“Why are we at this old man’s house, again?” Gabriel asked Michael.
“To see the anointing of a king,” Michael stated.
“Okay, two questions,” Gabriel said, clearly confused. “One, I thought Israel already had a king. That tall guy…”
“Saul,” Michael said.
“Yes, Saul, and question number two, this doesn’t look like a king’s home. It looks more like a farm.”
“That is not a question; however, you are very observant, my brother,” Michael said with a hint of condescension. “To answer your question, the current king has been rejected by the Father because of his continual disobedience and pride, and in reply to your comment, I will ask you a question. Do you recall how the current king was anointed?”
“Oh, yeah! He lost his father’s donkeys, and when he went to the prophet to ask about them, the prophet anointed him as king,” Gabriel recalled. After a moment of reflecting on the location and circumstances of the last anointing, “You’re right, this is a much better location for a king’s anointing. Speaking of prophets, isn’t that him right now?”
“Yes, it is,” Michael answered as an elderly man leading a cow with a rope approached along the path to the farmhouse, where an upper-middle-aged man greeted him.
“What’s with the cow, and who’s the other guy?” Gabriel asked.
“To answer your second question first, that is Jesse.”
“Is that the king? He’s older than the current king. Shouldn’t Samuel pick someone a little younger?”
“Jesse is the father of the king-to-be,” Michael corrected his protégé. “He is inviting Jesse and his sons to a sacrifice and a banquet—to answer your question about the cow—where he will anoint one of Jesse’s sons as the next King of Israel.”
“A banquet?” Gabriel grimaced.
“Yes, a banquet,” Michael clapped Gabriel on the shoulder, “Where they eat people food!”
“Please tell me we don’t have to eat with them,” Gabriel moaned. “It’s been hundreds of years since the milk incident, and just seeing that cow’s udders makes me ill.”
“We will not partake of the meal,” Michael reassured Gabriel. “We will remain hidden. Our job is to help the Father ensure that Samuel picks the right son as king, to ensure that no outside interruptions prevent this historic event from happening, and perhaps learn a lesson or two along the way.”
“How will we know he picks the right one?”
“I already know who it should be,” Michael said. “The Father has informed me. But I am going to allow you to guess who Samuel will choose.”
“This should be fun,” Gabriel sighed.
Samuel left Jesse and led his cow back up the path to prepare for the sacrifice. Jesse ran into the farmhouse to gather his sons.
“Shall we go?” Gabriel asked.
“Yes, but I would like to not take the path,” Michael said. “I would prefer to travel through that pasture where the sheep are grazing.”
“You mean, walk?!” Gabriel preferred to fly any chance he got, so walking did not appeal to him at all.
“Yes, walk! I believe it will be a pleasant way to travel, and there is enough time before the sacrifice begins.”
“You’re the boss,” Gabriel conceded and followed his leader into the pasture.
Michael and Gabriel trekked over several hills and through several valleys on their way to the sacrifice. In one valley, near a small wooded area, a flock of sheep was grazing peacefully while their shepherd played a lyre and sang a song of praise.
“That kid’s got a set of pipes,” said Gabriel.
“No, Gabriel,” Michael corrected his apprentice. “That is a lyre. A set of pipes is made of, well, pipes. You pluck a lyre. You blow into pipes. You should know that.”
Rather than try to explain his figure of speech to his mentor, he simply nodded. “You’re right. But he sure can sing, can’t he?”
“Yes, he—”
Michael didn’t have time to complete his response. As he spoke, a lion leaped from behind a tree and snatched a lamb from the fold. In the blink of an eye, the shepherd boy sprang into action, grabbing his shepherd’s staff, sprinting to the lion, and striking it on the head with enough force to stun the lion and free the lamb.
While the lamb ran to safety, the shepherd and lion stood face to face. The shepherd didn’t move. The lion looked at the lamb as it scurried away, then back to the shepherd.
“Do we help him?” Gabriel asked.
“Let us see how this ends,” Michael said, intensely watching the scene unfold.
