16 Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected a king for Myself among his sons.” ² But Samuel said, “How can I go? When Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ ³ You shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate to you.” ⁴ So Samuel did what the Lord said, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, “Do you come in peace?” ⁵ He said, “In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

⁶ When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him.” ⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:1-7

Dear God, I was listening to a Christian podcast yesterday talk about The Odyssey. They were talking about Odysseus and how he was a trickster. Apprently, in the original poem, this was very much celebrated in him. He was clever and cunning, and this was a good thing.

I bring this up because there are so many times in the Bible when the “good guys” in the story choose deception as part of their plan. In this story, you instruct Samuel to use deception to accomplish your mission. There’s Jesus in John 7 telling his brothers he’s not going to the Festival of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, but then he secretly goes anyway. There’s Jesus when he talks to the two people on the road to Emmaus, but he conceals his identity from them until the end. There’s David when he lies to Ahimelec about having men with him when he asks for bread and a sword from the temple. Interestingly, Jesus uses this story later but indicates that David told Ahimelec the truth, but I don’t think he did.

My point is, are there times when it is appropriate for me to deceive? My inclination is to say no, but then I think about times when something is confidential and I’m not at liberty to talk about something, or the talking about it could actually hurt another person. But it can sometimes be hard to know when those times are.

Father, I just want to live a simple life that is beyond reproach. I know there are times when I have to keep information confidential or obfuscate a little. Help me to know when and how to do this. Help me to live my life in a loving way that will bless those around me. Be glorified in all of my actions.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen