A Man After God’s Own Heart

The Bible has many great stories. The Old Testament itself is rich in these tales of the lives of people. God does not shy away from the stories that may make us cringe. He uses them to showcase His great mercy and grace. Today I would like to begin a series on one of the greatest characters in the Bible: David. From his small beginings as an almost forgotten shepherd boy to the greatest king Israel had ever known, David stands as one of the heroes of the Bible. His life was far from perfect but was used greatly by God. As we look at the life of David, let us see how God saw him as a man after His own heart and see how it relates to us today.

1 Samuel 16:1 “Now the Lord said to Samuel, “You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.””

The people wanted a king

Samuel took it as rejection - he was the last of the judges

The people didn’t know what they were asking for

They were really rejecting God

Saul waas chosen by the people

Samuel anointed him and spent time with him

Look what God says, “I have selected one of his sons to be my king”

Saul was the king the peole wanted, but David was the king God wanted

1 Samuel 16:2 “But Samuel asked, “How can I do that? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.” “Take a heifer with you,” the Lord replied, “and say that you have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord.”

Samuel realized that any of his movements would be known by King Saul

He could not just trapse along and go on a king hunt without Saul becoming outraged

Now God could have killed Saul, he could have hidden Samuel’s coming and going, but He chose to use a strategy

God is allowed to use strategy, He can use any method He so chooses

He told Samuel to take a sacrifice and that would hide his true intentions

1 Samuel 16:3–4 “Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you which of his sons to anoint for me.” So Samuel did as the Lord instructed. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town came trembling to meet him. “What’s wrong?” they asked. “Do you come in peace?””

Samuel would not have been to Bethlehem on a regular basis. It wasnt part of his regular circuit.

So it quite understandable why the elders of the town would have greeting Samuel in this way.

You might know what it is like when the big boss from Atlanta shows up unanounced and not only is he in your town, but he’s in your office right in front of you. It would have been a suprise.

What was Samuel up to they must have thought. He just killed King Agaag and there was all this disturbance. What on earth would he want with us? Is he going to kill one of us?

1 Samuel 16:5 ““Yes,” Samuel replied. “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then Samuel performed the purification rite for Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice, too.”

Samuel really wasnt there for the elders, he was there for one of Jesse’s boys, but it would have seemed very strange to the elders and the whole town had they not been at this ritual. Remember, the ritual was a cover for the real reason of his visit.

1 Samuel 16:6 “When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!””

Samuel must have remembered when God pointed out young Saul when he was hiding behind that donkey cart.

It was years earlier that Saul was pointed out and he was head and shoulders above everyone else. He was a fine specimen if there ever was one.

So when Eliab showed up as the first of Jesse’s sons, Samuel automatically knew that this was the one. He had to have a look about him. Have you ever seen anyone like that in your life?

1 Samuel 16:7 “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.””

This has to be one of the best verses in the entire Bible.

God wasn’t looking at this the same way that Samuel was looking at it, and He wasn’t looking at it the same way the people of Israel look at it.

As a matter of fact, He is not looking at things the way that we look at them. Isaiah 55:8–9 ““My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

Lets just be straight, here. We are often fooled by appearances. Not everything that looks shiny is good for you, said the largemouth bass.

God sees the heart and we can only get a glimpse at best.

1 Samuel 16:8–10 “Then Jesse told his son Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “This is not the one the Lord has chosen.” Next Jesse summoned Shimea, but Samuel said, “Neither is this the one the Lord has chosen.” In the same way all seven of Jesse’s sons were presented to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.””

None of Jesse’s sons were who God was looking for.

I don’t know if Jesse had a clue what Samuel was really doing there, but Jesse knew that the man of God showed up to take a look see at his family and oh the pride that must have come over him.

He presented his finest offspring, brimming from ear to ear. Until each one of them, name by name was rejected.

Nope not him. Nope not him either. Nope, none of the lot will do.

1 Samuel 16:11 “Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.” “Send for him at once,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.””

I just love how all the men had been inspected, up and down and not one of them passed muster. Samuel’s question must have stung ole Jesse. “Are these all your sons?”

Did Jesse even consider his youngest son?

Was he even part of the equation? Why didn’t he send for him as soon as the prophet showed up.

He was just the youngest, he could not be very old and not be of much use for whatever this man Samuel needed.

Have you ever counted someone out without really even knowing anything about them?

Have you ever counted yourself out?

Samuel must see this last candidate and he will not leave until he gets here. What a powerful statement right there. The prophet of God takes a seat and waits. He waits for the God’s will to be revealed. He waits and does nothing else until this business is concluded. Somethings have to wait until business is taken care of.

1 Samuel 16:12 “So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes. And the Lord said, “This is the one; anoint him.””

God pointed out who His choice was, because He can see stuff that noone else can.

Jesse saw his youngest son, God saw a king.

Samuel saw a dark and handsome fellow, God saw a man after His own heart.

We see sometimes like Jesse, but we can see like God does.

God sees something in each of us that we might not even see in ourselves.

1 Samuel 16:13 “So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.”

God took this young man and made him a king. He wasn’t perfect but he led Israel to great power and gave God glory for everything. He messed up but he kept a heart that was set on God. God took this shepherd boy and gave us an family line that the Savior of the World would be born to.

God has the uncanny ability to take the foolish things and confound the wise. The ways of God may seem foolish to some. It doesn’t make sense the way God does things. But, He loves you and me so much that He could not allow us to continue to be separated from Him. People are born in sin, separated from God and do not possess the ability to come to Him. Knowing this, God sent Jesus to die on a cross to take sin and kill it. He has made it possible for us to know Him through this act. It may seem foolish to some, but it is the power of salvation to those who are being saved. If you don’t have a relationship with God, He wants to change that. His Spirit is drawing people to Himself.

Altar Call

The first step is to be in a right relationship with God. You do this by repenting of your sins and accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. That is something that you do in your heart and then you confess it with your mouth.

I want to give you the opportunity to do that today. You can come and see me or if you are online, you can simply call our office at 912-427-9591 and I’d love to talk with you.

God is so good to us and invites us to cast our cares on Him. I want to invite you to do that today. If you have a special need, I ask that you come down and stand here at these altars and we’d love to pray with you.

If you just want to come and praise God and thank Him for what He’s done,I invite you to make your way down and do that now.