1 Samuel 16: Election Day

The word “election” is a homonym, which means it has two different meanings. Politically speaking, it’s the action of choosing a leader. Theologically speaking, it’s when God chooses a person to receive salvation, grace and/or fulfill his purposes. 1 Samuel 16 could be considered an election because it’s both.

Even if you pick up the story of David right in the middle of 1 Samuel, 1 Samuel 16:1fills you right into the story. God has rejected Saul, not once, but twice. The first time God rejects Saul is when Saul performs a sacrifice instead of Samuel performing the sacrifice. God punishes Saul by taking away his dynasty (1 Samuel 13). The second time God rejects Saul is when Saul does not follow through with God’s orders to totally destroy the Amalekites. God punishes Saul by taking away his position as king (1 Samuel 15). And that’s exactly where the story of David picks up. In fact, the transition flows quite smoothly. 1 Samuel 15closes with the sentence, “And the Lord was grieved that He had made Saul king over all of Israel.” And as you will be able to tell from the first verse of 1 Samuel 16, Samuel, who has been reporting to Saul everything the Lord tells him to, shares in the same grievance. The book of Samuel doesn’t tell the reader how much time passed from the end of chapter 15 to the beginning of chapter 16, but the reader can figure out that whatever time passed, the Lord got over it a whole lot faster than Samuel. The Lord has moved on and is ready to pick the next king. Once again, take a little bit of time to go back and read 1 Samuel 13 & 15, or more specifically, 1 Samuel 13:14 & 15:28 respectively. Each time God punishes Saul, he already has in mind a new candidate. And the candidate search will lead him right to the house of Jesse.

Samuel, at first, doesn’t want to go because he’s stricken with fear. Samuel remembers that he pronounced God’s judgment against Saul right to the face of Saul. Samuel remembers clear as day telling Saul that his descendants won’t be king, and Saul will be king no longer. Surely if Saul found out Samuel was meeting with another man, he would realize Samuel is anointing another king and would go out to kill both Samuel and the king-elect! But note that the holy Lord does not suggest that Samuel lie or do anything deceiving. God sends Samuel to perform his normal priest duties around the nation of Israel(in this case, perform a sacrifice), and along the way, God will point out who the new king is.

The fear continues when Samuel finally arrives in the town of Bethlehem. When Samuel arrives, the elders tremble in fear. A priest like Samuel does most of his work in the cities and more densely populated areas. They rarely visited the rural regions. If Samuel was there, they thought, he must be bringing judgment, either from the Lord or King Saul. Samuel reassures them that his only business is to perform a sacrifice. But in order to perform a sacrifice in Bethlehem, he needs everyone to be consecrated. So everyone consecrates themselves, but Samuel himself consecrates Jesse and his sons, for Samuel has something special in plan for them.

So pretty much, the sons of Jesse line up and pass by Samuel, oldest to youngest. The firstborn is Eliab, and so he’s naturally the first to pass by Jesse. When Samuel sees him, Samuel thinks to himself that this trip will be short and sweet, for surely Eliab is God’s chosen one. Being the firstborn, Eliab is most likely the tallest, strongest and best looking. (context clues from1 Samuel 16:7). This has to be the chosen one! After all, God chose Saul, a tall, dark and handsome man last time…right? But as Samuel’s about to anoint his choice, God tells him to hold on to his oil, because God’s going to make a profound statement. Check it out.

1 Samuel 16:7–

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

Obviously, the theme verse for the book of Samuel as a whole would be the Davidic Covenant, as found in 2 Samuel 7:7-17. But if I had to choose a theme verse for 1 Samuel alone, I would choose 1 Samuel 16:7 because it becomes a theme in book of 1 Samuel. Any time the Bible mentions a physical description of someone or something, it does so to give it a symbolic meaning or to make some kind of point. The book of 1 Samuel is riddled all over with these. This verse, paired alongside the stories of the two kings, is the best example. Think about the dualistic dichotomy I said the books 1 & 2 Samuel were trying to show us – the difference between the bad king and the good king.  Remember the Israelite people thought that Saul would make a great king because he looked like a king – tall, dark and handsome (1 Samuel 10:23,24). Yet he becomes a terrible king because he will not listen to God but only himself. Then comes along David, who, while he has a few handsome features, is short and ruddy. This does not sound like someone who you would picture when you pictured a king. And yet he ends up becoming the greatest king of Israel and Judah. Why? It all goes back to this verse. God shows his people that what makes a great king is not his looks, but his heart.

