… based on 1 Samuel 16:1-13
from the desk of . . . Rande Wayne Smith
D.Min., Th.M., M.Div. 3 August 2025
DAVID & SAMUEL {David #1}
The story is told about a photojournalist who was ordered by his newspaper editor to go & take some pictures of a raging forest fire. So, he tells his editor that to do the job right he needed a pilot & an airplane. The editor replied, “Fine, they’ll be waiting for you at the airport … get going.” So, he arrives at this small rural airport, & sure enough there’s this plane warming up on the side of the runway. So, he runs over & throws all his equipment in & climbs aboard, yelling, “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!” The pilot acknowledges & they take off. And as they get in the air the photojournalist turns to the pilot & says, “Now I want you to get as close to the forest fire as you possibly can, & then we’re going to make 2 or 3 low sweeps over the area.” The pilot looks at him, somewhat startled & asks, “Why would we want to do that?”
“Because I’m a photojournalist, & photojournalists take pictures.” The pilot kind of looks at him … “You mean you’re not the flight instructor?”
There are times when we could all use a flight instructor. Not someone to help us fly a plane, but someone who could give us directions in life. There’s a word for such a person … mentor. And if we look up “mentor” in the dictionary we’ll find … “a wise counselor, a loyal advisor, a guide.” Now I realize that I’m no longer the target audience in this technological age that we’re living in. Listen to this sentence that I copied out of last week’s Time magazine. “The digital technology of the future will rely on artificial intelligence to enhance user experience & automate repetitive tasks, while information technology will play a crucial role in managing & storing vast amounts of data.” ?????
Help! I need a guide, an advisor, a mentor to get me through these sunset years of my life. And with that in mind, I want to begin an 8-week series on David, & today we’re going to discover what to look for in a mentor.
Listen now to Good News, as found in 1 st Samuel, to us who have gathered
here for worship. Within our hearing comes the Word of the Lord … The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you go on grieving over Saul? I have rejected him as king of Israel. But now get some olive oil and go to Bethlehem, to a man named Jesse, because I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”
“How can I do that?” Samuel asked. “If Saul hears about it, he will kill me!” The LORD answered, “Take a calf with you and say that you are there to offer a sacrifice to the LORD. Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will tell you what to do. You will anoint as king the man I tell you to.” Samuel did what the LORD told him to do and went to Bethlehem, where the city leaders came trembling to meet him and asked, “Is this a peaceful visit, seer?”
“Yes,” he answered. “I have come to offer a sacrifice to the LORD. Purify yourselves and come with me.” He also told Jesse and his sons to purify themselves, and he invited them to the sacrifice.
When they arrived, Samuel saw Jesse’s son Eliab and said to himself, “This man standing here in the LORD’S presence is surely the one he has chosen.” But the LORD said to him, “Pay no attention to how tall and handsome he is. I have rejected him, because I do not judge as people judge. They look at the outward appearance, but I look at the heart.” Then Jesse called his son Abinadab and brought him to Samuel. But Samuel said, “No, the LORD hasn’t chosen him either.” Jesse then brought Shammah. “No, the LORD hasn’t chosen him either,” Samuel said. In this way Jesse brough seven of his sons to Samuel. And Samuel said to him, “No, the LORD hasn’t chosen any of these.” Then he asked him, “Do you have any more sons?”
Jesse answered, “There is still the youngest, but he is out taking care of the sheep.”
“Tell him to come here,” Samuel said. “We won’t offer the sacrifice until he comes.” So Jesse sent for him. He was a handsome, healthy young man, and his eyes sparkled. The LORD said to Samuel, “This is the one –anoint him!” Samuel took the olive oil and anointed David in front of his brothers. Immediately the spirit of the LORD took control of David and was with him from that day on. (1 Samuel 16:1-13)
“The grass withers & flowers fade, but the word of our God endures forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)
May the Lord grant that we may engage in contemplating the mysteries of His Heavenly wisdom with really increasing devotion, to His glory and to our edification. Amen David’s life was filled with important relationships … some good, some bad … so we can learn a # of lessons from him on how to develop positive connections.
The 1 st thing I want to tell you is that there’s more in Scripture about David than any other person … & that includes Jesus. There’s a lot of material to work with … 55 chapters on David’s life in 1st & 2nd Samuel, 2 in 1 st Kings, 29 in 1 st Chronicles, 73 Psalms, + 59 references in the N.T. … so, we can get to know him really well.
