1 Samuel 16:1-13 (HCSB)
1 The LORD said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem because I have selected a king from his sons.”
2 Samuel asked, “How can I go? Saul will hear ⌊about it⌋ and kill me!” The LORD answered, “Take a young cow with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’
3 Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will let you know what you are to do. You are to anoint for Me the one I indicate to you.”
4 Samuel did what the LORD directed and went to Bethlehem. When the elders of the town met him, they trembled and asked, “Do you come in peace?”
5 “In peace,” he replied. “I’ve come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and said, “Certainly the LORD’s anointed one is here before Him.”
7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature, because I have rejected him. Man does not see what the LORD sees, for man sees what is visible, but the LORD sees the heart.”
8 Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel. “The LORD hasn’t chosen this one either,” Samuel said.
9 Then Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said, “The LORD hasn’t chosen this one either.”
10 After Jesse presented seven of his sons to him, Samuel told Jesse, “The LORD hasn’t chosen any of these.”
11 Samuel asked him, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” he answered, “but right now he’s tending the sheep.” Samuel told Jesse, “Send for him. We won’t sit down to eat until he gets here.”
12 So Jesse sent for him. He had beautiful eyes and a healthy, handsome appearance. Then the LORD said, “Anoint him, for he is the one.”
13 So Samuel took the horn of oil, anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD took control of David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah.

I’ve thought so much about how God uses the most unlikely, unidentifiable and unqualified candidates to do His will, how it’s often the one ignored or unexpected God sets to use.
All through the scriptures, we’ve seen how the Lord takes certain people out of the crowd to serve Him in a specific way.
An unlikely candidate is someone who has the least chance of being noticed or nominated while an unidentifiable candidate is one who is unrecognised as one with a prospect and impossible to identify as useful.
In the world we live in now, we go for the recognised, identifiable and likely person with the best prospect as a candidate., whereas with the Lord and in spiritual matters, it is usually the most unlikely, unqualifies that meets God’s criteria as a candidate.
Although we see Samuel wait out God’s candidate who he didn’t know (he could have asked God at any point who the kingly candidate was), he trusted God to pick the right candidate and send him to Samuel.
This is one reason why implicit trust in God is needed in the Christian walk. Knowing that God chose David as king of Israel before Samuel ever meet him didn’t stop the godly prophet from judging by an appearance in verse 6.
We can’t judge the best candidate by appearance, ability or by any transient attributes.
Ezra 1:1-4 tells of Cyrus, the unlikely and unidentifiable candidate that God employed in doing service to his people, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus to help the Israelites return home.
Joshua 2 describes another unlikely and unidentifiable, even the most unqualified candidate in the bible. God can and does use the unlikeliest of people for His work and glory. The Israeli army was in danger but was saved by the “fidelity” of Rahab, a Gentile prostitute who lived in Jericho but had enough knowledge and fear of the God of Israel to believe in His ability.
God doesn’t choose as the world does, He looks beyond the physical, normal, socially and politically acceptable. According to 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, the Lord loves to use those that have been rejected, despised, inconsequential and weak to showcase His power and majesty, so, that we can boast not in our ability and qualifications but the power of God within us as stated in 2 Corinthians 4:7.
Have you disqualified yourself from God’s service? Don’t write yourself off yet. God may still have use for you regardless of your history.
If you doubt God, look at Apostle Paul. The most unlikely, unqualified and unidentifiable candidate to write about God and His kingdom but the most versatile candidate God had in the New Testament.
Maybe you are running for office, seeking a seat in a committee, looking to gain entrance into an elite organisation or just wanting to serve the Lord in a specific way but you’ve either been told or you’ve convinced yourself that you’re not fit for whatever it is you’re after, I want to see yourself today and God’s unlikely and unidentifiable candidate that people, organisations and communities will be honoured to have on their side. Forget your position, your looks, for none of these matters to God. He chooses who He desires, and He desires you.
Shalom