On a similar note, this verse helps answer another important question: “If God is all-knowing, and if God predestines, why did God choose a king who would fail him and be a bad king? Well, first of all, I’d bring you to back to the overall book, how it shows a dualistic dichotomy between a good king and a bad king. You don’t know how good something is until you know how bad it can be. Saul shows us how bad it can be in order for us to see how good of a king David is. Second, pertaining to this verse, I reminder you who really chose King Saul. It was the Israelites! Go back to 1 Samuel 8. When the people ask for a king, they ask for the wrong reasons, and ultimately reject God as king. So, as Romans 1 says, God handed them over to their own evil devices. Not only did the Lord give them a king, like they wanted, he gave them a king just like they wanted! He gave them a king that seemed like a good king by human standards. And by the time we get to the end of 1 Samuel, I’ll admit to you, he still looks like a good king by human standards! But he fails to be a good king by God’s standards. This time around, the people won’t choose a king, but God will choose the king, by his standards.

Before I move on, I like to use this verse as a good application verse. It always seems like the people who are good looking. The good looking ones are the popular kids in the high school. The good looking ones get the job before the ugly ones. There’s even a pick-up line that goes something like, “You’re hot, so you must be taken” because it seems like the handsome men and the pretty girls get the significant others while the ugly people stay single. So we feed into this. We spend tons of money on beauty products, such as makeup, haircuts, manicures, pedicures and even plastic surgery. Then we spend even more on clothes, making sure we’re wearing the latest fashions, to look even better. But the Lord truly believes in the old adage, “It’s not what’s on the outside that matters, but what’s on the inside that counts. The Lord sees past all layers of clothes and beautification, and he sees the heart. The Lord knows that while the fruit peel might look beautiful, the fruit might be rotten. If this is the way the Lord thinks and feels, shouldn’t we think and feel the same way? If we don’t, the consequences can be dire. Choosing the hotter date over the ugly date could mean rejecting a nice, kind and gentle date for a date that treats you like property, only caring what he/she gets out of it. Hiring the better looking employee could end up picking a lazy employee over a hardworking one. And, just like Israel, it could mean picking a bad leader over a good leader. Let’s be like God. Let’s decide never to base our decision on how people look, but where their heart is.

The process of passing by Samuel continues with Abinadab, Jesse’s second son, and Shammah, Jesse’s third son. Neither of them are the chosen one. The process continues with four more of Jesse’s sons, all yielding the same result. Samuel thinks he has a problem here. The Lord definitely told Samuel that God has chosen a new king from the family of Jesse. Yet Jesse had seven of his sons pass by Samuel, and God gave a “no” to all of them! So Samuel asks Jesse, “Are you sure these are all of your sons? Are these all the sons you have, or do you possibly have more?” Jesse seems to brush off his last son, saying something along the lines of, “Well, we do have the short, young one, babysitting the sheep out back.” Even Jesse seems to not believe his little David could be the next king. But Samuel is perplexed and excited. This has to be the one. Samuel tells Jesse to go get him, for they will not sit down at the sacrifice’s table until everyone is truly there.

Enter David. The Bible describes David as ruddy and small (the word we translate as “youngest” in verse 11 could also mean “small” in Hebrew). The Jewish historian Josephus recorded David to be ten years old at the time of this event, but most modern-day scholars believe fifteen would be more accurate. This description doesn’t sound like one of a king. But the second Samuel sees David, God immediately says to Samuel, “Anoint him. He’s the one.” Interesting enough, the Bible never records any words between Samuel and David before, during or after the anointing. Perhaps the action alone was enough for David to know what was happening.

If you’re anything like me, or any other person, you’re probably asking, “Where’s the proof? What proof do you have that David is now king and Saul is not?” Well, that’s what the second half of 1 Samuel 16 is for.

Now if you’re reading the 1984 edition of the NIV, like I am, there’s a section heading splitting the two halves of the chapter. But remember those headings weren’t there when the text was originally written. It’s a shame they put it there, for I believe verses 13 and 14 go together very well. I’ll put them together for you.

1 Samuel 7:13-14–

So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah. Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.

