The Person God Is Looking For
1 Samuel 16
When Mike Kollin, a graduate of Auburn University, was linebacker for the Miami Dolphins his former college coach, Shug Jordan, asked him if he would do some recruiting for him. Mike said, "Sure, coach. What kind of player are you looking for?" The coach said, "Well, Mike, you know there’s that fellow, you knock him down, he just stays down?" Mike said, "We don’t want him, do we, coach?" "No, that’s right. Then there’s that fellow, you knock him down and he gets up, but you knock him down again and he stays down." Mike answered, "We don’t want him either, do we, coach?" Coach said, "No, but Mike, there’s a fellow, you knock him down, he gets up. Knock him down, he gets up. Knock him down, he gets up. Knock him down, he gets up." Mike said, "That’s the guy we want, isn’t it, coach?" The coach answered, "No, we don’t want him either. I want you to find that guy who’s knocking everybody down. That’s the guy we want!"
On almost any given weekend, scouts from major colleges will scour high school games in search of the next star player for their teams. Most of the players they watch will be average, or below average, but there will be some shining exceptions. Who knows how many Peyton Mannings, or Michael Jordans, or Venus or Serena Williams are waiting to become stars?
God is doing some scouting of His own today. The Bible tells us
2 Ch 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him…”
God is looking for people that He can make champions on His team: men and women of faith who will one day make a difference in this world. He may even be looking for someone like you! But what kind of person is God looking for? One of the clearest pictures you will find of the kind of person God is looking for in 1 Samuel 16, where God announces His choice of a unlikely young man to be one of the greatest kings in all of human history. In these verses, God shows us what kind of person He is- and is not- looking for to be His champion.
I. GOD IS NOT LOOKING FOR HARD-HEADED, HARD HEARTED PEOPLE. (v. 1-2a)
For most of its early history, Israel was not ruled by a king, but directly by God Himself. Moses led them out of Egypt, Joshua led them into the Promised Land, a group of men known as Judges were in charge for awhile, until the beginning of the book of 1 Samuel, when the people asked him to give them a king. When all was said and done, Saul became the first king of Israel.
At first, Saul seems to do all right, but later it becomes clear he has some problems which Are so serious that God rejects Saul as King of Israel. The problem is that Saul has no plans to give up his throne, and that brings us to 1 Sam. 16:1-2a.
This chapter opens with Samuel, God’s prophet, sad and sorry about Saul’s failure. He’s moping around, feeling sorry for himself and for Saul, when God says How long are you going to pout about this loser? I’ve got other plans. I have rejected Saul as King.
Why does God reject Saul? It is not just because Saul made a mistake. Saul has developed two sinful attitudes that make him a failure: he is hardheaded and hardhearted, two qualities God is definitely not looking for.
You can see his hardheadedness in the previous chapter. God told Saul to do something, and Saul did not obey. When he was confronted, he denied his sin, and tries to convince Samuel that he was obeying the Lord, even though the evidence is in plain sight! Samuel finally has to be blunt with Saul, and he tells him: (read 1 Sam. 15:22-23). Saul is so hardheaded that he really never admits his wrongdoing. That is why God rejects Saul as King.
But Saul goes even farther, and becomes hardhearted. Notice in vs. 2a what Samuel says: Saul will kill me if he suspects I am going to find another king. And he would have done it, too. Saul was perfectly willing to defy God, and kill Samuel, God’s prophet, a man who loved him. Saul was willing to whatever it took to hold on to his power. He has become cold and calculating, a hardhearted, hardheaded man that God cannot use.
According to recent statistics, there are about 1600 people in the US who are members of the Flat Earth Research Society of America. These are, of course, folks who refuse to believe that the earth is round, but insist that it is flat. Their president, Charles k. Johnson, explains his view this way: “I’ve been a flat-earther all my life. When I saw the globe in grade school, I didn’t accept it. It was illogical.”
Yes, I know what you’re thinking: what a bunch of hardheaded people! But my friends it is just as hardheaded to deliberately disobey the Lord! God is not looking for hardheaded, hardhearted people. First of all, He wouldn’t have to look too hard- there are plenty to be found everywhere- sometimes even in the church. That’s why you have people who claim to be on their way to heaven, but never seem to get the hang of this obedience thing. They kind of halfway obey God, doing a few things He says, and feeling so good about half-hearted obedience. Or they put up a good front, externally doing a lot of religious things but inside they are full of lust, or greed, or bitterness. God knows have good intentions- isn’t that enough? That is being hardheaded, and even though God loves people like that, He has no use for that kind of attitude. The worse thing about becoming hardheaded is that you tend to become hardhearted in the process. When you continuously fail to fully obey God, after awhile disobedience doesn’t bother you as much. Disobey long enough, and you will find yourself excusing your disobedience in other areas.
