7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “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.” (1 Sam. 16 - NIV)
The Big Idea: God's Unexpected Journey starts in the heart.
Have you ever heard someone say, "I don't mean to complain, but...OK, actually, I do"?1 We all do it. In fact, society has a euphemism for this type of activity - venting one's spleen. Come on medical world friends, what does "venting one's spleen” have to do with complaining?
The spleen's primary function is to serve as a filter. Like a colander, gas filter or coffee filter, the spleen stops unwanted debris from passing. So, venting one's spleen is simply to throw back unwanted debris. Gross!
This is the world we live in; people will vent unwanted debris about anything. Ever feel frustrated? Do you want to vent? Those who vent come in all shapes, sizes and perspectives. Go ahead and raise a ruckus and vent your spleen in the name of medical science. These friends did.
With all the money that one spends on vacations, you would think that asking for perfection is OK, right? These travelers thought so:
• “On my holiday to India, I was disgusted to find that almost every restaurant served curry. I don’t like spicy food at all.”
• Following a trip to a well-known theme park on a hot day, a woman complained that the sun had melted her ice cream before she could enjoy it.
• One frustrated mom complained to the airline that the presence of so many clouds in the sky ruined her kids' game of “I Spy.”
With all the money that one spends in restaurants, you would think that asking for perfection is OK, right? These customers thought so:
• “What they lack in quality, the make up for with butter.”
• “Only the flies on our table enjoyed the meal.”
• “[The chef’s] food tastes better on TV.”
With all the sacrifices that parents and relatives make, you would think a little thanks would be in order. When a frustrated grandmother received no thank you note from her granddaughter for an expensive graduation gift, she wrote it herself and mailed it to the unappreciative grandchild:
Dear Grandma,
What a thoughtful gift. Clearly you put your heart, soul and wallet into a gift that I will treasure forever. Thanks for your generosity.
Love your granddaughter,
Tina
With the uncertainty of the housing market, you would think lending institutions would be listening to their customers better:
• Warren Nyerges paid cash for a house in Naples, Florida. So naturally, he was surprised when the bank foreclosed on his home. To settle the dispute with Bank of America, Warren hired a lawyer. The case was settled, but the bank still refused to pay the legal fees of Mr. Nyerges.
This prompted Mr. Nyerges to bring in his lawyer, who arrived at the bank with a sheriff. The intent was to seize the bank’s furniture, money and computers to settle the value of the claim. As the moving truck sat outside, the bank manager quickly wrote Warren a check for the legal fees.
With all the work that churches put into providing can't-miss experiences, you would think a little wiggle room – or grace, if you will – would be given:
• For those who get up and move around during church, the next time that happens, your cell phone will announce your weight.
• I found this one on a sign in an antique store: “Kids left behind after church will be given espresso and a puppy.”
No person in scripture penned more complaints about the state of Israel's affairs, about the state of his own affairs – personal and private – than David. Credited with more than 70 Psalms, David tells us his story and, in doing so, often vents his spleen.
1 How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me? (Psalm 13 – NIV)
1 Hear me, O God, as I voice my complaint; protect my life from the threat of the enemy. (Psalm 64 – NIV)
So what is the answer to our problems, pains and people when we need to "vent our spleens"? Give voice to your complaint, but do not sin in the process. Paul reminds us that our souls are sometimes angry, but we should not sin in the process.
26 “In your anger do not sin.” (Ephesians 4 – NIV)
How do we do that? Trust God as you complain. Complain as you are trusting God. David is the gold standard for such an ambitious character trait:
11 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him
my Savior and my God. (Psalm 42 – NIV 1984)
Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Our next Old Testament biographer who gives us a glimpse of the Unexpected Journey is King David – complaints and all, trusting God and all. Wearing the most famous label in scripture, "He is a man after God's own heart," he clearly reveals insights about what it means to journey with God. And a heart journey at that.
Some will say, "This should be interesting." David's Unexpected Journey is anything but glorious and godly at times. David stumbled as often as he stood. One moment he was staring down Goliath, and the next he was staring down from his balcony at a scantily clad Bathsheba.
For the super-spiritual and religiously pious, David's life offers little instruction and inspiration. David defeated the enemy in the valley but later hid out with him in the wilderness, chumming with the mafia and fleeing from his own son's army. He was the “Sweet Singer of Israel,” author of God's word, giant-killer, Jonathan's best friend, husband of eight wives, guilty of abusing kingly power that resulted in adultery and murder, blood-thirsty and a man after God’s own heart. Riding the roller coaster of David's life is enough to cause even the most slightly squeamish believer to be dizzy.
