神差遣撒母耳去伯利恒膏一位新王。现任王扫罗没有顺服和尊崇神，因此神决定宣告祂拣选的另一位王。
耶西的儿子们成了撒母耳注意的焦点：站成一排的七个年轻人——从最大最高的一个开始，撒母耳一个个地看下去，当他停下来看着每一个时，神都告诉他这不是祂拣选的。扫罗被选为国王时，部分原因是他长得高大英俊，但这次神强调说身高和长相不重要。神看的是里面——人的内心。
撒母耳看完这一排耶西的儿子的最后一个后，耶西告诉他，自己最小的儿子大卫在田里放羊。大卫被拣选为下一个王是因为，正如撒母耳所说，神“寻着一个合他心意的人”（撒母耳记上 13:14）。神在大卫里面看到一颗毫无保留委身于祂的心。
神能在人的最不可能中赐下可能的恩典。例如祂拣选最年幼的儿子做王，一般来说都是很奇怪的。还有，一位生在马槽里的婴孩，将来被诬告叛国罪而受刑，最终死在十字架上，祂竟然是道成肉身的神，是人类的救主，这都是令人难以置信的。但降临节的奥秘就在于此，神就是这样作工的——以最小、最弱和最愚拙的来成就。神往往喜欢给我们一个意外。
主啊，我们是软弱和愚拙的，但我知道祢能像使用大卫一样使用我，将祢的恩典带给祢的世界。奉耶稣的名祷告，阿们。
撒母耳记上 16:1-13
1耶和华对撒母耳说：我既厌弃扫罗作以色列的王，你为他悲伤要到几时呢？你将膏油盛满了角，我差遣你往伯利恒人耶西那里去；因为我在他众子之内，预定一个作王的。
2撒母耳说：我怎能去呢？扫罗若听见，必要杀我。耶和华说：你可以带一只牛犊去，就说：我来是要向耶和华献祭。
3你要请耶西来吃祭肉，我就指示你所当行的事。我所指给你的人，你要膏他。
4撒母耳就照耶和华的话去行。到了伯利恒，那城里的长老都战战兢兢地出来迎接他，问他说：你是为平安来的么？
5他说：为平安来的，我是给耶和华献祭。你们当自洁，来与我同吃祭肉。撒母耳就使耶西和他众子自洁，请他们来吃祭肉。
6他们来的时候，撒母耳看见以利押，就心里说，耶和华的受膏者必定在他面前。
7耶和华却对撒母耳说：不要看他的外貌和他身材高大，我不拣选他。因为，耶和华不像人看人：人是看外貌；耶和华是看内心。
8耶西叫亚比拿达从撒母耳面前经过，撒母耳说：耶和华也不拣选他。
9耶西又叫沙玛从撒母耳面前经过，撒母耳说：耶和华也不拣选他。
10耶西叫他七个儿子都从撒母耳面前经过，撒母耳说：这都不是耶和华所拣选的。
11撒母耳对耶西说：你的儿子都在这里么？他回答说：还有个小的，现在放羊。撒母耳对耶西说：你打发人去叫他来；他若不来，我们必不坐席。
12耶西就打发人去叫了他来。他面色光红，双目清秀，容貌俊美。耶和华说：这就是他，你起来膏他。
13撒母耳就用角里的膏油，在他诸兄中膏了他。从这日起，耶和华的灵就大大感动大卫。撒母耳起身回拉玛去了。
"The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." — 1 Samuel 16:7
God sent Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint a new king. The current king, Saul, had failed to obey and honor God, so God decided to announce his choice of the next king.
Jesse's sons became the focus of Samuel's attention: a line of seven young men—starting with the oldest and tallest. Samuel made his way down the line, and as he stopped to look at each one, God told him that was not the one. Saul had been chosen king partly because he was tall and handsome, but this time God made a point of saying that height and appearance don't matter. God looks at what is inside—in the heart.
After Samuel reached the end of the line of Jesse's sons, Jesse informed him that his youngest son, David, was out in the fields tending sheep. David was chosen to be the next king because, as Samuel put it, God "sought out a man after his own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14). God saw in David a heart that would commit to him without reservation.
God finds possibilities for grace in the most unlikely of people. To choose the youngest son to be a king seems strange. To say that a baby born in a stable, who dies on a cross under a false sentence of treason, is the Savior of the world and God in the flesh is incredible. But the mystery of Advent is that this is how God works—with the least, the weak, and the foolish. God likes to surprise us.
Lord, we are weak and foolish, but we know you can use us, like David, to bring your grace to your world. Amen.
诵读: 楚云
片头: 张妙阳
