1 Samuel 16; God Sees

Introduction

Image

In 1941, Selig Hechts conducted a study on the human eye. Hecht and his team wanted to see the minimum light required for the human eye to detect. In their research, they found that participants responded to a range of 5-14 quanta that was absorbed by 500 retinal cells. Or in other words, the found that a person could theoretically see the flame from a single candle 30 miles away.

Need

Topic

Referent

1 Samuel 16

Organization

1 Samuel 16: God Sees (Read 16:1-13)

He Sees

Our Sorrow

Our Fears

Our Hearts

He Provides

His King

His Spirit

His Way

Sermon in a sentence:

God sees me and provides for me.

1 Samuel: Looking on the Heart Chapter 15: Looking on the Heart (1 Samuel 16)

The key word (or key root) in the chapter provides its theme. Yahweh’s words introduce this theme in verse 1: “I have seen among his sons a king for myself.” That is quite literal. The verb is rā’āh, which in this case carries the sense of “provide” (as in

He Sees

Our Sorrow (v.1)

Samuel weeps for Saul.

Dale Ralph Davis

1 Samuel: Looking on the Heart The Hope in Yahweh’s Choice (16:1)

He was not upset over a lousy bowling score or because someone sideswiped his Chevy Beretta or because he had only a three-bedroom house. Rather he was distressed over the spiritual disaster of a promising instrument of God, over the welfare of God’s people, over their condition and security. Do we ever mourn over such matters? Do we mourn or gossip over the sins of others? Do we ever sorrow over the unbelief in the churches and among the professional ministry? Do we ever grieve over the biblical and ethical ignorance among professing believers? Does anything ever move us, aside from our own comfort and security? There is something commendable, instructive, in Samuel’s distress.

Our Fears (v. 4)

The elders are trembling at Samuel’s arrival. (1 Samuel 21:1 and 22:6-23; Saul kills Ahimelech & 84 priests)

1 Samuel 21:1 ESV

1 Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came to meet David, trembling, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?”

Our Hearts (vs. 6-7)

The entire book of 1 Samuel teaches us that God sees not the outward but the heart.

Hannah/Peninnah (1)

Eli/Hannah (1)

Hannah’s Prayer (2)

Philistine/Ark (4-5)

Saul’s Height (9)

Saul’s Improper Sacrifice (13)

Saul’s “sacrifice” (15)

The world can see what we let them see. We can do a great job of hiding our sorrow, fears, and hearts from other people. A son that hid his severe depression can have dinner with his parents then go home and take his own life.

God sees you when are afraid of going to sleep in the dark as a child. He also sees you when you are having nightmares because of that new medication.

God sees our heart when we are walking in love and righteousness. He also sees our hearts when put on a show to get the praise of others.

He Provides

His King (vs. 11-12)

God provides this new king not because of his stature but because of his heart.

1 Samuel 16:18 tells us that this king is skillful , a man of valor, war, speech, presence, and God’s presence.

His Spirit (vs. 13-16)

God sends his spirit upon David like he did Saul. However, David will be a man after God’s heart unlike Saul.

With the removal of God’s Spirit, Saul is plunged into spiritual warfare with God himself.

His Way (17-23)

Saul says, “Provide (see) for me a man” Saul that he would find an answer to his problem but really it was God all along.

God gave Saul the problem so that He could provide the answer.

Look at creation. God created everything for man to live and work in the Garden. God gives him a few commands: (1) Be fruitful and multiply, (2) name the animals, (3) don’t eat from one tree. As Adam begins naming all the animals, something becomes very clear. The animals have helpmates to be fruitful, multiple, and have dominion over their realms of creation: land, air, sea. But, Adam has no helpmate to be fruitful, multiply, and subdue the earth. God gave Adam two jobs that would show him what he needed to accomplish the job. Brothers and sisters, the call of obedience to God is one that God gives us to demonstrate our complete inability to fulfil on our own.

Saul loved David and made David his armor-bearer.

God sovereignly orchestrated these events to place David where he needed to be. Samuel was worried that Saul would find out. Instead of David running away from Saul’s presence, God put David right beside Saul.

Conclusion

Application