Samuel was seeking a replacement for King Saul who had disappointed him. Samuel did his best to make Saul’s administration successful, but Saul failed and had to be replaced by God’s order.
1 Samuel 16:1 – “And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.”
Trying to find a replacement brought Samuel to Bethlehem and finally the house of Jesse. God had instructed him that he would find the next King in Jesse’s house.
Jesse introduced Samuel to seven of his sons.
“The Lord has not chosen these” (16:10).
On the surface, everything looked like a failure. When Samuel inquired if there were any more sons Jesse indicated that the youngest son was out tending the sheep. It was highly unlikely that this was the man God was looking for.
“And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and with all of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he” (16:12).
The Lord’s instruction to Samuel before going to Jesse’s house was,
“Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his statue; because I have refused him: for the Lord see if not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh upon the heart” (16:7).
Samuel found God’s man hidden where nobody else would have found him. That seems to be God’s pattern.
We have a habit of judging people by outward appearances. Usually, our judgment is wrong.
One thing we need to keep in mind is that God’s kingdom is not measured by human standards. What seems to be okay from a human standpoint, fails miserably from God’s point of view.
We want to call the mighty and the great, but God usually calls the humble and meek.
The world’s judgment is exterior.
God’s judgment is always by the heart.
The power of God’s kingdom is living from within. Discovering the inner strength of our fellowship with God is the beginning of a marvelous journey.
What is a parable? A parable contains a truth concealed that only the Holy Spirit can reveal. The key to every parable is the illumination of the Holy Spirit in the receptive heart.
These two parables go together. As we look at them together, we begin to get an understanding of God’s kingdom and where we actually stand with Him.
There is a hidden capability but also a dangerous threat.
Let’s look at these two parables and then come to a personal application.
I. The Mustard Seed - Speaks of Potential (13:18-19)
“He said therefore, ‘What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.’”
This reveals to us the character of God’s kingdom. It cannot be evaluated by outward appearances.
Samuel was instructed not to look on the outward appearance but rather the heart.
Another illustration of this would be Samson. There was no outward explanation for Samson’s strength. When somebody looked at Samson, they could not understand where his strength came from. It was not obvious to human eyes.
So is the kingdom of God. The strength of God’s kingdom is not in outward appearances.
Notice how Jesus uses the grain of mustard seed to illustrate and explain our faith.
Luke 17:5-6 “And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.”
Although God’s kingdom has an inconspicuous beginning, according to man’s standards, it becomes great.
In the gospel of Mark, it sets it forth just a little bit differently.
Mark 4:30-32 “And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.”
As a Christian, my life has great potential but not according to the world’s standard. If I compare myself to the world and its standards, I am going to be rather disappointed and even discouraged. As I give myself to the Word of God, I begin to see what being a Christian is all about. As I grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, I begin to understand the potential that God has placed within me when I was born again.
My potential as a Christian is not in outward appearances but in the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. Here is where change versus transformation.
The parable of the mustard seed illustrates the mysterious growth of God’s kingdom from an insignificant beginning on the day of Pentecost.
II. Leaven - Speaks of Pollution (13:20-21)
“And again he said, ‘To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.’”
Even though it is God’s kingdom there is danger of pollution. The enemy of mansoul sees to that.
Leaven, as a symbolic or typical substance, is always mentioned in the Old Testament in an evil sense.
The use of the word in the New Testament explains its symbolic meaning. It is “malice and wickedness,” as contrasted with “sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:6-8).
It is also evil doctrine in its threefold form: Phariseeism, Sadduceeism, and Herodianism.
The leaven of the Pharisees was externalism in religion.
The leaven of the Sadducees was skepticism as to the supernatural and as to the Scriptures.
The leaven of Herodians was worldliness.
Jesus is cautioning us concerning pollution that is coming our way. Just because we are part of God’s kingdom does not mean we are exempt from spiritual pollution.
Some have the idea that because they are a Christian they do not have to worry about anything. That is where we get into trouble.
We need to face up to the fact that there is great danger that our Christian life will become polluted in…
Externalism in our religion.
Skepticism toward the supernatural and the Scriptures.
Worldliness.
What can we do?
III. The Application
Let me try to lay this out as practically and as simply as I possibly can. This applies to all of us. To all Christians everywhere.
Let me begin with Scripture.
Psalms 119:9 “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.”
The word “cleanse” means to be translucent, to be innocent, to count as pure.
So the question is, how can we be pure in the face of the pollution we have to face?
The answer of course is, cleansing.
What is the essence of spiritual cleansing?
Let me break it down for you by using an acronym: SOAP.
We all know that we need to wash ourselves often, especially before we sit down to eat. You know how your mother got on you about washing your hands before you eat.
Washing is a continuous process. It is not something you do once and then never have to do it again.
And so it is in the spiritual realm. We need daily cleansing. So let me break it down for you by explaining to you what I mean by SOAP.
The Discipline of Spiritual Cleansing. This is our personal responsibility.
S = Search the Scriptures daily.
O = Obey the Scriptures fully.
A = Apply the Scriptures to specific situations.
P = Pursue God in the Scriptures until you find Him.
S = Searching the Scriptures daily is absolutely essential if I am to keep my heart and life clean before the Lord. Remember, I am not to please the people around me, not even my family, but God.
O = Obedience is a crucial aspect to keep myself clean before God. Any act of disobedience pollutes my relationship with God. Obedience lenses the pollution from my soul. Find something in the Scriptures today to obey.
A = Applying the Scriptures to specific situations is critical in my going forward in my Christian life. The word of God is not just great literature but rather it is the pathway of victory in every aspect of my life. What Scripture are you claiming today for a particular area of your life? Learn how to pray the Scriptures.
P = Pursuing God is the absolute essential as I come to the word of God. “Beyond the sacred page, I seek Thee Lord.” I have not really read the Bible until I have encountered the God of the Bible. (Jeremiah 29:13). More at home in God’s presence than anywhere else.
Are you keeping up with your spiritual cleansing?
My life should be more in line with the Scriptures today than it was a week ago, a month ago, a year ago. Every day of my life, I am doing something to align myself with the Word of God. If there is anything in my life that is out of sync with God’s word, I am vulnerable to pollution.
Spiritual cleansing is a perpetual discipline for the serious minded Christian.
It is the “little” things that make the difference in life. It is the “little David” in your life that God has chosen to channel His blessing.
