GOD SEES THE HEART (Lent, March 19, 2023)
Text: 1 Samuel 16:1-13
1 Samuel 16:1-13 The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." (2) Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' (3) Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you." (4) Samuel did what the LORD commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" (5) He said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. (6) When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed is now before the LORD." (7) But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." (8) Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." (9) Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." (10) Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen any of these." (11) Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here." (12) He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one." (13) Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.
When we make choices, we tend to go for the eye-candy factor and make choices based on appearances. God always looks at what is inside the person’s heart, where we look at their appearance. God’s children took the eye candy view of having a king like all the other nations of the world when God had called them to be His chosen people.
A quick lesson in Old Testament history will tell us that God did not think that mimicking other nations by having an earthly king was such a good idea. God had been their king in what was known as theocracy where God is king and now they wanted to change that to a monarchy. Daniel Webster defined a monarchy like this: A state or government in which the supreme power is lodged in the hands of a single person. (Webster's Dictionary of American English 1868). Like children who thought they knew it all, God our Heavenly Father knows what is best for us. The people insisted on a king. God gave them one. Now you have heard the wisdom of caution many times: “Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it”. When they got what they asked for which came against the grain of God’s warning, they learned why hindsight is as they say is “20/20”. Saul was Israel’s first king whom God rejected. Today we want to talk about God’s agent and God’s choice.
GOD’S AGENT
Who is God’s agent in today’s text?
1) Amnesia The obvious answer is Samuel. Samuel told an assembly at Mizpah that was asking for a king was not a good thing because it was rejecting God who had delivered the from Egyptian bondage (1 Samuel 10: 18- 19)! The people chose Saul to be their king but as time would tell the decision to make Saul a king was not
2) Adamant: They were warned about what having a king would do. A king would make their sons warriors in a military, farmer, weapon manufacturers. Daughter would become perfumers, cooks and bakers. A king will take from you best of things and give it to his courtiers. A king would take the best of the best of everything. Yet, they still insisted that they wanted a king so that they could be like other nations (1 Samuel 8:10 - 20 paraphrased).
3) God’s deference: a) Private anointing: God had instructed Samuel to anoint Saul as a leader or as the KJV says “captain” (I Samuel 9:16). God approved Saul to govern God’s people (I Samuel 9:17). b) Pubic announcement: 1 Samuel 12:11- 13 And the LORD sent Jerubbaal and Barak, and Jephthah, and Samson, and rescued you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you lived in safety. (12) But when you saw that King Nahash of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, 'No, but a king shall reign over us,' though the LORD your God was your king. (13) ”See, here is the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; see, the LORD has set a king over you” (1 Samuel 12:13 NRSV). c) God’s regret:” Later, we hear God say “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the LORD all night.(I Samuel 15:11 ESV)
4) Covenant people: God chose them to be “a covenant to the people” (Isaiah 42:6). Isaiah says that God’s children were called to be a light to the nations twice (Isaiah 42:6 and Isaiah 49:6) and a light to the nations so that natio9ns would come to the light (Isaiah 60:3). He wanted them to be a light to other nations not a copy cat of other nations!
5) Pink slip: Saul had wonderful opportunity as a king to be a masterpiece for God but what happened was the opposite. He became a master of disaster. Saul blew his chances for success as well as great opportunities for further success. His lack of appropriate leadership caused a crisis. The crisis was bad enough that change was needed. As someone put it “The crisis requires Israel’s power and destiny to be reorganized around new leadership in the person of a king”. (Walter Bruggemann, Charles B. Cousar. Beverly R. Gaventa, James D. Newsome. Texts For Preaching Year – A. Louisville: Westminster Press, 1995, p. 210). Its is a really bad things when God wants to give you a pink slip! God even sent Samuel to get things going in that direction.
Why was Saul such a bad king?
1.He took up the priestly role of Samuel when he offered sacrifices to God at Gilgal (I Samuel 13:1 -13).
2.Saul was not repentant whatsoever.
3.He failed to kill Agag, King of the Amalekites.
4.The spirit of God quit Saul and was replaced by an evil spirit that tormented him.
5.Saul committed suicide/took away his life
6.He lacked patience to wait for Samuel who was to offer burnt offering to God.
7.He disobeyed God's command to destroy the Amalekites completely by sparing the life of King Agag. / Herem.
8.He spared the best of the animals instead of destroying them.
9.He lost faith in God / consulted a medium / necromancy.
