June 16 | 1 Samuel 16:14-23

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DAILY READING

1 Samuel 16:14-23

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REFLECTION

Trusting the Who

By Dave Mann

Early in 1 Samuel 16, the prophet Samuel had anointed David to be king of Israel.  That was the “what.”  The “when” and the “how” of David’s kingship, Samuel had not addressed.  From the text, it appears that no one had asked those questions.  It seems that after the anointing, David simply returned to the pasture, awaiting further clarification on these additional questions.

King Saul had already forfeited his right to the throne through his disobedience.  (See 1 Samuel 15.)  However, David was not going to claim his right to be king.  He was allowing the Lord to show the way.

In today’s text, we read that God’s Spirit has departed from Saul because of his disobedience, and thus, the king had become the victim of a harmful spirit.  We can only imagine the effect of the weight of leadership on Saul’s shoulders without the Spirit of the Lord guiding and encouraging him.  Saul was a deeply troubled man.

Saul’s attendants sought a way to help the king manage his mental difficulties.  They identified someone with musical talent to soothe his spirit.  (Click here for an example of lyre music.) They found David.  In addition to being a skilled musician, David was known to be a brave soldier, good-looking, and a fine stateman.  When King Saul summoned David, his father, Jesse, sent generous gifts of food to the king -- “a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat.”

Ironically, David, who knew that he was anointed to become king someday, became a servant of the disobedient Saul, helping him to have a modicum of mental stability to lead the nation.  David patiently awaited the day when the Lord would make clear when the throne would become his.  He knew the “what” – the kingship – even when there was no word on the “when” or the “how.”  How could he faithfully serve the disobedient Saul?  Because he knew the “Who.”  David trusted that he and his future were in the hands of a faithful God.

There are certainly applications of David’s patience to our lives.  In our numerous situations of employment, there are times when we might be tempted to give a negative review of our superiors who do a less-than-stellar job in their work.  Perhaps we could follow the example of David serving faithfully those who are, for the moment, over us in the org chart.  How can we serve them well?  By trusting the “Who” to lead.

PRAYER

Lord God, thank you for the example of David’s trust in you.  He surely was a person after your own heart.  Allow us to learn how to follow you even when there might be evidence to complain about poor leadership.  You are the Great Who in our lives.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DAVE MANN

I am a Pastor for Internationals (retired) in the UALC community. I am married to Pam, father of four, and grandfather of six. Pam and I have lived twenty of our years in other countries including France, Cameroon, Haiti, and Morocco. In retirement, we continue to enjoy writing devotionals, learning languages, and teaching English to internationals.

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