Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:6-7 31 May 20, AM, MHBC

Series: Those Less Mentioned

Sermon #4

Eliab, The Want To Be King

1 Samuel 16:6–7 NKJV

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.”

Open: When I was in the 6th grade, I played baseball for the optimism park in our area. I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging but I was pretty good, at least in that age group. I hit several home runs and quite a few grand slams. I was good at every potion but pitching. We ended up undefeated that year because we had several good ball players and I was one of those players.

At the end of the season my coach made me promise him that I’d try out for the school team next year. He said I was good enough and was a great player. So, I promised him, and I tried out the following season. I didn’t make it past the first cut. I was awful. I couldn’t hit the ball because it came in way to fast. While I did okay in the outfield there were several who were just faster and better than I.

There I was, a would be baseball player who ended up never trying out again and never becoming what I and my coach thought I’d be.

I tell that story because of the individual we’ll be looking at today. By all reasoning he should have been the next king of Israel to follow after Saul. But he wasn’t, instead the role went to his youngest brother David. I’d like for us to look at Eliab, the want to be king who never was. As we look at the details surrounding his story, my prayer is that we can learn some important lessons along the way.

A. The Confidence of Samuel

—"Surely” vs. 6.

· Sam had been around Eliab for all of less than a day and he was sure Eliab was the one.

· The way the scriptures read, Samuel had never met Eliab until that day.

So what does this mean for us?

· We must be cautious about knee jerk reactions and overwhelming assumptions.

· We can think we know the will of God and be wrong.

B. The Casualness Of Samuel

· He presumed he knew the thoughts and ways of God.

· Isiah 55:8 Isaiah 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.

So what does this mean for us?

· We must remember that our way of thinking and doing are flawed by unrighteousness.

· God’s Word reveals to us God’s Will

C. The Council Of God

(God said, don’t look on outward)

· Eliab looked good. He had the appearance and the physical stature (explain the difference)

· Eliab by all rights should have been the one. He was the first born.

So what does that mean for us?

· There are outwardly spiritual people who have not been indwelt by God.

· God has no grandchildren, just children.

D. The Cause For God

(God knew Eliab’s heart)

· Eliab was prideful and insolent.

· 1 Sam. 17:28-291 Samuel 17:28–29 Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was aroused against David, and he said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” And David said, “What have I done now? Is there not a cause?”

So what does this mean for us?

· God cares about your heart than your appearance!

· Why are you here today? Is your goal to look more like Christ or to be more like Christ?

· If you’ll be more like Christ than you’ll end up looking more like Christ.

Close: (Holman New Testament Commentary, Romans, p. 90-92) "Commissioned in 1936, the RMS Queen Mary was the most awe-inspiring ocean-going vessel in the world. She was 1,019 feet long, at 81,237 tons displaced twice the tonnage of the Titanic, had 12 decks (the promenade deck was 724 feet long), and carried 1,957 passengers attended by a crew of 1,174. Transformed from a luxury linter to a troop transport in World War II she carried 765,429 members of the military to and from the European war zones. The Queen Mary was retired from regular passenger service in 1967 after making 1,001 Atlantic Ocean crossings, and is presently harbored in the port of Long Beach, California. Even today, her magnificent and gleaming exterior cuts a beautiful profile against the blue waters of the Long Beach harbor. But when the Queen Mary was retired from active passenger service, it was discovered that part of her gleaming exterior was hiding something far less attractive and substantial.

The Queen Mary's three elliptical smoke stacks?36 feel long, 23 feet wide, and ranging from 70 down to 62 feet in height-were made of sheets of steel over an inch thick. During her decades of service, at least 30 coats of paint had been applied to the massive smokestacks, forming a shell around the steel interior. But when the smokestacks were removed for maintenance after her decommissioning, it was discovered that they were nothing but shells. When lifted off the liner and placed on the docks, they crumbled! Over the years, the thick steel of which they had been made had turned to rust from long exposure to heat and moisture. The beautiful exteriors of the smokestacks revealed a rusty, crumbly interior that spoke not of beauty and elegance but of deterioration and decay. The external appearance was hiding the internal reality. . . .