God chooses! -- 1 Samuel 16:1-13
God chooses! -- 1 Samuel 16:1-13
By Pastor Lee Hemen
January 19, 2020
It can be disconcerting when things we are used to in our life change. Moving, going to a new school, marriage, divorce, a birth, and or a death can all have consequences that can throw us for a loop in life. Most of us do not have obsessive compulsive disorder and do not require everything remain the same and we can accept change but change can still bring about circumstances we do not like.
Samuel was God’s chosen prophet and God had just gotten through telling Samuel that Saul, Israel’s mentally and spiritually unstable king, would not be king anymore. In fact God was now asking Samuel to announce to his nation, that mentally-ill king, and an unsuspecting family that God was choosing another king entirely! Needless to say he was not overjoyed at the prospect. In this case change could be life-threatening. In the process we discover God had chosen who would be his messenger and who would be the future king of Israel. Let’s see what happens as God chooses…
READ: 1 Samuel 16:1-13
God has already set aside the person he desires to lead his people and here we learn that…
I. God chooses those he anoints! (Vv. 1-5)
The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? 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.” But Samuel said, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me.” The LORD said, “Take a heifer 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.” Samuel did what the LORD said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?” Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
1. Samuel had helped in the choosing of Saul and he did not like the prospect of God using him as he chose Israel’s future king. Samuel had gotten stuck thinking about how it would affect him and forgot how God was in the process. God therefore kind of gives Samuel a perspective kick in the pants by asking him, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel?” A church can get frightened when they have to consider a new pastor but the best thing to do is focus on what God is doing. God tells Samuel, “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.” Like a lot of folks who do not like the situation God places them in, Samuel begins to make excuses: “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me.” Interestingly Saul had been the king the people had chosen and not God although God had been willing to work through Saul. Saul blew it. God goes on to tell Samuel, “Take a heifer 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.” God did not want to expose Samuel to danger so he tells him to relate that he had come to sacrifice. Interestingly “When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, ‘Do you come in peace?’” Usually when God’s prophet unexpectedly came to a particular city he came to pronounce some kind of judgment. But Samuel calms their fears by relating “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” And it is in the process of sacrifice Samuel “consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.” Samuel did what the LORD said. We learn that God chooses those he anoints!
EXAMPLE: David was the one that had already been identified as “a man after [God’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). David had been chosen from eternity past to be ruler of Israel. As I have related before out there somewhere is the man God has set aside for us as our leader. We do not want to make the same mistake the people of Israel did and chose someone for their looks, height, and standing but rather that we make sure we are relying on him that he has chosen someone special for us. We can rest assured that in choosing a future pastor for GBC God chooses those he anoints!
We want tall, dark, and handsome but we need to learn that…
II. God does not choose the way we choose! (Vv. 6-10)
When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the LORD.” 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.” Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.” Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the LORD chosen this one.” Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The LORD has not chosen these.”
1. Samuel begins the process God had set before him and starts to look at each of Jesse’s sons: “When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the LORD.’” Perhaps Samuel being older and really not wanting to be put into the situation of being the prophet to anoint Israel’s new king he thinks the very first man he is introduced to is the one God has chosen! He is in for a surprise because “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.’” Herein is where many churches get confused or misdirected thinking that perhaps the very first man they consider should be the one God has chosen for them, but that does not need to be the case at all! God looks deeper than we often do! A good speaker or a man with lots of hair might be nice but perhaps God has someone who is wiser, who needs a loving church, or who matures as our church grows! “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” The father Jesse does not give up, he then “called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, ‘The LORD has not chosen this one either.’” Jesse is not deterred because he has a lot of boys and so he “then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, ‘Nor has the LORD chosen this one.’” We discover that “Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel”! It becomes a parade of young male testosterone! However none of the young men Jesse had on hand was the one God had chosen! By this time I believe Samuel is getting discouraged or perhaps a tad bit frustrated with God. Why was he here? Why was God putting him through this? Perhaps outwardly sighing, Samuel said to him, “The LORD has not chosen these.” Samuel just like we often have to do had to learn that God does not choose the way we choose!
EXAMPLE: He was way too short, he was not particularly outstanding in his play, and he finally went in the fifth round of the draft that had a lot more talent than him. Yet when he was still available in the fifth round the Seattle Seahawks picked Russell Wilson to be their quarterback. He is now considered to be one of the premiere quarterbacks in the NFL! As Samuel looked at each young man who stood before him he thought to himself, “Surely this is the one” but it was not. God had a plan and he would not be swayed like we often are. Samuel is now down to the eighth round of the draft, so-to-speak! We learn that God does not choose the way we choose!
