The prophet Samuel had just arrived in Bethlehem on his way to see Jesse. Jesse was no doubt an important man in Bethlehem, but that wasn’t why the prophet had come to see him. “I have chosen one of Jesse’s sons to be the next king over Israel,” God had told Samuel, “and you need to go to Bethlehem to anoint him.” Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” But the Lord said, “Take a heifer [young female cow] with you, and say, “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.”
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