STUDY THEME: SEEKING GOD'S HEART: LESSONS FROM DAVID'S LIFE "WILLING TO SERVE: 1 SAMUEL 16: 1-13 4-30-00 PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO 1 SAMUEL 16. The lesson this coming Sunday is the first of five lesson taken from the life of David. The series is built around the theme of "Seeking God's Heart." We all remember that it was said of David that he was a man after God's own heart. That saying did not mean that David was sinless or perfect but indicated the deep and genuine commitment that he had to God. David, the youngest son of Jesse, of Bethlehem ranks with Moses as one of the most commanding figures in the O.T. He was born in l040 BC He was a shepherd, a musician, a warrior, and a king. David had many accomplishments in each of these areas, but he is honored in the Bible in 1 Sam. 13:14 as "a man after God's own heart." David came from a fine family background. He was the great-grandson of Ruth and Boaz. Ruth 4:21-22 says :Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed, and Obed begot Jesse and Jesse begot David. The Book of Judges spans about 350 years when God gave to His people the 14 unique leaders called Judges for preservation against their enemies. The final two of the Judges, Eli and Samuel, judged prior to the establishment of the Monarchy in 1043 BC I wish we had time to study the life of Samuel in detail. He was the last of the judges and the first of the prophets. This great patriot of Israel and spokesman for God, was the man who made possible the emergence of Israel as a nation. In 1 Samuel 8:19-20 after 350 years of the Judges we hear the people cry out, "No, but we will have a king over us that we may be like all the nations. In keeping the Lord gave them their request. request, and Saul became the first king of Israel. When Saul was rejected the Lord sent Samuel to the house of Jesse to anoint the new king of Israel that He had chosen. One of the main ideas of today's lesson is to emphasize that God has a purpose and plan for every human life. Unfortunately, some Christians seem to think that God only has a purpose and plan for those whom He calls for full-time religious service such as pastors, missionaries, etc. But that is not the case at all! God knows us better than we could ever now ourselves. He knows the gifts and talents that He has given to us to use for His glory and the good of our fellow man. Therefore every Christian needs to understand that God has a purpose and plan for his/her life. God wants everyone of us to live in such a way that we glorify Him and that we find fulfillment for our lives. The suggested "Lesson Bible Truth" is that God wants His people to serve Him well. The suggested "Life Outcome" is to help us serve God well. 1 Samuel 16 begins with Samuel mourning for Saul as one would mourn for the dead. God kindly rebuked Samuel for mourning too long over Saul. To grieve may be normal; to continue to grieve may be a sin. Our grief is to be moderated by the Divine will. God's new King of Israel (and ultimately the Messiah) would come from the tribe of Judah and from the town of Bethlehem of Judah. 1. TEACHER READ 1 SAMUEL 16: 1-5. Samuel was grieving. Where had he gone wrong? From the beginning, he had been against Israel's having a king. Yet the people had not wanted Samuel's sons to lead. The nations around them kings, and the Israelites wanted a king. Samuel did not believe the change was good, but God had told him to listen to the people. God even had sent Samuel to anoint the man He had chosen to rule Israel. God had chosen Saul to become Israel's first king. Samuel had anointed Saul privately. Later God designated Saul as His choice when the whole nation gathered at Mizpah. At the first things had gone well. God's Spirit empowered Saul, and he won some victories. Yet soon Saul experienced dramatic failures. He was disobedient, and finally God rejected him. Samuel had given Saul the bad news. Because Saul had rejected God's instructions, God had rejected him. Samuel had done what God told him to do, but it made the prophet "mourn". Saul still was king, but he no longer was God's chosen leader. What would the future hold? God spoke to Samuel again. God was ready to move on. Human failure would not stop Him. The Lord already had identified Saul's successor. Neither Saul nor Israel's coming king (David) knew of God's selection, but God had "chosen" one of Jesse's 8 sons to be the king. Literally God's word to Samuel was, "I have seen a king for myself among his sons." God's seeing, however, was more than divine sight. His words echoed Abraham's statement that God would "provide" ( or "see to it") a ram in place of Isaac. Again Samuel would be God's agent, anointing a ruler for Israel. Samuel was to travel outside his normal circuit;. The account of Ruth, David's great-grandmother, had introduced Bethlehem. It was a little more than 10 miles south of Ramah. Samuel was