Finally, we discover that when we least expect it…
III. God often chooses those we least expect! (Vv. 11-13)
So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered, “but he is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” 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.
1. In a Hebrew home the youngest and smallest would have been the last one chosen to do just about anything. He would have been good for cleanup duty, taking lunches to his older brothers or giving them a midday break but to choose the least for an important job was unthinkable! Jesse had seven fine strapping sons and then there was David! Not that David was a poor specimen of manhood but he was the youngest! So Samuel then asks Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” He is kind of asking, “Is this all there is?” And low and behold Jesse responds, “There is still the youngest.” However this last of the least is “tending the sheep”! Samuel is not stupid and if has learned anything from God it is that he often works in mysterious ways so Samuel kind of mutters, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” I have often said that if you cannot find the humor of the Lord within the pages of Scripture there is something wrong with you. It is almost as if God is smiling here at some inside joke because we see that Jesse “sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features.” By now I am sure that Jesse’s boys have gotten the notion that something is a foot and God is in the mix. I can imagine them thinking, “David? You’ve got to be kidding me!” But God is in the details and is not dissuaded by us and our fancy idea of what we think is best and tells Samuel, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one!” Tada! It is kind of like voting in a President that no one thought could ever win in their wildest dreams! “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.” God chooses and uses the one he has chosen! I often wondered if Samuel didn’t kind of shake his head in wonder but whatever the case “Samuel then went to Ramah” back to where he waited on God to use him again if need be. We learn in the choosing of David as king of Israel that God often chooses those we least expect!
EXAMPLE: I learned how to change the oil in a car at the age of ten. My father took me out on the back porch pointed to his tools, the cans of oil sitting nearby, and the car and related, “There is all you need to change the oil. Get to it.” He sat on the steps while I went about the task. Now you may find this kind of unusual but you see my dad had watched all of us kids and he learned that there was nothing I liked better than to not only to take stuff apart, I also liked to put it back together and fix it. I had the ability to critically think through tasks, find out which tool worked best, and then lay everything out in order and do it. I wasn’t good at sports or math but give me something mechanical, something to draw, or something to figure out and I was up to the task. No one else saw this in me but my Dad did. We learn here that God often chooses those we least expect!
Conclusion:
God chooses those he anoints! God does not choose the way we choose! God often chooses those we least expect!
---
This article is copyrighted © 2020 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
By Pastor Lee Hemen
January 19, 2020
It can be disconcerting when things we are used to in our life change. Moving, going to a new school, marriage, divorce, a birth, and or a death can all have consequences that can throw us for a loop in life. Most of us do not have obsessive compulsive disorder and do not require everything remain the same and we can accept change but change can still bring about circumstances we do not like.
Samuel was God’s chosen prophet and God had just gotten through telling Samuel that Saul, Israel’s mentally and spiritually unstable king, would not be king anymore. In fact God was now asking Samuel to announce to his nation, that mentally-ill king, and an unsuspecting family that God was choosing another king entirely! Needless to say he was not overjoyed at the prospect. In this case change could be life-threatening. In the process we discover God had chosen who would be his messenger and who would be the future king of Israel. Let’s see what happens as God chooses…
READ: 1 Samuel 16:1-13
God has already set aside the person he desires to lead his people and here we learn that…
I. God chooses those he anoints! (Vv. 1-5)
The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? 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.” But Samuel said, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me.” The LORD said, “Take a heifer 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.” Samuel did what the LORD said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?” Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
1. Samuel had helped in the choosing of Saul and he did not like the prospect of God using him as he chose Israel’s future king. Samuel had gotten stuck thinking about how it would affect him and forgot how God was in the process. God therefore kind of gives Samuel a perspective kick in the pants by asking him, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel?” A church can get frightened when they have to consider a new pastor but the best thing to do is focus on what God is doing. God tells Samuel, “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.” Like a lot of folks who do not like the situation God places them in, Samuel begins to make excuses: “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me.” Interestingly Saul had been the king the people had chosen and not God although God had been willing to work through Saul. Saul blew it. God goes on to tell Samuel, “Take a heifer 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.” God did not want to expose Samuel to danger so he tells him to relate that he had come to sacrifice. Interestingly “When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, ‘Do you come in peace?’” Usually when God’s prophet unexpectedly came to a particular city he came to pronounce some kind of judgment. But Samuel calms their fears by relating “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” And it is in the process of sacrifice Samuel “consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.” Samuel did what the LORD said. We learn that God chooses those he anoints!
