The Lord Sees the Heart

1 Samuel 16:1-13

New Living Translation Chapter 16

Samuel Anoints David as King

Now the LORD said to Samuel, “You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.”

2 But Samuel asked, “How can I do that? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”

“Take a heifer with you,” the LORD replied, “and say that you have come to make a sacrifice to the LORD. 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you which of his sons to anoint for me.”

4 So Samuel did as the LORD instructed. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town came trembling to meet him. “What’s wrong?” they asked. “Do you come in peace?”

5 “Yes,” Samuel replied. “I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then Samuel performed the purification rite for Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice, too.

6 When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the LORD’s anointed!”

7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

8 Then Jesse told his son Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “This is not the one the LORD has chosen.” 9 Next Jesse summoned Shimea, but Samuel said, “Neither is this the one the LORD has chosen.” 10 In the same way all seven of Jesse’s sons were presented to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen any of these.” 11 Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?”

“There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.”

“Send for him at once,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.”

12 So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes.

And the LORD said, “This is the one; anoint him.”

13 So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.

The Lord tells Samuel to Anoint the New King

Today’s passage begins with the Lord speaking to Samuel and telling him to quit morning Saul because it has been long enough. Understand that Samuel’s morning which the Lord is referring to is that Samuel felt grief because of Saul’s rejection and was earnestly praying to the Lord for his restitution. This shows a side of Samuel which indicates compassionate feelings for Saul even though he was faithful in his duties as a prophet of the Lord.

However, what Samuel should have done instead is accept the fact the the Lord had spoken and that Saul being replaced as king of Israel was in fact going to happen and that the Lord was not going to change His mind because the the Lords judgement was not about being angry with Saul but rather about Saul not being obedient for the calling which was placed on him. This is because Saul was the choice of the people and not someone after the Lord’s own heart. They wanted a king like the other nations.

New Living Translation Chapter 12

12 “But when you were afraid of Nahash, the king of Ammon, you came to me and said that you wanted a king to reign over you, even though the LORD your God was already your king. 13 All right, here is the king you have chosen. You asked for him, and the LORD has granted your request.

Even though the people had asked for a king like the other nations the Lord still helped Saul to be successful. Although Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin and Saul didn’t think he was qualified he did have what the people wanted. Saul was big, strong and able to lead them into battle. God was gracious to Saul by sending Samuel to anoint him and by filling Saul with the Holy Spirit. The Lord also had priests and the prophet Samuel there to help Saul know the word and for them to perform the sacrifices and ceremonies which the Lord required.

Simply put Saul had everything he needed to be successful and because of his disobedience and fear of what the people would do or say he was rejected as king and the Lord had already found the new king.

This is why in verse 1 the Lord tells Samuel to stop morning Saul and reaffirms His decision to reject Saul as king of Israel. He instructs Samuel to take the flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Said differently the Lord is telling Samuel I gave you time and heard your prayers but the answer is still the same so now get to work on anointing the new king.

Samuel is to find a man named Jesse because one of his sons will be the next king.

The Lord makes a powerful statement by saying “I have selected one of his sons to by my king.”

This is different then when Saul was selected by the peoples request to have a king like the other nations.

This time God is saying directly that the new king will be His choice to be His king.

Not the peoples choice to be the peoples king but God’s choice to be a king under God.

This statement and others like it as we go through this sermon series make it clear that David is in fact a man after God’s own heart and we know because of the lineage of Jesus that his kingdom line does not end like other kings do.

That and to travel to Bethlehem to anoint the new King.

Samuel was scared.

The Lord told Samuel what to do.

Samuel was obedient.

Samuel Goes to Anoint the New King

Verse 2 tells us that Samuel is scared that if Saul finds out that he is anointing a new king that he will be killed. But the Lord tells Samuel to take the heifer and say that he is coming to make a sacrifice to the Lord and he will show Samuel which of Jesse’s sons will be king.

Trusting God that is what Samuel does and when he arrives at Bethlehem the elders come out scared and trembling. They ask Samuel what is wrong and if he is coming in peace. You see as a prophet of the Lord Samuel would bring messages of blessing or correction so he quickly tells them that he is here to make a sacrifice to the Lord.

As the sacrificer it was up to Samuel who would be allowed at the ceremony. So verse 5 says that Samuel told the elders of the town to purify themselves and come to the sacrifice but that he also performed the purification rite for Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice as well.

The Lord Sees the Heart

When Samuel meets the sons of Jesse he takes one look at Eliab and thought this must be the one the Lord will choose.

But in verse 7 the Lord makes a powerful statement and one that should be part of the identity of every Christian.

