1 Samuel 16:14–23
David plays his harp for King Saul
Ages 8 to 11
The account
After David was anointed, the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. Saul's servants noticed his trouble and suggested finding someone who could play the harp well. They said that music could bring relief when the evil spirit troubled him.
Saul agreed and told his servants to find a skilled musician. One servant spoke about a son of Jesse in Bethlehem. He said this young man could play well, was brave and prudent, and that the LORD was with him.
Saul sent messengers to Jesse and asked him to send David, who was with the sheep. Jesse sent David to Saul with gifts of food. David came and stood before the king. Saul loved him greatly, and David became his armourbearer.
Saul then sent another message to Jesse asking that David remain in his service because David had found favor in his sight.
Whenever the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, David took his harp and played. Saul was refreshed and became well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
This account shows David serving before the king even though he had already been anointed by Samuel. David did not become king immediately. For now, he served Saul and used the skill he had.
Memory verse
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.
1 Samuel 16:23
Talk about it
- Why did Saul's servants want to find someone who could play the harp?
- Who did Saul send for?
- What happened when David played for Saul?
Try this
Make a list of useful skills people can use to help others, such as cooking, fixing, listening, drawing or making music. Circle one skill you already have and write one simple way you could use it to help someone this week.
What can we learn?
A lesson we can draw is that an ordinary skill can become a real way to serve someone. David's music mattered because he used it when another person needed relief.
Ages 12 to 15
The account
The second half of 1 Samuel 16 changes the setting from Samuel's anointing of David to the court of King Saul. The Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and the passage says that an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. Saul's servants recognized that he was being troubled and proposed a practical response: they would find a man who could play the harp skillfully. When the evil spirit came upon Saul, the musician would play, and Saul would be well.
Saul approved the idea and ordered his servants to find someone who could play well. One servant immediately described a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite. He said the young man was skillful in playing, mighty and valiant, prudent in matters, good to look upon, and that the LORD was with him. The young man was David.
Saul sent messengers to Jesse with a direct request for David, identifying him as the son who was with the sheep. Jesse responded by sending David to Saul. He also sent bread, wine, and a young goat with him.
David came to Saul and stood before him. Saul loved him greatly, and David became his armourbearer. Saul then sent another message to Jesse asking that David be allowed to remain in his service because David had found favor in Saul's sight.
The account closes by explaining what happened when Saul was troubled. David would take the harp and play with his hand. Saul was refreshed and became well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
The placement of this account matters. Earlier in the same chapter, Samuel had anointed David, and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. Yet David did not move straight from the sheep to the throne. Instead, the next scene shows him entering Saul's service as a musician and armourbearer. The Bible gives no speech from David here and does not explain what he thought about this new role. It simply shows him serving in the place where he had been brought, while Saul received relief through David's music. This brought David into the daily life of the royal court.
Memory verse
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.
1 Samuel 16:23
Think about it
- Why did Saul's servants think a skilled harp player would be useful?
- What does the servant's description of David show about David before he entered Saul's service?
- Why does it matter that David served Saul before David himself became king?
- What does this account show about the way a practical skill can change a person's place or responsibility?
Going deeper
David's music is not a side note that disappears from the Bible. He later becomes king, and many psalms are connected with his name. Here, before his kingship, musical skill is one of the means by which he enters Saul's court and begins serving at the royal court.
What can we learn?
A lesson from this account is that ability and service can meet in very practical ways. David did not need a throne to be useful in this moment; he used the skill he already had in the responsibility that was placed before him.