ANSWERING GOD’S CALL

I Samuel 16:1-13

We begin a new series of messages today on “Defining Moments from the Life of David.”  It’s been said that “big doors turn on small hinges.” , and almost every person experiences pivotal points in life. Some of them are positive, some of them are negative. 

·         For Adam and Eve the defining moment was when they ate the forbidden fruit. 

·         For Abraham, it was when God said, “Pack up all your belongings and move to a land that I will show you.”

·         For Moses, the defining moment came when God appeared to him in a burning bush and said, “God tell Pharaoh to release my people.”

·         For Queen Esther, the defining moment came when she confessed to her husband the king that she was Jewish and begged him to spare her people.

·         For Mary, it was a visit from the angel Gabriel who said, “You’re going to give birth to the Son of God.”

·         For Simon Peter, the defining moment came when Jesus asked, “But who do you say that I am?”

·         For Judas Iscariot, it came when he was offered 30 pieces of silver by the Sanhedrin to identify Christ at night.

·         For Jesus, it was in the Garden of Gethsemane when he prayed, “Not my will, but Thine be done.”

Sometimes defining moments in life are obvious: we face a choice of college, marriage, career, investments, or spiritual direction, and we know that our decision is going to significantly impact our future.  But many times we are oblivious to the defining moments in life.  Our lives are about to make a significant turn and we don’t have a clue in terms of what’s about to happen. It’s only in looking back at what seemed to be a chance encounter or an ordinary opportunity that we can see our lives were altered forever.  But what most of us want is the assurance that our lives have an ultimate purpose.  Most of us want to know that the defining moments in our lives are guided by God who promises that all things are going to work together for the good of those that love him.  Several months ago, USA Today reported on a survey in which adults were asked, “What question would you ask God if you were certain you would get a direct answer?”  Do you know what the number one question that people would want to ask God was?  Number two was, “Is there life after death?”  But, by far, the number one question was, “Why am I here on the earth?  What purpose does my life have?”  We want to know that our life has significance; that God has called us to make a significant contribution to this world. 

Well, for the next couple of weeks we’re going to look at several occasions in the life of king David, Israel’s most revered leader, and see how he reacted to some defining moments in his life.  David is called a man after God’s own heart; not because he was perfect, but because he had a heart for God and he was sincerely devoted to doing what God wanted done.  And I think that by analyzing several pivotal events from the life of David, some positive, some negative, we can learn how we can respond appropriately to the defining moments that arise in our own lives.  So let’s begin by looking at an incident what happened in David’s life when he was just a shepherd boy and he was first called by God.  This was the first indication that David had that God wanted to do something special in his life.  So let’s review the story together, first and then we’ll build the bridge to our lives today and think about how we can respond to the Lord’s call so we can make a difference.

I.                   THE STORY

The story of Samuel’s anointing of David is found in I Samuel the 16th chapter.  And verse 1 reads, “The Lord said to Samuel, ‘How long will you mourn for Saul since I have rejected him as king over Israel?   Fill your horn with oil and be on your away.  I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem.  I have chosen one of his sons to be king.’”  This was a difficult assignment.  Samuel was both the spiritual leader and kind of the chief Justice of Israel. And he had ordained Saul as Israel's first King. And Saul was the peoples’ choice. The Bible says that Saul was very impressive.  He was without equal physically among the Israelites.  He was head and shoulders taller than the others.  But Saul was not a man after God’s own heart.  Power corrupted him.  Saul became an arrogant, unpredictable and ruthless king.  And Samuel was very disappointed because he had a lot invested in Saul.

So God said to Samuel, “I want  you to stop grieving for Saul.  It’s time to move on.  I’ve already zeroed in on his successor.  You fill your horn with oil and go to the home of Jesse because one of his sons is going to be the next king.”  But Samuel said, “How can I go?  Saul will hear about it and kill me.”  Saul had become an egotistical tyrant who would kill to maintain his power.  And the road from Ramah, where Samuel was to Bethlehem where David lived went right through Gibeah which was Saul's hometown.  And Saul had already been told that the Lord had selected somebody to replace him as king.  And Samuel feared that if Saul found out why he was going, he would butcher the anointed and the anointer.  And his fears were evidently well-founded.  Years later, another king by the name of Herod would learn that there was a baby born in Bethlehem that was going to be King, and King Herod made a decree that all baby boys 2 years of age and younger were to be executed.  And Samuel feared that Saul's reaction would be about that violent.

So the Lord said, in verse 2, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have some to offer a sacrifice to the Lord.  Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do.  You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.  Samuel did what the Lord said.  When he arrived at Bethlehem the elders of the town trembled and asked, ‘Did you come in peace?’”  Isn’t that sad?  You know, when there’s trouble in the oval office, the mood eventually permeates throughout the country.  And Saul had become such a vicious dictator that the people of the land trembled at any authority figure. And when Samuel came they asked, “Did you come in peace?”  and Samuel replied, “Yes.  I come in peace and to sacrifice to the Lord.  Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.  The he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.”  Now according to Exodus the 19th chapter, consecration involved not only prayer ,but washing themselves and putting on fresh clothing to please God. 

