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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.
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