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SAMUEL_ANOINTS_DAVID.hwp|
1 Samuel 16:1-23 Key Verse: 16:7 SAMUEL ANOINTS DAVID But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” I. God’s sovereignty and Samuel’s faithfulness (1-4) Read verse 1a. The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel?” Last message, we watched as Samuel walked away from Saul never to see him again. By turning his back on Saul, he delivered the message on God’s rejection of Saul as king over Israel. We see here in verse 1 that Samuel was not happy with Saul’s rejection. Instead he mourned for him. So, why did Samuel mourn for Saul, since he sinned and got what he deserved. Samuel knew Saul had sinned. He knew Saul was disobedient. He saw Saul’s pride and unrepentant heart. And yet Samuel still cared for Saul. He still loved Saul in the way that God loves sinners even though they sin against him over and over again. Samuel probably also mourned for Israel. "Who is going to lead them now since Saul had been failed?" Where am I going to find the king to replace Saul? How am I supposed to find this person? God knew what was in Samuel’s heart. And he woke Samuel from his sadness over Saul. Look at verse 1b. “Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.” God had a plan! God always has his plan for his people even when they have failed and find no hope from themselves. Samuel might have been excited. He pulled together his belongings for the trip. He gathered together provisions of food and water. Excitement built up inside of him as he thought about this new king. Didn’t God say that the new king would be better than Saul? How exciting? He went online to Naver maps. He typed in Ramah as the starting point. He typed in Bethlehem of Judah as his destination. And he clicked ‘Get Directions.’ The map showed that on the way to Bethlehem his journey would take him passed a town called Gibeah where Saul was. No way! Look at verse 2a. But Samuel said, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me.” Samuel was right. Saul knew he had been rejected. As the rest of 1 Samuel will show us, Saul was willing to anything he could do to hold his throne. If Saul found out what Samuel was about to do, he might try to find who the next anointed one is and kill him and Samuel. Samuel had to put his life on the line to anoint this new king. Now, look verses 2b-3. The LORD said, “Take a heifer(암송아지) with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.” Let us focus on the words at the end of verse 3. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate. God emphasizes that he is the one who is in control of this entire process. God has already said in verse 1, “I am sending you” and “I have chosen.” He meant, God is sovereign. Just do what I tell you, Samuel, and everything will be alright. One thing we can learn in life is that we never go wrong if we choose to live for God and to do what he says. Even if it doesn’t seem practical or the way seems full of obstacles. If we obey God, we can find comfort in knowing that God is in control and that he works for our good. So, how did Samuel respond to God’s words? Read verse 4a. "Samuel did what the LORD said." He did what the Lord said. This act of obedience by Samuel was the last significant act of Samuel in the Bible. At great personal risk for his safety, Samuel put his life in God’s hands and obeyed. Because of his obedience he would anoint the next king and the precursor to Jesus himself. Psalm 99:6-7 say, “Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel was among those who called on his name; they called on the LORD and he answered them. He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud; they kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them.” He obeyed even when he found it uneasy to agree with God, or even when his life might be in danger. From the day he was born to the day he died, Samuel was a servant after God’s own heart who revealed his closeness with God by obeying what God asked him to do. Do you want to be close to God as Samuel? Then trust and obey as Samuel did through out life. II. The Lord looks at the heart (5-13) When Samuel arrived in Bethlehem, he proceeded to consecrate Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. Jesse arrived with his seven sons. Samuel briefly scanned them with his eyes. They were all handsome and strong looking. The three oldest would become soldiers in Israel’s army to fight against the Philistines. Samuel asked Jesse to call Eliab, the oldest, over to him. Look at verse 6. When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD.” Eliab looked very much like Saul in appearance. His outward appearance what people might expect a king to look like. But God already gave Samuel a hint in 13:14 as to what kind of man he is looking for to replace Saul. 1 Samuel 13:14 says “the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart.” He reminds Samuel of this in verse 7. Lood at verse 7. But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” What does it mean that God does not consider the outward appearance or what man looks at? If God doesn’t look at the outward appearance or what man looks at, then this should be a room full of short, unattractive, talent-less people. But when we look around this room we see many good looking people. Tall people. Talented people. Smart people. So what does it mean that God doesn’t look at what man looks at? It means God doesn’t value what man values. God didn’t choose us for our talents, or height, good looks, or whatever outwardly worthy characteristic we have. He chose us for our heart. The same is true for when Jesus called men like Peter who was a rough fisherman. But at the same time he called a man like Levi who was a cunning tax collector. On the outside both men were very different. But when Jesus called them they both reacted in the same way by getting up and following him. Peter leaved behind his nets, and Levi leaved behind his tax collector’s booth. Jesus knew both their hearts were ready for his invitation. But how can God look at the heart since every man is a sinner and thus every heart is full of sin? Since there is no sinless heart, what does he mean when it says the Lord looks at the heart? To be called by God for our heart doesn't mean that our heart is pure and holy and worthy to be called by God. Rather, to be used by God begins with acknowledgement that my heart is sinful, and the humility to admit my weakness to God. It begins by telling that God that we need him, repenting of our sin, and asking God to help me. Then through faith in Jesus he begins to mold our hearts, change our hearts, and sanctify our hearts to become more and more like his own. God really