This morning we’re going to begin with David & his mentor … Samuel. And as we talk about this, I want you to think about what to look for in a mentor. The truth of the matter is, each one of us needs a spiritual mentor, a trusted counselor, a guide, somebody we can turn to when we need wise input.
In fact, as I was preparing this message I stopped & reflected on my own life & I came up with 37 mentors. 37 friends, family members, teachers, Pastors, authors … who have “mentored” me in a positive way. Whatever the issue may be, we all need mentors; someone we can bounce stuff off of. So, what qualities should we be looking for in a good mentor? I’m going to give you 5 that we find in Samuel, who was David’s mentor.
#1 … look for someone who listens to God.
Let’s begin with some background. Samuel’s Mom, Hannah, was infertile.
And in the ancient world a woman’s entire worth was tied up in her ability to have kids. So, it was devastating for Hannah to be childless. One day she was at the local synagogue, worshiping, & she was just pouring her heart out to God. In fact, she was praying so passionately that Eli, the local priest, thought she was drunk. So, he went over to her & said,
“Stop making a drunken show of yourself! Stop your drinking & sober up!”
(Ladies, in case you missed it.
We guys have been misunderstanding women for 1,000’s of years.) “‘I’m not drunk, sir,’ she answered. ‘I haven’t been drinking! I am desperate, & I have been praying, pouring out my troubles to the LORD. Don’t think I am a worthless woman. I have been praying like this because I’m so miserable.’” (1 Samuel 1:14-16) And she tells Eli her story.
And Eli, at that point, blesses Hannah.
So, she leaves the synagogue & it wasn’t long until she discovers that
she’s pregnant. She has a baby boy, & names him, Samuel. And when Samuel
gets to be a young man, Hannah drops him off at the synagogue to live …
to become an apprentice to Eli.
Now one night Samuel is lying in bed & he hears a voice. It’s God’s voice. “Before dawn, while the lamp was still burning, the LORD called Samuel.” (Samuel’s never heard God’s voice before, so thinking it was Eli who called, he goes into his room & wakes him up.) “You called me, & here I am.” “But Eli answered, ‘My son, I didn’t call you; go back to bed.’
“The LORD called Samuel again. The boy did not know that it was the LORD, because the LORD had never spoken to him before.
So he got up, went to Eli, & said, ‘You called me, & here I am.’ “But Eli answered, ‘My son, I didn’t call you; go back to bed.’ “The LORD called Samuel a 3 rd time; he got up, went to Eli, & said, ‘You called me, & here I am.’
“Then Eli realized that it was the LORD who was calling the boy, so he said to him, ‘Go back to bed; & if he calls you again, say, ‘Speak, LORD, your servant is listening.” So Samuel went back to bed.
“The LORD came & stood there, & called as he had before, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’
“Samuel answered, ‘Speak; your servant is listening.’” (1 Samuel 3:4-10)
When we’re seeking counsel or searching for guidance for our lives, it’s critical that we find mentors who are in close touch with God. It’s essential that we turn to people who pray & are familiar with Scripture. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve seen people mess up their lives … doing really stupid things because they’ve sought counsel from friends who don’t know Jesus, or from some secular counselor.
Let me give you some real simple advice when it comes to choosing mentors. Don’t listen to people who don’t listen to God. And please understand, just because people call themselves followers of Jesus, or attend worship services, doesn’t mean that they’re listening to God. Whenever someone tells me, “I’m seeing a counselor.” My 1st response is, “that’s great; we can all use the input of a good counselor.
He’s/she’s a Christian counselor I hope?” … “Well, I think they’re Christian.” What do you mean … you think? Do they have a “fish” symbol on their business card? Or do you “think” they’re Christian because they apply principles from God’s Word, & pray with you?
We want a Christian counselor with a capital “C”. #2 … we want a mentor who says hard things.
I love the story of the young C.E.O. of a high-tech corporation. As he steps into his job the retiring C.E.O. takes him into his office & hands him 3 envelopes. The young fellow asks, “what’s this?” The retiring C.E.O. tells him, “They’re for when you get in trouble. I’ve numbered them in the order that you’re to open them.”
Things go wonderfully for 6 months or so, but then sales begin to drop off, & so the young C.E.O. goes into his office & rips open envelope #1 & pulls out the piece of paper. Its’ message … “Blame your predecessor.” Thinking that this is very generous of the previous C.E.O. he calls a press conference & announces … “I’m trying to fix things, but I was given all this mess from the previous head of the corporation.” Everybody buys it, the news magazines write favorable stories, & business picks up.
