The Chosen One (1 Samuel 16)

One of the times I get upset with Grace – She goes grocery shopping on her own and she buys everything for the family, which is great. But she hasn’t always been the best/reliable when it comes to picking desserts. That’s my specialty. Sometimes – Come home with a brownie mix – that’s gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, flour free – basically taste good free. Why’d you buy this? – Grace – Cause I liked the design of the box. It’s pretty. What!?!?! Me – You can’t go by how it looks. That’s how they get you. You have to pay attention to what’s inside – is it going to be good? X – Box – Outside. 

Today – 1Sam.16 – That’s exactly the point God is going to make…

Context: Leading up to 1Sam – There was no king in Israel and everyone was doing whatever was right in their own eyes. Problem – They didn’t have an earthly king like the rest of the nations BUT God was their king. And Israel ends up demanding a king because they want to be like the other nations – ultimately rejecting God as their king. Saul – First king. However, shortly after being anointed king, Saul shows that his heart is more concerned about serving himself and how the people viewed him, rather than what God thinks and obeying God. So God ultimately rejects Saul…

Text: 1 Sam. 16 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”

Samuel – Sad. God picked Saul as the first king because he knew what the people wanted in their hearts. Saul – Was the people’s choice. – The kind of king the Israelites wanted over and representing them. He was the best of the Israelites. Manly man. Tall, handsome. What a king should look like. – Someone the people could put their hope in. But he failed miserably as king.

But the next king – God’s choice… God let the people have their way and fail so that he could step in and show them a better way… 

 ² And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ ³ And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.”

Now Samuel is scared. He doesn’t know what to do. Questionable? – Is God telling Samuel to lie? To do something shady? No. God gets creative. Samuel – Create the scenario where you’re telling the truth and not a lie so that you put yourself in a position to do what I’m asking.

 ⁴ Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” ⁵ And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

Why were they scared? Bethlehem was a small, unknown town. Why was a judge – someone as important as Samuel – there? Maybe to judge them? Reputation – the last time we saw Samuel – He hacked the enemy king into pieces. I’m sure that story echoed across the nation.

⁶ When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” ⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 

Eliab apparently looked like kingly material – kind of like Saul – good looking and tall. But Samuel should have known better just having witnessed God’s rejection of Saul.

List – Qualities God is looking for in a person/leader that is pleasing to him – the kinds of people he chooses to use for his purposes…

1. Pure Heart/Character

Chp. 15 – A man after God’s own heart. – Now why does God care so much about the king’s heart? Isn’t his leadership, fighting ability, and competency more important? We prioritize in leaders – Strength. Assertiveness. Ability to get things done. Intellect. Education. Communication. Resume. – But what about their character? Where does that fall on the list? Usually – Bottom. But God’s not so concerned with anything else but the heart…

Prov. 4:23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. 

Heart – center of our being. – the inward moral and spiritual life.  Thomas Cranmer / Andrew Katay – What the heart loves, the will chooses, the mind justifies, the body does, and the guts feel good about. The heart leads everything else.

God – This is all I need to accomplish everything I need. – A heart that is pure and loves me above all else. 

The heart/character is more important than anything else – skill, gifting, wisdom, hard work. Yes, develop these things too. But if you want to be used by God – see him do amazing things in your life and through you – Develop your heart. The number one important factor and determinant of God choosing to use you. 

Do you care more about what others see and think about you and their attention than what God sees and thinks of you? PJD – What do you spend more time on? The external or the internal? We often put so much emphasis and value on the external. External – Hair, skin, makeup, clothes, shoes. We often judge the person that cares nothing about the external – slob. (Don’t care nothing at all. – Brush your teeth. Shower – Multiple times cause it’s hot in KL. – Love your neighbor.) But the person that cares only about the external – vain. They’re fighting a losing battle. Everything is going downhill. After like 25-30yrs old. There’s no stopping it.

What about – Internal – How much? – Not so much. Less public – Easier to hide. But more important. What would your exterior look like if you spent as much time on it as the internal? Pretty ugly/messed up. What would the internal look like if you spent as much time as on the external? Beautiful. You’d be an amazing person. The kind of person people are attracted to and want to be around.

If you want to be a good friend, spouse, parent, person? Work on your heart. There’s nothing more important/fruitful you can do. And when you’re evaluating people – like a prospective spouse – Heart first. – Save yourself a lot of heartache later on.

And that’s what God saves his people from with Eliab – God – Nope. Not him. If you trace Eliab’s story – arrogant, critical, untrusting of God. Sure, he was a man’s man. But he didn’t have the right heart to lead God’s people well. Keep going…

⁸ Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” ⁹ Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” ¹⁰ And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. 

So from most likely to be king externally to the least likely, one by one Samuel eliminates Jesse’s seven sons. And with each subsequent son, it’s looking less and less good. 

