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“The Heart Of The Matter” • 5.31.15 • Calvary Christian
Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- King Saul had been given every advantage to
serve the Lord and every chance to turn from his rebellious, self-seeking way. He
would not.
- Consequently, the Lord conveyed a message of
judgment through the Prophet Samuel, that the Kingdom was now torn from him and
given to a better man.
- Some time has passed, but that man is about
to be revealed. In typical biblical fashion, the light of hope shines brightest
after the darkness has been fully unveiled. Let's take a look at verse 1.
Text
• I Samuel
16:1 : "Now the Lord
said to Samuel, 'How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him
from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to
Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.'" : The final meeting between the King and the Prophet left Samuel
without joy or closure. In fact, it precipitated a dark period for Samuel
personally.
- Samuel is found in the text in a state of
mourning, the word providing a picture of a person walking slowly with his head
continually bowed low.
- Saul's apostasy caused Samuel a great deal of
grief that he would not have understood. The King's disobedience to the Lord
had a tremendous adverse affect upon Samuel.
- What we see here is a man of God, who is
living, at least on the border, if not well within the confines of depression.
He is not the only man to have experienced this.
- Elijah despaired of his own life and Jeremiah
sought to quit the ministry! (I Kings
19:4, Jeremiah 20:7-9)
- Such emotional extremes are not simply
experienced by men, but women as well. Samuel's Mother Hannah was such a woman
who was vexed by her circumstances. (I
Samuel 1:6)
- God's people are not immune to dealing with
these very difficult emotional states, especially those who open themselves to
disciple younger Christian men and women.
- It is never easy and when you love, you earn
the right to days and nights of near depression. One of the greatest prophets
in the history of the world faced it and we will as well!
- Samuel's heart is broken when the Lord meets
him and interrupts his seemingly long standing lament. The Lord begins by reminding
him that He had rejected Saul.
- Samuel had not failed and there was nothing
that he could have done. God judged the case and found Saul in contempt.
- This also meant that Samuel had a job to do
in Bethlehem among the house of Jesse.
- God had been looking for a King to replace
Saul. He's been inspecting and looking out after one of the sons of Jessie.
While Samuel has been locked away, the Lord has been active.
- Samuel was to fill his horn, which was a ram
or animal's horn that was hollowed out. The horn was the symbol of the animal's
strength and the oil, a symbol of God's Holy Spirit.
- Samuel would be applying the strength of God,
the power of the Holy Spirit, upon the new King of God's people!
• I Samuel
16:2,3 : "And Samuel said, 'How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill
me.' But the Lord said, 'Take a heifer with you, and
say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you
shall do; you shall anoint for Me the one I name to you.'" : Samuel wonders how he can get himself free of Saul's gaze,
which may be indicative of heightened surveillance.
- Saul knew that God would be looking for a
King and that Samuel would be the one that God would call to annoint him. It
figures that he would want to know of the Prophet's movement.
- It intrigues me that Samuel worries about
this. Here is a man who has watched whole armies flee before the Lord at the
simple utterance of a prayer!
- Samuel is an old, mature prophet, well
acquainted with the power of God, but even he fears for his life! That
encourages me and it should do the same for you.
- There will be times when God will call each
of us to do things that we find uncomfortable and perhaps even dangerous. It's
a myth to believe that those commands are easier to obey as we age!
- In fact, the older and more comfortable we
are, the more we are hesitant to comply and like Samuel raise our objections to
our Lord's plans. "If Saul hears it, he will kill me!"
- This story is very reminiscent of the story
of Annanias who was called to minister to the newly converted Saul of Tarsus.
- He replied at that time that Saul had
authority from the Chief priests to arrest people! (Acts 9:15) I'm so glad that God doesn't answer, "I have the authority
to do far worse to you if you don't go!"
- Instead, he is to initiate a sacrifice to the
Lord and invite Jesse and his family. At the sacrifice, God would reveal his
choice to him.
- Even at this advanced stage of maturity, it's
still about walking in faith! Samuel is not told which son would be anointed.
- He is given the specific information that he
needs to follow. Once he does what he is commanded, more will be given to him,
but not before! God will name him once he gets there.
•
I Samuel 16:4,5 : "So Samuel did what the Lord said, and went to Bethlehem. And
the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, 'Do you come
peaceably?' And he
said, 'Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Sanctify yourselves,
and come with me to the sacrifice.' Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and
invited them to the sacrifice." : When
Samuel rolled into town, an internal earthquake shook Bethlehem at Samuel's
sight!
-
Of course, this is after he hacked Agag to pieces! People knew that you didn't
mess with the Prophet! The Elders that sat at the gate of the city asked him if
there was any trouble.
-
They were great relieved when he invited them to ready themselves to sacrifice
in the city. I can almost see someone saying, "He's not going to get
me!"
-
Among those that he consecrated were Jesse and his sons. Jesse's name in Hebrew
points to "wealth." His great Grandfather was a man named Boaz!