Here we need a quick lesson on the role of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. Our Christian doctrine on the Holy Spirit is that the Holy Spirit rests on all who believe. That’s very much New Covenant thinking from the New Testament. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit rested only on special people for special tasks. Such people were priests, judges, kings and prophets. The Holy Spirit would rarely leave the person because those tasks were usually lifelong tasks. But here we have an interesting case. The Holy Spirit does leave Saul. But why does he leave Saul? God has rejected Saul as king. Saul is no longer king. Since the special person Saul no longer has his special task of being king, the Holy Spirit leaves. Now the Holy Spirits rests on David. Why? David is now king. He’s now the special person with the special task. So the first proof we have that David is the new king is that he has the Holy Spirit.

Why verse 14 usually gets more attention is the phrase “evil spirit from the Lord.” Christian doctrine has always stated that God is holy and righteous, and has nothing to do with sin or evil. So how then can an evil spirit be from God? First, as the footnote points out, the Hebrew word can mean “evil,” but can also mean “harmful” or “injurious,” or even “morally corrupt.” But I think we need a more theological answer to a theological question. For the answer, I’m going to use the Theological Interpretation of Scripture and borrow a passage from Luke 11:24-26.

Luke 11:24-26–

²⁴ “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ ²⁵ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. ²⁶ Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.”

In this passage, Jesus explains to his disciples that it’s no good to just merely cast out a demon, but the essential part is to put in the Holy Spirit. For without the Holy Spirit vacating that empty spot, the demonic powers come back worse. Take that second part, and that’s what happened to Saul. God the Holy Spirit left Saul. When the Holy Spirit vacated and left a void in Saul’s heart, an evil spirit jumped on the chance to infect the present king of Israel, maybe in hopes to stray the Israelites further from God.

Any way you interpret that passage, verse 15 clearly explains that the evil spirit tormented Saul. The Hebrew word for torment can also be translated “tortuned,” “terrified” or simply “startled.” Saul’s attendants, most likely household servants, take note of how this evil spirit is infecting Saul. They then speak a jussive, which is a first person plural command. Some have suggested it’s a nice and respectful way to give a command, but in this context, I believe it’s kindly commanding the king to give a command, for they can do nothing without the king’s permission. Their suggestion is to find a harp player to play soothing music from the harp (or lyre) when the evil spirit comes upon Saul. The Old Testament hints that the Israelites believed the harp had power in the spiritual world, for even Elisha calls for someone to play the harp for him (2 Kings 3:15). Saul agrees with the idea and makes it an official command. It seems like one of the servants had this plan from the start, as he already has a person picked out for the job. It’s David!

Sure enough, David comes into the king’s presence when Saul gets attacked by the evil spirit. David plays his harp, and it works! It works so well, and Saul is so pleased, Saul puts David in the service as an armor-bearer. This was a position only for someone close to Saul. David does seem close to Saul, for verse 21 says Saul liked David very much. Some translators even believe the verse should say Saul loved David! Either way, Saul appreciates what David does for him. Chapter 16 ends mentioning that this happened many times to Saul and every time David would come in, play his harp, and the problem would be solved.

So let’s talk about the passage in its near context by itself. What’s this passage trying to tell us? I see this passage as spiritual warfare. The Holy Spirit has left Saul. In its place, an evil spirit has entered and began messing with the reigning leader of Israel. No one would want their leader to be possessed by an evil spirit, especially when it is God’s people. What are the Israelites suppose to do? In comes David. David is now filled with the Holy Spirit Saul once had. Through David’s harp playing, the Holy Spirit fights off the evil spirit within Saul, and the Holy Spirit wins! Even when God is not with the reigning king of Israel, he is still watching out for his people, protecting them from the evil forces of the world.

As for David, his role is much bigger. This event is the second proof that David is the next king of Israel. First of all, God has empowered David with the Holy Spirit to serve him, such as fighting evil spirits. Second, David’s success at fighting evil spirits has promoted David into the service of the royal family. Already David has footing in the palace, even though he is still far from king. Already God is making David the new king. So what’s the proof David is the new king? The Holy Spirit is upon David, and it is empowering David to do God’s work!

We’re not done with our proofs yet. In the next chapter, look out for more proof that David is the new king of Israel. Also look for how physical descriptions continue to play into the narrative.  In the next two chapters, look to see how David becomes more and more the king, and how Saul becomes less and less the king. Also, in the next two chapters, look for the continuing battle between the Holy Spirit within David and the evil spirit within Saul.