The lion lowered its head. The boy lowered his center of gravity. The lion leaped. The boy side-stepped at just the right moment, avoiding both claws and teeth. Once clear of his opponent, the boy went on the offensive. He grabbed the lion by the mane with one hand and pummeled it with his staff until the lion lay on the ground. Motionless. Lifeless.
The shepherd gave the lion no second thought as he at once ran to tend the lamb he had just rescued.
“That was one of the most courageous acts I have ever seen in such a young soul,” Gabriel said, awestruck.
“Indeed!” Michael said. “But it is getting late, and we must attend the sacrifice.”
“Perhaps we should fly the rest of the way,” Gabriel suggested.
“Agreed.”
The pair flew over the next few hills to the place of sacrifice.
~~~~~~
After he offered the sacrifice, but before he allowed the attendees to sit and eat, Samuel asked Jesse and his sons to join him privately for a moment. Jesse presented his sons to Samuel, lining them up from oldest to youngest, seven in all.
“Alright, my young apprentice,” Michael said, “it is now time to pick the next king. Which of Jesse’s sons do you think Samuel will choose?”
“Clearly the oldest,” Gabriel answered without a second thought. “Look at him. He’s huge. And if you recall, Samuel’s last king was also very tall, so there’s precedence to uphold.”
“Interesting observation,” Michael nodded.
Samuel approached the tallest with the anointing oil. “See, I’m right! The tall one will be king!”
“Are you sure?” Michael motioned to Samuel, who, just as he was about to pour the oil, paused and looked up to the heavens.
“He’s hearing from the Father,” Gabriel realized. “The tall one is not the one.”
“You have made the same mistake that so many people do, this prophet included,” Michael corrected Gabriel. “You judged on the outward appearance, but the Father looks at the heart.”
“I imagine that guy’s heart is pretty big, too.” Gabriel countered, knowing fully that it was not what Michael meant. “Okay, I get it, but I’m not all-knowing like the Father. How could I expect to predict the next king other than by appearances? Do you think you would guess correctly if the Father hadn’t told you?”
“Perhaps not,” Michael conceded. “But I try to make it a point not to judge on outward appearances, but by their actions, their relationships, and most importantly, their relationship to the Father.”
The pair watched briefly as Samuel inspected the rest of Jesse’s sons.
“Okay, so you win. I give up. Who is the next king?” Gabriel asked.
“If you were to pick the next king, based solely on character, who would you pick?” Michael asked.
“None of these guys. Throughout the sacrifice, they didn’t seem to even care about the sacredness of the moment, the people around them, or even each other.”
“Who, then?” Michael prodded.
“Honestly, based on the criteria you laid out, I’d say that shepherd boy out in the pasture. His actions were courageous; in his relationships, at least with his sheep, he was kind, caring, and protective, and his relationship to the Father was that of praise and adoration. But he’s not here, is he?”
“Does that matter?”
“YES!” Gabriel erupted, “You said he had to be one of Jesse’s sons, so—”
Gabriel’s shouting was interrupted by Samuel’s shouting, “The Lord has chosen none of these! Jesse, are these all the sons you have?”
“Well, there is still the youngest son. He’s in the pasture tending sheep,” Jesse answered.
“Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives!” Samuel said.
Gabriel glared at Michael. “You didn’t care about taking the scenic route here! You knew he was out there all along.”
“Whatever do you mean?” Michael answered sheepishly. “I, like you, am not omniscient. How could I know the event with the lion would transpire?”
“You may not be omniscient, but you do have inside information, because you—” Before Gabriel finished his sentence, he had a revelation. “Wait! This means I guessed correctly!”
“Indeed, you did,” Michael said. “His name is David, and he will become the next king of Israel. His reign will be remembered and revered through the ages, and most importantly, one of his descendants will be the Righteous One who brings the Father’s Plan to completion.”
“And that’s why we’re here,” Gabriel said, “to witness another key moment in the Father’s Plan.”
“You will be highly involved in David’s life,” Michael instructed. “His rise to kingship will be a difficult one, with countless obstacles. You must keep watch over him throughout his life and the generations of kings to follow. This is not the end of your mission, but the beginning. Are you ready for it?” “You bet I am!”
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