The big picture
Samuel is still mourning Saul when the LORD sends him to Bethlehem to anoint another king. The Book of 1 Samuel makes the transition deliberately indirect. Samuel goes under the public purpose of a real sacrifice, fears Saul's reaction, and does not know which of Jesse's sons will be chosen until the LORD identifies him. Samuel first reaches for the familiar visual measure and assumes Eliab must be the man, only to be corrected. Seven sons pass. The chosen one is still with the sheep. David is summoned, anointed, and receives the Spirit, while Saul subsequently loses that royal empowerment. Yet David does not march toward the throne. He is called to court as a skilled musician, wins Saul's affection, and brings him relief. The newly chosen king enters the rejected king's household first as a servant.
Central truth
The Lord corrects Samuel's judgment by appearance, chooses the absent shepherd David, and brings the newly anointed servant into Saul's troubled household through skilled music.
The study notes have a page of their own
The movement by movement analysis, the words to trace, the verse by verse notes and where readers differ are written for someone studying alone. They are on the Deep Personal Reflections page for this chapter. This page is the lesson.
A chapter-specific teaching brief
These anchors come from this chapter itself. They help a teacher use the Level 1 overview, the Level 2 study, and the Scripture text as one lesson.
Open with the chapter’s first image
1 Samuel 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…”
Slow down at the turning point
1 Samuel 16:11: “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…”
Keep this word trail visible
LORD, Jesse, Samuel, Saul, spirit, David
What to explain, in order
Teach the passage in this order. Each step names the verses it rests on, so every point can be shown in the text before it is applied.
1 Samuel 16:1-5
How long wilt thou mourn?
Begin with the LORD's question to Samuel in 16:1, how long he will mourn "for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel". Grief is allowed, but it must not stop obedience. Explain "fill thine horn with oil" as preparing to anoint. Then Samuel's fear and the LORD's answer. Show that the sacrifice is real (16:5) and that the LORD will "shew thee what thou shalt do", so Samuel goes without knowing which son. Explain "sanctify yourselves" as preparing ritually for worship. Teach this first because the chapter opens with a grieving, frightened prophet, and God carries the plan forward through him.
1 Samuel 16:6-10
The LORD looketh on the heart
Read the procession of sons. Eliab first, tall and impressive, and Samuel is sure. Then the LORD's correction in 16:7, which you should read twice. Explain "countenance" as face or appearance and "refused" as rejected. Point out that Samuel had seen Saul stand head and shoulders above the people, and is about to make the same kind of judgment again. Then Abinadab, Shammah, and the rest: "The LORD hath not chosen these." Teach this step as the centre of the chapter; it corrects how God's people choose leaders and judge one another.
1 Samuel 16:11-13
The youngest, with the sheep
Samuel asks if all the sons are there, and the answer brings David in from the field. Read the description and the LORD's word, "Arise, anoint him: for this is he." Explain "ruddy" as red-cheeked or reddish. Then the anointing "in the midst of his brethren" and the Spirit coming upon David "from that day forward". Note that David is named for the first time in 16:13. Teach this step to show God's surprising choice and his empowering. Point to Psalm 78:70-72, which later says God took David from the sheepfolds to shepherd Israel.
1 Samuel 16:14-17
An evil spirit from the LORD
Read 16:14 carefully and do not soften it: "the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him." Explain that the Book of 1 Samuel attributes the troubling spirit to the LORD's judgment on Saul, and that readers have explained its nature in different ways. Do not give it a modern medical label, and do not teach that every kind of distress or mental illness has this cause. Then the servants' practical suggestion of music. Teach this step with care, because some learners live with depression or anxiety.
1 Samuel 16:18-23
Into Saul's service
Read the servant's description of David and notice its last line, "the LORD is with him". Explain "cunning" as skilled and "prudent in matters" as wise in speech. Jesse sends a gift with David, and Saul loves him and makes him his armourbearer. Then the music: Saul is refreshed and the evil spirit departs for a time. Teach this last because it places the anointed future king inside the household of the rejected present king, as his servant. Chapter 17 and the jealousy of chapter 18 grow from this arrangement.
Where learners get stuck
The misreadings this passage tends to produce, and how to answer each from the text.
"God doesn't care about appearance at all, so good-looking people are suspect."
The verse says "man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart" (16:7), and then describes David as "of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to" (16:12). Appearance is not God's criterion, but it is not a vice. Teach learners to stop judging others by looks in either direction. That matters for young people who feel unattractive and for those who are told their looks make them shallow.
"16:7 means I can see what's really in other people's hearts."
The verse gives that sight to the LORD: "the LORD looketh on the heart". Samuel, a prophet, could not see it without being told. The verse corrects our judgment by appearance; it does not grant us God's knowledge of people's motives. Teach learners to be humble in assessing others and honest about their own hearts, and to leave final judgment of anyone's inner life to God.
"Saul had a mental illness, and this chapter says it was demonic."
