“The Measure of a Man”
1 Samuel 16:1-13
1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
I. The Prophet’s Mission
a. His dejection of the prophet
b. His directive to the prophet
c. His duty of the prophet
II. The Prophet’s Mistake
a. His evaluation v. 6 tells us that Samuel “looked” at Eliab; that is he sized him up, he looked him over and assumed that this man was the one. He thought “surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” Eliab was a soldier in Saul’s army, probably very similar to the king in physical stature. Remember that Saul was “head and shoulders” taller than his peers.
b. His education v. 7 God corrects the prophet immediately. “Don’t look at his height or his countenance the Lord says. I have refused him. For the Lord seeth not as man seeth: for man looketh on the outward appearance, but God looketh on the heart.”
How many of you have heard the anecdote “You can’t judge a book by its cover?”
THE HEART IN SCRIPTURE
“Heart is used in Scripture as the most comprehensive term for the authentic person. It is the part of our being where we desire, deliberate, and decide. It has been described as "the place of conscious and decisive spiritual activity," "the comprehensive term for a person as a whole; his feelings, desires, passions, thought, understanding and will," and "the center of a person. The place to which God turns."
(Fan The Flame, J. Stowell, Moody, 1986, p. 13 — 10,000 Sermon Illustrations)
c. His elimination vs 8-10a One by one the sons of Jesse appear and each one is dismissed by Samuel.
1 Chron 2:13 And Jesse begat his firstborn Eliab, and Abinadab the second, and Shimma the third, 14 Nethaneel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, 15 Ozem the sixth, David the seventh: 16Whose sisters were Zeruiah, and Abigail.
“When God measures a man He doesn’t measure his height, his head, or his hands. God measures the heart! Not his stature, or his smarts or how successful he has been. God measures how spiritual you are!”
III. The Prophet’s Measure
a. The Sovereign’s choice v. 12 “And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him; for this is he”
b. The sanctified choice v. 13
Anointing oil, mentioned 20 times in Scripture, was used in the Old Testament for pouring on the head of the high priest and his descendants and sprinkling the tabernacle and its furnishings to mark them as holy and set apart to the Lord (Exodus 25:6; Leviticus 8:30; Numbers 4:16). Three times it is called the "holy, anointing oil," and the Jews were strictly forbidden from reproducing it for personal use (Exodus 30:32-33). The recipe for anointing oil is found in Exodus 30:23-24; it contained myrrh, cinnamon and other natural ingredients. There is no indication that the oil or the ingredients had any supernatural power. Rather, the strictness of the guidelines for creating the oil was a test of the obedience of the Israelites and a demonstration of the absolute holiness of God. www.gotquestions.org
c. The spiritual choice v. 13b
“…the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward…”
The ultimate evidence and confirmation of God’s choice was the Holy Spirit’s presence.
Application: What can we learn from this truth from the selection of David to be the second king over Israel?
a. The single most important thing that any man can do is to “give” his heart to God. If you haven’t done that then nothing else really matters.
THE HEART
We say "I give you my heart..." Maybe we should say, "God, give me Your heart." Let my heart beat with the heartbeat of God...Let my heart be broken by what breaks his heart..." God is chasing you...will you come to Him?
You need a heart transplant - He wants to give you His heart! Let him wrap his loving arms around you and give you His heart.
Pro 23:26 My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
b. Second, you need to “guide” your heart by God’s Word.
Psa 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
2 Ti_2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
c. Third, “guard” your heart. Keep close accounts with the Lord.
"The neglected heart will soon be a heart overrun with worldly thoughts; the neglected life will soon become a moral chaos; the church that is not jealously protected by mighty intercession and sacrificial labors will before long become the abode of every evil bird and the hiding place for unsuspected corruption. The creeping wilderness will soon take over that heart that trusts in its own strength and forgets to watch and pray."
Tozer, A.W.
Pro 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
d. Finally, “grow” your heart by allowing the Holy Spirit to produce fruit in your life.
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Review: Have you given your heart to God? Do you know Him personally? Are you allowing Him to guide your heart through His Word? Do you have a devotional time where you read and study God’s Word? Do you guard your heart and keep close accounts with God? How’s your prayer life? Do you have any unconfessed sin? Finally, are you allowing the Holy Spirit to grow the fruits of the Spirit in your life?
