The Lord Looks at the Heart

Introduction

As we think about the history of our country, as those who live in the United States of America, there a certain leaders that stand out who represent the ideals of our nation/who helped lay the foundation of our country. (I think of men like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, or Abraham Lincoln, …). Even if you’re not a history buff those names mean something to you as an American, we know something about them, and realize the contribution they made in making America the country it is.

For the people of Israel, there is also a list of names who represent the greatest leaders in their history. At the top of the list would King David. All other kings who would come after him were measured by the standard he set (if they were a good king Scripture tells us “they walked in the ways of the ways of their father David…if they were an evil or bad king Scripture says that “they did not walk according to the ways of David.”)

The nation of Israel rose a place of great prominence in the world during the reign of David. The country was unified under his rule…

But a study of the life of David is important for a different reason than this…his life teaches us a great deal about seeking after and following God. Scripture reveals not just the ideal picture of man, but the real person…his humble beginning as a lowly shepherd boy, his rise to power as the warrior king, the man of passionate worship and earnest prayer…we see into his heart both in times of victory as well as moments of failure…we’re given an honest look at both his strengths and his weaknesses, and through it all we see his relationship with the Lord all throughout.

This morning, as we open our Bibles to 1 Samuel 16, we’re going to begin a series on the life of David. As we see the rise of one king, we first see the fall of another. The story of David’s life begins in the backdrop of the demise of King Saul.

Background to Israel’s Monarchy

As you turn to 1 Samuel, we need to set the stage and look at background of what was going on in Israel when David first came onto the scene. These events took place about 1000 years before Christ (David lived from around 1040 – 970 BC).

This is the beginning of Israel’s monarchy, when Israel was first governed by a king. Prior to this, the twelve tribes were governed locally by judges, Israel had no central king, the Lord was to be their King. But as time went on, the people looked at the nations around them, and decided they wanted a person they could look to who would rule over them and lead them into battle. The prophet Samuel warned them that having a king would not be as wonderful as they imagined, and that they needed to put their trust in God rather than man. But the people demanded a king, and God told the prophet to give them what they desired.

Samuel was led to Saul, a young man of the tribe of Benjamin, to anoint him as Israel’s king. He started out with such promise. From the moment Samuel laid eyes on him, the Bible tells us, Saul had a kingly appearance. He was tall and striking. In a room full of men, he stood head and shoulders above the rest. When Samuel introduced him to the nation as God’s choice, the people declared, “Long live the king!”

Saul was a rustic king. His reign was not about building ornate palaces or wearing fancy robes. Israel was not in a place of peace or prosperity yet, they were still struggling to fend off the other nations still living in the land whom they had failed to drive out when they took possession of the Promised Land. The Amorites, the Amalekites, and especially the Philistines were a constant threat and a thorn in Israel’s side. Much of what we read about Saul’s reign is in the context of him leading the armies of Israel into battle against their foes.

Saul began with so much potential, but something happened along the way. He became proud, and stubborn, and refused to listen to God. There were several key events when he disobeyed God’s command, and when confronted by the prophet Samuel, Saul made excuses rather than humble his heart before the Lord. On one of those events, God commanded Saul to lead the army into battle, and take none of the spoils of war (not to keep any of the plunder…the gold, the silver, the fine clothes, or the livestock that had belonged to their enemies but to destroy it all), but Saul didn’t listen. They took the best. Samuel showed up and asked, “What are doing?” Saul made excuses, saying “The men took the plunder, and we were going to offer it to the Lord as a sacrifice.” Samuel replied, “What do you think God desires most, a sacrifice or your obedience?” Because Saul had repeated refused to listen to God or follow Him, God was going to take the kingdom out of Saul hands and give it to someone else.

The passage tells us that Samuel grieved over Saul. He was frustrated; he was angered; he wanted to see Saul succeed and be a godly leader for the nation of Israel. It broke the prophet’s heart to see the king fail. The king who had begun with so much potential allowed the power to consume him, and now the only concern that Saul seemed to have was holding on to his power and position as king. But even though Saul had failed, God’s plans hadn’t failed. It was now time to anoint another king, someone whose heart would be different. That’s where the story of David begins.

In 1 Samuel 16:1-13 we read…

As we think about God’s choice of David, in these verses, we are shown that God cares about the condition of our heart. That is the most important aspect of who we are, as individuals; and it is only when our hearts are right with Him can we be effective servants of the Lord.

God Knows Our Heart

I. First of all, the passage teaches us that God doesn’t measure a person the same way we often measure people. God looks beyond outward/external appearances, the kinds of things that impress men, and He sees the inner condition of our heart.

