1 God Chooses David 1 Samuel 16-17 Characters: Narrator, God, Samuel, David, Jesse, Goliath, Saul, Israelite Soldier, Eliab Narrator: God had warned his people that a human king could easily be corrupted. After Samuel had anointed Saul as king, Saul began turning away from God. Because of Saul’s sins, God let the Philistines to begin to invade and take over the lands of the Israelites. Before the end of Saul’s life, God decided that it was time for the next king to be chosen. God: Samuel! How long will you be upset about Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Do not worry, for I have chosen a new king—one of the sons of Jesse of Bethlehem. Fill your horn with oil so you can go to Bethlehem and anoint this new king. Samuel: Lord, how can I go to Bethlehem? Saul will surely find out that I am going to anoint the new king, and kill me for it. God: Take a cow with you, and tell Saul that you are going to sacrifice the cow at Bethlehem to the Lord. Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and anoint the person I indicate. Narrator: Samuel went to Bethlehem, and did was God had said. He had invited Jesse and his family to the sacrifice, and began looking among Jesse’s sons for the one he was to anoint the new king. Samuel saw each of Jesse’s eldest seven sons, and noticed they were big, strong, and handsome. Samuel prayed about each of the sons, asking if he was to anoint him to be king. Samuel: Lord, this son of Jesse is big and strong. Should I anoint him king? God: No, do not focus on how this person looks. I have rejected him. I do not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but I look at his heart. Narrator: Samuel prayed for each of Jesse’s eldest sons, but God kept on giving him the same response. So, Samuel asked Jesse if he had any more sons. Samuel: Is this all the sons you have, or do you have another? Jesse: I have one more son, he is a shepherd. He is out in the fields, tending to the sheep. Narrator: Samuel and Jesse went out to the fields to see David. When Samuel saw David, God called out to him. 2 God: Samuel! This is the one I have chosen! Anoint him as the next king! Narrator: Samuel anointed David as king, and told him that God had chosen him to fulfill His will. Sometime later, the Philistines began advancing on the Israelite territory, taking more than they had ever done before. Saul had deployed his armies, and they had been preparing for war. The Philistines had the ultimate weapon—a mighty warrior, a man by the name of Goliath, who was nine feet tall. Each day he would come out and mock the Israelite army. Goliath: Come out here and fight me you weaklings! Servants of Saul! Send out your mightiest man to battle with me! If I lose, then the Philistines will surrender. If I win, you will become our subjects! Narrator: Goliath kept on mocking the Israelites day after day. Saul and his soldiers were terrified of him. Some days later, Jesse sent his son David to give some supplies to the Israelite army and his brothers, who had been serving in Saul’s army as well. When Jesse arrived at the Israelites’ camp, Goliath had been shouting and making fun of the Israelites once again. Goliath: Send out your mightiest man! Even your mightiest man is a weakling! Come on and fight me! Narrator: When David heard the words of Goliath, he asked some of the other soldiers about it. Israelite soldier: That’s Goliath. He’s with the Philistine army, and has been taunting us for the last forty days. King Saul will give great wealth and one of his daughters to the man that kills him. Goliath means to destroy all of Israel—and he could probably do it single handedly. David: That’s not true! No one can conquer Israel—we have God on our side! Narrator: David’s eldest brother Eliab overheard David speaking with the soldiers, and believed that David had no place on the battlefield because he was weaker than his other brothers. Eliab: Go home David! This battlefield is no place for you! You don’t belong here! Go back to your sheep. Narrator: With those words, David became discouraged, and began to head home. But some of the soldiers notified King Saul, who invited him into his tent. David: I will fight Goliath. I have God on my side, and will not lose. Saul: You must be crazy! That man is nine feet tall—double your size. You are only a boy, and he has been a warrior since he was young. You don’t have a chance. 3 David: I have killed lions and bears with my bare hands when they have stolen my own sheep. I will kill Goliath the same way, with God’s help. Saul: Very well—take my armor and sword, and go destroy Goliath with God’s help. Narrator: David had started to put on Saul’s armor, but realized that he couldn’t really move around very well in it, so he decided to leave it in Saul’s tent. He went down to the stream, and picked up five rocks, loaded up his slingshot, and then went to face Goliath. Goliath: What is this? Is this the best the Israelites can offer? A small boy? I am going to enjoy killing you! David: Even with your armor, God will help me defeat you! You don’t have a chance! I will bring back your head to my camp tonight. Narrator: And with that, David used his slingshot to hurl a stone at Goliath’s forehead. The giant fell down on the ground, dead from being hit by the stone. David climbed on top of the giant, took Goliath’s sword, and chopped off Goliath’s head, and held it up to the Philistines. When the Philistines saw that their best soldier was dead, they began fleeing to their home cities. The Israelite armies followed the Philistines, and destroyed their cities. Saul had seen David conquer the giant. Saul went over to David, to ask him who he was. Saul: Whose son are you, young man? David: I am the son of your servant, Jesse of Bethlehem. .