I Samuel 16:5-13 A Man After God's Own Heart September 3, 2023

John R. St John

How Great Is Our God • Sermon • Submitted 9 months ago • Presented 9 months ago

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Main Idea: People look at the outward appearances, but God looks at the heart.

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1 Samuel 16 Verses 5 to 13 A Man After God’s Own Heart September 3, 2023 Class Presentation Notes AAAAAA

Background Scriptures:

· Acts 13:22 (NASB) 22 "After He had removed him, He 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.'

· 1 Samuel 13:14 (NASB) 14 "But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORDcommanded you."

· Psalm 78:72 (NASB) 72 So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them with his skillful hands.

Main Idea: People look at the outward appearances, but God looks at the heart.

Study Aim: To understand that God is more interested in purity than He is in beauty.

Create Interest:

· Three thousand years ago, God chose a young man named David to be the king of Israel. Out of all the sons of Jesse, the favor of God landed on a lad named David. David was the youngest son of a poor farmer from the tiny hamlet of Bethlehem. David was a young man who was not even respected by the members of his own family. He was a nobody living in a family of nobodies. Yet, by the grace of God, David became the greatest king in the history of the nation of Israel. He also became and ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is listed among the great heroes of the faith in Hebrews 11. During his life, he received great promises and remarkable blessings from the hand of God. But, greatest of all, David became a man after God’s Own heart. This was not David’s own testimony, but this is the testimony of God, Acts 13:22.[1]

Lesson in Historical Context:

· The book of 1 Samuel is the story of Israel’s search for a king.

o Ultimately, only God could be their true King, but He had allowed them to have an earthly king to mirror His reign.

o The first king of Israel was a gifted character by the name of Saul. Unfortunately for Israel, however, Saul turned out to be more interested in his own glory than in leading his people in a godly way. So even after Saul ascended the throne, the search continued.

· Chapter 16 leaves Saul behind for a moment to focus on what God searches for in His king and how He goes about choosing that king. The man of the hour is a boy by the name of David, and he is not exactly the king anyone would expect. He will go on to be a great man of God, but his first entrance onto the scene is hardly impressive. In every way he is—to put it bluntly—ordinary.

· The story picks up with Samuel in deep distress because of the sin of Saul. Samuel had anointed him, and he seemed like such a promising prospect. But he turned out to be nothing like what Samuel had hoped for. Samuel had a vision of a king that he had gotten from his mother, Hannah (1 Sam 2:1–10).

o He looked for a king who……………….

§ would be faithful to God and faithful to his people, who would trust God and teach the people to do the same,

§ would use his power to bless and serve others, promoting justice and lifting up the needy.

§ would not have to command the allegiance of the people but would win it from them.

📷 They would be willing to die for him because they would see that he was willing to die for them.

· Saul was not that king. He was faithful only to himself, which had gotten Samuel rather depressed. The one he had hoped in had been exposed as a fraud.

o Think of the disappointment he must have felt in trusting in someone so deeply, only to be left with false promises and unfulfilled dreams.

· We have all felt moments of betrayal like this, some more poignantly than others.

o And as we pick up 1 Samuel 16, Samuel is in the process of that despondency.[2]

Something about Saul

· Let’s look back in time for a moment. This is a time when Israel needs a righteous leader. Both Eli and Samuel failed to produce a worthy dynasty.

· When Samuel became too old to be an effective judge, the leaders of Israel asked for a new kind of ruler; "Appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have" (1 Samuel 8:5).

o This request was actually an indication of the sad decline of God's people. By requesting a king, "as all the other nations," they were rejecting God's plan and choosing to follow the ways of the world.

· God was disappointed with the heart of His children, but He granted their request and told Samuel to anoint Saul as Israel's first king.

o Saul was "an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites - a head taller than any of the others" (1 Samuel 9:2). Saul's external appearance was a perfect match for the superficial values of the nation.

· When Samuel spoke with Saul, he was quite surprised to hear he had been chosen by God:

o "But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin?

o Why do you say such a thing to me?" (1 Samuel 9:21).

o Saul's insecurities were so great that when it came time to officially anoint him as king, he was nowhere to be found.

§ 1 Samuel 10:22 "So they inquired further of the Lord, 'Has the man come here yet?' And the Lord said, 'Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage.'"