EXAMPLE: David was the one that had already been identified as “a man after [God’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). David had been chosen from eternity past to be ruler of Israel. As I have related before out there somewhere is the man God has set aside for us as our leader. We do not want to make the same mistake the people of Israel did and chose someone for their looks, height, and standing but rather that we make sure we are relying on him that he has chosen someone special for us. We can rest assured that in choosing a future pastor for GBC God chooses those he anoints!
We want tall, dark, and handsome but we need to learn that…
II. God does not choose the way we choose! (Vv. 6-10)
When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the LORD.” 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.” Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.” Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the LORD chosen this one.” Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The LORD has not chosen these.”
1. Samuel begins the process God had set before him and starts to look at each of Jesse’s sons: “When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the LORD.’” Perhaps Samuel being older and really not wanting to be put into the situation of being the prophet to anoint Israel’s new king he thinks the very first man he is introduced to is the one God has chosen! He is in for a surprise because “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.’” Herein is where many churches get confused or misdirected thinking that perhaps the very first man they consider should be the one God has chosen for them, but that does not need to be the case at all! God looks deeper than we often do! A good speaker or a man with lots of hair might be nice but perhaps God has someone who is wiser, who needs a loving church, or who matures as our church grows! “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” The father Jesse does not give up, he then “called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, ‘The LORD has not chosen this one either.’” Jesse is not deterred because he has a lot of boys and so he “then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, ‘Nor has the LORD chosen this one.’” We discover that “Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel”! It becomes a parade of young male testosterone! However none of the young men Jesse had on hand was the one God had chosen! By this time I believe Samuel is getting discouraged or perhaps a tad bit frustrated with God. Why was he here? Why was God putting him through this? Perhaps outwardly sighing, Samuel said to him, “The LORD has not chosen these.” Samuel just like we often have to do had to learn that God does not choose the way we choose!
EXAMPLE: He was way too short, he was not particularly outstanding in his play, and he finally went in the fifth round of the draft that had a lot more talent than him. Yet when he was still available in the fifth round the Seattle Seahawks picked Russell Wilson to be their quarterback. He is now considered to be one of the premiere quarterbacks in the NFL! As Samuel looked at each young man who stood before him he thought to himself, “Surely this is the one” but it was not. God had a plan and he would not be swayed like we often are. Samuel is now down to the eighth round of the draft, so-to-speak! We learn that God does not choose the way we choose!
Finally, we discover that when we least expect it…
III. God often chooses those we least expect! (Vv. 11-13)
So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered, “but he is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” 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.
1. In a Hebrew home the youngest and smallest would have been the last one chosen to do just about anything. He would have been good for cleanup duty, taking lunches to his older brothers or giving them a midday break but to choose the least for an important job was unthinkable! Jesse had seven fine strapping sons and then there was David! Not that David was a poor specimen of manhood but he was the youngest! So Samuel then asks Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” He is kind of asking, “Is this all there is?” And low and behold Jesse responds, “There is still the youngest.” However this last of the least is “tending the sheep”! Samuel is not stupid and if has learned anything from God it is that he often works in mysterious ways so Samuel kind of mutters, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” I have often said that if you cannot find the humor of the Lord within the pages of Scripture there is something wrong with you. It is almost as if God is smiling here at some inside joke because we see that Jesse “sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features.” By now I am sure that Jesse’s boys have gotten the notion that something is a foot and God is in the mix. I can imagine them thinking, “David? You’ve got to be kidding me!” But God is in the details and is not dissuaded by us and our fancy idea of what we think is best and tells Samuel, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one!” Tada! It is kind of like voting in a President that no one thought could ever win in their wildest dreams! “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.” God chooses and uses the one he has chosen! I often wondered if Samuel didn’t kind of shake his head in wonder but whatever the case “Samuel then went to Ramah” back to where he waited on God to use him again if need be. We learn in the choosing of David as king of Israel that God often chooses those we least expect!
EXAMPLE: I learned how to change the oil in a car at the age of ten. My father took me out on the back porch pointed to his tools, the cans of oil sitting nearby, and the car and related, “There is all you need to change the oil. Get to it.” He sat on the steps while I went about the task. Now you may find this kind of unusual but you see my dad had watched all of us kids and he learned that there was nothing I liked better than to not only to take stuff apart, I also liked to put it back together and fix it. I had the ability to critically think through tasks, find out which tool worked best, and then lay everything out in order and do it. I wasn’t good at sports or math but give me something mechanical, something to draw, or something to figure out and I was up to the task. No one else saw this in me but my Dad did. We learn here that God often chooses those we least expect!
Conclusion:
God chooses those he anoints! God does not choose the way we choose! God often chooses those we least expect!
---
This article is copyrighted © 2020 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
Comments