God Chooses A King

This is God’s Choice of a King

I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king

I will send, I have provided, for myself.

This is all about God and His choosing.

And in His choosing He finds a young man with a lineage of prostitutes and gentiles.

Jesse is a descendent of:

Judah and Tamar.

Rahab the harlot from Jericho.

Boaz and Ruth the Moabitess.

The Significance of Judah

Genesis 49:8–10 ESV

8 “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. 9 Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? 10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

When the people chose Saul as their king, they had failed to grasp the significance of his tribe. He was not of the line of Judah, and God is very specific within the nation to pick people based on tribes and prophecy.

The Significance of Bethlehem

Bethlehem (Ephrath) is the sight of Rachel’s tomb.

It is part of the land allotted to the tribe of Judah.

Bethlehem is where Ruth meets Boaz (the Moabitess).

It is where God anoints David King.

It is where Jesus is born.

Micah 5:2 ESV

2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

Even the prophecy about the town is included in the smaller/lesser notion of choosing a king.

Bethlehem is considered to be too small to produce such a great figure.

Jesus is then born in this small town, in a manger, and visited by shepherds.

All of these things point to a theme of humility.

Jesus’ lineage is less than stellar.

His town of birth is not some great metropolis.

He doesn’t even live there. (you don’t even go here)

He was not a spectacular physical specimen.

So, in setting up the choice of a new king, God sends Samuel to Bethlehem of Judah to the man Jesse (Man of Yahweh) and...

God chooses the youngest son (11)

Just like Jacob over Esau.

Like Ephraim over Manasseh

More importantly in each case it is based not on stature or maturity.

We must understand that God chooses based on His Knowledge.

Isaiah 46:8–11 ESV

8 “Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, 9 remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ 11 calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.

God didn’t just see the end from the very outset of His creation, He declared it.

He purposed that His creation would be a particular way, and it has always been…exactly as He purposed.

When we understand this truth, we can acknowledge that God knows who a child will become.

He knows who you will become.

If you put your faith in Jesus and trust Him with all your heart, and are purposed to be a man after God’s own heart, you will become exactly, and are even now, the person that God has purposed you to be.

David was after God’s heart.

Completely imperfect, but with a heart that was bent towards the Almighty.

1 Samuel 16:7 ESV

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

God knew when He sent Samuel to find a king that David was the man he was looking for.

It will be another 15 years before Saul dies and David becomes king, but God has already set things in motion.

Three Practical Points

1. You cannot be better than being after God’s heart.

You are exactly where and in the shape God knew you would be today.

Perfection on the outside is not the goal.

It is remaining focused on God that brings God near.

Seek to please Him first. Do His work.

2. God is looking at your heart, not your outward appearance.

There is no point in putting on a Christian front.

You can look victorious like Saul, but still miss the mark in your heart.

You not only have to confess with your mouth, but believe in your Heart.

If needed, take a break and spend some time in the Word and in Prayer to get back to right.

Let go of the outward appearance and lay up some treasure in heaven.

3. Young people will one day be who God purposed them to be.

David was killing lions, tigers and bears, Oh my.

He didn’t rush into the throne room and take the crown. He patiently waited for God to work His plan out in his life.

Response in Worship