The prophet Samuel was undoubtedly confused. The Lord had instructed him to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as the next king of Israel. Seven of them had come and gone, yet there was still no king. Had Jehovah made a mistake? Had Samuel misunderstood?
Samuel had even been fooled by his own presumptuousness. The first one, Eliab, looked like the right one. So confidant of what he saw, Samuel proclaimed, “Surely [he is] the Lord’s anointed!” (1 Sam. 16:6). The Lord was gracious with that rash word, and gave us a timeless principle: “The Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (v. 7).
Confused, fooled, now Samuel was urgent. He had already made one mistake regarding Jesse’s sons; he didn’t want to make another. In fact, he wasn’t even going to sit down until he found the right son. “Are there any more sons?” he asked. There had to be another one somewhere.
It was then that Jesse “recalled” that there was one more. His name was David, and he was the youngest. “Youngest” is a very significant word here. It means least, smallest, or littlest. It could even be a derisive term.
Unseen by man, he was seen by God. Though out of man’s sight, he was not out of God’s sight. Even Samuel, the man of God that he was, saw as man saw.
On the one hand, big things are impressive and obvious; they are easy to be seen, heard, and felt. But is this the Lord’s way? It would be instructive to see how God used so many small things in Scripture.
On the other hand, little things tend to be overlooked. They do not command the same attention as big things. David was quite likely not as impressive or obvious as his brothers.
Those who are not so conspicuous may be left out of our schemes. But the Lord’s way is different. He regularly uses little things for His honor. It was the little lunch of loaves and fishes He used at Galilee and the little sling in David’s battle with Goliath. It was the testimony of a little maid, the availability of a little jawbone, and the improbability of a little lamp and pitcher that God was able to use.
Gideon was useful to God because he felt he was the “least” in his father’s house. Even Saul, so Samuel challenged, was better off when he was little in his own eyes.
The Lord also has a word of warning for us all: Watch out for the little foxes that will destroy the fruitfulness of our lives, and the little sleep that keeps us from reaping the harvest.
Feeling a little, well, little these days? That’s great! It is in your littleness, so-called, that God can exhibit His greatness. “God has chosen… things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in His presence” (1 Cor. 1:27-29).
The little acts of kindness, gifts of support, or words of encouragement go a long way. These, and these especially, are the tools that God uses. Place your sense of smallness in the hand of your great God–and let Him use you for His glory.