I Samuel 16:1-13
A new pastor in a rural area is ready for his first
service, but only one farmer has shown up. The
pastor asks the farmer, “If you took a load of hay
to feed your cows and when you got there, there
was only one cow, what would you do?”.
“I’d feed it” said the farmer.
So the pastor asks the farmer to take a seat and
goes to the pulpit and starts with a long
introduction about his life before moving on to a
number of public service announcements.
Then he sings a hymn then sings another hymn
entirely in Latin.
Then he reads from the Old Testament.
He steps down from the lectern and gives the
farmer a hymn book and asks him to join in with
the next hymn.
Then he reads from the New Testament.
Then he has his congregation of one join him for a
gospel acclamation.
He starts setting up for holy communion and is
delighted to see the farmer walking up to him.
The farmer says “You know that load of hay and
the cow? You should know that I would not give
the cow the entire load!!!”
Last week we talked about the greatest commandment
found in Deuteronomy 6:5-6. I told you that it was my
great desire to see each and every one of you grow
closer to the Lord and to love Him with all of your heart
and with all of your soul and with all of your strength.
This morning we are going to begin a study of the life of
David.
You probably know David’s claim to fame as a man after
God’s own heart. But, David was not perfect. He had his
flaws and we will read about them over the next several
weeks.
Let’s pray and ask God to speak to us through His living
word this morning. Help us to see others as you see
them.
I Samuel 16:1-5
In verse 1 God asks Samuel how long he is going to
grieve over Saul.
God told Samuel back in chapter 15 that He has rejected
Saul because of his disobedience.
“‘I regret that I have made Saul
king, for he has turned back from following me and
has not performed my commandments.’ And
Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all
night.” I Samuel 15:11
Remember that God made Saul king over Israel because
they had rejected God as their king. They wanted an
earthly king like so many other nations had. But what
they failed to understand is that earthly kings will always
let you down.
God never lets us down.
God tells Samuel to fill his horn with oil and go.
God is sending Samuel to Bethlehem because the Lord
has provided a king for Himself from the sons of Jesse.
Notice the difference here between the people wanting a
king and God choosing a king.
The people chose Saul. They saw this tall, handsome,
rich man and wanted him to be their king. They were
only looking at the outward appearances.
Samuel had told Saul about David, not by name, earlier
in chapter 13.
“But now your kingdom shall not continue. The
Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and
the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his
people, because you have not kept what the Lord
commanded you.”
I Samuel 13:14
Saul was a man after man’s own heart.
David was a man after God’s own heart.
Bethlehem is about 11 miles from Ramah where Samuel
is now.
But he knew that he would have to pass by Gibeah where
Saul lived in order to get to Bethlehem.
Samuel asks God “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will
kill me.”
Keep in mind that Saul is still king. In fact, Saul is going
to be king for some time even after Samuel anoints David
king.
God doesn’t even address Samuel’s concern about Saul.
God simply tells him to get a heifer and tell the people in
Bethlehem he is there to sacrifice to the Lord.
God told Samuel to make sure to invite Jesse to the
sacrifice.
And Samuel obeys God. The very thing that Saul would
not do. Samuel went to Bethlehem to see who God had
chosen to lead the people of Israel.
I Samuel 16:6-10
Seeing Through Human Eyes
When Samuel saw the first born son of Jesse, he thought
he had surely found the man God was after.
Samuel was looking at his appearance and his height.
God warned Samuel not to be fooled by the outward
appearance of man.
At the bank I used to manage, there were two men
in the lobby waiting to be helped: one in a nice suit
and the other in overalls. One of my bankers
rushed out of his office and quickly went over to
the man in the suit and helped him even though the
other gentleman had been there longer. Later
another banker came and helped the man in the
overalls. After both interactions it turned out that
the man in the overalls ran a flooring business and
was depositing $600k into his new account.
What is on the outside can easily deceive.
God will not be deceived by the appearance of man.
His view is not limited.
We are limited by our experiences and our knowledge.
God is not limited, He sees everything.
Seeing Through God’s Eyes
What is important here is that God chose David.
When David is referred to as a man after God’s own heart
it means he is a man of God’s choosing.
It’s less about the heart of David than God’s heart in
choosing him.
God knew all of David’s shortcomings.
He knew he would commit adultery.
He knew he would conspire to commit murder.
But God also knew that David would repent of his sin and
turn back to God. God chose David because He knew
David.
This also helps us see the sovereignty of God.
He knows everything and sees everything.
We are waiting to see how things turn out.
We can only see what God allows us to see.
He doesn’t always reveal His whole plan to us in advance.
I Samuel 16:11-13
God Sees a King
After 7 of Jesse’s sons are paraded before Samuel, still
God hadn’t seen the one who was to be the next king.
Samuel asks Jesse if that was all of his sons.
Jesse said, all but the youngest who is out in the field
tending the sheep. The implication is that Jesse didn’t
think anything of the young shepherd.
Don’t you just love how God uses the humble shepherd
to be king of Israel? God accomplishes His plan despite
our shortcomings.
When David arrived the Lord told Samuel to anoint him
because he is the next king.
Samuel anointed David and the Spirit of the Lord rushed
upon David from that day forward.
God was with David just as He is with us through the
Holy Spirit living inside of us.
God often works in ways that are opposite of man’s ways.
When He does the unexpected it gives Him the glory.
What is God teaching us through this section of
Scripture?
APPLICATION
We should try to:
See People as God Sees Them
The world is obsessed with outward appearances.
There are myriads of books and pills to help you lose
weight.
Doctors can even alter our looks with the knife.
Looks are not what is important to God.
God wants us to see the hearts of people.
Outward appearances are only temporary anyway.
We can’t possibly know people in the same way God
does, but we can get to know them on a personal level.
We can watch how they talk and treat others.
We can see how they serve or if they want to be served.
We can also seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit to help
us discern if people are obedient to God or themselves.
Let’s seek to know people at a heart level.