10.He wanted to kill David / was jealous of David.
11.He was deceitful to the servant of God.
https://www.atikaschool.org/kcsecrenotes/explain-seven-failures-of-king-saul-in-israel
Why was Samuel so scared to be God’s agent in going to Saul?
1) Paranoia: Samuel knew that his presence would arouse suspicion as to what his real intentions were. Even though he had the right to travel in serving both the Lord and his own people as Israel’s judge and prophet. Samuel feared for his life (1 Samuel 16:2). There is what as known as a T-shirt “slogan” addresses what seems to have been Saul’s momentary overconfidence: “Just because you're not paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you”. (Lowell D. Streiker. Encyclopedia Of Humor. Sixth Printing. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 2003, p. 191). Do you blame Samuel for being scared?
2) Samuel’s sympathy: Samuel was sympathetic to Saul because he seems to have been grieving what might have been as both Saul’s reign and legacy would come to an end. >>>>> We will revisit this in a moment. The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons"(1 Samuel 16:1 NRSV).
GOD’S CHOICE
Why do you think that God chose David to be the next king? How many of you answered because God wanted someone after His heart? Why do you think Samuel grieved? 1 Samuel 13:13 answers that question: “Samuel said to Saul, "You have done foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which he commanded you. The LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever” (NRSV). Did you get that?
The very next verse (1 Samuel 13:14) tells us that God wanted someone after His own heart. Acts 13:22-23 says After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.' (23) "From this man's descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised” (NIV).
Does God look at the heart because He wants those after His heart?
God does not look at things the same way that we do. We look at the eye candy---what’s pleasing to the eye but God looks at the heart. We assume that God sees things the same way that God does.
1) The heart: Unlike God, we often make choices based on appearances. We look at things based on their appearances. We also make choices about things based on their appearances----their outward appearances whereas God looks at the heart (I Samuel 16:7)! God’s ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8).
2) Tunnel Vision: We have tunnel vision compared to God because we cannot always see the bigger picture. Based upon our understanding, it often seems as though God passed over some wonderful candidates. God turned down Jesse’s first seven sons when Samuel was ready to make an endorsement of his opinion on Jesse’s son Eliab. Samuel choice was based on height and appearance (I Samuel 16:6). Again, like us, Samuel was looking at the outer appearance, whereas God looks at the heart! And God saw David, a young shepherd boy, as a young man who was after His heart (Acts 13:22 cf. I Samuel 13:14).
3) David’s link to the Messiah: There were twenty eight generations between the time of David, in the genealogy of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:17). Christ is the root of Jesse (Isaiah 11:10) who becomes the branch that God would raise up (Jeremiah 23:5); a righteous branch who will do what is right (Jeremiah 33:15)
How many are losing the blessings God chose for them because they did not choose God?
Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before him (Ephesians 1:4 GNB). Jesus is the only One who can give us that place because His kingdom will last forever. Luke 1:32- 33 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end" (NIV).
How many kings, wannabe kings, dictators from the past and in the present wanted to build their kingdoms in vain (Psalm 127:1) because they do not build with God?
1) Longevity: How many of their kingdoms have lasted? Sir John Glubb looked at case studies of how long empires and nations last and cam up with the ball park figure of 250 years where nations either disappear or dissipate! (Cal Thomas. America’s Expiration Date. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2020, pp. 17 - 19). People do not get 250 years! The Bible says “Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away” (Psalm_90:10NIV). When God looks at the heart of our nation, what does He see?
2) Eternity: God’s Kingdom is forever! Christ is the King of kings! Do we allow Christ to be our King? Does Christ sit o the throne of our hearts?
Jeremiah 17:9 reminds us that the heart is deceitful! Andrew Bennett, a British politician once said, “The longest journey you will ever take is the 18 inches from your head to your heart.” (https://www.passiton.com/inspirational-quotes/6679-the-longest-journey-you-will-ever-take-is-the). It is when we have successfully made this journey by God’s will and design that we find our hearts have been opened to the Gospel. This is true for both nations and people.
There is a tract that says “Eighteen inches—the distance from your head to your heart—can mean eternity with Christ or an eternity without Him”. (Missing Heaven by 18 Inches (ATS) | Crossway). When God looks at our hearts, what does He see?
Only God’s Kingdom lasts forever and He wants you to be a part of it which is why He sent Jesus to claim His Kingdom.