About a year later things go bad again. So, he goes into his office & rips open envelope #2 & pulls out the sheet of paper. The message, “Get new people.” So, he fires a bunch of employees & hires a whole new staff. And sure enough, business takes off again. But about a year later, here we go again. So he goes back into his office, rips open envelope #3, & takes out the sheet of paper. The message, “Prepare 3 envelopes.”
We must not look for quick fixes. We must not look for people who will say what we want them to say. We need mentors who will say hard things to us.
Samuel was a mentor who didn’t pull any punches.
Samuel wasn’t afraid to get into the face of anyone who needed his counsel, even if that anyone was a king.
Israel’s 1st king was a screw-up named Saul.
And Samuel had been a mentor to Saul … but Saul never listened to him. There are a # of stories that indicate this but let me give you the clincher. Samuel had gone to Saul with a word from God. It had to do with the Amalekites. Now the Amalekites were an extremely wicked, warlike people who had continually been a thorn in Hebrew’s side. Finally, God had had enough. It was time for judgment. So, he sends word to Saul through Samuel, “I want you to attack the Amalekites. I want you to wipe them out. Take no prisoners. Take no booty. Just destroy everything.” (1 Samuel 15:3) But Saul, which was his habit, doesn’t completely obey. He takes some of the best stuff for himself & his men. So, God sends Samuel to confront Saul. “Because you rejected the LORD’S command, he has rejected you as king.” (1 Samuel 15:23) Saul blew off Samuel’s counsel one too many times. Do we welcome the input of people who will say hard things to us? Do we welcome the input of the person who says, “Your schedule is just way too busy”? Do we welcome the input of the person who says, “It’s time to start taking care of yourself. You need to curb your eating, smoking, drinking.
It’s time to forgive & let go of your resentment.”
Do we welcome the input of the person who will say hard things to us?
Now there’s an easy test we can take on this score. Ask yourself, “What’s the most recent ‘hard thing’ someone has said to me?” And I’m not talking about some crank here, but what was the last hard thing that some well-meaning person said to you? And if we can’t bring anything to mind, it’s probably not because we’re perfect, but because we don’t have mentors who are willing to say the hard things.
#3 … we want a mentor who prays.
For 20 years the Hebrews had been under the thumb of the Philistines. The Philistines had gone so far as to capture the Ark of the Covenant & take it away. (1 Samuel 4:11) (Now most people are familiar with the Ark of the Covenant because of the Harrison Ford movie, “Raiders Of The Lost Ark”.) The Ark was the sacred box that symbolized the presence of Almighty God that was kept in the midst of His people. (In it was “the gold jar with the manna, Aaron’s stick that had sprouted leaves, & the 2 stone tablets with the commandments written on them.) (Hebrews 9:4)
Well, the Philistines ran off with it, which was the final straw. And the Hebrews started realizing, “Maybe the reason that everything is falling apart for us has to do with the fact that we’ve stopped obeying God. We need to get reconnected with Him. We want God’s blessing back in our lives. Who can help us?” So, they call in Samuel … & the 1 st thing he does is pray. “Then Samuel called for all the Israelites to meet at Mizpah, telling them,
‘I will pray to the LORD for you there.’” (1 Samuel 7:5)
“When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, the 5 Philistine kings started out with their men to attack them. The Israelites heard about it & were afraid, & said to Samuel, ‘Keep on praying to the LORD our God to save us from the Philistines.’ … Samuel prayed to the LORD to help Israel, & the LORD answered his prayer.” (1 Samuel 7:7-9) Do you have a mentor who prays for you? Is there someone in your life who prays for you regularly? Someone who prays for you intensely? Do you have someone to call on who will pray for you? All it requires is your willingness to ask, “Would you pray for me?”
Now the flipside of this is that we not only need to be looking for mentors who will pray for us, we need to be a mentor who will pray for others. Here’s one special thing about Samuel, he was so committed to prayer that he considered it a sin if he didn’t pray for other people. In fact, on one occasion, when the Hebrews had really disobeyed God, they were worried that they had so ticked off Samuel that he would stop praying for them. But Samuel tells them, “The LORD forbid that I should sin against him by no longer praying for you.” (1 Samuel 12:23)
“You guys can’t stop me from praying for you!” #4 … we want someone who knows when to back off.
