1 Samuel 16:5
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 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.
Samuel came to Bethlehem, to the house of Jesse, in obedience to God's command to provide a king from among Jesse's sons and to anoint the one whom God would name, using the sacrifice as the occasion for anointing the ruler God had chosen in Saul's place to succeed him on the throne of Israel. The elders of the town trembled at his coming and asked whether he came peaceably, and he answered peaceably and invited them to sanctify themselves and come with him to the sacrifice. He sanctified Jesse and his sons and called them to the sacrifice, and the altar was built and the sacrifice was made ready.
David, the youngest son, was absent because he had been left to guard the sheep, since it was not safe to leave the flocks unprotected. His early life was spent in the hill country at Bethlehem as a shepherd lad. Samuel initially favored Eliab because of his stature and dignified appearance, but God's choice was David, Jesse's youngest son, a faithful and courageous shepherd whose humble character made him fit to lead and pre-eminently qualified to bear the responsibilities of the kingdom.
While in himself utterly helpless, David received God's promise of the throne to reign over Israel. His standing against Saul, the established monarch bent on holding fast his power and determined to keep it, was trusting the word of God and holding fast faith in the triumph of righteousness. His experience is one witness to the power of God's word against human power and policy in support of evil, showing that those who trust God's word can withstand the power of the whole world. David belongs to the world's true nobility and its royal line of faith in which the youth of today are called to take their places.
Abner knew that David had been so appointed by the Lord, yet from ambition, unprincipled character, hatred increased by David's rebuke over the spear and cruse of water, and unwillingness that the son of Jesse should succeed to the kingdom after Saul's long hunting and pursuing of him, he despised the man God had chosen and used Ishbosheth to divide Israel and exalt himself.