“Sha’ul said to his servants, ‘Find me a man who can play well, and bring him to me.’ One of the young men answered, ‘Here, I’ve seen one of the sons of Yishai the Beit-Lachmi who knows how to play. He’s a brave soldier, he can fight, he chooses his words carefully and he’s pleasant-looking. Besides, Adonai is with him.'”-1 Samuel 16:17-18
Saul responds positively to the suggestion that music could be just the medicine he needs to calm his shaky nerves.
So he orders his court to find a qualified musician.
One lad raises his hand and says he knows the perfect person for the job.
He says…
“I’ve seen one of the sons of Yishai the Beit-Lachmi who knows how to play. He’s a brave soldier, he can fight, he chooses his words carefully and he’s pleasant-looking.”
So without a moment’s hesitation, Saul sends a messenger to Jesse requesting that his son David be brought to him.
Now, Jesse well understood the importance of the situation.
He knew a chance like this to serve the king was a once-in-a-lifetime thing.
So he promptly obeyed and sent David off together with a donkey carrying gifts of bread, wine, and a young goat.
As soon as Saul met David, he took an immediate liking to him and soon after even announced that David would be his armor-bearer.
So things were off to a good start though events would soon turn bitter.
Now, here’s what’s interesting.
Take note of all of the characteristics we’re told David possessed.
He came from the ruling class of Judah.
He was a skillful player of the Lyre.
He possessed the right kind of appearance.
He was a capable warrior on the battlefield.
Finally, given his proper upbringing, he was a person who knew how to choose his words wisely.
See, here’s the thing.
Saul may not have realized it, but the young David possessed the character and attributes that any king of Israel was expected to have.
In other words, Saul had just hired the perfect, if not better, replacement for himself.
He just didn’t realize it yet.
The takeaway is how God uses His enemies (and yes, Saul was His enemy at this time) to bring about His divine Will.
Here we see a masterful demonstration of the Lord moving different pieces on the earthly chessboard to orchestrate events that will move His agenda forward.
God did it back then and He’s doing it now with every major political player on the world scene.
And if you’re committed to the Lord, He’s also moving on your behalf right now as you read this.
Could anything be more exciting?
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