1 Samuel 16:12 (NASB)

Bible Commentary

1 Samuel 16:12 is a Bible verse in the Old Testament where the Lord chooses David to be king over Israel. During this time, Saul was king over Israel. Saul had proven himself unfaithful and disobedient, so the Lord chose another and sent Samuel to anoint David to be king.

1 Samuel 16:1 Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected a king for Myself among his sons.”

It took Samuel some time to recognize which of Jesse’s eight sons was the Lord’s chosen. The seven oldest sons were with Jesse when Samuel arrived, but David, the youngest son, was out in the field tending sheep. Samuel asked Jesse to send for him. Let’s see what happens next.

1 Samuel 16:12-13 So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is he.” ¹³ Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

And just like that, David was anointed (in front of his entire family) to be king over Israel. Boom. And then Samuel left? What, no ceremony or big to-do? David has just been anointed to be king, but Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

What About Me Syndrome

How do you think David’s brothers responded to what they had just witnessed? Were they jealous, envious, maybe even resentful that their youngest brother (and lowliest of them all in vocation) had just gotten some special treatment? They were probably wondering what was going on.

Have you ever been in their shoes? Or maybe you are the one who received the special treatment, and have endured the scorn and jealousy of your neighbors.

It was a great deal of time from the day of David’s anointing to the day he finally took possession of the throne. Just as in David’s case, we don’t necessarily see the promotion on the day of our anointing, or our salvation. God looks in our heart and sees our potential. Our attitude and our thoughts are so important.

He calls us (anoints us) and then He goes about equipping us and preparing us, just like He did with David. It’s all a process and sometimes a painstaking one. Even though David’s gifts and anointing brought him to King Saul, he eventually endured great animosity by the king, to the point that he had to run for his life.

1 Samuel 16:14-23 Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord terrorized him. ¹⁵ Saul’s servants then said to him, “Behold now, an evil spirit from God is terrorizing you. ¹⁶ Let our lord now command your servants who are before you. Let them seek a man who is a skillful player on the harp; and it shall come about when the evil spirit from God is on you, that he shall play the harp with his hand, and you will be well.” ¹⁷ So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me now a man who can play well and bring him to me.” ¹⁸ Then one of the young men said, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a mighty man of valor, a warrior, one prudent in speech, and a handsome man; and the Lord is with him.” ¹⁹ So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David who is with the flock.” ²⁰ Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread and a jug of wine and a young goat, and sent them to Saul by David his son. ²¹ Then David came to Saul and attended him; and Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer. ²² Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David now stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.” ²³ So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him.

Our anointing is displayed in the gifts God has given us. Others might notice them before we realize them ourselves. They will be pleasing and helpful to someone. Just like David played the harp for Saul, our gifts are a help to someone.

Even though God had rejected Saul as king, He ministered to him through David. But note that David, now an employee of the king by God’s Divine appointment, moved into Saul’s territory. Remember, he had been anointed king and God had rejected Saul.

God told Joshua in Joshua 1:5, “No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life.”

Unlocking the Truth – Pebbles in the Path

When God removes a gift, He moves it to another place. He gives it to someone He can trust with it. Saul proved himself unfaithful and disobedient, but David had proven himself faithful. It was a gradual process, but Saul’s anointing departed and David took it up.  Even King Saul couldn’t stand before David in the anointing that God had placed on his life. It was a gradual process, but Saul eventually fell before David.

Most likely, we are undergoing a similar process. God has anointed us with a gift that used to be someone else’s gift, someone else’s authority or someone else’s position. It could be spiritually, relationally, professionally, financially or some other way.

And just like David, we may be going through difficulty in the transition while we absorb the new territory God wants to give us. We mustn’t give up. We could be on the verge of taking hold of the fullness of it.

Even though it doesn’t feel like victory, we must stay the course for that’s precisely what it is. Let us remember that the revelation of our victory is not for our glory, but for the Lord’s. We will attain the fullness of our anointing faster when we get out of God’s way. There are rewards scattered among the pebbles of our path.

Let’s be thankful and go forward unafraid. Study the Bible verse of 1 Samuel 16:12, and move into your anointing.