Sermon Title: If you’re picked
Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 15:34 - 16:13
Background:
-Saul was told by God to destroy everything the Amalekits had.
I Samuel 15: 7 Then Saul slaughtered the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur, east of Egypt. 8 He captured Agag, the Amalekite king, but completely destroyed everyone else. 9 Saul and his men spared Agag’s life and kept the best of the sheep and goats, the cattle, the fat calves, and the lambs—everything, in fact, that appealed to them. They destroyed only what was worthless or of poor quality.
*After he captured Agag he killed everyone else but… he and his tribal leaders kept all the good animals for themselves and got caught by when God lead Samuel to where they were holding them.
10 Then the Lord said to Samuel, 11 “I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to me and has refused to obey my command.” Samuel was so deeply moved when he heard this that he cried out to the Lord all night.
*Note: The people picked Saul to be King. He was a tall impressive man. He didn't really want to be King. He actually went and hide and they had to go get find him. But because the people wanted him so bad God allowed him to become king.
12 Early the next morning Samuel went to find Saul. Someone told him, “Saul went to the town of Carmel to set up a monument to himself; then he went on to Gilgal.”
*Note: Saul didn't do what God told him to do with the Amalekits. Now he was setting up a monument to himself.
Now hear the reading of God’s Word:
Scripture Text:
1 Samuel 15:34–16:13 NLT
Chapter 15
34 Then Samuel went home to Ramah, and Saul returned to his house at Gibeah of Saul. 35 Samuel never went to meet with Saul again, but he mourned constantly for him. And the Lord was sorry he had ever made Saul king of Israel.
*Note: Would you think the LORD would be sorry for anything since he knows everything from the beginning to the end. How can we explain this?
*Most thinks its because the LORD communicates in a way we can understand. (Try explaining to a 6 year old how to make a quilt. I tied it once and they had to take all my work out when I left.)
*Isaiah 55:9 NLT
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
Chapter 16
1. Now the Lord said to Samuel, “You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.”
2 But Samuel asked, “How can I do that? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.” “Take a heifer with you,” the Lord replied, “and say that you have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord. 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you which of his sons to anoint for me.”
*Note: Two things happened here. Samuel was afraid. So he says Saul will kill me if I go there to make someone else king.
*Saul started asking questions before the LORD finished telling him what to do. So lets wait and hear the LORD out before we start questioning Him.
**My question was always why didn't the LORD just say go and anoint David King and have it over.
-
4 So Samuel did as the Lord instructed. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town came trembling to meet him. “What’s wrong?” they asked. “Do you come in peace?”
5 “Yes,” Samuel replied. “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then Samuel performed the purification rite for Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice, too.
6 When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!”
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
8 Then Jesse told his son Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “This is not the one the Lord has chosen.” 9 Next Jesse summoned Shimea,* but Samuel said, “Neither is this the one the Lord has chosen.” 10 In the same way all seven of Jesse’s sons were presented to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” 11 Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?”
“There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.”
“Send for him at once,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.”
12 So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes.
And the Lord said, “This is the one; anoint him.”
13 So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.
Summation:
Saul really got too much into himself and didn't worry about the LORD and just did his own thing. The LORD ended that for good.
Eliab was a sturdy, handsome and impressive man but the LORD didn't pick him. But if you notice David was an impressive man himself. We see David was was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes.
A lot of the time because of the work and circumstances many see David as a young boy of around 13 or 14 years old. Today most Bible scholars tells us he was probably in his early to mid 20’s when this happened.
So what is this all about? Saul didn't really know who the LORD was and had no respect for Him so he did what he wanted to do. Then the LORD did what he wanted to do and “fired” him for all time.
The Lord made a big deal about making David the King before it would become real. Why?
The LORD had a sacrifice offered, a big ceremony about who was going to be picked. He had all the leaders in the town present. He had Samuel use a whole flask of oil to anoint David; this isn't a small amount.
Israel was a tribal society. David, as hard as he tried, could never bring then into one society. The wonderful ceremony would filter out into every tribe over time. Probably really fast given the times they lived. The LORD was even at work here in lives of the times.
The LORD will allow us to make mistakes. But our heart has to be right. We have to have a talk with Him. He will forgive us. But if like Saul we have no respect or care about the LORD he will cut us down.
THE LORD PICKED DAVID because he knew him. The Lord picked David because his heart was right. The LORD paved the way from the very beginning for all that would happen to David in his life.
The LORD picked Saul and He picked David but what if God picked you for a special purpose?