1 Samuel 16:7

New Living Translation Chapter 16

7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

It is critical in all of our walks to never forget these words.

By following the Lord’s example and His words we should not judge others based on their outward appearance but rather by their heart.

The Lord does not see people the way we see people because all people are His children and His desire which should be our desire is that as many people as possible would trust Him and know Him through our Lord Jesus Christ.

You see it doesn’t matter what your age is so don’t identify yourself by that. It doesn’t matter what your race is so don’t identify yourself by that. It doesn’t matter what your education is or your income is or you physical appearance so don’t identify yourself by those things either.

All that matters to God is that you have a heart for Him! That you trust Him and love Him and put your faith in Him so that you may be saved from the judgement you deserve and that you would worship Him alone as God and that you would walk in His ways.

God’s desire is that you would know Jesus as your savior and as Lord of your life. That you will go and do what He tells you to go and do because you love Him and trust Him.

That you will tell people about the goodness of Christ through your words and your actions.

And that you will truly make Jesus the God of your life and live for Him and not for yourself.

He is God and God alone and He is worthy of all praise, worship, glory and honor.

And as the church that we would truly be one body of believers living for Christ, worshipping Christ and serving others while leading them to Christ.

The outward appearance is not how God sees us but He sees what is on this inside.

David is Rejected by Jesse but Chosen by God

In verses 8-10 we can see all seven of Jesse’s sons were presented to Samuel and while in the natural they would have been fine choices the Lord did not choose any of them.

Then Samuel Jesse if he has any other sons. Jesse replies only the youngest but he is out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.

Samuel instructs Jesse to send for him and that no one will sit down to eat the feast until he arrives.

While the Bible does not tell us I can only imagine just how hurtful this must have been to David. There he was in a small agricultural town there was not a lot of action so to speak. He was the youngest and in that culture the oldest son was the most honored. Clearly he is the one out doing the hard work of shepherding the livestock while they are with Jesse. Then a prophet of the Lord stops by and tells his dad that he wants to anoint his sons and David is not even invited. Intentional or not by his actions Jesse is saying that he does not have eight sons only the seven he presents to Samuel because the prophet asked for his sons not some of his sons.

In life when other people disqualify us it hurts deeply. I now we have all been there and rejection can would us deeply. And how much more does it hurt when someone who is supposed to love you not only does not include you but does not even think you are worthy to be considered.

That is exactly what Jesse did whether intentional or not is not clear but not only is David not invited for the sacrifice but when Samuel asks if he has any other sons Jesse’s reply is just the youngest but he is out in the field.

Listen to me brothers and sister no one has the authority to disqualify you from anything. God creates all people equal and you have an equal chance to succeed as anyone else. Sure circumstances will make it harder for some than other but with the Lord’s blessings there is nothing impossible for you.

We can see this in verse 12 as the Bible does not describe David by his age or qualifications rather it simply says that David was dark and handsome with beautiful eyes and the Lord said, “This is the one; anoint him.”

When the Lord Anoints You, His Spirit will Empower you

Then verse 13 tells us that as David stood among his brothers that Samuel took the flask of oil and anointed David. Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on.

It is critical for us to remember that we need the Holy Spirit to do all that the Lord calls us to do. When we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior the Holy Spirit will come to live inside of us to change us to be more like Him and to give us the power to do what He calls us to do.

You see we are all anointed by God to do great things. Jesus tells us so in the Great Commission in

Matthew 28:18-20

New Living Translation Chapter 28

18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

The Great Commission is anointing all believers for the work of reaching the lost for Christ. In addition, there are specific calls and gifts which are placed in us that we are to use for the glory of God.

Simply put we all have been anointed to do something or several things for the kingdom and while the anointing or the commission is the instruction and approval of the Lord to do the work, we still must have the power of the Holy Spirit to perform the work.

Just as David was anointed to be the king of Israel he still needed to receive the Spirit of the Lord to act on what the Lord had anointed him to do.

The Lord Sees the Heart

In closing, never forget that God does not look at what is on the outside but rather He looks at our hearts. You are never disqualified from doing what the Lord is calling you to do based on any circumstance or situation. Just like Saul when people choose based on what they think they want or need it will never be successful long term. However, when we follow what God says and walk in His ways there is nothing that can stop us being successful for the glory of God.

Be in your Bibles and in prayer to the Lord, follow His ways and live in the power of the Holy Spirit and trust Him that whatever He has called you to that His word will provide the anointing and His Spirit will provide the power to accomplish all His will, in His time and there is no one or nothing that can disqualify you from being all you can be when you too have a heart for Jesus.

Have a great week and remember Jesus loves you.