From the Heart or From the Head: Even prayers and benedictions are
prepared - to be followed, rather than be spoken from the heart.
However, some of these benedictions still carry an admonition to go
beyond the “do” to embrace “faith” (Emunah) in God. “They advise man not
to put his trust in earthly rulers, but rather to have faith in God Who
made heaven and earth, Who helps the oppressed, and heals the
broken-hearted. "Let every living soul praise the Lord,
Hallelujah!" . . .” (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
Choosing of a New King: After Saul, this was to become a
spiritual exercise rather than using human comprehension. It resulted in
finding, in obscurity, as a child and a shepherd, a king of the Lord’s
choosing with the Lord’s spirit (who turned out to be the finest king
Israel would ever have). That principle is still not really recognized
in popular Judaism, yet notice the commentaries that keep referring to a
spiritual connection.
Where’s God in Monarchy or Democracy? “From the political
point of view, the people of Israel have more often been ruled by
monarchies than by democratic forms of government. The Book of
Deuteronomy makes provision for the people of Israel to have a king, but
insists that the king must rule by law and "that his heart be not lifted
up above his brethren." In biblical times, the Israelites believed that
their government had to derive from God. Thus, when Moses accepted the
advice of his father-in-law Jethro to appoint leaders, he first obtained
God's permission and then, with God's authority, appointed judges.
Later, the people rejected the advice of the prophet Samuel and insisted
on having a king --- this led to the reign of Saul, followed by that of
David. In spite of this, Jewish law still states that decisions are to
be made and conflicts to be resolved according to the principle of
majority rule.” (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
Kings With Divine Relationship: “In biblical times in the
ancient Near East, the monarch was accepted as the sole ruler, with
complete authority over his subjects. The status of kings varied from
emperor to vassal as the kingdoms varied in size from a tribe like
Midian to a vast empire such as Egypt. But the idea common to all was
that the direct relationship between the king and the deity was part of
the natural order.” “The primary feature of the coronation was the
anointing of the king's head with oil by a priest or prophet, the sign
of the divine covenant --- that is, he had been chosen as God's
anointed.” (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
Messiah, Divine or Human? The term anointed is the word
‘Messiah’ in Hebrew. The Messiah would come from the Davidic line.
David, being chosen by spirit rather than by man’s qualifications, is a
model of recognizing the Messiah. However, the spiritual aspect is
missing in Jewish expectation. “In traditional Judaism, the Messiah will
be a human being --- albeit a perfect one --- who will come and bring
harmony to the world. He will not have a divine aspect other than having
been chosen by God for his task . . . The coming of the Messiah
therefore has come to mean the redemption of the Jewish people and an
end to its suffering and tribulations.” (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
Davidic Descendant: “Nathan prophesied that the dynasty of the
House of David would last forever, and indeed, Jews today believe that
the Messiah will be a direct descendant of David. One of the blessings
which follows the reading of the Haftarah on the Sabbath and festivals
proclaims: "Gladden us, O Lord our God . . . with the kingdom of the
House of David thine anointed. Soon may he come and rejoice our
hearts.” (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
Seeing Through God’s Eyes: “. . . the Lord gave some profound
advice and insight to Samuel (which we could take to heart): Look not on
his countenance, or on the height of his stature; . . . 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)
David, the Youngest: It is human nature to see the obvious,
but with God’s insight the not so obvious, the subtleties, become
profound. After interviewing all the obvious sons of Jesse, Samuel
asked, 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.
Samuel was inspired to ordain the shepherd boy David as the next king of
Israel. And the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day
forward. (1 Samuel 16:11, 13)
Came From Obscurity: David, who eventually became the finest
and most revered king Israel had, was ordained a king in obscurity and
kept his obvious God-given calling quiet until the proper time. His
descendant, Jesus of Nazareth also came from obscurity and kept his holy
calling unspoken until the proper time.
David Volunteers: A young shepherd boy visiting his brothers
at the front, saw and heard Goliath. By this time, young DavidDavid had
already been ordained king of Israel by the prophet Samuel (however, in
obscurity and without public knowledge). When David heard and saw
Goliath and then saw the men of Israel retreat in fear, he volunteered
to remove this menace from them. David said to Saul, “The LORD that
delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear,
he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. . . . [Then,
David] . . . chose him five smooth stones out of the brook . . .”
1 Samuel 17:37-40 (See Also 1-51)
David Makes Quite an Impression! David took just one stone,
and struck GoliathGoliath in the head. It is obvious in the reading of
this account that David killed Goliath with a sling and a stone. To
make it more obvious, he cut off his head. But more important is the not
so subtle implication that he conquered Goliath with his faith in the
Lord, the spirit that led him.