When Jesse’s family arrived, Samuel made a very surface appraisal of the sons.  Look at verse 6, “When they arrived, Samuel say Eliab and he thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.,’”  Now Samuel was  good man, but like many of us, he had a tendency to evaluate people by externals.  He was too easily swayed by impressive appearance.  It is human nature to give favoritism to the beautiful people.  For the past three decades Americans have elected Presidents based, in large part, on how they come across on TV: Does he look Presidential?  Charisma somehow matters more than character,.  Appearance is more important than substance. 

Verse 7, “The Lord said to Samuel, do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.  The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  As we grow more God-like in our walk with the Lord, external appearances should matter less.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had the eyes of God and we didn’t focus on the things that were seen and could focus on the unseen?  Wouldn’t it be great to get beyond all the externals; not the physique, not the complexion, not the SAT scores, not the family pedigree or the age, and just see a person’s worth down deep inside? 

Verse 8, “then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in from of Samuel.  But Samuel said, ‘The Lord has not chosen this one either.’  Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, ‘Nor has the Lord chosen this one.’  Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, ‘The Lord has not chosen these.’”  The Lord’s choice was going to be a surprise anointing.  Samuel was going to anoint David,  the youngest son, the least expected.

So he asked Jesse, ‘Are these all the sons you have?”

‘There is still the youngest,’ Jesse answered, ‘but he is tending the sheep.”  Even the father was surprised.  Jesse didn’t even bother to invite his youngest son into the room.  Either he didn't have equal appreciation for all of his children, or he thought that David was too young to be considered for such a significant anointing. 

You know, God not only sees beyond appearance, he also sees beyond age distinctions and occupations.  Joseph was in his mid-30s when God appointed him as an administrator over all of Egypt.  On the other hand, Moses was 80 and so was Abraham when they received their most significant calls.  Samuel may have remembered that he was just a young child himself, sleeping in the Tabernacle when he heard the voice of God calling him.  So Samuel said to Jesse, “Send for him.  We will not sit down until he arrives.  So he sent and him brought in.”  Think of this, here's David just a  young teenager out in the field with the sheep.  And somebody runs up to him and says, “Hey, David!  You’re wanted back at the house.”  And he has no idea that this is about to be a defining moment in his life.  He has no clue what’s going on in that house.  And he walks in, still smelling like the sheep, and his father and brothers are all staring at him.  And verse 12 says, “He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features.  Then the Lord said, ‘Rise and anoint him; he is the one.’”

Now you don’t read about David the glowing report about his appearance like you do Saul.  David had a fine appearance; maybe not outstanding.  But the point is, to God it didn’t matter.  Verse 13, “So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his bothers.”  Jospehus the first century historian says that Samuel the prophet may have whispered in David’s ear the meaning of the symbol, “You will be the next king.”  I wonder what David’s brother thought?  You seldom imagine your younger brother or sister doing much of anything.  And David’s brothers must have thought, “What a joke!  Samuel must be losing it in his old age!  David, someone special?”  But the Bible says, “From that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power.”  Maybe he felt a special tingling of his body.  Maybe he had a different countenance and different confidence from that day forth. This was  defining moment for him. And you know what he did?  He went back to tending sheep.  Temporarily, but he would never be the same again.

Charles Swindoll in his book about David, “A Man of Passion and Destiny” points out, “David didn’t go to the department store for a crown-fitting.  He didn't get business cards that read, “King-elect.”  He went right back to the flock, because when you have a heart like David, that’s what you do.  He was faithful to his task.  He didn’t expect special treatment.  As soon as the big moment was over and the lights were off, he went back to doing his job.  In fact, people had to pull him away from the sheep to have him do anything that was related to the limelight. David was humble, approachable, believable, authentic, and faithful in the little things.  It’s in the little things and the lonely places that we prove ourselves worthy of the big things.”

II.                LESSONS FOR OUR LIVES

Well, let’s think of some lessons that apply to God’s call in our lives.  One of the lessons that stands out to me is that God’s call comes to the secular tasks as well as the spiritual roles.  I think for most of us when we think about the call of God on our lives we think, “God’s going to call me into the ministry”, or “God’s going to  call me to the mission field.”  But God called David to a life of leadership in the political arena.  Doug Sherman and William Hendricks wrote  thought-provoking book, “Your Work Matters To God.”  And thy said, “Millions of people go to work without seeing the slightest connection between what they do all day and what they think God wants done in the world.  But we believe your work matters deeply to God.  Work is a major part of human life that God takes very seriously.  It has intrinsic value.”  Through work we serve people, meet out own needs, meet our family’s needs, earn money to give to others, and through out work we love God.  That’s why the Bible says, “we are God’s fellow workers.”

·         God called Noah to be a ship-builder

·         He called Joseph to be the Administrator Egypt

·         He called Nehemiah to be the supervisor of a construction project

·         He called Gideon to the military

·         He called Moses to be a liberator of his people

·         He called Mary to be a stay-at-home mom

And God has called some of you to be:

·         School teachers

·         Coaches

·         Accountants

·         Repairmen

·         Business owners

·         Beauticians

·         Police officers

·         Farmers

·         Doctors and nurses

·         Salesmen

·         Politicians and

·         Construction workers

And when you begin to see your daily job as a calling from God, you develop a whole new attitude towards your work.  Colossians the third chapter reads, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord and not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a  reward.  It is the Lord Christ that you are serving.” 

