Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.”
Samuel has passed seven of Jesse's sons before him, and God has refused every one. So the prophet asks whether the family is complete. The answer uncovers a son his own father had not thought worth calling. Nothing goes ahead until that son arrives.
The son nobody counted
Jesse's reply sounds like an afterthought. One writer sets this forgotten son beside the king Israel admired.
William KellyThis chapter shows us, in a very striking way, the clear sentence of death on all the thoughts of man. What lesson could teach us anything more solemn than the contrast between Saul and David? Everyone admired Saul, and he was chosen because of his outward appearance. David was forgotten even by his own father — and this was after the prophet had raised the question. He was of no account in the eyes of a single member of the family. Yet this was the man destined for the throne.
The neglect went further than forgetfulness. David had been left out of the gathering altogether. One writer hears scorn in the way his father speaks of him:
J. G. BellettA rod out of the stem of Jesse is His object. He is a root out of dry ground, with no beauty in the sight of men. His father, "according to the flesh," says of him with scorn, "There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep." He is the one whom man was despising and the nation abhorring, as they did with a greater than he.
God passes over the impressive
Samuel had already seen seven sons and set them aside. God's choice landed where no one was looking.
J. N. DarbyGod lets everything that is great in Jesse's eyes pass unnoticed. The seven were fine-looking men. But it is the lad keeping the sheep, the eighth, the weak one, whom God prefers and takes up!
Keeping the sheep
"He is keeping the sheep" sounds like a reason to leave him where he was. But the wilderness was where God had been teaching him.
James L. HarrisHe had not been alone in the wilderness. He had been under God's teaching. He had been preparing for public service in a secret school. His teacher was the One who does not look on the outward appearance, and who does not see as man sees. Now it must be the same with us. There must be a living before the Lord. Unless our souls are exercised before Him, He will not use us as instruments in His service. We may think He will; but it will not be so. God will always deal in secret with the soul He intends to serve Him in public.
The job itself matched the office God was about to give him:
C. H. MackintoshAnd how good it is to notice David's occupation: "Behold, he is keeping the sheep." The Lord referred to this later. He said to David, "I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel." Nothing can show God's thoughts about the office of king more sweetly than the work of a shepherd. In fact, when a king does not carry it out in the spirit of a shepherd, it fails of its purpose.
"We will not sit down till he comes"
Samuel refuses to begin. One writer points to the literal Hebrew noted in the margin:
W. W. FeredaySamuel heard that there was a shepherd lad. He said to Jesse, "Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here." Note the margin: "Hebrew — sit round." The circle would not be complete without David. He had to be in the centre.
The waiting meal marks the whole scene as one of favour. One writer sets it beside another anointing, done in secret and in haste:
H. L. RossierSamuel, by contrast, anoints David king of grace "in the midst of his brothers." They do not sit down at the table until he arrives. This family feast brings them together for a shared meal. After that, Samuel gets up in peace and goes to Ramah.
David's own spirit
David was content with his place, both before the call came and after it.
J. G. BellettHe was the neglected one of the family. But he was content to be so. He was willing to tend the sheep in the field, while his more respected brothers stayed at home to receive the guests and do the honours of the house. … As scorn had not cast him down, so honours do not puff him up. As soon as the occasion is over, he is back again among the flocks.
Summary
- Overlooked. Jesse counted seven sons and forgot the eighth. The man destined for the throne meant nothing to a single member of his own family.
- Chosen. What man passes over, God takes up. He leaves the seven fine-looking sons aside and prefers the weak one, the lad with the sheep.
- Trained. The wilderness was not a waste of him but a school; God deals in secret with the soul He means to use in public.
- Fitted. David's work matched his calling. Ruling fails of its purpose unless a king carries it out in a shepherd's spirit.
- Centred. The circle is not complete without him. No one sits down until the chosen one arrives, and Samuel anoints him among his brothers in peace.