You will find your standards keep falling, and eventually, if you continue to disobey God, you will eventually find you lose interest in the Lord altogether. This is how apostates are born. This is the surest path to becoming a spiritual loser. You’ve got to be careful, or you will become just like Saul- hardheaded, and hardhearted, and rejected by God. Do you see any symptoms in your life? God is not looking for hardheaded, hardhearted people. But also
II. GOD IS NOT JUST LOOKING FOR HANDSOME HUNKS (v. 2b-10)
Samuel is still faced with a dilemma: how can he go and anoint the new King God has chosen without running afoul of King Saul? But God already has that figured out. He doesn’t command Samuel to lie, but to do a little “multi-tasking” here. Since there is no Temple yet, Samuel holds worship services in different places- kind of like a circuit riding preacher. God tells him to go to Bethlehem and hold a revival, and then the Lord will show him the man He is looking for among the sons of a man named Jesse.
Of course, everybody in Bethlehem gets a little nervous when they see Samuel ride into town. They know that Saul and Samuel are not getting along too well, but Samuel calms them down: Relax guys. I’m just here to hold a revival Get yourselves ready to worship the Lord, and by the way, be sure Jesse and his family are invited! After the services are over, Samuel calls for Jesse’s sons to be brought to him, so God can show Samuel who the next king will be.
The first son Jesse proudly puts forward is Eliab, who makes a big impression on Samuel. He’s probably tall, muscular, with the strong chiseled features of an imposing ruler. This guy could really turn some heads! Samuel is thinking. He must be the one!
God, however, has another opinion. Samuel, don’t break out the crown yet! This is not My man. This is not the kind of person I am looking for. Don’t forget that I can see deeper down than you can- I can see beyond the physical appearance all the way down to the heart! And what I see in this hunk’s heart is not what I’m looking for. Samuel says, no- he is not the One.
Jesse brings out Son # 2- Abinidab, who is not too shabby either, but God says No, not him. Then Son # 3- Shammah. Then a few more sons, all of which God tells Samuel none of these guys are who I am looking for! They are all are fine boys, as far as they appear on the outside, but they are not the one God is looking for
A lawyer in his brand new office sees a prospective client walk in the door. He decides to try and look busy, so he picks up the phone and starts talking: "Look, Harry, about that amalgamation deal. I think I better run down to the factory and handle it personally. No. I don’t think 3 million will swing it. We better have Rogers from Seattle meet us there. OK. Call you back later." He looks up at the visitor and says, "Good morning, how may I help you?" And the prospective client says, "You can’t help me at all. I’m just here to hook up your phone."
It is human nature to judge people by externals. Too often, who or what a person is is not nearly as important as how they appear to be. Magazine covers are graced by muscled up men, and scantily clad women who look more perfect than humanly possible. Our first impression of others is by how they look; if they don’t stack up there, we rarely take the time to dig deeper. When will we learn the most important part of a person is not how they look?
It’s not that your appearance doesn’t matter- that is not the message here. How you choose to dress and present yourself does say a lot about who you are, and what kind of person you are. The point here is that God is not impressed by appearances. He is not just looking for some handsome hunk or pretty princess. He is not seeking people with perfect teeth, clear complexions, or buffed up bodies. He is not on looking for folks who can put up a good front for a hard heart. How you look is not as important as who you are. Jesus said it this way:
Jn 7:24 Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
God is not impressed by appearances. Isn’t that good news? Other people will judge you by your looks, but not God. He sees all the way down to your heart, and the person He is looking for is a person described in 1 Sa 13:14 …The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, …In other words,
III. GOD IS LOOKING FOR THE HUMBLE AND THE HOLY (v. 11-23)
After Samuel works his way through all of Jesse’s sons, I imagine there was a long silence. Samuel scratches his head, checks his notes, and tries to figure out where he went wrong. “This is Bethlehem, right?’ They all nod. “Your name is Jesse, right?” Again they nod. “Well I just don’t understand. This is where God said to look. These are all of your sons, right?”