Samuel was a mentor who knew when to back off if his counsel wasn’t heeded. And ironically, Samuel always offered good counsel. One day the Hebrews came to Samuel with a request. They wanted a king … “everybody else has a king.” (Sounds like a bunch of grade-schoolers, doesn’t it?) Samuel said, “let me give you a couple of good reasons whey you don’t need a king. 1st … God is already your King, & you don’t want to offend God. And 2ndly … a human king is going to do stuff that you’re not going to be happy with. You don’t want a king … trust me.” But the people insisted. “We want a king, so that we will be like other nations, with our own king to rule us.” (1 Samuel 8:19-20)
God said, “Okay Samuel, we’re not going to press the issue.
If they want a king, let’s give them a king.” So, they got Saul … & Saul was a disaster. And it wasn’t long before the people realized that they screwed up. So they go back to Samuel, “Please … pray to the LORD your God for us
… we now realize that, besides all our other sins,
we have sinned by asking for a king.” (1 Samuel 12:19)
Now to Samuel’s credit, he refused to be an “I told you so.” He tells them, “Don’t be afraid … even though you have done such an evil thing, do not turn away from the LORD, but serve him with all your heart.” (1 Samuel 12:20) As I read that I thought to myself … that’s a pretty gracious response from a guy whose counsel had been rejected.
Samuel was a mentor who knew when to back off. #5 … we want a mentor who sees potential.
And we’re finally coming to the point in the story where Samuel meets David. God is finished with Saul. He’s had enough of his disobedience followed by countless rationalizations.
So, God sends Samuel to a village called Bethlehem where He tells him that he’s going to anoint a new king. But when Samuel arrives in Bethlehem everyone is scared to death, because when a Prophet shows up unannounced it’s usually with a word of judgment. So, everybody is shaking in their sandals … “what have we done wrong?” The whole town is frightened. But Samuel assures them that everything is alright, there’s nothing to be worried about, & he “innocently” invites everyone to a worship celebration, specifically inviting Jesse, who has a lot of sons. In the back of his mind, reading between the lines,
Samuel suspects that God’s chosen one of those boys to be king. The Hebrews’ 1 st king had been a loser … even though back on his inauguration day he actually “looked” impressive. Scripture records that Saul was “a handsome man in the prime of life. Saul was a foot taller than anyone else in Israel & more handsome as well.” (1 Samuel 9:2)
And we still have a tendency to choose leaders because of the way they come across in public, don’t we? But looks can be deceiving. Humanity looks at outward appearances, but God looks at the heart. “Samuel saw Jesse’s son Eliab & said to himself, ‘This man standing here in the LORD’S presence is surely the one he has chosen.’
But the LORD said to him, ‘Pay no attention to how tall & handsome he is. I have rejected him, because I do not judge as people judge. They look at the outward appearance, but I look at the heart.’ “Then Jesse called his son Abinadab & brought him to Samuel. But Samuel said, ‘No, the LORD hasn’t chosen him either.’ Jesse then brought Shammah. ‘No, the LORD hasn’t chosen him either,’ Samuel said. In this way Jesse brough 7 of his sons to Samuel. And Samuel said to him, ‘No, the LORD hasn’t chosen any of these.’ Then he asked him, ‘Do you have any more sons?’
“Jesse answered, ‘There is still the youngest, but he is out taking care of the sheep.’
“‘Tell him to come here,’ Samuel said. ‘We won’t offer the sacrifice until he comes.’ So Jesse sent for him. He was a handsome, healthy young man, & his eyes sparkled. The LORD said to Samuel, ‘This is the one – anoint him!’ Do we have mentors in our lives who are regularly affirming God’s potential in us? Encouragers … “don’t give up, you can do this.” Do we have people who look at us & recognize our talents & gifts, & say, “you need to put those to use for God”?
Do you have anybody who sees what Christ is doing to your character, & affirms the fact that they notice Jesus popping up more & more in you?
This is the joy of mentoring.
It’s so much fun to recognize potential in other people. 2 weeks ago, we were with all of our kids & grandkids. I am blessed with such an incredible family. And I had time to spend with each one individually. And as I did, I got to look them in the eye & tell them of how proud I was of the man/woman they had become.
So, I hope you will take to heart these lessons on what makes a good mentor … that you’ll listen to God, that you’ll be in His Word, that you’ll pray for others, that you’ll say hard things, because it’s not all about affirmation, sometimes it requires admonishment …& then follow up with gracious words of encouragement. We will see the effects of what a good mentor did for David. And this is how it happens in the Body of Christ, as we support one another,
as we encourage one another, as we help one another,
as we mentor one another, as we point each other to Christ,
we all will continue to grow & become everything Jesus has created us to be.
MARANA THA
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