BREAKING THE SPIRIT OF IMITATION
by Steve Pegram

1 Samuel 16:1 – 13 tells us that “the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehem: for I have provided me a king among his sons. And Samuel said, Hotw can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the Lord said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord. 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. 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? 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. And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the Lords anointed is before him. 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. Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this. Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this. Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The Lord hath not chosen these. 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. 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. 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.”

There are 5 things that I see in the progression of this unfolding story concerning God's anointing upon David.

1. 1. 1. Because of disobedience, Saul has now been rejected by God as king. Disobedience is a very dangerous thing. It is so important to God for His children to be obedient that He places within His holy Word that "Obedience is better than sacrifice".
      2. Samuel tries to anoint Eliab as king. Why? Because of what Samuel saw. The outward appearance of Eliab must have been similar to Sauls, and because of that, Samuel thought that since God had anointed Saul, He would anoint Eliab. Appearances can be deceiving my friend.
      3. God makes a profound statement in verse 7, declaring that He does not want an imitation, and that He looks not on the outward, but rather, the inward parts of a man. Oh, if only we could follow this example in all of the church world, we could eliminate much of hurtful comparisons that damage others in character and in spirit.
      4. God chooses someone, David, who doesn't look the part of a king. But then, why does one have to look the part? God wants originals! Copies and clones of others is not what He wants or even what He needs.
      5. The most awesome thing in all this story is summed up by one sentence. "God seeks originals, not imitators!" He doesn't need you to pretend you're something that you're not. He doesn't need you to be a copy of someone else's life, or ministry, or preaching style! No, He only wants you to be you. He made you like you are so He can use you for His glory. If you try to change that, you are fighting against the very thing He desires to do with you - as an original! Be original. Break the spirit of imitation. And let God use you for His glory!