· Although Saul made many mistakes as king, we must not forget he was specifically chosen by God and empowered to do His will.

o But Saul lived with a great sense of inadequacy and was never able to effectively lead.

o He continually stepped out of God's will because his focus remained on his own limitations rather than on the limitless ability of the One who called him to serve. (Hiding Among the Baggage by Steve Troxel 8-29-23)

Moving on back to our focus and chapter

· We have now come to the crucial chapter in which the Lord makes his choice of the man who will be Israel’s king, through whom he will create a dynasty culminating in the Messiah, who will reign forever.

o For the rest of 1 Samuel, we will observe the rise of David, the Lord’s chosen one, and the decline of the people’s choice, Saul.[3]

· After Saul’s further rebellion against the Lord and his subsequent rejection by the Lord, Samuel was commissioned to seek out the onewho would succeed Saul on the throne of Israel. This one had already been identified as “a man after [God’s] own heart” (13:14)and “one of [Saul’s] neighbors” who was “better than” he (15:28).

o David had been chosen from eternity past to be ruler of Israel. The rejection of Saul did not force the Lord to a new course of action. Rather, God’s action followed His omniscient plan in such a way as to use Saul’s disobedience as the human occasion for implementing His higher plan.

o God had permitted the people to have the kingof their choice. Now that that king and their mistake in choosing him had been clearly manifested, God proved the superiority of His own wisdom in raising up a king who would come in fulfillment of His perfect will.

· After an undetermined length of time in which Samuellamented the rejection of Saul, the Lord commanded the prophet to go to Bethlehemto select a son of Jesse … to be king(16:1–3).

o Jesse was the grandson of Ruth and Boaz (Ruth 4:18–21), and so was in the line of promise.

o As the wives of Jacob gave birth to a royal house (Gen. 35:11; 49:10), so Ruth would produce the Davidic dynasty (Ruth 4:11).

o God did not tell Samuel to be deceptive, but rather to combine the anointing with the business of sacrificing (1 Sam 16:2). The elders in Bethlehemmay have wondered if Samuel had come for judgment (v. 4).

· After the seven older sons of Jesse were disqualified one by one (vv. 5–10), David was singled out by the Lord and anointed by Samuel (vv. 11–13).

o The anointing, as in the experience of Saul, was accompanied by the coming of the Spiritof God mightily on the young lad (v. 13). This was the supernatural authentication of God’s will.

o Later David was anointed king over Judah (2 Sam. 2:4) and then over Israel (2 Sam. 5:3).[4]

Bible Study:

1 Samuel 16:1-5 (NASB) 1 Now the LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected a king for Myself among his sons." 2 But Samuel said, "How can I go? When Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' 3 "You shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate to you." 4 So Samuel did what the LORD said, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, "Do you come in peace?" 5 He said, "In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

· Remember that the Lordhad rejected Saul and promised to raise up another king, “a man after [God’s] own heart” (13:14), and a man who was “better than” Saul (15:28). This was a specific reference to David, and it was now time to anoint the future king of Israel. As mentioned in the introduction above, this is high drama at its best, for Saul was still king and would continue ruling for many more years.

o Here the Lordcommissions Samuel to secretly anoint the one who was to be the future king of the nation.

· Vs. 5: “keep one another in a state of consecration” (Num. 11:18; 2 Sam. 11:4; etc.),

o in order to worship the holy God; they would probably wash themselves and perhaps also wash their clothes as in Exod. 19:10 and Num. 8:21.

o Samuel would invite to the feast the people who had carried out this purification and were in a state of ritual purity.[5]

1 Samuel 16:6-7 (NASB) 6 When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD'Sanointed is before Him." 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "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."

· An unspecified amount of time later, Samuel began the anointing ceremony, the central purpose of his trek to Bethlehem.

· However, as this event began, the prophet was portrayed not knowing the Lord’s will; this is the only time in biblical narrative when Samuel was shown in this uncomfortable position.

o Samuel was forced, therefore, to initiate the search for “the man after the Lord’s heart” with only the use of his own insight.

· Vs. 6: When he “saw Eliab,” Jesse’s firstborn son (cf. 17:13), he was impressed by “his appearance or his height” (v. 7) and concluded that “the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord” (v. 6). After all, Samuel had previously been led by God to anoint an individual who possessed exceptional height (cf. 10:23).[6]

Presumptions can get a person into big trouble.

· Samuel presumes that Eliab must be the next king. His presumption is wrong.

o Some presume, “I have plenty of time to live and be saved!” That’s not what James tells us.

§ James 4:14 (NASB) 14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

o Another common presumption is, “It’s okay for me to live this way because everyone else is doing this too.” Beloved, the majority is not always right, in fact, many times they are wrong.

