The Skeptics Annotated Bible (271 page)

3 And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.

4 And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Beth-lehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?

5 And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.

6 And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD’S anointed is before him.

7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.

9 Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.

10 Again,
Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse
, The LORD hath not chosen these.

11 And Samuel said unto Jesse,
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.

(16.10-11)
“Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse … Are these all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest
[David]
.”
185 How many sons did Jesse have?

12 And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.

13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and
the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward.
So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

(16.13)
“The Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward.”
After God rejects Saul for refusing to kill indiscriminately, he sends Samuel to find another king. David is chosen and anointed by Samuel, and “the spirit of the Lord came upon him from that day forward.”

(16.14-16, 23)
The evil spirit from the Lord

14
But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.

(16.14)
“But the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul
[since he was not murderous enough for God]
, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.”
But if God is good, then how could he have an evil spirit?

15 And
Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.

(16.15)
“Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.”

16 Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass,
when the evil spirit from God is upon thee
, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.

(16.16)
“When the evil spirit from God is upon thee”

17 And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me.

18 Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Beth-lehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and
a man of war
, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him.

(16.18)
“A man of war”
186 Was David a man of war?

19 Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep.

20 And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul.

21
And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly
; and he became his armourbearer.

(16.21)
“And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly.”
From this verse it is clear that Saul knows David well. Yet later, in the next chapter (17.55-58), Saul can’t even recognize him.
187 When did Saul meet David?

22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight.

23 And it came to pass,
when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul,
that
David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed
, and was well,
and the evil spirit departed from him.

(16.23)
“When the evil spirit from God was upon Saul … David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed … and the evil spirit departed from him.”
David plays his harp and makes Saul’s “evil spirit from the Lord” go away.

17
Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim.

2 And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.

3 And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.

4 And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named
Goliath
, of Gath,
whose height was six cubits and a span.

(17.4)
“Goliath … whose height was six cubits and a span.”
Goliath was ten feet tall.