God's Purpose for You

Scripture

1 Samuel 16:1–13 (NLT)

1 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.

Focus Statement

God has a (different) purpose for everyone,

even if it seems unlikely

or calls you away from the “norm.”

Point of Relation

I have many times over shared the story of my call...

How I was called as a young boy, but walked away as a teenager...

How I sought after SUCCESS my own way…as a Software Engineer...

Only to lose my job and spend years as a stay-at-home dad…and,

because of some major soul searching...

a full-time student…first undergrad…then seminary...

I have also shared the MAJOR roll my wife Bernadette played in me answering the call...

How I made a joke about “could you imagine me as a pastor…maybe I should do that. There’d at least be job security.”

(Hey, what did I know at that time!)

My wife’s response to that was to research what it would take me to become a pastor…education and all.

Two pages worth of information.

Now, I am not sure what she thought inspired her to do that at the time...

but we BOTH know now that it was our Lord Jesus Christ...

calling us both into very unfamiliar territory.

But there were other voices who helped affirm the decision to pursue ministry was the right path...

My advisor, teacher, and mentor at Sussex County Community College…Gary Mielo...

A person who met GOTHIC-METAL-TODD...

He said he was not surprised when I told him that I was considering being a pastor...

He said he always kind of saw that in me.

There was my best friend at the time…who was Wiccan...

Who, though it ended up putting some distance between us, said that he always knew that I would one day enter ministry...

THAT HE WAS NOT SURPRISED AT ALL.

There was my Grandmother who, as a person of faith, knew that God had called me as well.

So many different people…from all walks of life and from all different beliefs…seeing what GOD WAS SHOWING ME...

I WAS CALLED!

And that calling THRUST me into dramatically different plans than I HAD ON MY OWN.

Things to Consider

Maybe our plans haven’t changed as dramatically as mine or others we know of...

but if we reflect on our own lives,

we can all find times when our plans

- maybe even our purpose - has had to change.

Moving, changing jobs, unemployment, sudden or chronic illness,

the loss of a family member… all these circumstances can cause our path to change course.

What Scripture Says

Our scripture lesson, the anointing of David,

has several examples of how the purpose or call on one’s life can change in dramatic ways.

It also provides examples for us of how,

in our discernment of what comes next,

God’s plan and purpose often does not align with our human expectations.

To better understand the significance of this passage, we must first look back.

Before Israel was ruled by kings,

they had judges, men and women who rose within their tribes to lead the people,

often during times of unrest with other nations.

At first the judges were enough but over time,

the threat of invasion coupled with unrest within the tribes led to chaos, even the near extinction of the tribe of Benjamin.

The Israelite people realized that what separated them from other nations was that they had no king,

so they demanded that God give them a king.

The prophet Samuel was against this idea

and tried to persuade the people otherwise,

but eventually God told Samuel to give them what they wanted- a king.

The first king chosen by God and anointed by Samuel was Saul,

a member of the tribe of Benjamin,

a warrior or “man of valor.”

Saul is anointed as King for the purpose of saving God’s people from the Philistines.

However, it isn’t long before it becomes clear that Saul is not the type of king that God wants,

nor Israel needs.

Once again, the plan changes and Samuel is sent to anoint a new king – the boy, David.

As we discussed the last several weeks, God’s choice is seldom the world’s choice.

God tells Samuel in verse 7:

“The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them.

People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

If the people had their choice of king, they would not have picked David.

Saul was a warrior, tall, older (an adult), experienced, and from the tribe of Benjamin.

David was a shepherd, younger (Oh…and being young in the context of that time period was seen as weakness),

he was still a boy, inexperienced, the youngest son,

and from the tribe of Judah.

In choosing David,

God chooses an underdog;

it may even feel that God is going with someone completely opposite from Saul in every way possible.

Yet, as God tells Samuel,

God does not look at outward appearances, but rather looks at the heart –

the character, gifts, and graces – of a person.

How often have we judged a person’s ability to live into a calling

or follow a specific purpose based on their outward appearance, credentials, rather or other assumptions we make about them,

rather than taking into consideration their heart, character, gifts?

When have we judged others unfairly?

And when we have, we doubted ourselves or our own purpose

because we assume God could not possibly choose us

or expect us to do a certain thing?

God often sees something in us that we don’t or has a purpose for our lives that we can’t comprehend.

Sometimes it takes another person to lead us on our path,

as Samuel led David from the path of being a shepherd to being king of Israel.

Then again, sometimes the path we are on is affirmed

or cemented by our encounter with another, as with David’s older brothers.

We learn that despite having been passed over as king,

the three older brothers Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah,

follow Saul into battle against the Philistines (1 Sam 17:13).

Their purpose is evident in their continued commitment to protect the people

not only of their own tribe, but all of Israel.

What This Means for You

God called Samuel, Saul, and David for a purpose that was different than what they had planned.

Samuel was raised to be a priest but was called as a young boy to be a prophet.

Saul was a grown man, already established in his tribe,

when he was called and anointed as to become king and to defeat the Philistines.

David, whose path was set for him as the youngest of seven brothers,

should have remained a shepherd,

but was called as a boy to also become king, not only of his own tribe but of all Israel,

eventually uniting the twelve tribes into one nation.

How do you make sense of God’s calling or God’s purpose for you

when it is different from what you think or planned?

For instance, are you able to discern your calling on your own?

Samuel couldn’t…he needed his mentor Eli.

Saul needed Samuel as did David.

That is why it is so important be a part of worship and fellowship,

why it is important to be in small groups and Bible Studies…

why it is so important to be connected to God through the Body of Christ…

rather than under a tree alone on some mountain somewhere.

Serving in the church also helps you realize your gifts.

When I started attending Vernon United Methodist Church, I had no clue that I would be teaching adult Christian Education classes.

It first took me becoming a youth pastor, helping organize VBS, and teaching Sunday School that taught me I had a knack for teaching.

And it was someone else who saw that gift in me and TOLD ME ABOUT IT.

The same will happen to you too…you will discover your gifts AS YOU SERVE.

What This Means for Us

Within this story we see how the purpose God has for us may be puzzling if we look at outward appearances.

We may think we are too young, too old, too poor, too busy (etc.) to do what God is calling us to.

And yet God often chooses the least likely person, turning things upside down, to do amazing things.

What new and surprising thing is God calling us to today?

Let us open our hearts and our minds to what God is calling us to do together. Amen? Amen!