Seeing as God Sees

Strong Leaders

There been a new tradition start in many houses throughout NSW which happens at precisely 11am every morning.

We gather around the TV or some smart device that can stream video, and we watch Gladys stand before the camera to give us the latest COVID update.

Love her or hate her, you’ve got to admire her tenacity. You’ve got to admire that strong resolve when the reporter barrage her with questions. And the questions come from all directions. “Why aren’t you doing stronger lockdowns?”, “Why are the lockdowns so hard?”

So whether you agree with her or not, she is certainly showing strong leadership.

But it does make you think - what makes a good leader? Is being a strong confident leader enough?

Now it doesn’t take much to realise that of course, being a strong confident leader does not necessarily make you a good leader.

I’m sure that if you look at every dictator throughout the world your going to answer that they certainly are strong confident leaders, but almost certainly we can also say that they aren’t good.

And that’s because we know that character matters. You can confidently lead people down a good path, or you can confidently lead them down a bad path.

Now sometimes, there are some very clear cut cases when we see a confident but bad leader. The classic example of course being someone like Hitler.

More often than not, it’s not as easy.

Just to court a bit of controversy, we could take someone like Donald Trump. He was certainly a strong leader. Was he good? Well, I know I’m going to get a different answer depending on who I ask.

Donald Trump is actually an interesting example because he’s someone that generally gets a strong reaction when I asked the question I just asked. People tend to think he is either an amazing or terrible, with not many response inbetween.

In part, that’s because we judge him (and other leaders), through our own prism. If he ticks certain boxes, then we’re willing to overlook some aspects of his character to give him a favourable review. But those boxes are going to differ from one person to the next.

Now as much as I said I might court a bit of controversy, I might actually leave Donald Trump alone now, but he does prove that the way we judge people is not always straight forward.

The reason it is not straight forward, is because we do not see clearly.

However learned you are… however many books or newspaper articles you’ve read (or for that matter, social media posts)… however discerning you think you are… you’re view of the world is limited.

Now this is actually a very important thing for us to always remember. Because sometimes we can become very confident in our assessment of something (and I’m just as guilty as the next person on this point.

But I want to explore this today. I want to explore the way we assess leaders. But more generally the way we assess others. I’m not necessarily speaking about people like Gladys or Donald Trump, but the people we are going to listen to, or be influenced by.

Intro to David series

This morning we are starting a new series. We’re going to be looking at the life of David.

Now as we go through this series, I want to consider what it is that really makes David stand out. What is it that makes him tick?

You might be aware that at times he gets referred to as the man after God’s own heart. As we go through the series I want to explore what this actually means?

And what does it mean for us? Is it possible to live like David?

Now as we explore all of this, we’ll look at the very specific place that David fits in God’s unveiling plan for humanity. Specifically, we’ll explore the fact that David foreshadows Jesus himself. In this regard, there is something unique about David. Something which we can’t follow because God chose David for a very specific purpose.

Yet, in the character of David, we will find a lot about what it means to be godly.

We’ll see that far from being a perfect saint, there is something much deeper.

Context

Now, as we come to the background information to all of this, I actually covered much of it two weeks ago when I looked at 1 Samuel 8, which was the passage where Israel asked for a king.

Unfortunately, I recognise that this was the week where our churches internet crashed out, and while I posted a recorded copy of it later, I suspect many of you didn’t listen to it.

So let me do a really quick recap of the story.

Actually, I’m going to start the story when the newly formed nation of Israel finally enter the Promised Land.

Now as they enter, there are a few things to keep in mind. This is a people that God has set aside. They are to be different to all of the other nations.

One of the most notable differences was that there king was to be God, not some mere human.

God then raised up people who are often referred to as judges. And hence we get the title of the seventh book of the Bible which describes the period between the Israelites entry into the land and before they get a king.

Now this is a very interesting time, particularly when you think about it from the perspective of what I raised earlier, that is, how do we assess a leader.

You see, if you go through the book of Judges, you’ll see the leaders start out alright, but by the time you get to Samson, you actually find a man with quite ordinary character.

But yet, under all of their leaderships, including Samson, we find people coming back to God.

Now, I’m not going to unravel that puzzle just yet, but it is good to keep in mind for later.

But then we come to the time in 1 Samuel 8. Samuel has been raised, in many ways as the last of the judges of Israel. But also in the mould of a prophet.

