Learning from 1 Samuel 16 - David Anointed by Samuel (pt.1)

…So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered, “but he is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” - 1 Samuel 16:11

The verse above describes the moments that preceded David’s anointing by Samuel, at the command of the Lord. Jesse prepared a banquet in his home for Samuel and presented his first seven sons to the prophet. At first they did not think it was important to have David present because he was the youngest. Even Samuel the prophet thought to himself that the Lord would choose one of the seven older sons to be king. When they passed before Samuel without the Lord choosing any of them, Samuel was nervous and asked, “Are these all the sons you have?” Jesse responded, “There is still the youngest, but he is tending the sheep.” Samuel then said to Jesse, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”

The stories about David give us a prophetic foreshadowing of the Lord Jesus. David was from Bethlehem, disdained by his brethren, the one who established the kingdom and obtained victories, the man after the Father’s heart, eager to do God’s will - all of these aspects point forward to the Lord Jesus himself. Jesus lived following the heart of the Father, and David did as well, as the Bible tells us: “After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ (Acts 13:22)   David was a shepherd, just as Jesus is the Good Shepherd. In the event described here, David’s family thought it was not important to include him at the feast. When Jesus came to this world, he was born in a manger, far from the palaces of the political leaders and religious clerics of his day. After growing up in Nazareth, people would ask, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” During his earthly ministry, Jesus was rejected and despised by men.

We focus here on the last part of the text: “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” We see two applications, one looking to the future, and one for our present situation today.

Future application. Ultimately, this passage points us forward to the Rapture of the church. The banquet here points us forward to the true banquet in eternity, at the wedding of the Lamb. (See Matthew 22:2-9; Matthew 25:10). “Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 14:15) “…many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast…” (Matthew 8:11; Luke 13:29). Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’” (Rev. 19:9; see also Rev. 19:7). This is our destiny, this is the “Blessed Hope” of the faithful church (Titus 2:13). People from every nation, tribe and tongue (”…from the east and the west…”) will be at the table at the wedding of the Lamb.

“On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine - the best of meats and the finest of wines.” (Isaiah 25:6 - the “aged wine” refers to the Holy Spirit that comes from eternity, whose outpouring God prophesied for hundreds of years).

This banquet will only happen after the Rapture of the church. Our true feast, our eternal celebration, begins when Jesus comes, and we meet him in the air. Our souls long for this day, for the wedding of the Lamb. The Lord’s command from eternity is: “We will not sit down until he arrives.” When he returns, we shall have our eternal rest, our final deliverance.

For the present time. Even in our lives now, we recognize that we cannot do anything until we invite Jesus to come in and be Lord in our lives. As a church, we cannot start anything until the Lord Jesus is present and in charge. We have no true blessings until the Lord Jesus is present in our midst. “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” A church that proceeds without first seeking the Lord’s presence and direction will not enjoy the blessings of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus makes himself present in our lives through the Holy Spirit. There is a banquet in our lives through fellowship with the Lord and the filling of the Holy Spirit. “He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love.” (Songs of Solomon 2:4) “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (Psalms 23:5) We have sustenance through fellowship with the Lord; He is the living bread and the fountain of living water.

“Send for him.” The prophecy points to Jesus in the sense of directing man to let him into his life and hail him as King and Lord. “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20) To “send for him” means to seek him, to go find him where he is and invite him to come. We find Jesus in the Body, in the house of the Lord, caring for the flock. This is just the way they found David, out ending the flocks of sheep. When we take Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we can then proceed with the feast of salvation.

“We will not sit down until he arrives.” More churches - more pastors - need to have this attitude about the Lord’s presence and direction. We do not proceed unless He is leading the way, until He is with us. Too often Christians run ahead, following their own dreams and ambitions, and then pray that the Lord will catch up to them and bless them. The Lord wants a people who follow Him, who wait for him. (Zephaniah 3:8).