Sermon Tone Analysis

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.