Grace can be defined as “unearned favour, especially from God”. Amazing can also be defined as “astonish or great surprise” When a fellow experienced an unearned favour from God that is very surprising, one could say that the fellow is operating under an amazing grace.
After God pronounced His rejection of Saul as the king in Israel, God asked Samuel to go to Bethlehem and anoint one of the sons of Jesse as the next king in Israel. The selection of Jesse as the family for the future king is by God’s grace in itself. Bethlehem was one of the tiniest settlements in Israel and there were several other families there as well. The yardstick or criteria God used was therefore not by statistics but by grace alone.
To make the selection of the future king so amazing, the older, impressive and combatant sons of Jesse were all rejected by God – seven in number. Samuel had to inquire if per chance Jesse had any other children. It was then that he remembered he still had David who was not invited nor told about Samuel’s visit to perform sacrifice to God and to sanctify Jesse’s sons.
Eventually when David showed up, even Samuel was confused. Compared to for example Eliab who was good looking and of great stature, David was handsome but too childish. However God told Samuel, “Arise, anoint him: for this is he!” (I Samuel 16:1-12).
This month of November, God has promised that He will do gracious and amazing things for us. Things that could not have been done by our power or might. We might be in a way ‘feeble’ and ‘childish’ as David, but God is going to demonstrate His amazing grace through us in Jesus name.