And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” ¹¹ Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” 

So Jesse either forgot he had another son or even worse – didn’t even bother to bring all his sons – What’s that tell us about the youngest? That he wasn’t even invited to the party. We’re on son #8. He couldn’t be that impressive.

Jesse/Brothers – What are they thinking at this point? Confused. There has to be some kind of mistake. Right? Because the only one left was the…

Youngest – Small/Insignificant in quantity and quality. You don’t matter in the picture. You’re forgotten. No one realizes if you’re missing at the dinner party.

AND Shepherd – Outcast. Lowliest. No one wanted to be one and no one wanted to be around one.

And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” ¹² And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” ¹³ Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

We finally get to know his name – David. God could’ve just said from the start – Go look for David… Would’ve saved a lot of time. But God was making a point.

2. Ordinary/Unimpressive – in the eyes of the world.

David is maybe 15yrs old. Ruddy – Red Hair or Runt. Beautiful Eyes – Not exactly the first attribute you’d want in a king. As a man – not what you want to be known for. Yeah I have beautiful eyes. I’ve never heard any guy say that before. – Physique, Intellect, Power, Wealth. And he’s handsome = He’s a pretty boy. (KPOP Boy Band) – Not who you’d pick to be king – The one who is going to lead the people into battle. You want the guy who’s got big muscles, tattoos, scars, and looks scary. 

He’s the least likely choice even amongst his brothers. Ever – Remember – You’re the last one to get picked on the playground. – Pick up bball in elementary school. No one thought I could play – Asian – so I’d always get picked last. Jeremy Lin of Southwest Elementary School – Crazy. Again and again. Now if it was an academic group project – I was always first. Everyone would fight over me.

Bunch of guys in here probably thinking – David sounds like a wimp. – I’m manlier. I think I’d make a better king. – Man throughout history – Has always gravitated towards and favored the strong, the popular, the good looking, the rich, the powerful, etc. 

Prov. 14:12 – There is a way that seems right to man, but its end is the way to death.

God consistently chooses the least likely – the ordinary – the unimpressive. 

So if you don’t feel like you’re all that important. There’s nothing that makes you stand out or special. You’d say you’re below average. No skills or talents to really speak of. You’ve never been the best at anything. You’ve never won an award. Your resume is unimpressive.  (My most recent resume – This is awesome! It doesn’t sound like you at all!) YOU are the most likely candidate for God to use. The person who is nothing, no one, is the best instrument in God’s hands.

Saul tried to be the man. He tried to be someone. That’s why he failed. But David was a nobody. And that’s who God likes to use and build up.

Pastor Friend – Peter – Lots of people love you and think you’re great and are excited about you moving to KL cause God’s going to do great things. But – You’re not all that impressive. God can do what he wants with whomever he wants. He doesn’t need you. God is more concerned with what he’s doing in you – in your heart – than what he can do through you. And if you embrace that, you can expect him to do all the great things.

So why David? – It definitely couldn’t have been because he’s awesome. – To make his power known. So that we don’t trust in man but in God!

So even with David – It was never even about David, ultimately. The people’s trust wasn’t supposed to be in him but in God, the true king. 

3. Filled with the Spirit of God

God doesn’t use anyone because they’re perfect or somebody. He uses empty vessels. Those with weaknesses…

Weakness – Opening, Opportunity, Invitation – For God’s power to fill all the gaps. Common Christian Saying – God only calls you to what you’re ready for and what you can take on. You’ve got what it takes. Dig deeper. – That’s absolutely not true. He puts you in positions and calls you to things you are terribly unqualified or unready for – And he equips you with his power and gives you everything you need for his calling. – So he gets all the glory and not man. So no one says, look how awesome I am. But – Look at God and all he did. It’s clearly not me.

This is the differentiator – God’s presence/anointing. David – Ps. 51 – Please don’t take your Spirit from me. Apart from him, we can do nothing. We are nothing. We are no one.

Key – David/You – He could be filled with the Spirit of God because he wasn’t full of himself – his plans, his dreams, his timing, himself – thinking he is something or someone. If you think you’re all that, you’ve already arrived, there’s no room for God to work in your life. You can’t be full of the Spirit if you are full of yourself. Empty to be filled.

4. Patience/Trust in God’s promises.

Between vvs. 13 and 14 – LONG BLANK SPACE – Years. David doesn’t go straight to the royal palace after being anointed king. Where’s he go? Back to the pasture. Back to being a shepherd.

Did God forget about him? No. Why anoint him so early if he’s going to have to wait for years? 15+ yrs until he’s actually king. That would drive most of us crazy. To know and have to wait. But David trusted that the one who called him would bring it to completion. He didn’t have to force things or try to make it happen on his own. God used the…

Pasture For Preparation. (Pastor Chuck Swindoll)

–Obscurity – No one knows who he is. Out in the pasture. And no one is missing him or looking for him.

