So God Samuel to anoint the new King, today, to be chosen from among the sons of Jesse.
At first he was sure God would choose Eliab, the oldest and tallest and best looking of all of Jesse’s son. So Samuel asked the Lord, is it him? No, said the Lord. Keep looking.
So he considered the next oldest, Abinadab. But the Lord told him to keep looking. And then Shimea, Nethanel, Raddai and Ozem. But each time the Lord told Samuel to keep looking. Finally, in desperation, Samuel turned to Jesse and asked, “Are these all the sons you have?”
And Jesse replied, reluctantly, there’s one more, the youngest. He’s out looking after the sheep. So he sent for him, and when God saw this littlest of the sons of Jesse, he told Samuel that this was his chosen one…anoint him and make him the King of Israel.
God chose David in his littleness, just like he chose the Virgin Mary in her littleness and, in the same way, each one of us. He chose us not because we were big and strong, or good looking or bright, not because we were so faithful or articulate or strong or powerful….Saint Theresa of Lisieux understood this well, when she wrote to Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart: ‘let us remain far from all that sparkles, let us love our littleness…then we shall be poor in spirit, and Jesus will come to look for us, and he will transform us in flames of his love.’