[Esther 1] Act 1 Scene 1: A Spot Opens Up

If you remember from my literary pyramid that I made for the prologue/introduction, I said that the base on the left is where the setting and the characters are introduced, and then I placed Esther 1 on there. Therefore, Esther 1 is all about introducing new characters to the story. In Esther 1, we’ll meet two main characters: King Xerxes and Queen Vashti.

Right from the bat, in Esther 1:1, the text introduces the king. Let’s start off with a question that might seem obvious: What’s the king’s name? It may seem like an obvious question, but it might change depending how your Bible translates. Depending on the translation, the king’s name might be “Xerxes” or “Ahasuers.” It’s not that big of a deal. Xerxes is the king’s Greek name, and Ahasuers is the king’s Hebrew name. But the king is not Greek or Hebrew; he’s Persian. So the most “accurate” name would be his Persian name. So what is his Persian name? His Persian name is “Khshayathiya Khshayathiyanam.” Yeah, good luck trying to pronounce that. Interesting enough, the name means “king of kings and lord of lords.” I find that interesting because that’s a title God gives himself, as seen in Revelation. Maybe Xerxes saw himself as God, or maybe it’s just a title to show he’s the king of an empire, which is made of many kingdoms. I don’t want to go too theological into that. But verse 1 does back up that Xerxes is a king of an empire. Verse 1 says that Xerxes rules over 127 providences from India to Cush, which is the upper Nileregion. In fact, Xerxes extended the Persian to Ethiopiaand Greeceas well. Xerxes’s father was Darius I, which is the one we know from the story of Daniel. Xerxes reigned from 486-465. There’s the proof that Esther does belong in the Bible because the story of Esther fits right in that time period.

Esther 1:4-6 records one of the first actions Xerxes does. The first thing we hear King Xerxes do is throw a banquet, and the Bible records it happens for 180 days, which is about 6 months. Naturally, some people question this. Why do some people question this? It’s not feasible to have a banquet for 180 days. It would six months, taking the princes and governors away from their jobs to party. At least, that’s what the critics say. So perhaps a better explanation would be that Xerxes threw a bunch of small banquets for one prince of governor at a time over a period of 180 days. Also, may I add this might to rally all his princes and governors to his side. Greeceis threatening to take back their lost land. King Xerxes needs all his governors on his side to wage war. Well, after this 180 days of banquets, King Xerxes throws another week long banquet for just the officials in Susa, possibly to thank them. This banquet is vividly described. So what’s the point of this? What’s the point of six months and one week of banquets? Why does the Bible want to describe what the decorations look like? To show us how rich King Xerxes is and that King Xerxes spares no expense. It shows King Xerxes’s wealth, and in a way, it shows King Xerxes’s power. He can afford to do this.

Another important part of this banquet was that there was drinking aplenty. Read Esther 1:7-8. Depending on your nationality, there was different drinking customs. For example, in the Greek culture, you were required to drink, and if you did not drink, you were asked to leave. In the Roman culture, a guest of honor was chosen at random, and he decided when to drink, where to drink, and how much to drink. According to this passage, Xerxes did not place rules on this. He let them drink when they wanted, where they wanted and as much as they wanted. There were no limits. As fun as this might sound, the danger about alcohol is distorts reality, which leads to rash judgment. This might have led to the downfall of Queen Vashti.

Now let’s meet Queen Vashti in Esther 1:9. Before we talk about the queens of Persiaor the wives of Xerxes, I want to mention that this is where archaeology does not help us. There is no mention of Vashti in the Persian writings at all. In fact, there is only one mention of a queen, but the name is “Amestris.” Some have suggested this might be another name of Vashti, but we cannot be sure. Anyway, this verse tells us that Queen Vashti also threw a banquet, but for the women. This actually fits with the custom of the day. When banquets were thrown, men and women were in separate rooms. So that’s probably what is happening here.

Conflict can sometimes arise in the first chapter of a novel. While the big conflict does not arise in this chapter, a smaller conflict will. It happens in Esther 1:10-12. We hear King Xerxes, in front of nobles, officials and servants, asks for Queen Vashti to appear. What is King Xerxes trying to do? Show off Queen Vashti. Maybe it’s her beauty he’s trying to show off, or maybe it is his wealth. When Queen Vashti receives the message, she refuses to come. Why? Queen Vashti doesn’t want to be used as something to show off.

