David Starting Out
This Sermon preached at St Andrew’s Wakefield July 2004
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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.”
2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”
The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.”
4 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?”
5 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.
6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”
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 people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” 9 Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.” 10 Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”
“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”
12 So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.
Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”
13 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 powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.
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Listening
Introduction
David was described I the bible as a man after God’s own heart’ - It’s a kind of epitaph that each of us would do well to have on our grave stones…Kelvin a man after God’s own heart…Martin….Steve… By looking at David and how he was chosen by God we can learn a great deal about the kind of person God can choose.
Earlier in our study of Samuel we heard how Israel wanted a king so they would be like the other Nations. Samuel resisted their pleas because he felt they were rejecting God as their true Lord and King. (1 Sam 9v16). After a while God made it clear to Samuel that Saul was to be anointed King. For a variety of reasons Saul seems to buckle under the responsibility of being king and disobeys God and ended up in a state of depression and out of touch with God. By the beginning of 1 Sam Ch 16 we know God has rejected Saul as king and David is anointed. (Then there was quite a gap before David was finally crowned.)
Notice the people God chooses, the people God uses.
Saul had been the tall dark & handsome type of king but in 1 Sam 16v7 the Lord said to Samuel ‘do not consider appearance or height…the Lord does not look on the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart.’
Samuel looked at the sons of Jesse (Ruth’s grandson) in Bethlehem having heard from the Lord that he would choose Saul’s successor from that family. He naturally looked 1st to the eldest Eliab, tall, strong, and handsome but Samuel was surprised to find that he w/n/b chosen. He looked along the line of Jesse’s 7 sons and is surprised to find none of them was God’s chosen. He asked Jesse if he had any others - yes, the youngest David is out in the fields tending the flock of sheep. He was considered the least important in the family but immediately Samuel knew he was the one God had chosen to lead the nation.
From this brief story, we can learn 3 important principles of what makes a person a ‘man or a woman after God’s own heart.’
God’s choice is not always the natural choice.
It’s the heart that matters
It’s the anointing that matters.
God’s choice is not always the natural choice.
The first is the obvious one - God’s choice is not always the natural choice. Today - how you look, wear. What you own counts so much but it means nothing in God’s eyes. The oldest, strongest most gifted of Jesse’s family were passed by God - God was interested in the heart and it’s God’s choice that matters. It’s the contents not the outer case
The church piano so shiney and beautiful, good name, good pedigree, good wood. But when you play it, it is not in tune, not suitable for worship. The outer appearance is attractive but the we could not see the inside until it was played.
It’s the heart that matters
How’s your heart? Matthew 5:18 ‘a heart that seeks after God will not go unsatisfied.’ How’s your heart with respect to God? That part of you which connects with God, We are made up of Body mind spirit and we feed the body and the mind but overlook the spirit. What was it with David that left scripture describing him as ‘a man after God’s own heart.’
a) He had a love for the Lord. Many of David’s psalms express his deep relationship with God Ps 63v1 Ps 42v1 ‘as the deer pants for the stream so my heart longs for you..’ How are you doing in expressing our love for the Lord?
b) He had faith in God, he trusted in God. He had defended the sheep against bears & loins. David had proved that he trusted God in his daily life and now God was about to entrust him with (not a flock of sheep) but a nation. Psalm 31v14.
How is your faith in God? If you are filled with a love for the lord and are trusting in God, it will show
[Illustration: If you bump in to someone while carrying a bucket of water, it will spill. What fills you spills over when you meet/bump in to people.]
c) He had room for God. Many people would say they have faith inj God and that they love the Lord but they do not make room for Jesus in their busy lives. David’s psalms show that he made room for God. Getting alone regularly with God gave David the strength for each day (Ps 1v 1-3.
3. It’s the anointing that matters.
Someone once said if the Holy Spirit was removed from the church next Sunday from all the churches in Britain 90% of all the Christians would not notice the difference! Sounds harsh but it’s the anointing that matters. If we are to be a people after God’s own heart we need the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit was given in Acts 2 it was a new move. In the Old Testament the anointing oil was for Prophet, Priest and king. It marked them out as being reserved set apart to serve God. The oil was a symbol of the power of God’s Spirit upon them (1 Samuel 16v13). David was anointed..
IN the New Testament the Holy Spirit was given to those who opened their hearts to Him. All believers are a royal priesthood and prophets.
We are anointed for ministry.