cares about our heart. The entire book of Deuteronomy references how God wants us to love him with all our hearts. Why is the heart so important? It’s because ours is truly a relationship with God. He is our friend, counselor, and father. Saul didn't ever had this kind of relationship with God. For him, God was more like a business associate. But God doesn’t want business associates. He wants real relationships with us. Samuel had all seven of Jesse’s sons in attendance pass before him. Yet each time Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one.” Finally, he asked if there were any others. There was one more, David who was tending the sheep. Let us look at 12-13. So he sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one.” So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah. The man God chose was David, a man after his own heart. Here in these few verses we don’t know much about David except that he was the youngest and good looking. But it was his heart that was of importance to God. How do we know what was in David’s heart? We don't know, but it will be known by his obedience. In the previous chapter that Saul’s disobedience was an indication of a heart that was far from God. But a heart that is close to God is revealed in the person who does what God says. Acts 13:22 says, “After removing Saul, he made David their king. He 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.’” What did God want him to do? It’s no coincidence that David was a trained shepherd and God wanted his king to be a shepherd over Israel. Psalm 78:70-72 says, “He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.” God’s heart continues today to be a shepherd for his people. If we want to be people after God’s own heart, then we have to do what God desires. If we claim to be disciples of Jesus, then that means taking care of God’s sheep. Jesus said this to Peter in John 21. Three times Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” And three times after Peter responded yes, Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” Just as God called David to be his shepherd king, God calls us to be his shepherds for this generation. And the duties of a shepherd aren’t easy or attractive. They require sacrifice, service, and humility. It often means patience, unconditional love, and commitment to the sheep. A spiritual shepherding today is a job of hard work with very few rewards. But to God it is a clear sign of a heart that loves him and loves to please him. While it may be thankless, it can also be very rewarding. Let us continue to ask God to mold our hearts into his likeness, and overcome our sin that we may seek his desires. May our love for God be reflected in our obedience and heart for his lost sheep. III. Saul’s evil spirit (14-21) Let's look at verse 14-16. "Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him. Saul's attendants said to him, “See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the harp. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes upon you, and you will feel better.” Saul’s sin of disobedience led him to a dark place where he was far from God. An evil spirit tormented him over and over. This is in contrast to the presence of the Spirit of the Lord mentioned in David in verse 13. This picture of the tormented Saul and the blessed David is clear picture of life with or without God’s presence. Matthew ch.12 tells us that without faith in Jesus and the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit, our heart is inviting evil spirits. Our heart is like a home that is made for occupants. If we don’t fill it with the Holy Spirit then evil spirits will fill the space. There are lots of people who are tormented by evil spirits. They may not even know it. It may not be apparent. But if we’re not being ruled by Jesus, then we’re being ruled by something else. Saul tried to soothe his soul with music. Music might make you feel better. But it doesn’t get at the root cause of the torment. When a father brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus, he did not call in a band to play for the boy. And Jesus did not let Peter to sing before the demon-possessed man who lived among the tombs. People need to be saved from their sin. And that only comes through repentance and faith in Jesus. Even David fell into serious sin and got a serious pain of his guilty soul. But he did not call another harp player as Saul did. Instead, he fell face down into serious repentance. In Psalm 12, he rejoices with his forgiven heart. "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in shose spirit is no deceit... I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity, I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD" and you forgave the guilt of my sin" This year has been tough on me. I experienced my vision hiding, dreams collapsing, and my plans failing. I had no strength in my heart to fight against the situation because my heart was poisoned my sins. My heart was so tormented by the guilt and anger in my heart. I skipped several worship services while I was the presider of the service. Consequently, I was replaced by another shepherd who was to follow God's own heart. I became even more like Saul who was rejected by God, tormented by evil. I longed for human comforts rather than God's comfort that follows a deep repentance. But I also found human comfort does not last long with its effect and does not solve my root problems. But through the Christmas messages, I was comforted by the hope presented by the words. It was about the baby Jesus who has come to save me from my sins. Baby Jesus is given to my as the answer to my life problem. Isaiah foretold about this baby. (Isa9) "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawn... For us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his vovernment and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this" I believe that true comfort on our life comes through the words that presents Jesus who is the true king of our life. I pray that I may be truly comforted by seeking Jesus as the key answer of my life. In today's passage, we learned how God chose David as the next king over Israel. I learned God is looking for men and women who will give their hearts to him. We admit we are not perfect, but God accepts us anyway if we come with humble and repentant hearts. If we confess that we love him, let us do so by being shepherds for his people. Thanks God for Jesus and his Holy Spirit who blesses us each day to live for him. Let’s read the key verse. (7) "But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his geight, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart"" |
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