Samuel did that which Yahweh spoke, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, Come you peaceably?
Samuel judged Jesse’s sons by their external qualities, just as the Israelites judged Saul acceptable because of those characteristics (1 Samuel 16:6). 1 Samuel 16:7 clarifies how God evaluates people, namely, on the basis of their hearts (affections), not their appearances or abilities (cf. Matthew 3:17; Mark 10:31; 1 Corinthians 1:27). As He had done earlier in Scriptural history, God chose the son that was not the natural choice, showing that He does not bind Himself to what is traditional. It is unusual that Jesse did not have David present for Samuel’s inspection since he, too, was one of his sons. Jesse had eight sons (1 Samuel 17:12; cf. 1 Chronicles 2:13-15; 1 Chronicles 27:18). This may suggest that Jesse did not think as highly of David as he did of his other sons (cf. Psalms 27:10, where David wrote of his parents forsaking him). Was David a neglected or even an abused child whom his father viewed more as hired help than as a son?