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Wheelersburg
1
Samuel 16 “God Looks On The
Heart” [1] Series:
“Learning to Wait on God: The Life of David Before
He Became King”
1 Samuel 16-31
Last week, by surveying the entire book of 1 Samuel, we laid a foundation
for a new series which we are beginning this evening:
Learning to Wait on God. In
the weeks ahead, the Lord willing, we’ll be looking at the life of David before
he became king of
We meet David in 1 Samuel 16. In
order to appreciate David, we must take a moment to look back at the preceeding
context.
The
Context:
Baseball players know a rule very well:
“Three strikes and you're out!” That's
exactly what happened to Saul. Although
God gave Saul to
Strike #1--ch 13 Saul viewed God as a good luck charm (offerings).
Strike #2--ch 14 Saul's insecurity led him to make a foolish oath.
Strike #3--ch 15 Saul rebelled against God.
In ch 16, we watch God's plan unfold in the identification of a man after
God's own heart, the man God would have to be king, David. Outline
of I Samuel 16: I.
The Selection (1-5) II.
The Surprise (6-13)
A. Choosing a Leader--From
Man's Perspective
B. Choosing a Leader--From
God's Perspective III.
The Service (14-23) I.
The Selection (1-5)
Q: What question did God ask
Samuel? V 1
"How long will you mourn..." Notice
that. We're not told that Samuel
mourned for the rejection of his sons, nor even his own rejection.
But he mourned for Saul. He
knew Saul's rejection would bring disgrace to the whole nation, and the Lord.
What does that tell us about the kind of man Samuel was?
Q: What did God tell Samuel
to do? V 1
"Fill your horn...go..." It
was 10 miles from Rammah to
Q: Who was Jesse?
Ruth and Boaz had a son, Obed. Obed's
son was Jesse (Ruth 4:21-22). Jesse
belonged to the line of promise. Through
his line, the Messiah would come. Jacob
had prophesied that the sceptor would not depart from
Q: What was Samuel's
hesitancy? V 2 "...he will kill
me..."
Q: What did God tell Samuel
to do? V 2 Take a heifer to
sacrifice
Q: What kind of reception did
the elders of
They "trembled." What
a reputatation! Why do you think
they were fearful?
Q: What was Samuel's
response? V 5
"Peaceably." I'm
here on business!
Key: Here's the point of ch
16. Saul was king because the people
wanted him. And God gave the people
exactly what they wanted. But on
what basis was David chosen to be king? Solely
the sovereign grace of God. God
selected a son of Jesse.
It came as quite a surprise to everyone--to Jesse, to Jesse's sons, to
Samuel, even to the son that was chosen. II.
The Surprise (6-13)
The surprise had to do with who was selected to be
A. Choosing a Leader--From
Man's Perspective
Q: Who caught Samuel's eye
first? V 6 "...he looked on
Eliab..."
Q: How did Samuel respond
when he saw Eliab? V 6
This must be him!
Q: On what basis was Samuel
impressed with Eliab? Outward
appearance.
Knapp (190), "How quickly we forget the lessons of former
experiences; and how prone we are to look 'on the outward appearance,' and so be
repeatedly deceived."
Q: Who was the second son?
V 8 Abinadab
Q: God's response?
V 8 "Neither has the LORD chosen this one."
Q: Then who?
V 9 Shammah The
scene is somewhat comical. Jesse
stood by as his seven oldest sons passed by.
And to each, the LORD said (10), "Not him.
Not him. Not him."
I can just see Samuel scratch his head, look at Jesse, and ask (v 11)... V
11 "Are ALL your children here?"
What was the problem?
By nature, people make decisions based on appearance.
We do surveys, and make projections, and do a cost analysis.
We look at the facts. We're
impressed by visual impression. The
point of ch 16 is not that this is wrong. But
let’s notice, by contrast, how God chooses a leader.
B. Choosing a Leader--From
God's Perspective
Look back at what God told Samuel when he jumped at Eliab...
Principle: V 7 "But the
LORD said, Look not on his countenance..."
God's ways are not man's ways. For
one, there's a biblical pattern that God chose the younger over the elder to be
His man: Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob
over Essau, Joseph over the 10 older brothers.
Why?
LaSor, Hubbard, and Bush's OT
Survey (238), "Rather than accidental, this pattern highlights these
events as turning points in God's redemptive program.
He is breaking into the ordinary practices of the time and culture and is
doing a new thing. These choices are
based not on the laws of authority or inheritance but on God's sovereign will
and power. Consequently the mighty
accomplishments of these men are not their own.
God is their source."
Q: What stood out about
David? At first, nothing!
He was an obscure, youngest son, who was out tending sheep!
But what does v 12 tell us? "ruddy"
(thesaurus "healthy, reddish color").
Samuel anointed the young man in v 13.
We're finally given his name. David.
Q: What happened when he was
anointed? V 13 "the Spirit of the LORD..."
This was the supernatural authenticiation of God's will.
What's the point? People are
impressed by what they see on the outside. But
God knows what a person is really like (Klein, 161).
Discuss: Let's think of some
implications. How will the principle
of v 7 affect
--the way we as parents help our children choose their friends?
--the way we choose leaders (from school boards, to congressional seats)
We are so prone to make judgments based on appearance.
Illust: At a Pastor's
conference—a man with a long pony tail... III.
The Service (14-23)
Saul had a problem. What was
it? V 14 "an evil spirit"
Saul was afflicted by depression. It
went from bad to worse. By the time
he dies, he will be a totally unstable, paranoid, uptight, nervous, obsessed
man.
What was his problem, according to v 14? "an
evil spirit from the LORD..."
How can this be? Is God the
author of evil? No.
But even evil is under His sovereign control.
Key: The LORD allowed Saul to
experience the consequences of his sinful choices. eg--What happened to Ahab?
There was a conference in heaven, in God's presence, concerning Ahab.
I Kgs 22:19-22; God is
sovereign. Even over evil.
He's in control, working out his purpose.
He used Saul's malady to introduce him to someone.
Guess who? We'll see...
Q: What brought him some
relief? V 16
Music
Q: What musician was found to
help Saul? Vv 17-18 David!
The man who would one day sit on his throne!
Q: What did Saul do?
Vv 19-23 Promoted to Saul's service as armor-bearer!
Discuss: What is providence?
1 Samuel 16 is an illustration of God's providence.
Years before this, God fashioned David in his mother's womb.
God gave him an aptitude for music. God
brought someone along to nurture that ability to play the harp
("skillful" v 16). God
prepared David for such a time as this!
Asaph gave us a poetic commentary on God's selection of David.
READ Ps 78:70-72 "He chose David His servant..."
From what? The sheepfold
To what? The throne
Key: David was faithful in
the small things. And God opened a
greater door.
Discuss: What lessons can we
learn from this story? [1]
These are unedited
teaching notes used initially for a Wednesday evening Bible study at |