Israel's last judge. As judge, before Saul became king, Samuel had traveled a circuit that covered the center of Israel. Samuel normally did not go to Bethlehem. What if Saul found out? Samuel feared Saul because of his unbalanced emotional state. God would keep His prophet safe. He told Samuel to conceal his true object of going to Bethlehem by setting forth prominently a secondary object. He would announce he was going to Bethlehem to offer sacrifice. Samuel did not know the future, but he knew that his primary responsibility was to be a listener. As he listened, God led him to act. Sometimes, we also have our dreams shattered. People fail us. The future looks dark. We wonder where our nation and our world are headed. Then through God' Word or through one of His servants, we learn that God is not true with us or with the world. Yet to hear God we must listen. God may not tell us everything about the future, but we find that He is at work. We discover that He also wants us to be at work. Up to this point no one---including Samuel, Jesse, and even David--knew that God was about to use Samuel to initiate God's plan for David's life. When David later learned about God's plan for him, he gladly obeyed. Years later David wrote in Ps. 40:81 "I delight to do thy will, O my God." Just as God had a plan for David's life, so does He have a plan for every life. Sometimes He uses others to help us find that plan, but each of us is accountable for seeking to find and to do what God wants us to do with our lives. We often sing: Ready to go, ready to stay. Ready my place to fill; Ready for service, lowly or great, Ready to do His will." 2. PLEASE READ 1 SAMUEL 16: 6-7. Samuel traveled to Bethlehem and told the town leaders he had come to offer sacrifices. he made sure that Jesse and his sons were there, although he probably didn't tell them why he had come. Since Eliab was Jesse's eldest son he must have been an impressive young man by outward appearance to catch Samuel's eye. Samuel was so impressed by Eliab's looks that he assumed Eliab was the Lord's choice, but the Lord told Samuel that while people judge based only on what they can see, the Lord judges by the heart, not by physical appearances. Spurgeon said "judge no man or woman by their outward fashion, but with purified eyes behold the hidden beauty of the heart and life. What does God look at? He looked at the inward qualities as godliness, attitude, and character. Sauls' fall came because his heart was presumptuous and he performed an unauthorized sacrifice. His heart was headstrong when he disobeyed God's instructions about the spoils of war. His heart was jealous of David to the point of plotting to kill him. At the end, Sauls' heart was so far from God that he stooped to asking the witch at Endor to conjure up dead Samuel so Saul could ask him about battle plans. A person who would serve God well may not have admirable physical characteristics, but he or she must have a godly, willing heart. Isaiah prophesied of Jesus in Isa. 53:2 "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him." Jesus said in John 6:38, "I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent Me." Paul is a good example of persons who have a godly, willing heart. Jesus, of course, is the ideal example of this kind of person. The life of a man will reflect his heart. Jesus said in Matt. 12: 34-35, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the treasures of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things." God's saying that He looks on the heart means He looks at the whole of a person's inward life, not merely the outward expression. If we want to serve God, we must seek to develop a godly heart. Lifestyle is important, and God commands us to live as befits His people. Because God is holy, we are to be holy. That means we should live a disciplined Christian life. 3. PLEASE READ 1 SAMUEL 16: 8-12. Have you ever been overlooked? Maybe someone wanted help and looked past you. Perhaps the boss did not think about you when he wanted to promote someone. You still may remember the time you teacher ignored you. When someone slights us, we often are hurt and discouraged. We even may become sloppy in our work, thinking no one knows or cares what we do or how we feel. David may have felt that Samuel slighted him. Samuel did not invite David to the sacrifice. Keeping sheep was important, but many other people could have done that. If David felt he was slighted, however, apparently he remained faithful to his task. His job was to care for and to defend the family's flock. Little did he know that his caring for the family's flock would help prepare him to care for God's flock. Yet David's faithfulness in a thankless or obscure task prepared him for a much larger responsibility in God's purpose. Someone has said, "A little thing is a little thing, but faithfulness in little things is a very great thing." After God