–Monotony – Just keeping the sheep. Same thing every day. Stupid sheep. Putting his life at risk for some dumb animals.

–Reality – David wasn’t living the dream in an oasis. It was hot, hard, dangerous. Every day was a fight for life.

Training – Courage. Fighting wild animals. Skill – Slingshot/Harp. Trust in God. Dependence on God. Communion with God.

Encourage you – If your life seems boring – That God’s not up to anything in your life – He may just have you in a season where you’re in the pasture. Where he’s developing you. 

Student – Why does this subject even matter in life? Study.

Mom – Same never ending messes and laundry.

Working Professional – What difference am I making? What’s my work even matter?

Don’t neglect faithfulness in the small mundane things. Where God forms you. Your character. Prepares you. So don’t despise where God has you. Don’t waste it. Be faithful. Be intentional. Faithfulness in the small – power in the big. (PJD) 

¹⁴ Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him. ¹⁵ And Saul’s servants said to him, “Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you. ¹⁶ Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.” ¹⁷ So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me a man who can play well and bring him to me.” ¹⁸ One of the young men answered, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him.” 

Now David – after many years of preparation in the pasture – sounds more like a king. God has formed these things in him in the pasture. But still the most important thing about him – The Lord is with him.

(Someone with the presence of God to bless and care for one doesn’t/who lost it. – X Time.)

They have to go looking for David in the pasture…

¹⁹ Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.” ²⁰ And Jesse took a donkey laden with bread and a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them by David his son to Saul. ²¹ And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. ²² And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.” ²³ And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.

David – Anointed as king but spends years and years in the pasture. And then is finally called to the palace where he belongs, but not to rule. Instead, he’s called into service of the man who is still king as his servant. – David is anointed as king and he gets summoned to the king’s quarters that he is to rightfully occupy. The throne is his. But he doesn’t take what’s rightfully his…

5. Humility/Service

NOT – I’m the new king. I’m not serving. This is beneath me. I’ve done my time. I’ve put in the work. It’s my time now. – I’m fine being in the pasture. I’m fine being a servant. 

Is that how you view yourself? – I’m willing to put others’ needs before my own. There’s nothing I’m not willing to do to serve others.

God uses the humble. He opposes the proud. Jesus – If you want to be great, serve others. The way up is down.

TK – Humility – Not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less. – Your mind is occupied with thoughts of God and others. – Trust – God is going to take care of you. He’s got you.

As we get to the end of the list – Should be concerning to all of us. Because how many of these things can we honestly say we are? Maybe just one – ordinary. Who can say I am the kind of person God delights in? I’m the kind of person God would choose to lead others? I have what it takes for God to use me.

Our hearts? – Not pure. Divided at best. No matter how hard we try to become better on our own, we can’t/don’t. Filled with the Spirit? – More full of myself. Patient/Trust? – Impatient. I trust what I can control and do for myself. Humility/Service? – I know I’m better than other people. And I’d rather be served than serve. Problem – If these are the things God is looking for. How could we ever please God? How could he ever delight in us? Choose to use us?

Conclusion/Gospel: Not primarily about David – Not about how we can be like him and make ourselves lovable and acceptable to God. 

Pointing to another king. Many generations later, another king would be found in Bethlehem. Normal ordinary guy – Carpenter. Not much to look at that man would be impressed. Plain. Underwhelming in the eyes of man. 

“Anointed” – 1Sam. 16 – “Messiah” – Anointed by the Spirit. – Baptism. – You are my beloved Son in whom I’m well pleased. Afterwards – Wouldn’t go straight to the throne even though it was his rightful place. Straight into the wilderness to be tempted. He used his kingship to serve us – he humbled himself, made himself lowly and became a servant. As the Good Shepherd, he laid down his life for his sheep – for us – as he went to the cross to save us. So that you and I could become beloved sons and daughters of God. 

Jesus is the true King. God’s Chosen One – Jesus – Heart – Loved God perfectly, Filled with Spirit, Humility, Servant, Complete trust in God and his plans. 

By trading places with us – He makes us – the unqualified, the unlovely, the wicked, the proud, like him. – So we now have a new heart that loves God. We now are filled with the Spirit to trust God and to serve him with humility.

Not about us changing ourselves. Trying harder. – It is allowing him to change us to be more like him. 

Even when you don’t feel it, even when you don’t see it – pasture. God is working. He’s not forgotten or forsaken you. Loves you too much for that. – Trust him. He’s working something in you and he desires to do something through you.

Don’t look for salvation in the wrong places. It’s not where you think it’s found. Where the world tells you it’s found. Jesus. – Humble yourself. Repent – He will save you.