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1SAMUEL
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.

Samuel has been mourning because Saul would not follow God's directions, and because God rejected Saul as king. Samuel doesn't know what to do, because the leader that God has choen has refused to follow God.
How often have we seen someone come to be saved, and then a few months later they are back to their own lives, forgetting God? Shall we mourn over them continually? NO! We should pray for them, and continue to try and initiate godly response from them; but we should also be looking for OTHERS.
God has not left Himself without witness (Acts 4:17). If one goes astray, God sends another.
God told Samuel He had a king all picked out and ready to serve.

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.

Samuel is afraid to go and seek out this new king. He believes that Saul would kill him.
But if God calls us to a task, He will protect us in the task.
God told Samuel to take a heifer for a sacrifice and to call Jesse and his sons to the feast. ANd there God will show Samuel who to anoint as king.

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.

Samuel went to Bethlehem to find this king. Many years later, others would come to Bethlehem to find the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Creator and Messiah.
The elders of Bethlehem are fearful because Samuel has come. I wonder why?
Perhaps they were feeling guilt and feard the prophet would be calling for judgment. But, more than likely, they feared Saul. By coming to the town and entertaining guests, Samuel might bring the displeasure of Saul upon the town and the people.
The prophet represented "the Word of God" in those days. We should have no fear of the Word of God, nor His messengers, if we live right. And we should have no fear about what God's Word would tell us to DO.
God stands ready to protect His people when they are obedient. And as the three Hebrew children (Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego) said, "...our God Whom we serve is able to deliver us.." (Daniel 3:17).
Many years later, when the wise men went to Bethlehem to find Jesus, King Herod sent men to destroy all the babies there. But God protected Joseph, Mary and Jesus.

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.

Samuell presided over the feast and looked over all Jesse's sons. Samuel looked over each son and God spoke to his heart and refused each one. But the eighth son, David, was not present. When finally, Jesse sent for this son, God told Samuel, "THAT'S THE ONE! ANONIT HIM!"
Note that the name David means beloved.
Physically from him, would descend THE Beloved, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Note also that David was tending the sheep. He was obedient to his father's wishes, and he was diligent about the business which was assigned him. Here is another man of good character, chosen of the Lord for a special calling. Will he be diligent in the pursuit of that calling?
When Samuel had completed the anointing, then he returned home. But notice that the Spirit of the Lord came upon David. This is the Spirit of the Lord for a specific calling - to be KING.
Pay close attention to this, because it is very meaningful in the next verse.

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

The Bible also says the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul. This is Spirit of God that gave the gift to work the work of being KING!
Many, I believe, have erred here and begun to assume that the Holy Spirit of God actually and totally departed from Saul.
However, the context of this passage is the Spirit of God for special calling. Hence, from this time Saul will not be able to rule as he should, for the guidance of God has been taken away from him and placed on David.
There is no doubt that Saul had been disobedient. And there is no doubt that Saul has lost the closeness of God's Presence because his sin and iniquity "separated" between him and God (See Isaiah 59:2).
We must realize though, that this is not a loss of salvation or the "sealing" of God's Holy Spirit to accomplish that salvation. It is the loss of personal and intimate guidance by God for a specific calling. And that departing is due to sin.
From this time on, Saul will suffer tremendously mentally, emotionally and spiritually because he has refused to be obedient to God's will.
Many people who once received a Divine calling of God for specific ministry have LOST that calling and ability due to sin.
But God's Word is unbreakable and applies to all time. And when God says we cannot be LOST after being SAVED, it is applicable to ALL people. Keep in mind, that the person MUST HAVE HAD a genuine salvation experience.

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand."(John 10:27-29)