The youngest brother · God looks at the heart
A Bible story to tell as a family · 1 Samuel 16:1–13 · ages 4–12 · 10 min
The story
Israel had a king named Saul, but Saul had stopped obeying God, and the LORD rejected him as king. The prophet Samuel was very sad about it. Then God told him to stop grieving over Saul, fill his horn with oil and go to Bethlehem, to the house of a man named Jesse, because he had chosen a king from among his sons. A horn of oil? It was an animal horn used as a little bottle for olive oil.
Samuel was afraid Saul would find out, but God showed him the way: he would offer a sacrifice in Bethlehem and invite Jesse and his sons. When Samuel arrived, the elders of the town came out trembling: “Do you come in peace?” And he answered: “In peace.” Yes, he came in peace, and with a secret tucked inside that horn.
Jesse’s sons began to pass in front of Samuel, one by one, like a parade. First, Eliab: tall, strong, handsome. Samuel thought right away: this is the one! But God said: “Do not consider his appearance or height.” And he revealed the secret of this story: “For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.”
Abinadab passed by. Not him. Shammah passed by. Not him either. One, two, three... seven sons passed before Samuel, and God chose none of them. Samuel asked: “Are these all the sons you have?” And Jesse remembered: there’s still the youngest, out in the field tending the sheep. He hadn’t even been invited to the feast!
Samuel said no one would sit down to eat until the boy arrived. And everyone waited. Tick-tock, tick-tock... Until in came a ruddy young man with beautiful eyes, smelling of fields and sheep. It was David. And the LORD said to Samuel: “Rise and anoint him, for he is the one.” The youngest, the forgotten one, the little shepherd: he was God’s chosen one.
Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David right there, in the presence of his brothers. To anoint was to mark someone with oil as a sign that God had set that person apart for a mission. And from that day on, the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David. For a while he would still go back to the sheep, but God had already begun something great.
More than a thousand years later, in Bethlehem, the same city of David, a baby was born into David’s family. The angels told the shepherds that he was the Christ, and Christ means Anointed One, the Messiah. Jesus was also born small, in a manger, far from palaces, and many people looked only at appearances and did not recognize him. But a blind man named Bartimaeus, who could see no appearances at all, cried out: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
1Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have selected from his sons a king for Myself.” 2“How can I go?” Samuel asked. “Saul will hear of it and kill me!” The LORD answered, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ 3Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you are to do. You are to anoint for Me the one I indicate.” 4So Samuel did what the LORD had said and went to Bethlehem. When the elders of the town met him, they trembled and asked, “Do you come in peace?” 5“In peace,” he replied. “I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 6When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and said, “Surely here before the LORD is His anointed.” 7But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.” 8Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel, who said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.” 9Next Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.” 10Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel told him, “The LORD has not chosen any of these.” 11And Samuel asked him, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied, “but he is tending the sheep.” “Send for him,” Samuel replied. “For we will not sit down to eat until he arrives.” 12So Jesse sent for his youngest son and brought him in. He was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him, for he is the one.” 13So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah.
What the Bible says
- v. 7: the LORD says that man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.
- v. 11: the youngest son wasn’t even there: he was tending the sheep.
- v. 13: Samuel anoints David among his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD comes powerfully upon him.
What we learn
God does not choose the way we choose: he passed over the tallest and called the youngest, forgotten in the field, because he looks at the heart. The New Testament connects David to Jesus explicitly: Jesus is called the son of David (Matthew 1:1), was born in the city of David and is the Christ, that is, the Anointed One (Luke 2:11). Seeing in the little shepherd anointed in Bethlehem an early portrait of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is a traditional Christian reading. To God, no one is too small or forgotten.
Questions to talk about
For little ones
- What was David doing when they sent for him?
- Does God look at our clothes, our size or our heart?
For kids
- David wasn’t even invited to the feast. Have you ever felt forgotten? How did God see David?
- Jesus was also born in Bethlehem and is called the Son of David. What do Jesus and David have in common?
For teens
- We live in a culture of appearances: photos, likes, bodies. What changes when you know that God looks at the heart? Is that a comfort, a challenge or both?
For adults
- Who in your family, at work or at church is being left out in the field, like David? How can you invite that person to the table?
Activity
Parade of brothers: line up seven big, eye-catching objects (a decorated jar, a thick book, a shiny bottle) and hide a small, simple object with a paper heart inside it in another room. The kids play Samuel: they look at each object and repeat: the LORD has not chosen this one. Then they ask: are these all? And they run to find the hidden one. Finish by reading 1 Samuel 16:7 together.
To memorize: 1 Samuel 16:7
Prayer
Lord, thank you that you look at the heart. Teach us to see people the way you see them and not to forget anyone. Thank you for Jesus, the Son of David, the Anointed One who came to save us. In Jesus’ name, amen.