So as a problem arises, a solution is sought. It takes verses 13 to 22 to fully develop the solution. What’s the first thing Xerxes does? He consults his advisors. Some have suggested King Xerxes is showing weakness because he can’t make the decision on his own, but needs help to make decisions. I don’t think this is showing weakness. I actually think he’s being a good king for seeking guidance and advice. After all, we wouldn’t think the president is a bad president for seeking the cabinet for help. We wouldn’t think our president is weak for seeking the cabinet’s advice. King Xerxes is seeking his cabinet for help. The first “cabinet member” to speak up is Mermucan. Mermucan suggests that if King Xerxes allows Queen Vashti to disrespect him, women all over will disrespect their husbands. Maybe it’s true, maybe it’s false, or maybe it’s just an exaggeration. Either way, it leads Memucan to give what he thinks is a good solution. Memucan suggests Xerxes banish Vashti from his presence, which most likely means the whole city of Susa, and a new queen should replace her. Memucan claims that this will set an example to women to stay in their place.

I want to spend the rest of the post on focusing on a single question: “How is this small story important to the big story?” or “How does Esther 1 contribute to the book of Esther?” First, this story makes a comparable standard for when Esther becomes queen. We knew the rules set for the queen, what the appropriate response is suppose to be, and what the result will be for not following orders. Now I don’t think I’m spoiling the story because most of you are familiar with the story, but when Esther is queen in the future, she will also defy the King’s law in a somewhat similar way. The rule for the queen is that you don’t appear for the king if he does not summon you, but if he does summon you, you must appear. While Vashti refused to enter the king’s presence when summoned, Esther enters the king’s presence without being summoned. Look at how different the results are. Queen Vashti is kicked out of the capital city. But King Xerxes allows Esther to enter. Why do you think that is? It could be a difference in laws, Esther has more favor, pure grace and mercy, or a whole plethora of other options. I’m not going to go any further into that, as we’ll be able to see it more clearly by the time we reach that point. Keep that in mind as we get closer to the chapter where Esther defies the law. It will become clearer then. But for now, I want you to see that Esther does have an upper hand over Vashti.

But I want you to look at the bigger picture here, which is the second point that last group hit on. This story opens up a spot for Esther to be queen. There is no way Esther could have saved her people without being queen. To be queen, there needs to be an open spot to be made queen. I see God working here to open up that position. When God calls us to a position, he’s not going to call us to a position that is already taken. God isn’t going to always put us in a position that we can get to. God will provide a way to put us in the place, position, ministry or mission God wants us in. And sometimes to do that, he’s at work even before we get there, or even before we know it ourselves. It may even be before we were born. The best example I can think of is my own life. My parents fell away from the faith after they finished high school. But when my mother was pregnant with me, my father and mother thought it would be best to start going back to church to raise me to be a good, moral American citizen. And I am very sure that if my parents did not make that decision, I would not stand before you today teaching you the Bible. I had no control over what parents I would get, and whether they were godly or not. But God does have control, and he controlled it to be so.

 

 

So the lesson about God’s providence in Esther 1 is “setting the stage.” I’m going to try to put a picture for every lesson, not only to help you remember the lesson, but also to show God’s providence. In this picture, a stage crew is setting the stage for a performance. In Broadway musical and plays, the stage crew sets the stage. The cool thing about the stage crew is that they are not always seen, but you know they are there and working because everything is perfectly in place for the actors and actresses to use. If all the world’s a stage, and the people merely actors, then one of God’s roles is to be the stage crew, setting the stage for your life. Ever think hard about that? It might blow your mind. Think about it: God is already setting the stage and planning out the next stage in your life, even if you don’t know about it. Now think about where you are in left. Looking back, can you see how God set you up to be in that position? Every positive blessing that you have in your life, God set it up for you to have it. Take the time to praise him for that. If you’re doing the “assignment” I gave you, try to make your “God Sighting” of the day to be a recent way God has set the stage for you. Give God the credit due.

Don’t be too worried if you can’t see God setting the stage right now. This is just the beginning of Esther. As we go through Esther, we’ll see how God setting the stage leads to God working in other parts of the book of Esther. And then maybe you can see God working through other parts of your life, too.

* Picture Credits:Jacoby, Matt. “Setting the stage at the Princess Theatre, Brisbane.” 29 Oct 2004.  Sons of Korah. 3 Sept 2012.