David's highlights made the ESPN real nightly. In his worst moments, he was fodder for Leno and Letterman. The heart that loved God was a flawed heart. David was just good enough to make God's word as a "…man after my own heart." His heart was just bad enough for God to say that David’s missteps and misdeeds would be felt for generations to come by his offspring.
The Bible features 66 chapters about David's life. The Son of God was often referred to as the son of David. God looks at the heart, while man looks at the waist and wallet.
11 So he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?" “There is still the youngest," Jesse answered. "He is tending the sheep." Samuel said, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives." (1 Sam. 16 - NIV)
When God cast King Saul aside because of his lack of obedience to spiritual matters, God announced to the prophet Samuel that He had chosen another. Now when you already have a seated king, it is risky business to anoint another. It is even riskier to have at the helm a king who is self-centered. Samuel heard from God. He was on the road to Bethlehem to find the next king of Israel. What an unlikely place to find a leader, although, 1,000 years later another king would rise from the fields – a babe born in a manger.
Israel had a losing record for selecting kings. Since the days of the judges, Israel rested at the bottom of the spiritual standings, with no hope for post-season play.
25 In those days Israel did not have a king. All the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes. (Judges 21-NCV)
Like a lost and frozen climber in the Himalayas, the Hebrews wandered in a spiritual whiteout. Saul's leadership sunk the ship instead of saving it. With no clear direction, the Hebrews wandered in circles and hunkered in bunkers. They fled into the valleys. The Philistines threatened. The Amalakites raided. A low point came when Israel could not even gather enough weapons to fight.
22 So when the battle came, the soldiers with Saul and Jonathan had no swords or spears. Only Saul and his son Jonathan had them. (1 Samuel 13 – NIV)
What would prompt God to pick David? I want to know. We have all walked in David's path – an Unexpected Journey of exclusion. The tide is about to turn for Israel, for David and for you. Samuel finds the family that has the next King. Seven sons pass in front of Samuel. Seven sons fail. The process comes to a halt. Samuel asks Jesse in 1 Sam. 16:11: "Are these all the sons you have?" “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”
The Hebrew word for "youngest son" is haqqaton. Thank you, Hebrew lexicon. It suggests more than just "age." It includes the idea of rank or order. David was not just the last brother; he was the little brother, the runt, the hobbit.
David is out with the sheep; it doesn't take much skill there. Wandering with shaggy sheep, David was out in the pasture. The pasture of the overlooked. David was a haqqaton.
Haqqaton – What is it?
• It is being graded in life as a teacher's pet instead of recognized for tenacious preparation.
• It is being graded in life by exterior fads rather than interior faith.
• It is being graded in life by color rather than contribution.
• It is being graded in life by coolness instead of character.
Don't get caught up in that game. People, churches and families that insist on such scales of evaluation know nothing of how God looks at a person. He looks at the heart. As David is introduced to Samuel, the family saw a boy who needed a bath; a son that smelled like sheep; and a teenager stuck at the crossroads of boredom and obscurity.
What did God see? 12 …Then the Lord said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one.” (1 Sam 16 – NIV)
In front of his family, oil dripped down David's chin and the power of the Holy Spirit came upon him. There was no missing that God had arrived at Jesse's house. Like Pentecost, a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit enabled, filled, came upon, baptized and poured out God's purpose and power on David's life, even if David was flawed.
13 ...from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. (1 Sam. 16:13 – NIV)
God saw what no one else saw. He saw a heart after Him. He saw through the flaws. He saw through the temptation. He saw through the immaturity. What God saw was potential. God always deals in potential, not in our past. Believe it by faith. Act upon it with obedience. When God likes what He sees in a heart, He calls it. He claims it. He casts it out for his purpose.
Three landmark events in David's Unexpected Journey give us an explanation as to why David was selected and not one of his brothers.
1. The God who guides also provides.
9 When David learned that Saul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod.” 10 David said, “LORD, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. 11 Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? LORD, God of Israel, tell your servant.”
And the LORD said, “He will.” 12 Again David asked, “Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?”
And the LORD said, “They will.” 13 So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there. (1 Sam. 23 - NIV)
David makes it his practice to ask God what to do with his life. You should do the same. Finding the will of God for your life is the most important mission God has for you. Who has not wondered and wandered as you ask yourself, "What does God want me to do?”
David uses an interesting Old Testament method of determining God's will. The item is called an ephod. David puts on the priest’s vest and asks God for direction. God reveals what He should do. David does this on several other occasions, including the last chapter of 1 Sam 30:7-8.
So what is an ephod? How was it used to determine God's will? Can I get one at the local Christian bookstore? Pastor, do you have one in your office with all those antiques of yours?
