The Anointing

Historical Setting

The anointing takes place after God's rejection of Saul. Saul had failed twice — offering sacrifice in Samuel's place at Gilgal 1 Sam 13:8–14 and sparing King Agag and the best of the Amalekite livestock against God's command 1 Sam 15:1–35. After the second failure, Samuel announced:

"The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you." — 1 Samuel 15:28

Saul remained on the throne, but God's anointing had been transferred in principle. The "neighbor" was not yet named.

Samuel's Reluctance

1 Samuel 16:1 opens with God rebuking Samuel for prolonged mourning over Saul:

"How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." — 1 Samuel 16:1

Samuel's response reveals the political danger of the mission:

"How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me." — 1 Samuel 16:2

Anointing a rival king while the reigning king still held the throne was treason. Samuel feared assassination — and the fear was justified, given Saul's later attempts on David's life and his slaughter of the priests at Nob 1 Sam 22:18–19.

The Cover Story

God instructs Samuel to take a heifer with him and announce that he has come to Bethlehem to offer sacrifice. This provided plausible cover for the journey while still being technically true — Samuel did offer sacrifice 1 Sam 16:5.

Arrival in Bethlehem

The elders of Bethlehem met Samuel "trembling" 1 Sam 16:4. An unannounced visit from the prophet of Israel was a serious event, often associated with judgment. Samuel reassured them: "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice."

He specifically consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

The Procession of the Seven

What follows is a deliberate, repeated rejection of every visible candidate.

Son	Samuel's Reaction	God's Response
Eliab	"Surely the LORD's anointed is before him."	"Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." 1 Sam 16:7
Abinadab	Brought before Samuel.	"Neither has the LORD chosen this one." 1 Sam 16:8
Shammah	Passed before Samuel.	"Neither has the LORD chosen this one." 1 Sam 16:9
Four more sons	Each made to pass before Samuel.	"The LORD has not chosen these." 1 Sam 16:10

The Forgotten Eighth

After all seven had been rejected, Samuel asked the question Jesse should have answered first:

"Are all your sons here?" — 1 Samuel 16:11

Jesse's answer:

"There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep." — 1 Samuel 16:11

The implication is clear: Jesse did not consider David worth including. The text gives no reason for the omission. Whether it was status, age, his role in the family, or something deeper related to his birth, David was not at the sacrifice. Samuel had to specifically demand his presence:

"Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here." — 1 Samuel 16:11

David Arrives

David is brought from the field. The text gives his physical description:

"He was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome." — 1 Samuel 16:12

God then speaks to Samuel:

"Arise, anoint him, for this is he." — 1 Samuel 16:12

The Anointing Itself

The mechanics of the anointing are stated simply:

"Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah." — 1 Samuel 16:13

Three Significant Details

Horn of Oil, Not Flask

Samuel used a horn (Hebrew qeren) of oil, not the flask (pak) used to anoint Saul 1 Sam 10:1. The horn was a more permanent and traditional vessel, associated with strength and durability. Some Jewish commentators have noted this distinction as symbolic of the permanence of David's anointing versus the temporary nature of Saul's.

"In the Midst of His Brothers"

The anointing was not entirely public — it was within the family circle, not before all Israel. But David's brothers witnessed it. This makes the later contempt of Eliab at the battlefield 1 Sam 17:28 particularly striking: Eliab knew David was the chosen one and resented him for it.

The Spirit's Descent

The Hebrew verb tsalach ("rushed upon") indicates a forceful, decisive action — the same verb used of the Spirit empowering Samson Judg 14:6 and Saul 1 Sam 10:10. From this moment forward, David carried the empowering presence of God's Spirit.

By contrast, the very next verse records:

"Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the LORD tormented him." — 1 Samuel 16:14

The transfer was instantaneous in the spiritual realm. Samuel left for Ramah. Saul still sat on the throne. But the Spirit had moved.

Age at Anointing

Scripture does not specify David's exact age. Common estimates range from 10 to 17 years old based on:

• His status as the youngest of eight
• His role tending sheep (typically a younger son's task)
• His not yet being of military age at Goliath's encounter 1 Sam 17:33 — Saul tells him "You are but a youth" (na'ar)
• The fact that he became king at thirty 2 Sam 5:4 and likely served Saul for many years before fleeing

Best estimate: roughly 15 years old at the time of anointing.

Years Between Anointing and Throne

If David was anointed around age 15 and became king of Judah at age 30, approximately 15 years passed between his anointing and his first crown. He would not become king over all Israel until age 37 — a gap of more than two decades from anointing to full fulfillment.

This gap — between the call of God and its visible fulfillment — would be filled with sheep, harp playing, slingstones, palace intrigue, caves, exile, and finally civil war.

Theological Significance

Anointing as Selection by God

The Hebrew verb mashach ("anoint") is the root of mashiach ("messiah") and Greek christos ("Christ"). All three terms mean "anointed one." David's anointing therefore foreshadows the ultimate Anointed One who would fulfill all that David's office pointed toward.

God's Different Standard

1 Samuel 16:7 — "the LORD looks on the heart" — is one of the most quoted theological statements in Scripture. The principle: divine selection operates on criteria invisible to human evaluation.

The Hidden Years

David's pattern — anointed long before throned — establishes a biblical paradigm repeated in many later figures: Joseph (called in dreams, fulfilled decades later), Moses (called as a deliverer, 40 years in Midian first), and ultimately Jesus (announced at his baptism, hidden for 30 years before public ministry).

Cross-References Used Later

Two later Scriptures explicitly reference this anointing:

"I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him." — Psalm 89:20

"And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, 'I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.'" — Acts 13:22 (Paul, preaching at Pisidian Antioch)

The phrase "a man after my own heart" appears originally in 1 Sam 13:14 — spoken about David before the anointing, in the context of Saul's rejection. God had identified the king he wanted before Samuel ever filled his horn.