rejected Eliab, Samuel understood that God would do the choosing. God was looking at the hearts of Jesse's sons. Jesse also saw that Samuel was looking for someone specific. As far as we know , Samuel had not told anyone the real purpose of his coming to Bethlehem. Maybe as Samuel evaluated Eliab, Jesse saw that this was a choice opportunity for one of his sons. So he -paraded his seven sons past Samuel. Eliab was the oldest; then came Abinadab and Shammah. These three sons had battle experience in Saul's army which could have served them well if they had become king. The young men may have been capable; but after viewing 7 of Jesse's sons, Samuel said, "The Lord has not chosen these." Spurgeon said "judge no man or woman by their outward fashion, but with purified eyes behold the hidden beauty of the heart and life. Samuel's reference to God's making the selection may have confirmed Jesse's thinking. Samuel was looking for a special person. What an opportunity for the family! Yet the sons had failed to qualify. Seven sons auditioned and Samuel had not found God's choice. Samuel asked whether Jesse had other sons. Jesse admitted he had 8 sons, but the eighth was busy. In addition, he was the youngest. He was not ready for an important role or task. We do not know how old David was when Samuel came to Bethlehem. Perhaps he was a young teenager. Samuel still did not know whether Jesse's youngest son was God's man to be king, but the prophet would not continue with the sacrificial meal until the young man was brought to him. He said, "We will not sit down at the table until he arrives." Evidently for dramatic effect the writer of 1 Samuel left out the youngest son's name until the end of Vs. 13. Imagine the grumbling! Someone had to go and watch the sheep while the youngest brother was brought to Samuel. Regardless of the inconvenience, the prophet would not budge. So someone went while everyone else waited. Then when the young man came, everything fell into place. He was "ruddy" indicating his hair was either red or auburn. A form of the same word was used to describe Esau. The son of Jesse was the youngest, but he had a fine appearance and handsome features." Stanley described David at this time as rather short of stature, as compared to his 3 warrior brothers. He had red or auburn hair. His bright eyes are especially mentioned and generally he was remarkable for the grace of his figure and countenance, well made, and of immense strength and agility. God was concerned with David's heart, but the young man's appearance also would endear him to others. More importantly, as Samuel looked at the young man, God said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one." At last the search was over. God had revealed His new King. God had known all along who the chosen son would be. Now Samuel knew. God's choosing David must have surprised everyone present. He was the youngest son in the family. Yet God earlier had reversed human expectations. He chose the younger Jacob over his older brother Esau. God chose Aaron's younger brother Moses to be the deliverer. Although David had a good relationship with God, he probably did not think of himself as a candidate for Israel's throne. Whatever his role--as a youngest son and as a shepherd--David apparently had kept his heart right with God to be ready to serve. Samuel also was obedient even though he did not understand the reason God led him as He did . Samuel was faithful, and his actions blessed the nation for years into the future., Samuel's faithfulness even has blessed us. Sometimes God leads us into new kinds of service that involve changes in life's direction--for example, a change in vocation. Serving faithfully in our present situations is a strong indication that we will serve God well in new kinds of service. In all situations our service should be marked by faithfulness. The key is not in the size of he responsibility a person has but the faithfulness with which a person carries out a responsibility,. God rewards such faithfulness whatever the task. An important element for serving God well is to be faithful in your present work. David was being faithful in his present work of tending his father's sheep when God summoned him to be anointed as Israel's king. Often people will ask "how may I know God's will for my life. The best answer I have to that question is "What are you doing with your present area of responsibility? he who does well in small things will do even better in larger things." 4. TEACHER TO READ 1 SAMUEL 16: 13. One final quality in a person who wants to serve God well is to serve with confidence in God's power. According to 1 Thess. 5:24 "He who calls you is faithful , who also will do it." God always empowers us to do what He commands us to do. Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers. Samuel probably poured the oil on David's head. David's experience must have been too good to believe. He went from shepherd boy to king in an instant. Actually he would have to wait a length of time to ascend to the throne. God chose David to be Israel's next king, but he would need to mature. He had lessons to learn. Actually David's school for his future work began in his years as a shepherd. During those years he fought the lion and the bear, and during those years he learned the kind of trust expressed in his 23rd Psalm. Applying this lesson to our lives, F.B. Meyer wrote, "We have to wrestle with the lion and the bear on the hills of Bethlehem, then we may be prepared to meet Goliath in the valley of Elah. Anointing a priest or a king identified the person as God's chosen servant and symbolized that God's presence and power rested on him. Anointing a king carried with it an aura of awe and respect for God's anointed. Later when Saul was trying to kill David, David had opportunity to kill Saul; but David wouldn't harm Saul because the king was God's anointed. Anointing David separated him for service to God. David may have gone back to tend the sheep not he day of his anointing, but he went back as God's chosen ruler. In time David would have greater duties and opportunities. God's anointing also gave him power in the form of God's Spirit. The Spirit was enabling and equipping David for service. David would not serve in his own ability but with divine power. This was not simply God's gift to him; it was God's gift to Israel. And in that power David served God as King all of his life. David's anointing is before His family. His second anointing would be before the assembly of his tribe, Judah. And his third anointing would be before the nation Israel. His anointing was an external symbol of an inward work of God. Taylor says, "With the gentle silence of the opening dawn which brightens the perfect day, the Spirit came into David's heart, and soon, by His secret supernatural suggestions, he would discover for what purpose the prophet had emptied his horn of oil upon his head." The spirit of God came upon David to empower and to guide him from that day onward. Samuel left Bethlehem and returned to his home in Ramah. He left behind a young man who would continue to experience God's presence. The Spirit would lead David to victory but also would convict him of sin. David continued to serve his family and his nation faithfully. Whatever the future held, David had his place in God's purpose. Several years passed before David actually ascended Israel's throne. God did not reveal all of His will to David at one time. Neither does He do so to us. Usually, God reveals His will one step at a time. David took each step in the power of the Holy Spirit an so must we. David might have been considered an unlikely candidate for the throne of Israel. He may have been lacking in some of the natural abilities, maturity, and training that his older brothers had; but David had something they did not have. He had an unshakable confidence in God's faithfulness. This confidence sustained him during the persecutions he suffered under Saul. It enabled him to fight his big battle with Goliath as well as all the other battles he fought. David's confidence in God's presence and power enabled him to lead Israel to defeat her enemies and to become a strong nation under the Lord. We too, can have that same confidence as we obey God's leading to serve Him, because God's Holy Spirit works in us also. When we think of serving with confidence in God's power, we usually think of great opportunities of service. Yet what about our everyday lives? Do we have confidence in God's power to enable us and to work through us? We cannot wait for the dramatic or the unusual situations before we demonstrate God's power at work in us. We need to perform the seemingly menial tasks and to live responsibly in the power of God's Spirit. The Holy Spirit which we received when we received Christ. Conclusions: 1. All Christians should realize that God has a wonderful and beautiful plan for our lives. 2. That plan and purpose is not always easy for us to understand but we need to be assured that God does have one for us. 3. We should also know that Satan will do everything possible to keep us from knowing and doing God's plan for our lives. 4. We humans often tend to judge by outward appearances and not enough on inward character. 5. We need to trust and love God in the midst of His choices for people because often we might not understand why God chooses some people to do what He wants them to do. 6. One of the best ways to be directed by God is to be faithful in our present duties as we know those duties to be. 7. God has a grace and power available for us, whatever His will for us, if we will only love and obey and if we are willing to follow His will. NEXT SUNDAY FROM 1 SAMUEL 17 WE SEEK HOW WE MAY STAND COURAGEOUSLY FOR GOD WHEN OTHERS OPPOSE GOD'S WAY. A.V. DAUGHERTY 4-30-2000.