The name David means “beloved.” Nothing could be more fitting for the man after God’s heart.
Although few knew it, a new day had dawned in Israel. “Fill your horn with oil, and go,” the Lord told Samuel (1 Sam 16:1). Go where? To Bethlehem, to the house of Jesse. Now the road from Bethel to Bethlehem cut right through Gibeah, Saul’s hometown! Samuel knew that if Saul caught wind of the plan to anoint a replacement for him, there could be serious danger. The Lord’s solution? “Say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord’” (v 2). On the surface, this may seem to be duplicitous, but the Lord was instructing His servant that such an event should always begin with God, with a peace offering—as it was with Saul’s anointing (see 9:12). This wasn’t a matter of political intrigue but of divine intent. Although the man of God was still grieving over Saul’s rejection, he immediately did the Lord’s bidding. Arriving at Bethlehem, he was met by the nervous town elders, whose fears were immediately allayed. They, along with Jesse and his older sons, were “consecrated…and invited…to the sacrifice” (v 5). As Samuel watched the family file in, he caught sight of Eliab, Jesse’s fine-looking eldest. This, obviously, was “the Lord’s anointed” (v 6). Now Samuel! Isn’t that how the last king was chosen? How did that work out for you? No, “man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (v 7). When Jesse’s sons had been reviewed and rejected, Samuel asked, “Are all the young men here?” (v 11). Well, no, there is one more, the last in line. Among the myriad roles and titles David had—faithful shepherd, valiant warrior, sweet singer, benevolent king—surely the dearest is the man after God’s heart (13:14). And whatever roles we have in life, may this be our chief aim, to always be after God’s heart.