July 29, 2012 – 1 Samuel 16

A couple of confusing things about David’s introduction to Saul.  He becomes the armor bearer for Saul and in that role plays for him the harp.  But, in the qualifications for that, it is said that he is “a stalwart soldier”.  18  What soldiering had David done up to this point.  I guess it could mean that David had stood up to the wild beast and protected the sheep, but the isn’t what comes to mind when you think soldier.  It also seems a bit confusing that David comes to fight Goliath (although that isn’t in this chapter) when he was there the whole time as Saul’s armor bearer.  It just seems a little choppy as an introduction to such an important character in Biblical history. 

There is the great lesson for Samuel that God doesn’t see as man sees.  That is a timeless lesson and one so easily forgotten when we are going about our lives in this world.  We are not God and have no real understanding of the “whys” and “hows” that God is developing.  We don’t see with God’s eyes and the eyes we do have can never see the full picture.  We must always remember that when we think something is so out of whack that no good could ever come from it.