No, Not, Neither
Do you ever feel like God is angry with you? Like every time you ask Him for something, He answers in the negative? Or maybe, you think you must be doing the wrong thing because God continues to tell you "no" over the most straightforward requests. I guess that's probably how Samuel felt the day the Lord sent him to anoint the new king of Israel. Let's look at the passage.
“And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the Lord said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord. And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee. And Samuel did that which the Lord spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably? 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 it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him. But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this. Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this. Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The Lord hath not chosen these.”
Poor Samuel! The Lord tells him to anoint the new king of Israel. So, despite fear for his life from Saul (the current but rejected king), the prophet goes. As per God's commands, he calls forth the family of Jesse. As the firstborn steps forward, Samuel can't help but be impressed by his handsome face and towering stature. Impressive, to say the least. Kingly material? Definitely. At least, that's what Samuel thought. But God said, "Nope, not this guy."
A bit disappointed, Samuel moves on to son #2. "Yes, he'll do nicely," the old prophet muttered. But again, God replied, "Not him either."
Son #3. "Neither have I chosen him.”
I don't know about Samuel, but I know I'd be getting a bit frustrated at this point. What's the deal? Why am I here? I'm supposed to be anointing the new king, but all I'm getting is, "No, not, and neither.” Whatever his attitude, the prophet obediently continued.
One by one, he made his way through sons 4-7, and one by one, God replied, "Nope. Not this one. Neither have I chosen him."
Surely, by this time, Samuel is wondering if he's made a terrible mistake. Did he hear God correctly? Did he understand the Lord's command? Is this man Jesse? Is he even in the right place? So many questions. So many uncertainties. So many reasons to call it quits.
I can relate. Over the past three years, I've seen many prayers answered in the negative. I asked God for a quick sale on our house, but the entire process took nine months. I asked for safety for us and our vehicles as we traveled these many miles, and since then, we've had two vehicles completely disabled and one that has been a "problem child" since we got it. I asked for healing from my joint issues to make all this traveling more bearable, but instead, the constant strain and lack of regular exercise have made things worse. There's more, but I won't bore you with the list.
My point is, there have been times I've looked at these "no, not, neither" responses and questioned my path. Did I hear God correctly? Am I really supposed to be doing this? Am I in the right place? If so, what's with all the negativity?
Fortunately, I can find a solution in the rest of the story of Samuel. Despite his frustration and uncertainty about the situation, Samuel remained confident in one thing: he was obeying God's orders. No, things didn't make sense to him at the moment, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that he was doing what God told him to do, and he needed to keep working at it until the task was completed. God had sent him to anoint the new king, and Samuel was determined he wasn't leaving until he had done just that.
“And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.”
It's hard to hear "no, not, and neither" from the Lord, and often it's difficult to understand why He would refuse to give us what we ask. The truth is, He knows and sees all, including what would happen if we received the things for which we asked. He may be saving us from something far worse than a "no." So, it's essential we trust in His goodness and His love.
Additionally, we mustn't question our God-given path just because we encounter a few negative answers. "No" doesn't mean we're not following in God's will. It merely means we haven't finished the work we've been called to do. Like Samuel, we must remain confident in our calling and continue whatever tasks the Lord has set before us. Samuel had to go through seven "nos" before he finally got a "yes." Why should we be any different?