Faith Stories - David

1 Samuel 16:1-13

16:1 The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you."


Samuel did what the LORD commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" He said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.


When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed is now before the LORD." But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one."


Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen any of these." Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here."


He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one." Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.


We began our faith stories journey as a people called from our comfortable places into desert places. We began our journey walking in faith.

Then we lingered in the desert together, thirsty for water. Water flowed from a rock and we were reminded that God provides abundantly, even in places and times of scarcity.

And today, we find that we, as children of God, are seen for more than what we appear to be. We are shone that God truly sees us, the real us.

When you hear this story of Samuel and David, where do you see yourself? What character do you identify with? Are you like Samuel, the one constantly acknowledging the spirit of God in others? Lifting up others? Helping others?

Are you like Eliab or Abinidad, the child or sibling that has been left behind while another has been chosen? Are you like Jesse, the parent anxiously watching someone evaluate your children?

Or are you more like David, the one not worthy to be seen? The unexpected Cinderella, the underdog, the biblical dark horse. At one point, we've all been there, in David's shoes. I can't say I've fought any Goliath's, but I've certainly felt unworthy.

And, like the rest of the characters in the story, we'd likely be wondering what God was up to when David, the youngest son, the shepherd, was chosen by God and anointed by Samuel. Just like the Israelites in the desert, wondering why Moses was hitting a rock with a stick. It doesn't make sense. God doesn't make sense.

I'm not sure how many of you know I have tattoos. The one on my shoulder blade is a bird inscribed with the word Sibling. My sibling has the matching one on his calf. And I love the confused look on people's faces when I say the bird is a black crow. Not some lovely peaceful dove. Not some precious canary or colorful parrot, but a crow. A bird widely despised by many people is the bird I chose to get inked into my body.

But despite the stigma crows have in our society today, some legends and mythology about crows show them to be creatures of high intelligence and protectors of all creation. In one legend, the great crow bring fires to a world dying from cold. In another, a crow brings light to a people lost in darkness. In another, crows rescue creation from a burning world. In each case, the once beautiful white or multi colored birds are burnt and covered in ash and become black. Their blackness is seen, not as a punishment, but as a mark of the service they rendered to others.

I proudly wear my black crow as a reminder to myself that ministry is much more than standing in a pulpit and preaching. It is a life of service, of caring for creation. And as I explore my call to ministry on this internship, this crow is a reminder that God calls some unexpected people into service. I look at the great ancestors of the faith and laugh. In our perfect savior's lineage and our biblical family we have prostitutes, drunks, adulterers, liars, thieves, and murderers.

God chooses the unexpected. Chooses to work in unexpected ways. Chooses to accept the appearance of something and then look beyond it. Look into it. God chooses Abram. God causes rocks to give thirsty people water. God chooses David to be King. God chooses us to be God's people. Daughters and sons that are not perfect, that do not often look the part, but are children of God all the same.

A lot of it boils down to identity. What we defines ourselves with. If we define ourselves based on the outward appearance, our job, our house, our bodies, our clothes, our cars, we will forever be striving for perfection. It's like believing only the flashiest, most eye grabbing cover of a book will cause people to pick it up and read it.

But we are more than our book covers. We are the pages of rich stories within. And as baptized believers, children of God, we can also be confident that our stories are being heard. We give each other the gift of storytelling both as we share and as we listen. And of course, were two or more are gathered... we believe that God is with us. I imagine the holy spirit hanging on our every word, basking in the power and beauty of our unique stories.

In our baptisms, we were marked in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We were anointed, like David. In the baptismal waters, we find our identity as God's children. You have a story to tell. You have an audience to hear your story. Will you share it?