When King Saul fails a great test of obedience, the Lord moves on. God sends Samuel on a mission to find a new king, a royal fresh start for God’s people.

This leads to the fascinating story of David’s selection and anointing. The sons of Jesse parade in front of Samuel. Some of them look the part, given their outward appearance. But the Lord pours cold water on that, rejecting one after another. Finally, the youngest son is brought in from tending the sheep. With a healthy glow and nonetheless handsome, David arrives. The Lord has seen and approved of David’s heart, and he tells Samuel to anoint David as the future king of God’s people.

In this way David is plucked from obscurity. And the extra­ordinary thing about David is that he is surprisingly ordinary.

So many good stories start out this way. For example, Cinderella is overlooked until she goes to the ball. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are just ordinary kids playing hide and seek until they stumble into the world of Narnia.

What David embodies is true for all people chosen in Christ. God’s extraordinary love and plans begin with strikingly ­ordinary people, who receive a high and holy calling. In Christ, we are “a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9), anointed to serve God’s coming kingdom.