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David is anointed and Affirmed as King
David is Anointed and Affirmed as King, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=58432 [retrieved March 17, 2023]. Original source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dura_Synagogue_WC3_David_anointed_by_Samuel.jpg.
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Living Out the Text: New beginnings
At the start of this passage, Samuel is mourning Saul. Saul was the first king of Israel, a king that Samuel himself had anointed. Saul had turned his back on God and God, in response, had rejected Saul from being king over Israel. This is what Samuel is mourning; he is mourning Saul's disobedience and its consequences. Now God comes to him and tells him that the time for mourning has passed. God's plan and purposes are not deterred. God is still in control, despite what Saul has done, and now is the time to move on to something new. God has a new king in mind, a better king than Saul. It is time to forget what was, forget what could have been, and move forward into something new. It is a time for new beginnings.
Sometimes we find ourselves in Samuel's position. We are mourning what was, mourning what could have been, what should have been. God doesn't live in the past. He doesn't live in missed opportunities. He doesn't live in regret. He doesn't want us to either. At some point we need to let go of the past, let go of the mourning, let go of the regret, and move forward into the new beginning that God has for us.
Finding this new beginning wasn't easy for Samuel. At God's direction, he went to the house of Jesse to anoint the new king of Israel. He didn't get it right at first. It took him several attempts to find the new beginning that God wanted for his people, but Samuel stayed with it until he did. In the same way, sometimes it takes us a few attempts to find the new beginning that God has for us, but if we stay with it, we will find it.
Is there an area of your life where you are living in regret? Is there a place that you need a new beginning? What can you do to start looking for the new beginning God has for you?
David Dalton
At the start of this passage, Samuel is mourning Saul. Saul was the first king of Israel, a king that Samuel himself had anointed. Saul had turned his back on God and God, in response, had rejected Saul from being king over Israel. This is what Samuel is mourning; he is mourning Saul's disobedience and its consequences. Now God comes to him and tells him that the time for mourning has passed. God's plan and purposes are not deterred. God is still in control, despite what Saul has done, and now is the time to move on to something new. God has a new king in mind, a better king than Saul. It is time to forget what was, forget what could have been, and move forward into something new. It is a time for new beginnings.
Sometimes we find ourselves in Samuel's position. We are mourning what was, mourning what could have been, what should have been. God doesn't live in the past. He doesn't live in missed opportunities. He doesn't live in regret. He doesn't want us to either. At some point we need to let go of the past, let go of the mourning, let go of the regret, and move forward into the new beginning that God has for us.
Finding this new beginning wasn't easy for Samuel. At God's direction, he went to the house of Jesse to anoint the new king of Israel. He didn't get it right at first. It took him several attempts to find the new beginning that God wanted for his people, but Samuel stayed with it until he did. In the same way, sometimes it takes us a few attempts to find the new beginning that God has for us, but if we stay with it, we will find it.
Is there an area of your life where you are living in regret? Is there a place that you need a new beginning? What can you do to start looking for the new beginning God has for you?
David Dalton