Jesse exchanges embarrassed looks with his sons. Samuel repeats the question, “Jesse, these are all of your sons right?” Now Jesse scratches his head sheepishly. “Well there is one more. But I didn’t figure he was the type of fella you were looking for. He’s my youngest and we left him taking care of the sheep”
Samuel sighs, rubs his temples trying to stay calm as he says, “Go get him! Nobody sits down to supper until he gets here!” Jesse sends one of his boys to go get his youngest, after some grumbling about how bad it stinks down there in the sheep pen. In a little while, in walks this young man who will become the King of God’s people.
He’s not what Samuel expects. First of all, he is young- probably somewhere around 16 years old. He doesn’t look old enough to drive, much less rule a nation. He is ruddy: either red-headed, or red-skinned, tanned by the sun. He is a sheep herder- not the highest spot on the totem pole of prestige. He is the youngest son, on the lowest rung of the social ladder. He is a handsome lad but not that impressive. And yet as soon as Samuel saw him, God said He is the one I’m looking for! Anoint him to be King of My People.
And so right there, with his dad and all of his big brothers watching, Samuel pours oil over a young man named David’s head, signifying that God has chosen him to be their King.
But notice how David enters the palace: as a servant. Almost simultaneously, when God’s Spirit comes upon David, He leaves Saul. God sends a tormenting spirit, that is, God allows a demon to harass him. Isn’t that the way it always is? The devil tempts us to disobey God, and then pours guilt and condemnation on us for our failure. Saul’s assistants suggest he find someone who can soothe his troubled mind with music, and who do they pick? David. Evidently David has a reputation as a skillful musician, as well as a brave young man full of common sense. So Saul sends for him, and makes him one of his armor bearers, and David begins serving the king he will one day replace.
David reminds us of two essential qualities for a champion of God: humility and holiness.
Jas 4:6 …“God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
Mt 23:12 …Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
God says that the pathway to greatness is humility. Humility is not pretending that you are nothing, ignoring your abilities or strengths. Humility is being willing to serve God and serve others, no matter where you are or what you are doing. Humility is being patient, not trying to exalt yourself, but waiting for God to put you where He wants you to be. Humility is an essential aspect of love, both for God, and for other people. God is looking for people who are great enough to be humble.
God is also looking for people who are holy. Being holy is not just about being religious- there are a lot of religious people who are not holy. Being holy means being set apart to God, in your heart, your mind, and your behavior. Being holy means living like you belong to Jesus and wanting to please Him because you love Him. God is looking for people who love Him enough to be holy.
When Harry Truman was thrust into the presidency at the death of F.D.R., Sam Rayburn gave him some fatherly advice: "From here on out you’re going to have lots of people around you. They’ll try to put a wall around you and cut you off from any ideas but theirs. They’ll tell you what a great man you are, Harry," and he continued, "But you and I both know you ain’t."
Maybe you don’t see yourself ever being either humble or holy, Don’t feel bad- nobody is very good at either one. Everybody I know struggles with pride at times, and holiness is not always the easiest road to walk down. But are you willing to at least admit you need to be humble and holy to become the person God is looking for? If you can get that far, you’ve gotten father than a lot of folks. Why not take the next step?
Why not come to God and confess your pride, and your lack of holiness, and ask the Jesus to help you become the kind of person God is looking for? He will help you if you ask Him.
A telemarketer called a home one day, and a small voice whispered, “Hello?” “Hello! What’s your name?” Still whispering, the voice said, “Jimmy.” “How old are you, Jimmy?” “I’m four.”
“Good, is your mother home?” “Yes, but she’s busy.” “Okay, is your father home?” “He’s busy too.” “I see. Who else is there?” “The police.” “The police? May I speak with one of them? “They’re busy.” “Any other grown-ups there?” “The firemen.” “May I speak with a fireman, please?” “They’re all busy.” “Jimmy, all those people in your house, and I can’t talk with any of them? What are they doing?” Jimmy whispered “Looking for me!”
God is looking for some people today- some of you who are sitting right here.
He is looking for people of all ages- if you are a boy or girl, young man or woman, whoever you are, God is looking for you.
He might be looking for you like a Shepherd is looking for His lost sheep. You know you are not right with God. You know you are not one of His children, but deep down inside, you want to be. You want to be forgiven, and have peace with God. He is looking for you today. Will you come and be found by Him?
He might be looking for you the way He was looking for David. You probably won’t ever be a king or queen, but He might be calling you today to be a leader among His people. He might be looking for you to do something that nobody else in the world can do for His glory but you.
Will you hear Him calling? Will you come and let God use you to make a difference in this world?