A. The prophet Samuel had to be reminded of this, as we often do. God sent the prophet to anoint Israel’s next king. He didn’t tell him the name of the person He had in mind; He didn’t tell him who it would be. God simply led Samuel to the town of Bethlehem, in Judah, to home of Jesse.

B. The prophet was welcomed by the elders of the village. He met Jesse, and his sons. He wondered, “which of these young men will God choose to lead his people?” When he saw the oldest son, Eliab, Samuel was impressed. He looked like a fine young man, someone who met his expectations of what a king should look like. Maybe it was his height…maybe it was his stature…maybe the distinguished look of his face…or the glimmer in his eyes. Whatever it was that Samuel noticed, he reasoned to himself, “Surely he has to be the next king of Israel.” But before he had the chance to reach for the anointing oil, God spoke to the prophet in verse 7 saying “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” This isn’t the one, God said. You’re not looking at the same qualities and the same characteristics and the same credentials that I’m seeing. He might look kingly on the outside, but I have someone else in mind.

C. It is interesting, Samuel had been down that road before and should have remembered that outward appearances aren’t everything. Looks can most certainly be deceiving. Had he forgotten about the first time he met Saul?

· Turn back a couple of chapters to 1 Samuel 9:1-2.

Now there was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor. He had a son whose name was Saul, a choice and handsome man, and there was not a more handsome person than he among the sons of Israel; from his shoulders and up he was taller than any of the people.

· The next chapter describes the day that Saul was presented as king before Israel. 1 Samuel 10:24 reads, “Samuel said to all the people, ‘Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? Surely there is no one like him among all the people.’ So all the people shouted and said, ‘Long live the king!’

D. Saul looked the part; there was no one like him in Israel, at least when measuring him by kind of standards that men use. But looks can be deceiving, and when you looked beyond the appearances Saul’s heart told a much different story.

E. Don’t we often make that same mistake in our own lives? We are too quick to form an opinion about someone (either for good or bad) based on first impressions and external observations. Often, our judgment of them is completely wrong.

Illustration – A young woman spots a young man in one of her classes who catches her eye. All the other girls have been dreaming he would ask them out on a date. He is the star athlete and is a good student. One day, after class, he walks up and asks if she would like to go out for dinner. She accepts. Her friends say, “you are so lucky, he is keeper.” He picks her up that evening and takes her to a nice restaurant, but it doesn’t go quite the way she envisioned. The entire date, all he does is talk about himself. He is a bit egotistical, and is not very thoughtful of others. The next day, her friends ask how it went. She tells them she doesn’t think she’ll go out with him again. They give her a hard time and say, “Are you crazy, he’s a hunk!” What does she do? Does she give more weight to outer appearances, or does she consider the kind of person he is inside?

F. Don’t be too quick to judge someone based on appearances, in fact, don’t be too quick to judge someone at all.

G. More importantly, when you think about the kind of person you want to be, make sure you are concerned with the kinds of things that really matter. What is the measure of a person? Is it the kind of clothes that they wear, the kind of car they drive, the title that have, the home they live in, their accomplishments… No, those aren’t the things that truly matter. What is important is the inner character of your heart. / People today spend far too much time worrying about impressing others. In reality, that doesn’t matter. If my heart is right before God, it makes no difference what others might think or say.

H. 1 Peter 3:4 tells us, “…but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.”

I. Matthew Henry writes,

“We can tell how men look, but [God] can tell what they are. Man looks [with] the eyes…and is pleased with the liveliness and sprightliness that appear in them; but God looks on the heart, and sees the thoughts and intents [therein]… Let us reckon that to be true beauty which is within, and judge of men, as far as we are capable, by their minds, not their mien.”

God changes our heart

II. Going back to our passage in 1 Samuel, we see a picture of the kind of heart that is pleasing to God.

A. The prophet Samuel met each of Jesse’s sons…Eliab…and then Abinadab…and then Shammah…seven young men, each one as impressive as the next. But each time, the word from the Lord was same, “This is not the one I’ve chosen.” Finally, in verse 11 we read…(read verses 11-13)

B. God chose David, the youngest, the one who out tending the sheep. The passage does not tell us exactly how old he was when these events took place, but from what we can piece together he was probably in his teens (somewhere between 16-18 most likely). In some ways, David was the least likely candidate, - he wasn’t the oldest of his brothers, he wasn’t the tallest, or the strongest…but he was God’s choice.

