(Samuel thought Eliab must be the one chosen to succeed King Saul)
But YHWH said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For YHWH does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but YHWH looks at the heart.
Eventually it was not any of the strong, able-bodied sons of Jesses that was chosen by YHWH, but instead the son who was "ruddy, bright-eyed and good-looking". It was the youngest and perhaps greenest looking of all the sons of Jesse. He was hardly military material, yet it was him, David, who was chosen by God.
1 Samuel 16:13 records for us that Samuel proceeded to anoint this young man David with oil.
And the Spirit of YHWH came upon David.
This choosing of a most unlikely candidate to be God's Anointed King over Israel is typological of how God would choose his Messiah (Christos) to rule over the world in the days to come. We find later in the prophecy of Zechariah, written as follows:
Zechariah 9:9,10 NKJV
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
- - Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
- - He is just and having salvation.
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
- - A colt, the foal of a donkey.
I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
- - And the horse from Jerusalem.
The battle bow shall be cut off
- - He shall speak peace to the nations.
His dominion shall be "from sea to sea"
- - And from the River to the ends of the earth.
Yes, like David, God's future Anointed King would be a most unlikely candidate. He would not be a mighty, nor powerful military leader. Instead he would be lowly and riding on a donkey. He would not bring war but would instead bring announcements of peace, when battle bows shall be cut off and He speaks peace to the nations (Gentiles).
Yet this unlikely King, Yeshua our Master, shall rule "from sea to sea", from the River to the ends of the earth.
