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1 Samuel Chapter 16

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Viewing the Standard King James Version (Pure Cambridge). Click to switch to 1611 King James Version of 1 Samuel Chapter 16


1 And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.

2 And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD.

3 And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.

4 And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?

5 And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.

6 And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD'S anointed is before him.

7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.

9 Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.

10 Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these.

11 And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.

12 And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.

13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

14 But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.

15 And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.

16 Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.

17 And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me.

18 Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him.

19 Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep.

20 And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul.

21 And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer.

22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight.

23 And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

 


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Matthew Henry's 1 Samuel Chapter 16 Bible commentary...



Samuel sent to Bethlehem to Jesse. (1-5) David is anointed. (6-13) Saul troubled with an evil spirit, is quieted by David. (14-23)1-5 It appears that Saul was grown very wicked. Of what would he not be guilty, who durst think to kill Samuel? The elders of Bethlehem trembled at Samuel's coming. It becomes us to stand in awe of God's messengers, and to tremble at his word. His answer was, I come peaceably, for I come to sacrifice. When our Lord Jesus came into the world, though men had reason to fear that his errand was to condemn the world, yet he gave full assurance that he came peaceably, for he came to sacrifice, and he brought his offering with him; A body hast thou prepared me. Let us sanctify ourselves, and depend upon His sacrifice.

6-13 It was strange that Samuel, who had been so disappointed in Saul, whose countenance and stature recommended him, should judge of another man by that rule. We can tell how men look, but God can tell what they are. He judges of men by the heart. We often form a mistaken judgment of characters; but the Lord values only the faith, fear, and love, which are planted in the heart, beyond human discernment. And God does not favour our children according to our fond partiality, but often most honours and blesses those who have been least regarded. David at length was pitched upon. He was the youngest of the sons of Jesse; his name signifies Beloved; he was a type of God's beloved Son. It should seem, David was least set by of all the sons of Jesse. But the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. His anointing was not an empty ceremony, a Divine power went with that instituted sign; he found himself advanced in wisdom and courage, with all the qualifications of a prince, though not advanced in his outward circumstances. This would satisfy him that his election was of God. The best evidence of our being predestinated to the kingdom of glory, is, our being sealed with the Spirit of promise, and experience of a work of grace in our hearts.

14-23 Saul is made a terror to himself. The Spirit of the Lord departed from him. If God and his grace do not rule us, sin and Satan will have possession of us. The devil, by the Divine permission, troubled and terrified Saul, by the corrupt humours of his body, and passions of his mind. He grew fretful, peevish, and discontented, and at times a madman. It is a pity that music, which may be serviceable to the good temper of the mind, should ever be abused, to support vanity and luxury, and made an occasion of drawing the heart from God and serious things. That is driving away the good Spirit, not the evil spirit. Music, diversions, company, or business, have for a time often been employed to quiet the wounded conscience; but nothing can effect a real cure but the blood of Christ, applied in faith, and the sanctifying Spirit sealing the pardon, by his holy comforts. All other plans to dispel religious melancholy are sure to add to distress, either in this world or the next.

 


Recent Comments for 1 Samuel Chapter 16...

 


Rosa Sydney's 1 Samuel Chapter 16 comment on 5/07/2013, 2:05pm...

"an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him." Initially, I pondered this statement because I know that the "Lord" is not evil. I also, know that God allows any and all things to take place. Therefore, when we do evil, think evil, the "Lord" will allow evilness to be upon us or He can choose to have mercy upon us and set us free from doing evil. Reason Being-HE IS GOD!

 


Edjel's 1 Samuel Chapter 16 comment about verse 7 on 5/05/2013, 8:47pm...

yes realy true... God did not sees our outward appearance...GOd is love...he look at the sincerity of our heart

 


SHODIPO SEGUN's 1 Samuel Chapter 16 comment on 1/23/2013, 5:59pm...

I will talk of verses 13 and 14. First of all, when the way of a man pleased the Lord he makes his enemies to be at peace with him. Verse 13, when David was anointed the Spirit of the Lord came upon him! And the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, the evil spirit that troubled Saul was because the Spirit of the Lord left him, that is why when David played an harp, the evil spirit could not stay because the Spirit of the Lord was upon David. Darkness and light have nothing in common, if you have the Spirit of God no evil spirit will come near you. May the Spirit of God be in our life so that the evil spirit will not have a place in us. In Jesus Name.

 


Mary's 1 Samuel Chapter 16 comment about verse 14 on 10/21/2012, 9:49pm...

1 Samuel 16:14 Talks about an evil spirit coming upon Saul. This "evil spirit" that is being spoken of is not of God. Notice that the word "spirit" is NOT capitalized. That is significant because all words that refer to God or His son or the Holy Spirit are capitalized. So therefore the evil spirit was not really from God, but from Saul choosing not to do what he wanted and not what God wanted. So basically God stepped back like Saul wanted Him to do and God let him go his own way which led to an evil spirit harassing him. It is easy to slip in our Christian walk with God and just get off track, but God will always be right there to pick you up when you ask Him to. He is always waiting for you to run into His arms, but until then He will faithfully love you and wait until you realize that you need Him again. God wants to be our strength. We just have to allow Him to be that strength.

 


Priscilla's 1 Samuel Chapter 16 comment about verse 14 on 5/25/2012, 1:19pm...

"an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him"...this sentence makes me confuse....would the evil spirit come from God? Thanks Jesus bless

 

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Test Your Knowledge of 1 Samuel Chapter 16

1.  Who was anointed king among Jesse sons?


Eliab
Shammah
David
Abinadab
none


 



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