-
Boaz had passed down quite a healthy inheritance for his family to enjoy for
generations and it seems that Jesse maintained his family estate.
-
As the men were ritually purified, Samuel was already sizing them up, wondering
which one God had chosen.
-
He would know when the sacrifice took place and by all indications, he seems to
have gone right to it!
•
I Samuel 16:6,7 : "So it was, when they came, that he
looked at Eliab and said, 'Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!' But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look at his appearance or at his
physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man
sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'" : Samuel is not anxious, but he is direct and the first son
seemed to be an obvious choice at first sight.
•
I Samuel 16:6 (NLT) : "When they arrived, Samuel took one
look at Eliab and thought, 'Surely this is the Lord’s
anointed!'"
-
This has to be the man! He even has the right name. Eliab means "God is my
Father!"
-
When Samuel says, "Surely the Lord's annointed," I cannot help but
recall his initial impression with Saul. Eliab had a one to one comparitive
value visually.
-
Samuel however, was a bit hasty in his thinking, and not quite in tune with the
Lord's criteria.
-
God has to tell Samuel not to look at his physical attributes, either his face
or his height or even the way that he carried himself, which tells us that
Samuel was in fact doing this.
-
Was Samuel guilty of looking at Saul a template in his own mind for what a King
would look like? If so, then a one to one comparison makes sense.
-
In his mind, God is trying to replace Saul with a better version of Saul! But
that is not the way that God is going to work. God refused, rejected Eliab outright
as a candidate for authority.
-
He offers Samuel the reason. There is a fundamental difference between how God
evaluates a man and how even the best intentioned Christian people evaluate a
man.
-
God's vision is not limited to what can be seen. In fact, a synonym that could
be used refers to an inspection or investigation, which far exceeds
superficiality.
-
God doesn't investigate men or women that he seeks to divest authority in based
upon their outward appearance. God is basing his investigation upon our true
identity.
-
Literally, you could translate this verse and say that men are always looking
at what they can see, but God is always inspecting and observing the heart,
which is what He can see!
-
A whole, sincere, complete heart is what God sees and promotes! What is the
heart?
-
Biblically, the heart represents the ruling faculty of any person. Everything
we do stems from our heart's belief. This reminds Samuel and us of a few
important items.
-
First, it takes time to get to know a heart! A cursory glance over a person
will never suffice to evaluate leadership potential. God knows a heart
immediately. He sees what is really going on!
-
For you and I, it takes time and a repeated set of positive, godly
interchanges. Paul tells Pastor Timothy not lay hands on, confer authority,
upon anyone hastily.
-
Some men's sins are clear and others are not. Some men's righteousness is clear
and others are not. Time tells the tale and reveals the difference! (I Timothy 5:24,25)
-
Second, God makes it clear that Samuel will have to lean upon Him, as only He
knows the heart that He seeks! Samuel needed to depend upon God to reveal what
He could not have known.
-
Now, this is not to say that Eliab as a person had a bad heart per se. God is
letting Samuel know that He does not possess the right heart to lead His
people.
•
I Samuel 16:8-10 : "So Jesse called Abinadab, and made
him pass before Samuel. And he said, 'Neither has the Lord chosen this one.' Then Jesse made Shammah pass by.
And he said, 'Neither has the Lord chosen this one.' Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel
said to Jesse, 'The Lord has not chosen these.'" :
When the first born was rejected, naturally, Jesse went in order to the next
son.
-
When Samuel passed over Abinadab, "Noble Father" and Shammah,
"Astonishment," I'm pretty sure that Jesse was amazed!
-
"The Lord hadn't chosen these? But, he's noble and this one is
astonishing!?" Neither are chosen! You get the sense that the first three
were the most impressive.
-
The rest of Jesse's sons that were in attendance at the sacrifice went by and
received the same news! The Lord had not chosen any of them!
-
The author doesn't list the names of the other sons here, but they are listed
for us in II Chronicles 2:14,15.
Listen to who else God rejected.
-
Shimea, "Fame." Nethanel, "Given of God." Raddai,
"Trampling." Ozem, "I shall hasten them." What a collection
of sons!
-
Would you not be satisfied to have one of them as your leader? One who was
famous, or gifted specially by God? A person who conquered or one that could
produce quick results?
-
The world might have looked at any of these men and considered them to be the
perfect fit to replace Saul and that was the point: Anyone could have replaced
Saul!
-
Any fool can gather a crowd or inspire masses to embrace hysteria! Any moron
can put on a pair of spiritual pom-poms and whip up a crowd into a frenzy! Leaders
like Saul are a dime a dozen.
-
There is no need for them as they are ever in great supply! But only one could
be God's choice and He didn't choose any of these to lead His people!
-
May we ever keep this in mind as we evaluate that which calls us to attention.
What should we value? May we not be fooled by any other criteria!
