When God Moves ON

Pray

Give honor Text: 1 Samuel 16:1-13

1 Samuel 16:1–13 NKJV

Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.” And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” But the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; you shall anoint for Me the one I name to you.” So Samuel did what the Lord said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, “Do you come peaceably?” And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice. So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” So Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here.” So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

We are in  1 Samuel 16 this morning! 

1 Samuel 16 doesn’t begin with a celebration 

It begins with a crisis.

You know when we talk about 1 Samuel 16 

 we shout about oil…

we dance over David…

we celebrate kingship and calling…

And although 1 Samuel 16 has an oily ending

It too has a sorrowful start!!!!! 

-It begins with rejection before it gets to recognition.

-It starts in sorrow before it moves to selection.

-Samuel is still grieving over what was, before God introduces him to what will be.

A prophet stuck in yesterday,

A king God rejected,

And a tension between what’s over and what’s next.

Because…..Sometimes before the oil flows, the heart breaks.

Before the horn is lifted, a chapter has to close.

So don’t miss this: God won’t pour new oil where expired seasons.

And so before God can pour OIL!!

His Prophet has to move on!!!

This book begins with a prophet in mourning 

A man of God sitting in grief, trying to reconcile the difference between what was… and what will be.

The Bible opens the chapter with a question from God:

“How long will you mourn over Saul, seeing I have rejected him?”

Now to understand the weight of this moment, you have to know who Samuel is…

Samuel was the prophet the voice of God to the people of Israel.

He was the one who anointed Saul.

He watched Saul rise from obscurity to royalty.

But Samuel also watched Saul fall .....because of his disobedience.

And God says, “That’s it. I’m done with Saul.”

Now listen Saul still has the title.

He still has the position.

He still sits on the throne.

But the oil is gone.

And that wrecks Samuel.

Because Samuel wasn’t just a prophet —

He was a person! 

He had a heart.

He had expectations.

He had hopes tied to Saul’s success.

So now, in 1 Samuel 16 — Samuel is weeping over a past God has already walked away from.

God says, “How long?”

Because here’s the danger:

You can be so emotionally tied to a season that God has moved on from…that you miss the next move He’s trying to lead you into.

In other words 

Your next is already in motion 

but you can’t move with it if you’re still mourning what’s behind you!

And sometimes we miss real miracle moments mourning over what God has already moved on from! 

Samuel is in mourning…

But God is preparing a miracle.

While Samuel is stuck in the past —

God has already selected the future.

GOD DOES MOVE ON!!

GOD DOES MOVE ON!!!

GOD DOES MOVE ON!!!

And Gods moving on teaches us a few lessons 

God’s Rejection Doesn’t Cancel God’s Provision

“How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go…” (v. 1)

Samuel is in his feelings.

He’s grieving Saul—the king he helped install.

The one he poured into. The one he prophesied over.

But Saul messed up.

And here’s the tension—God fired Saul but let him keep working.

Lord, don’t let me get so full of myself that You take Your hand off of me, and I don’t even know it.

Samuel is mourning. But God interrupts his tears with a question:

“How long?”

How long will you mount over Saul!!!

How long will you cry over what didn’t work out?

How long will you grieve over who left you?

How long will you stay stuck in a place I’ve already left?

God says—“I have provided myself a king.”

See, the first king—Saul—was man’s choice.

But now God says—let Me choose this time.

Because the meter y’all been using to measure greatness is broken.

Let me tell somebody:

Just because God rejected what you liked… doesn’t mean He won’t provide what you need.

Provision is still in motion, even when rejection is on the scene.

And maybe the issue isn’t that God isn’t providing…

Maybe the problem is—we’re not positioning.

When God moves—you move… just like that.

When God’s hands are off—your hands are off… just like that.

When God says NO—you SAY NO… just like that.

When God GETS TO STEPPING —you GET TO STEPPING… just like that.

NEVER GET SO CAUGHT up in Gods rejection, that you miss Gods provision!!! 

God provides!!!!

In every season and circumstance of your life, GOD PROVIDES 

IN EVERY HEARTBREAK AND HEADACHE 

GOD PROVIDES 

IN EVERY SEASON AT EVERY TIME!! 

Goooooodddddd pro VIDES 

II. God’s Process Is Not Our Preference

Samuel grabs his horn of oil. He heads to Jesse’s house.

And as soon as he sees Eliab—the firstborn, tall, strong, good-looking—he says:

“Surely the Lord’s anointed is before me.”

But God says, “NOPE!”

Because God doesn’t see like we see.

Man looks at the outward appearance… but God looks at the heart. (v. 7)

Sometimes, God takes you through a process just to change your perception.

He has to show you that:

• Every good choice ain’t a God choice.

• What you think is best may be blocking what God has planned.

In other words 

Gods ways are not our ways!!!

His thoughts are not our thoughts 

Our Way would’ve been to keep Saul.

God’s Way is to anoint another.

Our Way is to pick Eliab.

God’s Way is to go through all seven sons just to get to the eighth one in the field.

We would’ve  wanted God to just tell us who the king was.

But God says—go through the process.

Because from one mountain of faith to the next…

There’s always a valley of process in between.

• Joseph had to go through the pit before the palace. PROCESS 

• Moses spent 40 years in the desert before his calling caught fire. PROCESS

• Jesus went through 30 years of silence before 3 years of miracles. PROCESS 

Maybe God is showing Samuel: you’ve been shaped by the people too long.

So I gotta break your perception through My process.

AND WHO AM i talking to in here……

III. God’s Presence Is a Reminder of God’s Promise

After seven sons walk by and are rejected, Samuel asks:

“Is there anyone else?”

Jesse says, “Well… yeah. There’s David. But he’s out back with the sheep.”

Catch this—David didn’t even get invited to the ceremony.

But the oil won’t flow till he shows up.

Just because you’re not invited to the table doesn’t mean God doesn’t see you.

the anointing didn’t fall till verse 13.

But God had already chosen David in verse 1.

Some of y’all are in verse 1 seasons with verse 13 anointings!

God already has His hand on you—people just haven’t seen it yet.

David walks in smelling like sheep.

There’s no record that he even washed up.

No cologne. No crown. No credentials.

Which proves—you don’t have to be clean to be called.

Sometimes you’re still dirty… and God still drops oil on you.

Because purity of heart matters more than polish of hands.

David got anointed smelling like service.

So maybe the message is—serve your way to the top.

And when the oil flows… that’s when the promise becomes presence.

Because God’s presence is always a reminder that His promise still stands.

:

• God was with Joseph in prison.

• God walked with the Hebrew boys in the fire.

• God was with Jesus in the wilderness.

And now—God is standing with David in Jesse’s house.

CLIMAX: Don’t Confuse Eyes Off with Hands Off

Just because they don’t have their eyes on you doesn’t mean God doesn’t have His hand on you.

While they were overlooking David…

God was preparing David.

While they were skipping over David…

God was setting David apart.

You may not be in the room.

But when the time is right, God will send for you.

And when the oil flows…

No devil, no delay, and no denial can stop the move of God.