Title The passage through which Yahweh speaks, March 6
1 Samuel 16:1-13
The way Yahweh speaks
Saul and Samuel
However, Saul did not enjoy the status of a king, both in name and reality. The monarchy system is characterized by the succession of kingship, but Saul could not inherit the throne to his son Jonathan and was taken away by David. Of course, it can be said that it was inevitable because it was before the establishment of the monarchy, but it is possible that the conflict and conflict between Saul and Samuel worked here. The Bible points out that Saul, the first king of Israel, committed two crucial mistakes. One is that he personally supervised the sacrifices that Samuel had to offer on the excuse that there was no time before the war, and the other was that he did not destroy the spoils after the war with Amalek was over. Saul accepted Samuel's words of pointing out his mistakes and repented each time. However, Samuel bluntly refused to forgive his mistake and threatened God to take over Saul's kingship.
Today, it is difficult for us to judge exactly how right Samuel's decision was. Although the aphorism that “obedience is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22) is correct, we should also note that Saul immediately repented of his mistakes. Perhaps the background to this story was the disappointment Samuel felt at the fact that the people wanted a king even though he and his sons ruled the country. Also, if it were a monarchy that started during the reign of King Yi, the idea that a strong monarchy should be established so as not to be criticized in the future may have worked. In any case, as a result, Samuel gave up on King Saul. The word of God that came to him at that very moment is today's text.
at Jesse's house
Yahweh said to Samuel: It was to find a new king, not to be heartbroken over Saul's affairs. Of course, in the text, Yahweh God specifically tells Samuel to go to the house of Jesse living in Bethlehem, but this is also Samuel's thoughts. Samuel, who was hurt by Saul's affairs, must have inquired in various places who could become kings. Since Samuel was a judge and priest of Israel all his life, he must have been able to get information from various places. Of course, he could not openly seek the king. Saul, who was excommunicated on a religious level, but was still the official king of Israel, must have been keeping a close eye on the situation.
It is very likely that Saul respected and feared Samuel on the one hand, but thought he was like a thorn in his eyes. As we know, Saul did not want to be king, but he became king because of coercion. But now that he has made a small mistake he has made as an excuse, and even though he has admitted his mistake, he has said that he will take over the throne, so he must have thought, “I put a person on a tree and shake it.”
In this situation, no matter how careful you are, the movement of Samuel, Israel's highest priest and prophet, is bound to be captured by King Saul. It was not easy to save his life on the day that this fact was discovered that he was looking for a king. Yahweh God said this. “Take a heifer with you. Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, saying that he has come to offer sacrifices to the LORD. Then I will tell you what to do” (verses 2, 3). Saul would not have any doubts about the sacrifice.
Things went according to the script. Samuel invited Jesse's sons to the sacrifice. However, the text does not mention specific sacrificial acts. The purpose of Samuel risking to come to this place was to find a king to replace Saul. That's how it goes. The sons of Jesse who were invited to the sacrifice stand before Samuel in turn, starting with the eldest son. The eldest son Eliab stood before Samuel. As soon as he saw this Eliab, Samuel wanted to choose him. “Here is one whom the LORD has anointed to consecrate” (verse 6). But Yahweh said otherwise. “Do not look at the appearance or the height. He is already out of my sight. God doesn't look like people. People look at the outward appearance, but I, the LORD, look into the heart” (verse 7).
This text points to the fact that two criteria were at work for Samuel, who had to choose a person. One is the outward appearance that makes you look like a king. It's not just about being tall or handsome, it's a criterion that includes a person's abilities as well. These criteria are, of course, persuasive. Even today, standards such as academic background, academic background, and appearance have a decisive influence on success. In general, those standards are correct. It is good for a group or people who excel in those external conditions to be leaders.