§ The majority was wrong when it came time for Israel to enter the Promised Land. The majority said, “We are not going in.”

§ The majority today says, “There are many ways to heaven. I’ll get there my own way!” That is not what Jesus said.

📷 John 14:6 (NASB) 6 Jesus *said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

God gave Samuel His criteria for picking His man.

· God was still teaching Samuel in his senior years and Samuel was still learning.

o We are never too old to learn and to grow in Christian maturity.

· God told Samuel, “Look not on the outward appearance.… the countenance, height, and stature.” God’s criteria was to look at the inward.… the character and the heart of the person. The internal is more important than the external. God was looking for a man after His own heart (13:14).

· God is not interested in the tall, but the one who is small in his own eyes. Saul was "an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites - a head taller than any of the others" (1 Samuel 9:2)

· God was looking for a man of …

o Character, not compromise,

o Courage, not consternation or fear,

o Conviction, not convenience for the moment,

o Consistency, not confusion and changing beliefs.

· Our Lord is much more concerned about character than reputation. Reputation is what we project.… what people think of us. DISCUSS…

o It is what we can package, perform, promote, and pretend.

o Character is what God knows we are when no one is around. God’s way of thinking is not the same as ours.

§ Isaiah 55:8-9 (NASB) 8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. 9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.

§ 1 Corinthians 1:26-27 (NASB) 26 For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong.

· God’s reasoning is not the same as man’s reasoning. This is the reason why unsaved people or carnal Christians do not get along with or understand godly Christians. Their way of thinking is not the same.

o When the Lord looked at Eliab, He did not find what He was looking for at all. He knew what was in his heart.

§ In chapter seventeen of this book we find Goliath mocking, defying, and defaming God. Look who gets mad when David shows up on the scene (17:28). It is Eliab.

o It is David, not Eliab who meets the challenge against Goliath.

§ He is not fearful and frustrated like Eliab who was tolerating the defaming of God.

§ David responds with courage and faith in the incident.

§ God commended David for his actions and attitude

📷 2 Corinthians 10:18 (NASB) 18 For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends.

Thoughts to soak on:

· Note the basic qualification of God for service:.

o It is not physical appearance but the heart that the Lord looks at. People usually look at the outward things, but the Lord looks at the heart of a person.

o The Lord judges a person by his heart and his heart alone.

· Is God still looking for a man or woman after His own heart today? You better believe He is!

o What does the Lord see when He looks at your heart?

§ Does He find a love for Him?

📷 Deuteronomy 6:5 (NASB) 5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

§ Or does he find wickedness?

📷 Jeremiah 17:9-10 (NASB) 9 "The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; 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.

· If matters of the heart were more important to the Lord than outward appearance, don’t you think we should be concerned about our heart condition too?

o If you are looking for a mate, don’t focus on the appearance alone of the person, be sure to focus on the character of the person too.

§ Does the person you want to marry love God, accept Jesus as their lord and savior?

📷 When the beauty is gone, the character remains.

📷 Realize that it takes time to really get to know the character of a person. Take your time and don’t rush into a marriage.[7]

1 Samuel 16:8-10 (NASB) 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, "The LORD has not chosen this one either." 9 Next Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "The LORDhas not chosen this one either." 10 Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen these."

· Note who the father would choose to be the future king: he had each of his seven sons in descending order by age pass in front of Samuel (vv. 8–10).

· After the oldest son Eliab had been rejected, Jesse presented Abinadab to Samuel. But Abinadab was rejected.

· Then Jesse had Shammah pass before Samuel, but he too was rejected (v. 9).

· One by one in descending order, Jesse had his sons pass before Samuel. But in each case, Samuel pronounced the fateful words, each was rejected (v. 10).

o Had it been left to Samuel and Jesse, one of these seven would have been chosen to be the future king of Israel.

o But God knew the hearts, and the heart that He was after was not present.[8]

1 Samuel 16:11-13 (NASB) 11 And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are these all the children?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep." Then Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here." 12 So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is he." 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

· It is often assumed that David was not present because somebody had to stay at home to do the work.

o It is more probable that he had not reached the age of maturity; he may have been only eleven or twelve years old.

· The Lord spoke, David was anointed, and Samuel went home to Ramah. There are none of the extensive conversations that Samuel had with Saul when he first anointed him (1 Sam. 9:25, 27) or hints that David or any of Jesse’s family were made aware of the significance of this anointing.

