YAHWEH CHOOSES A NEW KING - NCCG.ORG Ning Network Archive 2008-10

by Brian Carlisle

The local assembly was having their yearly
congregational picnic at the county park and everyone was having a
wonderful time. But as the last and longest race was about
to begin, a disagreement had arisen in the junior class over
who should represent the class in the race.

"Don't let Michael run in this race!" Mary pleaded.
"He's got worn out jeans and his shoes flop when he runs.
He'll embarrass us! Besides Michael is so skinny and short."
Mary frowned. "Let me run. I'm faster and besides I'm
wearing a brand new pair of running shoes. I can win this
race for our team easily."

Miss Summers smiled politely at her students.
"Class, I know you all want to win this race and so do I.
But you are wrong to judge how fast Michael can run by the
type of clothes he wears or how strong and handsome he might
or might not be."

Miss Summers allowed this statement to sink into the
minds of her class before she continued. "So far we have
allowed everyone in our class except Michael to compete in
at least one of the events. Not only is it fair and
Christian-like to let Michael run, but it is also Christian
for us to support and cheer Michael to do his best in the
race." At this point, Miss Summers called her class together
for a word of prayer.

"Dear Father, help Michael to do well in this race and
to put forth his best effort. But more importantly than
that, help my class to not judge a person's abilities by
their appearance. Let us learn, like the prophet Samuel
learned in the Bible, that Yahweh looks on the inside of a
person and not on the outside. Amen."

There was still time before the race, so Miss
Summers pulled her class away from the crowd and sat them
down under a tree.

"Class, let me tell you quickly about when Yahweh chose
a new king." As the children listened in awe, Miss Summers
began the story.

"Samuel!" Yahweh called to his prophet. "I have
rejected Saul as the king of Israel. He has sinned against
me, and my Spirit is no longer upon him to help him."

"Who will be the next king?" Samuel asked.

"I will show you when it is time," Yahweh replied. "Now
get down to the town of Bethlehem to anoint a new king."

"But, Lord, what if Saul finds out that I am going
down to anoint a new king?"

"Take a heifer (another name for a female cow) with
you to Bethlehem and tell the elders of the city that you
are come to sacrifice to Yahweh," Yahweh instructed his
prophet. "Invite Jesse of Bethlehem to attend the sacrifice,
because I have picked from among his sons the new king of
Israel."

Quickly Samuel obeyed, and headed to Bethlehem, and
made his sacrifice unto the Lord. While he was at the
sacrifice, Samuel sanctified Jesse and his sons. In other
words, Samuel set Jesse and his sons aside from the others
to worship the Lord. After this had been done, Samuel asked
Jesse to bring his sons to him to see. Excitedly Jesse
brought his sons to Samuel.

The Bible states that when Samuel saw Eliab, the
oldest son of Jesse, he said, "Surely Yahweh's anointing
is on this one."

But Yahweh spoke to Samuel, "Don't look on his face or
at how tall he is, because I have refused him: for Yahweh
seeth not as man seeth; for man looks on the outward
appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."

The next one to pass before Samuel was Abinadab, but
again Yahweh said, "No, not this one either."

Following Abinadab was Shammah. Again Yahweh said,
"Sorry, not him."

The Bible said that Jesse made seven of his sons to
pass before Samuel. After the last one passed in front of
Samuel, Samuel shook his head and asked Jesse if these were
all his sons."

Jesse replied, "Well, there is one more, but he's
the youngest. I left him home to watch the sheep."

"Get him. We will not sit down until your youngest
arrives," Samuel replied determinedly.

When Jesse's youngest son arrived, Samuel saw that
he was good-looking, but he was smaller and skinnier than
the others.

But Yahweh said, "Anoint him. He is to be the next
King!"

Immediately Samuel took the oil and anointed the boy
in the middle of his brothers. From that point on, the
Spirit of the Lord descended upon the boy named David.

"David?" the class gasped. "You don't mean the one
who defeated Goliath do you?"

"Yes," Miss Summers smiled. "David, the same one who
later killed the giant."

"Michael is gone!" someone in the class shouted.

"So is Mary!" another noticed.

Miss Summers just smiled. She had seen the two slip
away right after she had begun telling the story.

"Hurry!" Mary called from the edge of the field.
"The race is going to start in just a minute!"

Rapidly the class followed Miss Summers to the field
and began cheering for Michael.

"On your mark! Get set! Go!" the pastor of the
church shouted.

As the ten runners headed across the field, only one
trailed the rest, Michael. Michael didn't even seem to be
trying.

"Keep cheering," Miss Summers encouraged the class.
"Don't give up on Michael."

Obediently the class kept rooting for Michael, but
their spirits were quickly dropping. "Maybe Michael would
try harder if Mary hadn't said all those terrible things
about him," someone snapped.

"Stop it!" Miss Summers ordered. "I didn't hear any
of you standing up for him."

The runners had reached the large building at the
end of the long field and had disappeared around the back.
The race wouldn't be over until the runners had rounded the
building and had raced all the way back across the field to
the finish line where they had started.

"Look!" Miss Summers shouted. "Michael is taking the
lead."

The runners had finally rounded the building and
were racing across the field and Michael was in the lead.
Wisely Michael had reserved his strength until now he was
leading the other runners by almost twenty feet.

As Michael raced past Miss Summers and the rest of
the class, they all shouted and cheered for their classmate.
Michael had made them all proud, and as soon as he had
crossed the finished line, Michael's entire class ran to
congratulate him on his victory, all except Mary and Miss
Summers who remained in the same spot where they had watched
the race.

"Why don't you run and join the others?" Miss
Summers placed her arm around Mary.

"I'll congratulate him later," Mary lowered her head
as she shuffled her feet.

"You know," Miss Summers lifted Mary's chin and
looked kindly into her eyes, "I think that new pair of
running shoes he was wearing is what helped Michael win the
race."

Mary grinned with tears in her eyes and hugged her
teacher. "No, Michael is just fast."

"Come on," Miss Summers nudged Mary. "Let's join the
others."

A slapping sound could be heard as Mary and Miss
Summers walked to join the class. It seemed that Mary's
shoes flopped with each step she took.

THINK!

Who was the king Yahweh rejected?
Who did Yahweh tell to anoint a new king?
Who did Samuel anoint to be the new king?
What did Samuel pour over David's head?

REMEMBER!

Don't judge a person by how they look, how short
or tall they are, or what kind of clothes they wear.
Everyone has special qualities that cannot be determined by
their outward appearance.

A VERSE TO LEARN

"... for man looketh on the outward appearance, but
Yahweh looketh on the heart" (I Samuel 16:7b).

LET'S PRAY
****************************************************
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your amazing
love. Help us to love one another like You love us
and help us to remember that what is inside a person
is much more important that what we see on the
outside. In Yah'shua's Name I pray. Amen.
****************************************************

CAN YOU FIND THIS STORY IN THE BIBLE?
I Samuel 16:1-13

You can view this Bible story in full color with pictures and
resources to go along with the story at
http://childrenschapel.org/biblestories/newking.html

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