C. Acts 13:22 tells us something about David’s heart saying God “…raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’”

D. What does it mean that David was a man after God’s own heart?

Illustration – We use that expression today of someone who has the same interests that we do, the same preferences and tastes, when the things that are important to us are also important to them. /// I had a friend in college from Wisconsin who was the biggest Green Bay Packer fan I have ever met. On Sundays, if the Packers were playing, he would be decked out in a Green Bay Packer jersey, and he wore one of those cheese hats. He would yell and carry on. I can honestly say I have never met a more fanatical football fan in all my life. He was one of kind. / I’m sure tonight Kevin is going to be tuned in the SuperBowl to watch his Packers play, and maybe, just maybe he will be watching it with someone as fanatical as he. If someone were sit down next to him wearing a Green Bay Jersey, and cheese hat on his head, I’m sure Kevin would look at him and say, “You’re a man after my own heart.”

E. God said that David was a man after his own heart, that means there was something the things that were important to him that were also just as important to David…there was a connection…a common focus. What was it? - We know it doesn’t mean that David was a perfect man, or a person without any flaws, or that David would never lose his way and fall into sin. We will see in the course of our study that David an imperfect man who would stumble and fall at times. He made some pretty big mistakes in the course of his life, but when he did he always humbled himself before God in repentance.

F. Perhaps it speaks of the tremendous faith David possessed, trusting God to deliver him even in the most desperate circumstances. Or maybe it describes David’s great passion for God, worshipping the Lord with all his heart. David was also a man of earnest prayer. The psalms record many of his prayers, showing us a man who was never hesitant to call out to the Lord His God, because he knew that he depended on God for everything. But I think most of all, it looks to the kind of relationship David enjoyed with the Lord…a personal, intimate walk with God. For David, his relationship with God was the central focus of his life, the most important thing in all the world to him.

G. In Psalm 16:2 David wrote, “I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”

H. One author comments, “David recognized that the only good in him was the God in him. Great godly leaders are willing to step aside from their own need for ego building and self-confidence and humble themselves before an almighty God.”

I. This should be the desire of all of God’s people…to be a person after God’s own heart…to have a heart that is being shaped and conformed to the heart of God.

God cares about our heart

III. Scripture has a lot to say about our hearts, and what kind of heart God seeks in those who follow Him.

A. We are to have hearts that are open and receptive to the Lord.

· In Matthew 13:15-16 Jesus said,

For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ 16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.

· Sometimes we get a callous on our skin, it’s when a spot on your hand or feet becomes hard and it is no longer as sensitive to things like it should be. You can step on something sharp and don’t feel it, because of the callous.

· The Lord describes these people as having a calloused heart. He was frustrated because He was reaching out them, and revealing Himself to them, offering the salvation of God to them…but so many refused to listen. It didn’t sink in. They were unwilling to hear. It was as if their hearts had become hard and calloused, and nothing could get through to them.

· May our hearts be open to the Word of God, sensitive to His leading, and receptive to His message.

B. We ought to also follow God with an undivided heart.

· Later on, at the end of his life, David would impart these words of wisdom to his son Solomon in 1 Chronicles 28:9. He says,

9 “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.”

· Sometimes, in our lives, we do things halfheartedly. We don’t give it our all. But that’s not the kind of follower that God seeks.

C. And are to have hearts that are pure.

· In Psalm 51:10, after David had sinned, he prayed for forgiveness and restoration asking, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

· God shows us what it means to live holy and righteous lives, not to follow the ways of the world or give in to our own selfish desires, but to walk in his ways. And when we stumble and fall, we are not to make excuses or try to hide, but acknowledge our failure before the Lord as David did and find restoration in Him.

Conclusion

As we consider these things, the kinds of qualities God desires for our hearts/the qualities we desire for our hearts we realize something…our hearts aren’t always where they should be…we don’t always demonstrate these qualities as we should…

“The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick…” the prophet Jeremiah reminds us, “Who can understand it? 10 “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds. (Jeremiah 17:9-10)

David was a man after God’s own heart, but his heart wasn’t always right, it wasn’t always where it should have been, it wasn’t always in line with God…and the same is true for us, as well. We can’t fix our heart, only God can do that.

This past week, I visited one of the members of our congregation in the hospital. He was in the new section of Lima Memorial, the heart center, CCU (which I think stands for Coronary Care Unit). Its where you go when there is a problem with your heart. As I was there, visiting, the doctor came in to talk with the family about what they were going to do. I could tell he was a skilled surgeon, who has worked on many people before, who knows the heart muscle forwards and backwards and understands the problems and how to fix those problems. If I ever need a heart surgeon, I think he would be a man I would feel comfortable going to.

But the greatest heart surgeon of all is the Lord God. He knows our heart of hearts, and understands our weaknesses and the places where our heart goes astray. And He promises, as we put our trust in Him, that He will give us a new heart, the kind of heart that honors Him. We’re still a people in progress, and He continue to work in our hearts for the rest of our lives, but we know that God is busy shaping and forming and cleansing our hearts to reflect His own.