We get to a crisis point however when Samuel nears the end of his life, and it becomes increasingly clear that things are going to head downhill.

Well, 1 Samuel 8 has the Israelite elders calling for a king, but unfortunately, they don’t just say they want a king, they say they want a king just like the other nations.

And here’s the problem. Because essentially they are rejecting God.

Now here’s the thing. You always need to be careful what you ask before God, because he often grants your requests, and that’s exactly what God does.

He gives them a king, just like all of the other nations.

Saul

Now in 1 Samuel 9, we see the calling of Saul. Now as you read the account, there are times at which you think - actually, you know what, maybe this will work out.

We even see the Spirit of the Lord which comes down on Saul, and he starts prophesying. The picture in my head is of some charismatic church today - but probably, it was quite different.

In 1 Samuel 11, we start to see Saul, the strong leader. He is able to bring the nation of Israel together so that they can defeat their enemy.

Actually, it’s interesting to note in this chapter, we get a pivotal moment when it says in 1 Sam 11:6 that “the Spirit of God came powerful upon him”. The rest, as they say, is history. When the Spirit of God is on you, victory will come.

But then the decline comes.

In some ways, a casual reading of it makes it seem quite innocuous. We see it start in 1 Samuel 13. The Israelites are going to war, but recognise the need to wait for Samuel to make a sacrifice to the Lord. But Saul gets impatient and so decides to make the sacrifice himself. When Samuel does come, he is furious.

Now I can’t but help think that Samuel overreacts. He declares that his kingdom will not end. Saul’s fate is sealed in 1 Samuel 15, when this time Saul’s crime is not completely annihilating the animals in accordance with God’s instructions.

Now in some ways I get it. Saul didn’t completely obey God. But up to this point in the story, it certainly seems that Saul’s misdemeanors are relatively minor.

Well, let’s just keep this in mind, because I want to explore the calling of David now, but I’ll come back and use Saul as a point of comparison.

David

So we come to 1 Samuel 16 now. Samuel’s is upset with the situation. Actually, from verse 1, he’s mourning for Saul.

But God sends him in the direction of Bethlehem, the home town of a man named Jesse, but in another thousand years or so will soon become famous for a different person.

God tells Samuel, that one of Jesse’s sons is going to be the next king.

Now, in verse 2 we get a little feel for how things have deteriorated. I mentioned before that Saul’s errors had seemed in one sense relatively minor.

But verse 2 at least tells us that Samuel is concerned that Saul would kill him if he knew what was going on. It gives you a hint of the mindset of Saul - one that has turned very self-focused.

Well, God gives the instruction for Samuel to follow. Bring a sacrifice and ask Jesse and his sons to the sacrifice.

Samuel does this, and curiously we also find the elders of the town scared at this turn of events. You start to get this impression that everyone’s really on edge. It doesn’t explicitly spell it out for us, but it often follows that when the leader is in a bad place, there will be a follow on effect.

Jesse’s sons

Well, in verse 6, we finally get to the big sacrifice - the main event.

Now I can picture it. I’m imagining a serious sort of occasion. Jesse’s son’s are well brought up and know how to handle themselves. They’ve gone through the consecration process, set themselves straight, and walked in with the appropriate air.

Jesse first, followed by his sons. They stand around the altar, with Samuel holding the heifer. The sacrifice about to take place.

I suspect the sons probably intrigued by the whole situation. They know who Samuel is. Saul may be king, but Samuel is the one people really respect. Why has Samuel invited them to such a special situation?

From Samuel’s perspective, he’s starting to feel more at ease. Watching these men walk in, he is suitably impressed. After the disappointment with Saul, he finally feels that God knew what he was talking about when he brought him here.

The pivotal moment

But then we come to verse 7, and this becomes the pivotal moment in the whole story.

This verse is going to locate the key for how we assess things of this world.

You see, just after Samuel experience confidence at what he saw, we get verse 7 which says:

1 Samuel 16:7 NIV (Anglicised, 2011)

But 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 people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’

What’s clear in this verse is that what we see and what God sees, are two different things.

We look at appearances. Now I don’t know about you but even though I try really hard to not be swayed by what someone looks like, I just naturally make assumptions when I meet people. You meet a rough looking person who looks like they could easily live on the streets you make assumptions. You meet another person who dresses well and wouldn’t look out of place in a board room, you make assumptions.