Here’s a second lesson: God’s call comes to ordinary people, not just the glamorous.  David was so insignificant in his family that his father didn’t even call him in from the field for this event.  The world notices the rich, the young, the beautiful, the brilliant, the wealthy.  But God, so often uses the ordinary.  I Corinthians 1 reads, “Brothers think of what you were when you were called.  Not many of you were wise by human standards.  Not may of you were influential.  Not many of you were of noble birth.  But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.  He chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.  He chose the lowly things of the world, the despised things, the things that are not impressive to nullify the things that are.  You know why?  So no one may boast before him.”  When God uses ordinary people, he gets the credit.  So if you are ordinary, don’t be apologetic, don’t be intimated by those who are more impressive, understand that God calls you, and God needs you.  You are as important to God as somebody that the world thinks is impressive.

Another lesson is, God’s call usually comes subtly, not spectacularly.  When Samuel anointed David, there weren’t many people present.  The press corps was not on hand to publicize the event.  No angel with a trumpet.  No 21-gun salute.  The world loves to call attention, but God often works behind the scenes in very understated ways.  Sometimes not. When Saul of Tarsus was called, there was the bright light that struck him to the ground, and voice for heaven, blindness for three days and  dramatic healing.  But that's not the norm. When Simon Peter was called he just went with Jesus for a one-on-one walk and talk and Jesus said, “Do you love me more than these?”   And Peter said, “Yes, I do.”  And Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.”  There were no bright lights, no dramatic healing, and no voice from heaven.  Just kind of a quite reassurance that this is what God wants in your life.  God’s call in your defining moments may seem unimpressive to others. 

·         Maybe you’ve got a friend who one day says to you, “Have you ever thought about teaching Sunday school?  You know the Bible, you’ve got a gift.  You’d make a great teacher.”

·         Or, God may come to you through the use of your gifts.  You just started, even though it wasn’t your job, you just stated toying around with a computer and you like it so well and you become so knowledgeable and all of a sudden you find yourself in a whole new career.

·         God may call you through experiences that teach you about where you are most fulfilled. He may guide you by His word which is a lamp to your feet and a light to your path.  He may call you through circumstances. He may call you by an inner nudging of His Holy Spirit.

·         On Tuesday night October 3, 1973 I went forward at the conclusion of a revival service at my home church and gave my life to Jesus Christ at age 12 and was baptized into him.  And not long after that I sensed that the Lord was leading me into the preaching ministry.  That seemed kind of strange to me that the time.  No one else in my family, with the exception of my grandparents, even went to church anywhere.  But I was convinced that God was nudging me to full-time service in the church.  There was not flash of light.  There was no audible voice telling me to go to Bible college.  There was just a constant inner awareness that I was to preach the Gospel. 

Another lesson is, God’s call normally comes progressively, not instantaneously. As soon as David was anointed he didn’t march into Jerusalem and demand that King Saul step aside.  He went back to tending sheep.  And you know what?  He would tend sheep for almost another 20 years. And he would have to go through maturating and threats, and misery as he ran from Saul before he would take the throne. God usually works very slowly. That means we have to be very patient.  He trains his people in the pasture alone.  Alan Redpath wrote, “The conversion of a soul is the miracle of the moment.  But the manufacture of a saint is the task of a lifetime.”  If you are interested in responding to God’s call, be faithful where you are right now.  He may want you to continue tending your sheep right now unit he opens the odor for you.  He has promised, “If you are faithful in the little things I will make you ruler over many things.”

One final lesson and then I’ll close.  God’s call may come to you repeatedly, not just a single task. David was called, primarily, to be the king over Israel. But along the way he would fulfill other roles; a giant-killer, an inspirational general, a soothing musician, father, and husband.  Some of you here today look back over your life and you say, “I wonder what significance my life has?  What call did God have on my life?”  Maybe you’ve gone through several occupations, moved to several communities, maybe you’ve served in several different roles in the church.  Perhaps God has had more than one assignment of you along the way.  Some major, some minor.  Your task is simply to walk in obedience to his will and to walk through the doors that he opens before you.  Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.  Lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.”

I love the story that J. Wallace Hamilton tells about the mother cat trying to carry her kitten across the street, but it was a very busy intersection, and she would dart out and have to dart back.  A policeman at this intersection in New York City saw the cat, put up his hands and stopped the oncoming traffic from both directions, and the cat darted across safely.  That cat had no idea that the power of the New York City police department went up to get her safely across. And there may be defining moments in our lives that we have no idea that the hand of God has gone up to protect us or to direct us along the way.  But he promises if we walk in his will he will guide us through those important and, sometimes, treacherous times. 

You may not have known it when you got up this morning, but God’s call is to you today.  If you don’t know him, he says, “Come.”  If you have strayed, he says, “Come home.”  AS we sing, won’t you come?