1 Sa. 16: Harping Shepherd King

1 Samuel 16:11 "So he asked Jesse, 'Are these all the sons you have?'
'There is still the youngest,' Jesse answered, 'but he is tending the sheep.'
Samuel said, 'Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.'"

Saul's deposing was troubling to Samuel. Samuel seemed like the type of guy who wanted to see Israel get back on track without much upheaval. Now there was a king. Now the king was a failure. Now there was going to be a new king. Changes, changes, changes. But God had it all figured out, so there was no cause for alarm. God had the next step already planned out. And even God's conduit to man, Samuel, had no idea, and still managed to be troubled in his heart.

The chosen one was David, after a sort of Man Pageant from the house of Jesse. Saul was unaware of the goings-on, as it was obscured by the sacrifice ruse.

And the most ironic thing of it all...Saul, tormented by an evil spirit from the LORD, had David come to his court to soothe him with his harp playing. Yeah. His replacement. Came to his own court. To make him feel better. Amazing irony, I spose, since Saul had no idea he was even being replaced.

And I wonder about this evil spirit from the LORD. Did God inflict evil on Saul? Did God just allow an evil spirit to torture Saul? Also...another shepherd becomes king. Saul was a donkey-minder, and here comes David, last mentioned in Ruth 4, a shepherd boy, not chosen because of his stature and reputation, quite the opposite. It was because of his heart. We'll see if this trend continues.