Man After Gods Own Heart

Let us pray

I was reading an article in a business magazine saying that MEN go to great lengths to add a 1-3 inches in height and when I mean great lengths, imagine enduring unimaginable pain of cutting stretching and growing bone cells right down in our shin bone just to get a few inches of height. Plastic surgery, alterations and even body sculpting procedures are now very prevalent for men as well. Outward appearance and the way other perceive us based on our looks has become all to common now a days and unfortunately, although the outside appearance has been changed to something supposedly good and perfect, the inner character, the inner being remains the same or worst – the inside is rotten and lost.

WE are going to dissect 1 Samuel 16-17 in 3 parts:

• 1 Sam 16:1-13 – The Anointing of David

• 1 Sam 16:14-23 – The Gift of David

• 1 Sam 17 – The Courage of David

Our chapter opens in verse 1 with a question for God to Samuel, how long will you mourn for Saul since I have rejected him as king over Israel? This shows us how compassionate our Father God is, giving time for his obedient servant Samuel to grieve. Yes, there is time to grieve, time to mourn but it’s now time to move on. So He tells Samuel “Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

Probably nodding his head with this new instruction, Samuel picks himself up but then stops and realizes that although his heart mourns for Saul, Saul on the other hand must be in an unhealthy mental state, I mean with the news of rejection, he was so full of himself that anything who will robe him of his kingdom will be in danger and so Samuel posed the question to GOD - “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.” Samuel knew that en-route to Bethlehem, he will be passing through Gibeah, Saul’s town as we can see in our map here. Nonetheless, Samuel wants to obey and he opens up this life threatening concern to God.

Brothers, here’s another reminder for us, that when we are faced with danger especially when doing Gods work, we turn to him for instructions because he answers, he has all the solutions! Despite the risks involved, Our willingness to obey is matched by Gods wisdom and faithfulness. He will guide us when we ask him for help!

God says - “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.”

So Gods assuring solution gets Samuel going and when he arrives at Bethlehem, “the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace? ” to which Samuel replied yes.

It seems like Samuel was a stern and strict Judge and Prophet probably rebuking a lot of people and so some of them might have been scarred seeing Samuel coming. He tells the elders to consecrate themselves and get ready for sacrifice. He then consecrates Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

If you can recall JESSE is the grandson of RUTH and BOAZ. Jesse is from the tribe of Judah in which by prophesy, the True King of Israel would arise. Jesse had 8 children and when Samuel saw the first son of Jesse named Eliab, he thought, this must be the one. Take note, that Samuel was just thinking about it – and immediately God tells him in verse 7 - “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Samuel was probably looking for another “tall, dark and handsome guy” just like Saul. But God looks at the heart. Why is the heart so important to God? Why did God say, I have identified a new king after my own heart? IN Hebrew, The "Heart" - lebab/leb [b'bel], on Greekk - kardia - occurs over one thousand times in the Bible, making it the most common anthropological term in the Scripture. the heart (lev or levav) is the center of human thought and spiritual life.

We tend to think that the heart refers mainly to our emotions, but in Hebrew it also refers to one's mind and thoughts as well.

So when Jesse sensed that Samuel was not moved, he called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel but Samuel said no, not this one. Jesse then had his 3rd son Shammah pass by but Samuel also didn’t chose him nor the 4 other sons of Jesse. Samuel was puzzled, none of the sons were chosen by God so he asked Jesse in Verse 11 – are these all the sons you have? Jesse answered – there is still the youngest tending the sheep. Samuel asked that he be brought to him and when David arrived, the Lord told Samuel - “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”