God Sees the Heart
1 Samuel 16:6-13
Primary Purpose: To examine the qualities that led God to chose David to be king and to be used for his purposes.
After Saul had become disobedient to the Lord, the Lord directed Saul to a family to anoint another king. David wasn’t the oldest son or in the richest family. In fact, David was the youngest. The previous job on his resume was a shepherd, a job thought of as lowly even then. v.11. Yet, God told Samuel to anoint David as king. I want to look at why.
The first thing we want to note is that God’s definition of success has to do with the heart. This is where God looks. God searches the heart and mind when he examines people. When David was speaking to Solomon about this in 1 Chronicles 28:9 he told Solomon that God searches the heart. He said God understands every motive behind every thought. We don’t even know our own motives at times, but to God every secret is laid bare. So, when God makes a judgment about someone, that judgment is completely true and fair. God said that man judges by the outward appearance- the looks, money, charisma, talents. Even Samuel judged Eliab and thought God would ordain him as king because of his looks, but God had rejected him.
So, God’s judgment is distinctly different from man’s. Paul says that God choses often the foolish things of this world, the weak things, the things that are not, in order to be glorified. In order that nobody can boast before God. David had already been learning about dependence on God and now he would depend on him as he led the nation as king 1 Samuel 17:37.
In “Let’s Roll: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage”, Lisa Beamer reflects on the loss of her dad. She says,
“Slowly, I began to understand that the plans God has for us don’t just include “good things”, but the whole array of human events. The “prospering” he talks about in the book of Jeremiah is often the outcome of a bad event. I remember my mom saying that many people look for miracles- things that in their human minds “fix” the situation. Many miracles, however, are not a change to the normal course of human events; they’re found in God’s ability and desire to sustain and nurture people through even the worst situations. Somewhere along the way, I stopped demanding that God fix the problems in my life and started to be thankful for his presence as I endured them.”
In talking about David’s heart, we need to know that David had a heart that hungered for God. David said in Ps 42:1 “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.” David had a hunger for God, not just what God could offer, but for God. David understood how much God loved him and he loved God. David repeatedly spoke in the Psalms about how God’s love and faithfulness is higher than the skies. He also said in Ps 63:1 “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” David repeatedly used phrases in the Psalms to describe his feeling about God such as deliverer, fortress, sun, shield, shelter, dwelling place, rock of refuge, help. He clearly saw all good things as coming from God. He even said in Psalms 16:2 that he saw no good thing apart from God.
The question for us is, “Do you hunger and thirst for God like David did?” “Do you search after God and desire a deeper walk with him or are you satisfied?” The good news is that God says we will find if we seek.
Moses is another good example of someone who sought after God. At first, if you remember, Moses didn’t want to do what God asked him. He was afraid of the burning bush. As time went on, Moses became more bold in his walk with the Lord. Clearly, he desired to know more of God the more time he spent with him. To the point that he would cry out to God “Now show me your glory.” Exodus 33:18. This means he wanted to see God’s face. But, then God told him that he could not see his face and live to tell about it. Exodus 33:20.
The second thing that is clear about David’s heart is that he often cried out to God. The psalms is filled with passages like Ps 34:4-7 that says,
“I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”
Sometimes it amazes me how fast we are to go to other people and not God for our answers. Is your first instincts to fall on your knees when faced with a problem or a concern? Do you ask for wisdom from God? If we really believe that God is all powerful and all knowing and good then why do we hesitate to take anything to the Lord. Our friends and family may be sympathetic, but often they can do nothing to change our circumstances, but God can! Take it to the Lord. To the point that we actively take our problems, praises and concerns to God we are showing our level of trust in, our faith in God to answer us.
I heard about a man’s daughter who had asked the local pastor to come and pray with her father. When the pastor arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows and an empty chair beside his bed. The priest assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit. “I guess you were expecting me,” he said,
“No, who are you.”
“I’m the new associate at your local church,” the pastor replied. “When I saw the empty chair, I figured you knew I was going to show up.”
“Oh yeah, the chair,,” said the bedridden man. “Would you mind closing the door?”
“Puzzled, the pastor shut the door.”
“I’ve never told anyone this, not even my daughter,” said the man. “But all my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it always went right over my head.”
“I abandoned any attempt to prayer,” the old man continued, “until one day about four years ago my best friend said to me, “Joe, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here’s what I suggest. Sit down on a chair, place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It’s not spooky because he promised, “I’ll be with you always”. The just speak to him and listen in the same way you’re doing with me right now.””
“So, I tried it and I’ve liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I’m careful though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she’d have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm.”
The pastor was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old guy to continue on his journey. Then he prayed with him, and returned to the church.
Two nights later the daughter called to tell the pastor that her daddy had died that afternoon.
“Did he seem to die in peace?” he asked.
“Yes, when I left the house at two o’clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me one of his corny jokes, and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him dead. But there was something strange, In fact, beyond strange—kind of weird. Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on a chair beside the bed.”
Sometimes we make prayer more difficult than it has to be. Prayer is talking to the Lord and having fellowship with him. This is something that set David apart.
The third thing is that David desired more and more a pure heart, a steadfast heart. This was his prayer in Ps 51:10; Ps 24:3-4. Jesus said that blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. David understood that God desires for us to have a heart like his. God is pure and he seeks a people who are holy and living for him. His desire to live a pure life, a life pleasing to God sets him above the rest.
Practical Application: We can make this our prayers too: Create in me a clean and steadfast heart O God.
We have looked at some of the criteria for why God chose David. He examined his heart and found someone he could use. He didn’t look at it the way man does. That’s why I often say that it matters more who you are then where you are when it comes to God using you. If you truly set your heart to trust and obey him, to love him, to give him every problem and to seek to please Him, then He will use you too.
