David Anointed The Future King 1 Samuel 16:1-23 Message by Michael J. Barnard June 24, 2018 Teaching Aim: To examine the circumstances surrounding the selection and anointing of David as Israel s future king. To realize God is not impressed by the outward appearance of a person; He looks at the heart. To understand God will at times allow evil spirits to torment disobedient believers but will not allow demons to possess them. To recognize the power of music to affect the mind for both good and evil! DIGGING DEEPER INTO GOD S WORD (BIBLE STUDY) Part I: The preparation and anointing of young David for the monarchy (1 Sam. 16:1-13) 1. King Saul s continued disobedience led God to begin tearing the kingdom away from him. (See 1 Sam. 13:13b-14; 15:28) How did Samuel react to news that Saul had been rejected as king (vs. 1)? Why? What did God command Samuel to do? What can we learn about the new king from verse 1? 2. Bethlehem is a small village four miles SE of Jerusalem. What biblical events took place in this little town? (See Gen. 35:16-20; Ruth 4:13-22; Matt. 1:3-6; Mic. 5:2; Matt. 2:6; 13-18) The word Bethlehem means house of bread ; how does this name relate to Jesus and His ministry? (See John 6:35) 3. King Saul was aware that he had been rejected by God as king and that his kingdom was about to be taken away from him; he was not happy. How did Samuel react to the LORD S command to go to Bethlehem and anoint His choice for a new king (vs. 2)? Why did Samuel react this way? Is God commanding Samuel to lie here? What did He command him to do? Why? 4. Once in Bethlehem, whom was Samuel to look for (vs. 3)? How would Samuel know who the new king would be? How did the elders of Bethlehem react when Samuel unexpectedly arrived in their town (vs. 4)? Why? (See 1 Sam. 15:33)
5. What message did Samuel bring to the people of Bethlehem (vs. 5)? Samuel treated Jesse and his family differently than the average citizens. How so? What was Samuel telling the people to do when he said, Sanctify yourselves? (See Exod. 19:10-15; Num. 8:21; 11:18) Should we still cleanse ourselves today before meeting with God? If so, how? 6. As seven of Jesse s eight sons began marching by Samuel, what did he think of the first and oldest son Eliab (vs. 6)? According to verse 7, why did Samuel think Eliab was the future king? Had Samuel learned anything from the poor choice of Saul? (See 1 Sam. 9:1-2) 7. What critical truth do we learn from verse 7b? Do people still judge others by outward appearance today? Where do we see this most frequently? What should we be looking for? 8. What did God reveal to Samuel after reviewing seven of Jesse s eight sons in verses 8-10? What question did Samuel ask Jesse in verse 11? Who was missing? Why is it significant that this son was shepherding when called by God? How would this training help David in the future? Is it the common practice of God to call people while they are serving? 9. Samuel refused to allow people to sit down to eat until David arrived. Why? (vs. 11). Warren Wiersbe writes, It s interesting that David ( beloved ) was number eight, because in the Scripture eight is often the number of a new beginning. God did use David to bring a new beginning to Israel, both governmentally and spiritually. How did he do this? 10. According to verse 12, what did young David look like? What does the word, ruddy mean? What was Samuel ordered to do once David had been presented? Who chose Israel s king this time?
11. The horn carrying the anointing oil was probably a ram s horn (vs. 13). What happened once Samuel anointed David with the oil? Verse 13 mentions David by name for the first time in the Bible, from this point on David will play a significant role. What did Samuel do once he was finished anointing David? Part II: A distressing spirit troubles King Saul (1 Sam. 16:14-18) 1. What happened to King Saul once David had been anointed by Samuel (vs. 14)? The Holy Spirit functioned differently under the Old Covenant than He functions under the New. How so? We believe born-again Christians cannot be possessed by demons, but they can be oppressed! What kind of activities can open the door to demonic oppression today? 2. According to verses 14 and 15, where did this distressing spirit come from? How so? (See Commentaries) How did this spirit affect Saul? Have you ever gone through a period in your life where you were deeply distressed? What was troubling Saul? 3. What did Saul s servants conclude was needed to calm down their master (vv. 16-17)? Harps often play a significant role in the Bible. What was the harp used for in the following Scriptures: 1 Sam. 10:5-6; 2 Kin. 3:15; 1 Chr. 25:1; Rev. 5:8-9? What was the hope in Saul s case? 4. Who, in God s sovereignty, had been uniquely gifted in music (vs. 18)? What else do we learn about young David from this verse? 5. How does the description in verse 18 demonstrate David was a prime candidate to serve in the king s court? Has God ever worked in your life to put you exactly where you needed to be at just the right time? What is meant when we say, God is sovereign?
Part III: Young David is invited to serve King Saul (1 Sam. 16:19-23) 1. What did King Saul do at the encouragement of his servants (vs. 19)? How did Jesse respond to the king s request? Why do you think he sent the king a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat? 2. How did King Saul respond to young David initially (vs. 21)? What was the role of an armorbearer? What are some ways that being the kings armorbearer helped David in preparation of becoming Israel s future king? 3. According to verse 22, how pleased was King Saul with David s service? Was the king aware at this point that David would be his replacement? How would the realization of this fact affect the king s relationship with David? (See 1 Sam. 18:6-16; 18:30-19:24) 4. Young David was a gifted musician. How did Saul use David in the early years (vs. 23)? What happened as David beautifully played the harp to Saul? Have you ever had music affect the way you feel? What are some ways that music can be used for both good and evil? 5. Darrell Fraley has said, Music sticks to people s heads, it velcros to people s hearts. Can you remember any musical jingles you heard on TV or radio many years ago? How about old songs? What can we learn about the power of music from this? 6. Warren Wiersbe s statement: Music is a gift from God, and it has power to influence people in ways that the mere spoken word cannot. No singer has the right to sing a lie any more than a preacher has the right to preach a lie. In light of the way songs stick in our minds, why is this truth especially important for Christians to realize this?
7. According to 1 Sam. 16:18b, what was the key to David s success in everything he did? If we want to be blessed by God, we need to be right with God. What are some ways that you can improve your relationship with the Lord beginning today? MINER S CORNER ~ Manna to live by! Saul was chosen to be king by human standards and it turned out to be a disaster! David was chosen by God to be King; God doesn t look at the outward appearance of a person, He looks at the heart! Sometimes God chooses those least likely candidates to accomplish great things! The Holy Spirit operated differently under the Old Covenant than He does under the New! Sometimes the enemy is allowed to torment us when we are disobedient to God! The style of music we listen to can not only change our emotions, but also our actions! Songs stick like velcro to our minds; we need to be careful what we listen to! Worship leaders have no more right to sing false doctrine than preachers have to preach it!