· Other than the statement in verse 1, that one of Jesse’s sons is to be king, there is no reference to kingship in this chapter. Readers, however, know that from this time on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power, although there is no indication of how or whether this empowerment manifested itself. From this point David’s kingship was assured.[9]

Thoughts to Soak On:

· After looking at Jesse’s seven sons, Samuel at last found the man of God’s choice, a man after God’s own heart (13:14). It’s interesting that David (“beloved”) was number eight, because in Scripture eight is often the number of a new beginning.

o God did use David to bring a new beginning to Israel, both governmentally and spiritually.

§ In Scripture, only prophets, priests, and kings were anointed, and the anointing had to be performed by a person authorized by the Lord.

§ In biblical imagery, oil can symbolize the Holy Spirit and the endowment of His power upon His servants(Zech. 4).

· The Hebrew word “Messiah” and the Greek word “Christ” both mean “anointed.” The Spirit of God came upon young David in great power, and ever after that, David was God’s man, but at the same time, the Spirit of God departed from Saul (1 Sam. 16:14). Without the power of the Spirit, the servant of God is helpless to do the will of God and glorify Christ.

o As we abide in Christ, we receive the power we need, for Jesus said, “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5, nkjv).

· How much did David’s father and brothers understand about this anointing?

o In view of David’s subsequent association with King Saul, perhaps they interpreted the event as a consecration for David’s special service to the king.

o It’s likely that Samuel privately told David that he had been chosen by the Lord to be the next king. If so, his behavior while serving Saul was remarkably mature for a young man who one day would wear the crown.

§ No doubt it was the assurance of this future hope that helped to keep David faithful during the ensuing years of trial and persecution.

§ But his trials and testing during those wilderness years helped to build his faith and develop his godly character and prepare him for the ministry that God had planned for him.[10]

Thoughts in closing

· The greatest gift in all the world is the gift of God’s Spirit.

o When we approach God through Christ, God places His own Spirit in us, in the very core of our being.

o We become indwelt by God’s Spirit.

o It is God’s Spirit who convicts and saves and gives us assurance of salvation. He guides, teaches, protects, and provides the necessities of life for us, meeting all our needs.

· What more could a person ask? It is the Spirit of God who empowers us to conquer all the trials and temptations of life, who enables us to live a victorious and triumphant life day by day.[11]

· From that time forth the Spirit of the Lord rested on David. The Lord found David.

o I am confident God is still looking for people in whom He may confide, and to whom He may commit His work. The people chose Saul, the Lord chose David. Saul served the people, David served the Lord. He is announced as, “David My servant.”

§ How often does God select the very one whom men entirely overlook!

· From that day, when Samuel anointed David as king, his whole outlook on life changed. From thence he was to be the “chosen of the Lord.

· We delight to see the simple, ruddy-cheeked lad, of unsullied character and simple life, called of God into service—a service that looked beyond David’s own times, and anticipated the “throne of David” established on the earth.[12]

Consider the following Scriptures and take them with you as you go your way

· John 14:26 (NASB) 26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

· Acts 1:8 (NASB) 8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."

· Romans 8:16-17 (NASB) 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Himso that we may also be glorified with Him.

· 1 Corinthians 3:16-20 (NASB) 16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are. 18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, "He is THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE WISE IN THEIR CRAFTINESS"; 20 and again, "THE LORD KNOWS THE REASONINGS of the wise, THAT THEY ARE USELESS."

[1]Alan Carr, “How God Chooses (1 Samuel 16:1–13),” in The Sermon Notebook: Old Testament(Lenoir, NC: Alan Carr, 2015), 1009. [2]J. D. Greear and Heath A. Thomas, Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Samuel (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2016), 118–119. [3]Jim Newheiser, Opening Up 1 Samuel, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One, 2011), 87–88. [4]Eugene H. Merrill, “1 Samuel,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 447–448. [5]David Tsumura, The First Book of Samuel, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2007), 417. [6]Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 178–179. [7]Rod Mattoon, Treasures from 1 Samuel, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 2001), 254–255. [8]Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 1 Samuel, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2003), 139–140. [9]Mary J. Evans, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. W. Ward Gasque, Robert L. Hubbard Jr., and Robert K. Johnston, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2012), 80. [10]Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Successful, “Be” Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Victor/Cook Communications, 2001), 89–90. [11]Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 1 Samuel, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2003), 140. [12]R. E. Neighbour, Wells of Living Water: Old Testament, vol. 4, Wells of Living Water (Union Gospel Press, 1939–1940), 45.