The text says "an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him" (16:14) after the Spirit of the LORD departed, and it connects this to Saul's rejection. It does not describe a modern diagnosis, and it does not teach that depression, anxiety or other illnesses are caused by evil spirits. Christian traditions explain the spirit here in different ways. Be very careful: never suggest that anyone in the room who struggles with their mental health is under God's judgment like Saul.
"Once David was anointed, he should have taken the throne."
The anointing marks God's choice, but David waits years. He returns to the sheep, then serves Saul as musician and armourbearer (16:19-21). Later he twice refuses to kill Saul, calling him "the LORD's anointed" (24:6; 26:9). Teach learners that God's calling often comes with a long season of service under someone else, and that waiting for God's timing is part of faithfulness, not a sign that the calling was false.
Learning objectives
- Explain why Samuel hesitates to visit Jesse.
- Identify the correction of Samuel's assumption about Eliab.
- Trace David's movement from sheep to anointing to court.
- Describe the contrasting reports about the Spirit and the two men.
- Explain how David's skill becomes service to Saul.
- Distinguish anointing from immediate possession of the throne.
Teacher preparation
- Read 15:34–16:23; keep Samuel's mourning and fear visible during the selection of Saul's successor.
- Gloss 'cunning' in 16:16, 18 as skillful, not dishonest, and distinguish the oil horn from a musical instrument.
- Notice David's good looks in 16:12; rejecting appearance-based judgment does not make attractiveness a vice.
- Prepare to read 'an evil spirit from the Lord' accurately without replacing it with an invented medical diagnosis.
- Read Psalm 78:70–72 and Isaiah 11:1–2 for shepherding, Jesse's line, and the Spirit; identify these as later connections.
Evidence and interpretation checks
Explicit
Read 16:6–13: the Lord rejects Samuel's initial assumption, names David, and the Spirit comes upon him after anointing.
Scripture-supported
Compare 16:13–14 with 15:26–28: the contrast between David and Saul belongs to the announced transfer of royal favor and responsibility.
Strong inference
Infer from 16:18–23 that recognized musical skill provides David's entry into the royal household, where he serves before he rules.
Possible or traditional reading
Consider David's shepherding in 16:11 as preparation for leadership in light of Psalm 78:70–72; distinguish that later scriptural interpretation from an explicit speech by Samuel here.
Limit
State that 16:14–23 neither diagnoses Saul medically nor teaches that all emotional distress has the same spiritual cause or that music guarantees a cure.
Discussion with answer guidance
1. What makes Samuel's journey to Bethlehem dangerous?
What a good answer contains
Saul. Samuel asks, "How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me" (16:2). Anointing a new king while the old one reigns is treason in Saul's eyes. The LORD tells him to take a heifer and say he has come to sacrifice, and 16:5 shows that the sacrifice really happens. The elders of Bethlehem tremble too, asking, "Comest thou peaceably?" (16:4). A good answer sees real danger for Samuel and the town. A weak answer calls the sacrifice a lie, when the text presents it as a true purpose that does not disclose everything.
Show teacher guidance
Read 16:1–3: Samuel fears Saul will kill him for anointing a successor; 16:5 confirms that the sacrificial visit actually occurs.
2. Why is Samuel's first impression of Eliab insufficient?
What a good answer contains
Because Samuel is judging by what he sees. He looks on Eliab and thinks, "Surely the LORD's anointed is before him" (16:6). The LORD answers, "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" (16:7). A good answer notes the echo of Saul's height and sees that God's choosing goes deeper than appearance. A weak answer claims we can now read other people's hearts, which the verse gives only to the LORD.
Show teacher guidance
Use 16:6–7. The Lord's judgment is not restricted to what Samuel can see; this is not permission to claim access to other people's hearts.
3. Where is the person the Lord has chosen while the others pass before Samuel?
What a good answer contains
Out with the sheep. When seven sons have passed and none is chosen, Samuel asks, "Are here all thy children?" Jesse answers, "There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep" (16:11). Samuel says they will not sit down until he comes. A good answer lets the surprise land: the one God has chosen was not even invited to the sacrifice. A weak answer invents David's feelings about being left out, or makes Jesse a villain, when the text records only that David was the youngest and at work.
Show teacher guidance
Find David with the sheep in 16:11. Let the missing candidate carry the surprise without inventing his feelings about the family gathering.
4. Why does verse 12 still mention David's appearance?
What a good answer contains
Because the point of 16:7 is not that God prefers plain people. "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" (16:12). David is handsome, and he is chosen because the LORD names him, not because of his looks. A good answer holds both verses together: appearance is neither the reason for God's choice nor a reason against it. A weak answer says God always chooses the unattractive, which the text immediately contradicts.
Show teacher guidance
Place 16:7 beside 16:12–13: good looks are reported, but the Lord's identification determines the choice. Correct 'God always chooses the unattractive.'
5. What changes after David is anointed, and what does not happen yet?
What a good answer contains
The text says "the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward" (16:13), and "the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul" (16:14). But David does not become king yet. He goes back to the sheep, then enters Saul's service as a musician and armourbearer: "he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer" (16:21). A good answer sees anointing and waiting together; David serves the king he will replace. A weak answer has David take the throne at once or treats the anointing as a private ceremony with no consequence.
