM. Many years must sometimes elapse before one who is chosen by God for a special work is fully called to its performance. Why such delay? For—

1. The removal of obstacles that lie in his path. Saul must be suffered to go to the natural termination of his melancholy career.

2. The occurrence of circumstances that make it necessary and cause it to be generally desired. The people must learn by experience the folly of their former choice, and their need of another and different kind of ruler.

3. His own instruction, discipline, and preparation. The proper course for him who is impelled to higher service is patiently to bide his time in the humble and faithful discharge of the duty that lies immediately before him. "David's peculiar excellence is that of fidelity to the trust committed to him; a firm, uncompromising, single-hearted devotion to the cause of God, and a burning zeal for his honour. This characteristic virtue is especially illustrated in the early years of his life. Having borne his trial of obedience well, in which Saul had failed, then at length he was intrusted with a sort of discretionary power to use in his Master's service" (J.H. Newman).—D.

1 Samuel 16:7 (BETHLEHEM)

God's regard to the heart.

"The heart is the centre of

I. THE CORRECTION OF ERRORS into which we too commonly fall in relation to others.

1. The adoption of an imperfect standard of human worth:—"the outward appearance," personal strength and beauty; wealth and social position; cleverness, education, and refinement of manners; external morality, ceremonial observances, and religious zeal. These things are not to be despised, but they may exist whilst the chief thing is wanting—a right state of heart. "One thing thou lackest."

2. The assumption that we are competent judges of the character and worth of others. But we cannot look into their hearts; and what we see is an imperfect index to them, and liable to mislead us.

3. The formation of false judgments concerning them. How common this is our Lord's words indicate (Matthew 7:1).

II. THE INCULCATION OF TRUTHS which are often forgotten in relation to ourselves.

1. That we are liable to be deceived concerning the real state of our hearts, and to think of ourselves "more highly than we ought to think" (Romans 12:3).