Reading
1 Samuel 16: 7-13
But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’ Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, ‘Neither has the Lord chosen this one.’ Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, ‘Neither has the Lord chosen this one.’ Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, ‘The Lord has not chosen any of these.’ Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Are all your sons here?’ And he said, ‘There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.’ And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.’ He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, ‘Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.’ Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.
Reflection
Today’s reflection is based on 1 SAMUEL 16. 7-13 in light of the coronation yesterday.
It was difficult trying to balance a respect for both God and King Charles in putting
together a reflection for today. The coronation is such a historic milestone in our earthly lives, so I took advice and changed the reading for today to the story of King David in the Old Testament.
Paul tells us in his letters that we should always obey the law as God has chosen our
leaders and put them in power and to break the law is wrong. We have however seen leaders come into office and make a hash of it in modern day times and might question their reasoning for some decisions, some let the power go to their heads and some crumble under the pressure. Others fulfil their calling and do a great job.
David was renowned to be a very good king, he was chosen to succeed King Jesse
despite having seven older brothers. God spoke to Samuel and pointed out that David was the chosen one. He was anointed as heir to the throne and throughout the bible we are told that the Messiah will be from the house of David and of Jesse’s line. So it was crucial he became King, the Holy Spirit worked within him and he became a very trusted and intelligent leader
David sounds to be a popular choice, perhaps not with his brothers but after having a down to earth job of caring for the sheep, had all the attributes of the Good Shepherd that we heard of last week. Our late Queen was a committed Christian and served both God and country to the best of her ability, she was well respected and had a knack of showing love for all people. Our new King has been instructed and groomed into this calling the whole of his life and now it is his time. Our prayers are for God’s guidance and support that he may bring the monarchy into this modern age and be able to fulfil his duties to God and his country and it’s dependants. We pray for him now and in the future and remember Paul’s words that he was also chosen by God
Jan B