However, such general standards are by no means always correct. According to the Bible, God's standard for judging people is their inner heart. This was Samuel's most important condition for a king. We also say that this kind of heart is important, but in reality, we don't think much of it. In home education, school education, and church education, too, we say our inner feelings only for a cause, but in reality, we think that outward competitiveness is absolute. The reason we are dualistic is that it is not easy to judge a person's inner heart. It is difficult for us to accurately judge a person's inner heart simply by being good-hearted or having a deep heart. The heart here refers to a much deeper problem. We call it ‘spirituality’. It's not just about having a good heart, it's about having spiritual discernment. Such spirituality cannot be judged by us. Because a person's spirituality arises from the relationship between that person and God.
In this respect, God's choice seems almost one-sided. Such expressions appear frequently in the Bible. It is said that God chooses or rejects someone based on God's standards, not our standards. Sometimes there are advocacy and criticism of Calvin's 'double predestination', but we have to approach this issue very carefully. Based on Calvin's theory of predestination, we fall into salvation determinism, or unconditionally condemn the theory of predestination on the grounds that it undermines our freedom is a distortion that occurs because we do not know a much more fundamental situation. God doesn't necessarily choose us. But his standards only seem one-sided from our point of view. In other words, we cannot understand the inner heart that God uses as a standard, but God does not undermine our freedom.
David's Choice
All seven of Jesse's sons were interviewed before Samuel. In Samuel's eyes, all seven of them did not meet the standards of Yahweh. After declaring, “There is no son whom the LORD has chosen from among these sons,” he asks if there are any more sons. Disappointed, Jesse replies to Samuel: “There is another youngest, but now he is tending the sheep” (verse 11). Why did Jesse not bring his youngest son, even though he was told to bring all his sons? Having already had seven sons, Jesse would have been proud of it. Moreover, not only in Asia, but also in the ancient Middle East, everything started with the firstborn. According to this standard, the youngest, the eighth, is present, but there is no way but to think that it has no influence. The youngest, David, was tending the sheep while the brothers were interviewing. It's quite natural.
However, God's work has gone a little differently. Hearing Samuel's command to bring the youngest, who seemed like a no-brainer, Jesse ordered a man to bring David. Although not very tall, David was “a handsome boy with red cheeks and sparkling eyes.” The word of Yahweh echoed in Samuel's heart. “It is this child. Come on, anoint this child” (verse 12). Samuel picked up a horn filled with oil and anointed the youngest David in front of his brothers.
The fact that David was chosen to be the king of Israel means that Yahweh's selection criteria exceed our expectations. We have no idea what the possibilities are for David. Even his father, Jesse, did not know about it, so he excluded him from this important interview. But Yahweh was able to read David's heart. Yahweh's choice is not unconditional, just a natural act according to Yahweh's standards that seem to us unconditional.
Yahweh's standards
Samuel plays an important role in Yahweh's choice. He was a person who could accurately recognize the standards of Yahweh. It means that Samuel had the ability to read the word of the LORD when Jesse's youngest son appeared before him. “It is this child. Come on, anoint this child.” Hearing this voice of Yahweh to Samuel means that his spiritual awareness was so sensitive and deep. In this regard, the channel through which Yahweh communicates with our people is our spiritual awareness.
Even today, many people want to know the will of Yahweh God. Some even claim that they heard God's voice while praying all night long, while others claim that they knew God's will through the tsunami that struck South Asia at the end of last year. Because Yahweh's way of meeting each person is different, we can't just ignore these claims. However, if you insist on the will of God in this way, you often mistake what your subconscious asks for as God's will. As we can see from the cults, they often claim their religious or worldly desires as divine revelation without any basis.
Just as Samuel listened to the voice of Yahweh when he appointed David as king today, the most desirable way for us to accurately understand the word of Yahweh lies in the deepening of our spirituality. This spirituality is not the work of our minds or emotions. I'm not talking about intellect like physics and sociology. Spirituality is our spiritual insight and cognitive ability to grasp the life force behind things and events. The fact that Samuel recognized David's inner heart also means that his spiritual insight and cognitive ability were able to accurately interpret the words of Yahweh. It is this kind of spirituality that is ultimately and absolutely necessary in our lives today. God speaks to us through people who have secured this spirituality. Do we hear the word of Yahweh today?