The ephod's usage originated in the wilderness wanderings. Moses had the garment made according to God's standards in Exodus 28:6-14. It was given to Aaron for use. Like the Ark of the Covenant, it had special powers – especially the power of revelation. The ornate vest was made of expensive blue, purple and scarlet linen. The ephod was adorned with precious jewels and included two braided chains of pure gold, like rope.
There is no definitive understanding of how God revealed His will when the ephod was worn. Did the jewels light up? Did the wearer go into some type of spiritual trance as God spoke? Perhaps the gift of prophecy was activated upon wearing the vest.
While we are unsure of the means, we are certain of one thing – the importance. David would not move until God spoke. The God who guided David guides you. He guided David with the ephod. I sure could have used that ephod a few times in life. For sure it would have saved me some embarrassing moments.
I can get lost anywhere, anytime. I have gotten lost while someone was giving me directions on the phone as someone else sat in the passenger seat giving me GPS directions. I can't track a wild animal in fresh snow. I can look right at a bathroom sign and get confused, especially if it is in Spanish. I have made that mistake.
While staying in a hotel, I got off on the wrong floor and knocked on the door four floors below my room. You would think that I would have gotten the clue: do not disturb sign in the handle.
I have been at the wrong airport with my kids after a week of missions. I should have been in Los Angeles, but I was standing at the counter in San Diego.
I have entered the wrong hospital room more times than I can count. The good news is that I usually convert an embarrassing moment into prayer for the sick. By the way, hospitals in Wichita don't count against my lost/found ratio; they are always under construction.
My favorite lost illustration is going the wrong way down a one-way street. I love to smile and wave as I go by.
Birds head in the right direction each fall, why can't I? Most times I feel like Columbus, who did not know where he was going when he left, where he was when he arrived and where he had been when he returned. All of us scratch our heads and wonder, do I go left or right? What is true of travel is even truer of navigating God's will. God's most beloved servants have gotten off course:
• Jonah should have gone north to Nineveh, instead went west to Spain. He was heading 2,000 miles in the wrong direction.
• Abraham was told to go to the Promised Land, but he had no map.
• Joseph had no control of the caravan that headed deep into the bowels of Egypt. He just put one foot in front of the other in the desert sand.
If it is true that Old Testament illustrations have New Testament counterparts, then wouldn't the ephod remind us of the value of God's word? So you have a Bible, read it! The power of the Holy Spirit. So listen. To wise counsel. Seek it!
2. The God who reveals also prevails.
9 David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Valley, where some stayed behind. 10 Two hundred of them were too exhausted to cross the valley, but David and the other four hundred continued the pursuit.
11 They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat — 12 part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights. (1 Sam. 30 - NIV)
Remember, God uses His word, like the ephod, to guide us. God uses circumstances, like the half-dead Egyptian, to guide us. Don't feel bad if you have never heard of this story or of this place – Besor Valley. Most have not.
God is doing everything to help you win. David won the lotto with the discovery of the half-dead Egyptian in the field. Left to starve in the desert, he meant nothing to the Amalakites; he was the answer to prayer for the Israelites. God can and will use the most unlikely resource to move you along on your Unexpected Journey, to help you prevail. The problem is most fail to see God at work in the discarded aspects of life.
With a little love, some raisins and cakes, the Egyptian turns state’s evidence and leads David to the Egyptians. The battle is decisive. Women and children rescued. The enemy either hits the trail or bites the dust. Don't miss the loot that is left. In a matter of a few verses, David goes from being strung up to being hoisted up as the victor. God can get you anyplace and anywhere with decisive victory over the enemy.
Don't lose heart; the enemy is defeated. Don't get discouraged; the enemy is dethroned.
15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them triumphing over them by the cross. (Col. 2 – NIV)
3. The God who sets the pace gives the grace.
21 Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Valley. They came out to meet David and the men with him. As David and his men approached, he asked them how they were. 22 But all the evil men and troublemakers among David’s followers said, “Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go.”
23 David replied, “No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the LORD has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us. 24 Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.” 25 David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this. (1 Sam. 30 – NIV)
David dignifies their decision to stay. Those with grace find a way to validate and not tear down, "…the man who stayed with the supplies…." No risk there. David made some mistakes. He demonstrated amazing valor. At the Brook of Besor, where 200 men announced, "We be sore," instead of shame-based leadership, David found a way to value everyone on the team.
Come on leaders, take a stand for grace. Announce to those who have small-minded thinking and narrow-minded convictions that this is God's approach - all of us need a season to recover our strength from battle. Few things undermine that more than judgmental people who question motives. Stop passing judgment on the tired, broken and depressed.
While others claim victory, many sit in silence. None of us can really take any credit for anything; Christ alone has done it all.
10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5 – NIV)
End Notes
Simmons, Andy. "The Funny Art of Complaining." Reader’s Digest. May 2013: Pg. 122-127. Print.