That being said, I actually really like it when I make that realisation that I’ve made an assumption and completely got someone wrong.

But I want to take this a step further. You see, there’s a little saying which on some level we agree with - “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover”. And so we try to get to know people.

I want to suggest however that we often fool ourselves with our own ability.

We think, right, now I know someone, now I can make an assessment of their character.

There’s a problem. You don’t see the heart like God does. Even if you think you’re good at reading people, you still don’t see like God does.

Now I want to get this straight, because it will become fundamental to how we deal with things.

You see, I think we can take this verse to mean, right, most people look at outward appearances, but we shouldn’t be like most people, we should be like God and look at the heart.

But I’m actually suggesting that we can’t do that because we’re not God.

So what should we take from it? Well, if we can only really see outward appearances, but the Lord looks at the heart, then surely the imperative for us is that we need to God.

So how do you make an assessment of someone’s character? Well, to put it bluntly. You don’t!

You’re job is to keep your eyes on God. Listen to him and he will show you.

Now I recognise in practice, this is not as straight forward as I’m making this sound. There are going to be times we need to make a decision about who we trust, and that’s not easy. It’s well and good to say to listen to God, but sometimes the answer isn’t always clear.

But while I recognise that this is not as easy as I’m making it seem, we should still be bringing everything to God in prayer. We might still fumble about, but God will help us navigate the way.

Finding David

Well let’s get back to the story.

Samuel has each of the sons move before him one at a time, and the answer is always the same. God says no. No matter how good they look, it’s still no.

It gets very confusing when they get to the last son and God still says no. Which leads Samuel to ask if there are any other sons.

Well there was one more, but he is young and busy with the sheep.

They call for him and when he comes, he also has a fine appearance but God sees something different. This is the one.

This is the one who will become the focus on this series. David.

Samuel anoints him with oil and we’re told that the Spirit of the Lord comes powerfully on David.

Now you might recall that I mentioned about how the Spirit of the Lord had come on Saul earlier, so could we assume it’s just the same.

Well, there is a subtle difference in the way it is described here. In verse 13 it actually says “from that day on...”. In other words, it’s not just a few momentary times when he’s filled with the Spirit, rather it is an ongoing thing for David.

David and Saul

In the second half of the chapter, we see an interaction between Saul and David.

Now it’s thought that most likely this little section chronologically, most likely comes after chapter 17 where we get the famous story of David and Goliath. But thematically, it serves the purpose to keep it in this chapter.

What is striking, is that with Saul, the Spirit of the Lord has now departed him.

David is brought in and using his musical talents, is able to be a comfort to Saul.

We can see here that while only God can see the heart, it is possible to see the fruits of someones heart.

Now I would still contend that we don’t see someone’s heart the way God does - and for this reason, our focus should be to lean in on God, not on an individual, but this fruit is real.

The fruit of David in this little passage with Saul, is his ability to bring peace. We’re not given a full picture of David just yet, but there does seem to be this openness to just take his place and help where he can.

You could call it humility. In fact, this will become one of the defining aspects of David. His recognition that it’s not about him, it’s about what God has done through him.

It can be a subtle difference, but such a massive difference as well.

Conclusion

So what do we learn from this passage this morning?

Well, the main thing I want you to take from this is to actually help you as you navigate life.

We get so caught up in trying to figure out which human voice to listen to, that we actually stop listening to the voice of Jesus.

But we can’t see someones heart. In fact, not even Samuel was able to see the heart. He had to reply on God.

And the same should be for us.

Sadly, in recent years there has been a real run of very prominent Christian pastors who have been very influential, but have had very dramatic falls from grace.

The problem was that people started listening to them because they seemed like they had it all together. Now I don’t know how you stop that happening in the future, but it would certainly help if rather than relying on these strong personality types, they focussed on Jesus.

This should cause us to fall on our knees in prayer. Now more so than ever.

I really feel like the confusion that is around us at the moment is greater than I’ve ever seen before. Fall on your knees and ask God to show you.

But if you must follow someone, at least make sure you see if there is evidence that the Spirit is with them. Are they living a life that is dependent on God rather than their own abilities. Even in Christian leaders, this question can be very telling.

Even in this very early picture of David, we already start to see someone who is willing to just work for peace in a submissive way.

God is there showing us the way. Are you listening to him?

Let me pray...