Show teacher guidance
Read 16:13–14, 21–23. The Spirit comes upon David, but Saul remains king and David becomes his servant.
6. How does the harp connect David's ability with Saul's need?
What a good answer contains
Saul's servants seek "a cunning player on an harp" for the times when "the evil spirit from God is upon thee" (16:16). One servant describes David as "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" (16:18). When David plays, "Saul was refreshed, and was well" (16:23). A good answer sees skill used in service and care. A weak answer turns music into a guaranteed spiritual cure or misses that "cunning" means skilful.
Show teacher guidance
Use 16:16–23 to identify skill, invitation, service, and relief. Keep the focus on actual care rather than a formula for supernatural musical power.
Responsible application
Heart and habits
Ask learners to assess an invented candidate without assuming that appearance, obscurity, or charisma settles suitability.
Relationships and community
Use David's music to design a fictional example of skill serving another's need.
Service before prominence
Compare David's anointing with his next assignment; discuss faithful work that does not immediately resemble the responsibility anticipated.
Session plans
Two timings of the same lesson. The shorter keeps the reading, the central discussion and one response; the longer gives the confusions and the application their own time.
45 minutes
Mourning and fear
Read 16:1-5. Ask question one.
The LORD looketh on the heart
Read 16:6-10. Ask question two and use confusions one and two.
The youngest
Read 16:11-13. Take questions three and four.
An evil spirit
Read 16:14-17 and use confusion three with care.
David serves Saul
Read 16:18-23. Take questions five and six and confusion four.
Handout
Read the key verse together and give out the handout. Pray for eyes that see as God sees.
90 minutes
First impressions
Ask how quickly people decide what someone is like. Share a harmless example, then read 16:1.
Samuel goes to Bethlehem
Read 16:1-5. Take question one. Discuss the LORD's question about mourning.
Seven sons
Read 16:6-10. Take question two and confusions one and two. Compare 9:2 and 10:23.
From the sheepfold
Read 16:11-13 with Psalm 78:70-72. Take questions three and four.
The Spirit departs
Read 16:14-17. Take confusion three slowly and with pastoral care.
A cunning player
Read 16:18-23. Take questions five and six and confusion four.
Application
Use the lesson plan's application on judging by appearance. Ask each person to note privately one judgment they should revisit.
Handout and prayer
Read the key verse together, point to the take-home line, and pray.
Adapting the lesson
Children
Line up some children like Jesse's sons and let a child play Samuel, shaking his head at each one. Then bring in the youngest from looking after toy sheep. Teach 16:7 simply: people look at the outside, God looks at the heart. Show a small harp or play gentle music and tell how David played for King Saul. Keep the evil spirit simple: Saul was troubled, and David's music helped him.
Youth
Talk about how much appearance matters in their world and in social media. Read 16:6-12 and let them see both truths: God does not choose by looks, and David's looks are mentioned anyway. Discuss waiting and serving after a calling. Handle 16:14 carefully; if anyone struggles with mental health, make clear this verse is not a diagnosis and point them to help.
Adults
Discuss how churches and workplaces choose leaders, and how often outward impressiveness wins. Give time to the hard language of 16:14 and the different ways traditions understand it, without medicalising it or applying it to anyone's illness. Talk about the long apprenticeship of David, anointed and then serving. Some adults are waiting for a calling to be fulfilled; let the chapter speak to that patiently.
One to one
Read 16:6-13 together and ask whether they feel overlooked, like David in the field. Let 16:7 and 16:11 say that God knows where they are. If they struggle with troubled thoughts, do not read 16:14 as being about them; listen, pray, and encourage professional help where needed. Talk about faithful service while waiting.
Song and video learning lab
A song or video may interpret, compress, or dramatize the text. Its value becomes clearer when its choices are compared with Scripture.
- Before the media: the exact passage and its central movement.
- During the media: the words, people, events, and emotions the artist emphasizes.
- After the media: what it clarifies, what it leaves out, and what belongs back in the biblical text.
Handout
One page for learners to take home. The print button prints this section alone.
1 Samuel 16:1–23
The passage in brief
The LORD sends Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse's sons as the next king. Samuel thinks the tall eldest son must be the one, but the LORD says that he looks on the heart, not on outward appearance. Seven sons pass by and none is chosen. The youngest, David, is out caring for the sheep. When he comes, the LORD says, "Arise, anoint him", and the Spirit of the LORD comes upon him. Later, troubled King Saul sends for a harp player, and David comes to serve him.
A verse to keep
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.
1 Samuel 16:7 · King James Version
Questions to take home
Why did Samuel think Eliab was the LORD's choice, and what did the LORD say (16:6-7)?
Where was David while his brothers passed before Samuel (16:11)?
How did David serve Saul after he was anointed (16:21-23)?
This week
This week, before you form an opinion about someone, ask God to help you see past how they look.
Music and video connected to the passage
Related media appears when its Scripture reference overlaps this study. Music and video can illuminate a theme while the biblical text remains the foundation.
