The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

² But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”

The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ ³ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.”

⁴ Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?”

⁵ Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

⁶ When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”

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 people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

⁸ Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” ⁹ Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.” ¹⁰ Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” ¹¹ So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”

“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”

Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”

¹² So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.

Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”

¹³ 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 powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.

1 Samuel 16:1-13 (NIV)

Choosing a leader can be a challenging task at times. The first step is to determine the qualifications and traits which will be sought in a candidate. Then a pool of potential candidates must be collected. This is followed by examining each candidate’s qualifications and traits against the list of sought ones established at the start. When a potential leader aligns closest to the desires, then the declaring of the new leader can occur.

The passage which has been read for today presents the story of choosing a new king for Israel. God had become displeased with Saul for Saul’s unfaithfulness to God. God sends Samuel to anoint Saul’s replacement as king. Samuel is to go to Bethlehem, to the house of Jesse. Jesse brings his sons before Samuel when Samuel arrives. As each son presents himself before Samuel, God indicates that each is not the right one even though they appear to be by human standards. When it seems all have come before Samuel but not any are accepted by God, Samuel makes sure that there are none remaining.  Jesse indicates there is the youngest one who is tending the sheep. Samuel sends for him and when he arrives God tells Samuel to anoint him as king.

We learn from this passage that God looks beyond the obvious human traits in choosing the right person for the job. The human qualifications of appearance and stature are not what God uses to determine the qualified one. Instead God looks for the spirit, attitude, and personality of the correct candidate.

As humans, we too often get dazzled by a person’s appearance. Physical traits and charisma play too large of a role in our choosing of a leader. We also disqualify ourselves or others because we are unable to see the traits of a true leader. This story of Samuel, David, and God cautions us to look beyond what is visible and seek to understand the spirit, attitude and personality of a potential leader.