•
I Samuel 16:11,12a : "And
Samuel said to Jesse, 'Are all the young men here?' Then he said, 'There
remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.' And Samuel said to Jesse, 'Send and
bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here.' So he sent and brought him in." : Samuel and Jesse are both scratching their heads. Jesse is
wondering how all of his boys could have been passed over!
-
He wonders if he starts over if Samuel and God won't simply reconsider! I
imagine that he was truly baffled.
-
On the other hand, Samuel is wondering if there isn't another Jesse with a
boatload of sons in Bethlehem that he didn't know about!
-
You have to love Samuel's question: "Are all the young men here?"
"Did you forget anyone?"
-
Jesse's response indicates that he believed his last son to be too young for
consideration. Even the word "youngest" provides us with a clue. His
name is not given! Jesse might have forgotten!
-
He is simply referred to as the "youngest," a word which indicates
"smallness" or "insignificance." You can see why!
-
When your predecessors have names like "Nobility" and
"Astonishment," you have to do something significant to traverse the
divide and get noticed!
-
The youngest wasn't even old enough to garner an invite to this special feast!
-
Jesse points out to the back part of the property where he was keeping, tending
the sheep!
-
Beyond the fact that he is not included in the festivities, he's given a very
lowly job.
-
Shepherding is a lonely and isolating occupation which neithers draws much
attention nor demands much respect.
-
When Samuel tells Jesse to bring him in and that there won't be any
commencement without him, Jesse does what he's told, but certainly with some
reluctance.
-
If God is not impressed with these other sons, how can He possibly look at this
kid with any respect? I imagine Jesse hoping that he won't be embarrassed to
some degree by the youngest.
•
I Samuel 16:12b-13 : "Now he
was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the Lord said, 'Arise, anoint him; for this
is the one!' Then
Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and
the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day
forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah." : When Samuel saw the shepherd boy, he noted a ruddy young man,
speaking of a red hue to his skin. The same word is applied to Esau in Genesis 25!
-
Beyond this, there is quite a variance on how the second half of verse 12 is translated. Effectually, all the
versions agree that David was a good looking, handsome young man.
-
We might even say that he was pleasant on the eyes! It's notable to say that
being good looking is not a disqualification for service. Sometimes, it seems
that we can make that case.
-
Additionally, the other characteristics that God chose not to select, are not
disqualifying in and of themselves. The issue is what a person leads with.
-
Will it be internal or external? Will it be heart or body? David had both a
pleasant interior to God, as well as a pleasant exterior to people, but it was
the interior, the heart that God made note of!
-
Immediately, the Lord made His selection clear and called for David to be anointed!
I wonder what it sounded like? I can't help but hear God say this through a
smile. "This is my guy!"
-
Samuel began to take out the flask and the rest of the family stood there with
their mouths agape, staring in wide eyed wonder. Fame looked at Astonishment
and said, "Him!?"
-
God chose the least. He took the overlooked. He ran with the underdog. He went
entirely against the type, not for that sake, but to illustrate that heart,
plus God's anointing is everything!
-
God chose the guy whose name means "Beloved!" Aside from a casual note
at the end of Ruth, this is the first time we see his name. This was God's
beloved one, David!
-
Samuel had annointed Saul and David. One cannot help but compare the two.
-
Saul was away from his family. David was annointed in the midst of his brothers.
Before the anointing, Saul was found hiding among the equipment, having been on
a hunt for donkeys.
-
David was hiding in plain sight, dutifully tending his Father's sheep!
-
Saul was what every man wanted, the very picture of Israel's desire. David was
a young pup that nobody believed could have been God's choice!
-
Yet, when Samuel poured that oil over David's head, the same thing that
happened to Saul happened to David: The Spirit of the Lord came upon David from
that day forward!
-
How did they know? What did they see? Is this an authorial comment that let's
us know what happened or did David begin to display something physically that
spoke of this anointing?
-
I can't help but believe that some visible, tangible difference came about as a
result of what David sensed internally. God's Spirit took up residence upon him
and didn't leave him!
-
One thing does seem to be clear at this point: David received the power of God
to perform the will of God for the people of God!
-
With his job done, Samuel returned to Ramah. He began this section depressed.
He concludes this section without revealing any emotion.
-
He has done his job and seemingly has no idea just how wonderfully he had
changed the world for all time!
-
He has anointed the King, who will be the progenitor to the King of Kings,
Jesus Christ, who calls Himself, the Root and Offspring of David! The line of
the Messiah has King has begun.
Conclusion
- Out
of Samuel's most depressing hour, God called Him to make a journey to anoint a
King after His heart, found in a place where nobody else would look.
-
David was already a psalmist with a heart for God in the field. How much more
would he have a heart for God in a palace!
- How
much greater would His greater son fit this type? Born in Bethlehem but raised
in Nazareth, God would bring His Messiah into the world to save His people from
their sins!
- He
is the God of the unlikely. He is the God who sees. He is the God who ever
seeks a complete heart for Him. May He find that in our midst.
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