A Nobody, Nobody Noticed Series

"A NOBODY, NOBODY NOTICED"

1 SAMUEL 16:1-13

INTRODUCTION TO SERIES:

At the end of each calendar year USA Today, CNN and The Gallup organization ask the question: “Who are your heroes?” -Or- “Name the people you most admire.” Here’s the top ten results from last year.: #1- George W. Bush (dominating with 39% -highest ever) 2-Laura Bush; 3-Hillary Clinton; 4- Oprah Winfrey; 5- Colin Powell; 6- Rudy Giuliani; 7- Pope John Paul II; 8-Tony Blair 9-Michael Jordan; and 10-Madonna. Steven Hess an expert on public opinion polls had an interesting take on last years results. He said, “Our heroes today can be our goats tomorrow. President Bush’s dominance in the 2001 poll is obviously because of the way he handled the Sept.11 crisis. But what is admired this year may not be next. Next year something else may be on our minds.” Reading that I thought, “Is that the way we choose our heroes? Our role models? Do we choose them based on a “what have you done for me lately” philosophy?” I hope not because I really believe that this is a day and time when we need authentic heroes, people who model for us, not just what’s “hot” or popular at the time but show us over time, values that last, who demonstrate for us what God wants us to be in life.

I need your help for a second. Would all of you free your right hand and hold it up. Now, make it into a fist, now bring it up to your cheek. (Mine come to my chin - most will follow my example) I said your cheek... You see we follow an example a lot quicker than instruction. And oh, how we need people who will be legitimate examples, worthy of following. That is one of the real values of studying the great characters of the Bible. The Scriptures do not gloss over their errors, the Bible doesn’t pretend that the heroes are perfect. Their failures are very openly and honestly documented. But it is a tremendous inspiration to see how God takes very imperfect people, who are totally committed to Him and uses them in a great way.

So, I’m excited to begin today a biographical study of the life of David. He is called "A man after God’s own heart." There is more written about David than any other character in all the O.T. Abraham has 14 chapters, Joseph 13, Jacob 11, Moses 40.. but there are 66 chapters in the O.T. given over to the life of David. In fact, there are 57 N.T. references to him. He was the youngest son of Jesse, a shepherd lad of Bethlehem, a Giant killer, a composer of Psalms, the greatest King Israel has ever known. Yet maybe what draws many of us to him is the fact that he isn’t a polished-marble personality but he is blood and bone and breath, a man who shares our struggles of spirit and soul. For although he is a man of glorious triumphs he is also a man with some great tragedy in his life. And because he struggled in life, we can gain help for our struggles. We’ll study David as he wrestles with success, discouragement, sexual temptation, parenthood, to mention just a few. And from his life I believe we can gain “A Strength for our Struggles.” (PRAY)

INTRODUCTION OF SERMON:

I want us to begin by looking at David’s being chosen King and see a nobody, nobody noticed, except for God. Everyone wants and needs to feel significant. But the important issue is what priorities and values do we set to establish that significance? Who do you want to impress and who impresses you? Well, to help us get God’s perspective on this struggle let’s begin this series by looking at God’s choosing of David. For in that choice are some character qualities that made David a man noticed by God. And those are the ones worth living by.

I. THE SETTING AND THE SEARCH OF DAVID:

First, I want to lay a foundation for you so that you can clearly understand why God needed to make David King. You see, Israel had a King, his name was Saul, so why was David chosen? Well, to answer that you’ve got to go back about 40 years to 1 Samuel the 8th chapter. The people of Israel during this time were as one writer puts it, "on a long drift from God." Finally, they got to the place where they demanded a King. They were no longer satisfied with God being their ruler through a prophet, in this case a man named Samuel, and so they requested an earthly King. 1 Samuel 8:1-5 - “As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel.. But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice. Finally, the leaders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. ‘Look,’ they told him, ‘you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king like all the other nations have.’” (NLT)