April 6, 2008                                                       

Title – “What is Really Important to God?”

Scripture – 1 Samuel 16:1-13

© Rev. Joseph Liddick

Introduction:

        I hate to admit it, but this coming June it will actually be 40 years since I graduated from high school. Here I thought only old people had 40 year reunions. But, unlike some of those previous years, my class has apparently decided not to hold a reunion this year, so I can only wonder what has become of many of my old classmates.  In a nostalgic moment, though, I did grab an old yearbook and looked through the pictures. One page had on it the people voted “best” in the class by their classmates – most popular, best looking, best athletes, best musicians, class clowns, and the ones deemed most likely to succeed.  Did you ever notice, though, that these “most likely” people often fail to make the grade in life? They are frequently chosen on the basis of looks and popularity. Instead, though, it is often the “nerds” like Bill Gates who often end up being the ones who run the world.

        When Saul was chosen to be Israel’s first king, the process was largely a popularity contest like that.  He was physically handsome, and taller and stronger than most of the other men his age. On the surface he was probably the obvious choice – the one most likely to succeed.  He would have been a great poster face for a Canon television commercial that touted the slogan “Image is everything!”  And some things never change, because even today with good looks, money, and a little notoriety one can be elected to just about anything.  However, what is important to people is often not what is important in the eyes of God. Saul, you see, had some serious inner character flaws that in the end sabotaged his ability to lead. 

        Today’s text shows us that God’s assessments about what is important in life are oftentimes far different from our own. Samuel, who had been Israel’s godly prophet and priest for many years, had been asked by the Lord to anoint Israel’s next king from among Jesse’s sons. When he arrived at Jesse’s home in Bethlehem, Jesse lined up all of his sons for Samuel to see. However, after going up and down the line Samuel was perplexed, because the Lord didn’t reveal any of them to him as his choice. So Samuel inquired if Jesse had another son. He did – his youngest son was still out in the fields tending Jesse’s flocks of sheep. Upon seeing him, Samuel immediately recognized David as being the Lord’s choice as Israel’s next king.

        David was not his father’s first choice, or even his second or third. Jesse had a number of sons who were strong, natural leaders. They had military training and experience. David, on the other hand, was just a skinny-armed kid who spent most of his time tending sheep. But God showed Samuel that day that his selection process went far below the surface where most men look. Samuel concluded, “Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart.” 

        Previously the people of Israel had chosen Saul to be their king based on a number of outward factors. He was strong. He stood head and shoulders above everyone else. He was good looking and charismatic. But God isn’t impressed by his size or strength, or even by his natural abilities.  Instead He looked inside his heart. He saw the heart of the skinny-armed little sheepherder David and saw a man after his own heart.  Isn’t that great news?  Most of us will never be great successes in the eyes of the world, but we can all be a success in God’s eyes if we take the time to learn what is most important to God.  Today we are going to look at three basic lessons in things that set David apart from Saul.  And over the next five Sundays we will be continuing to look at some aspect of the life of David in order to discover what it takes to become a person after God’s own heart.

Obedience

        If you were to go back one chapter from today’s text, you would come to an interesting story from the life of King Saul.  Things had been going along fairly smoothly in Israel since he had been appointed king, and he had proven himself as a military leader, effectively strengthening and expanding the borders of the young nation.  Then, through the prophet Samuel, the Lord commanded Saul to go out and wage war against the Amalekites. The Amalekites were a race of people that had previously sought to wipe out the Israelites on their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. At that time God had promised that he would eventually judge them for their actions. So in v.3 God commanded Saul, “Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them.”  However, in v.9 we discover that Saul really only partially obeyed the Lord, because he and the army “spared (king) Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle… everything that was good.”  When Samuel confronted Saul in v.13 he lied to him. He blatantly said, “I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”  Then, when Samuel pressed the matter further in v.15, Saul actually put the blame on his soldiers instead of owning up to his own responsibility. He said, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best …”  Then, with his hand caught in the proverbial cookie jar and no where to escape, he began to rationalize his actions.  He said that they had actually kept the best of the plunder in order to sacrifice them to the Lord at Gilgal.  Nevertheless, the Lord’s response to Saul in v.22-23 is definitive of the kind of heart that He despises – “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord?  To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.  For rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.”

        This incident in Saul’s life was the beginning of the end of his dynasty.  In spite of having many sons, he was the first and only one of his line to ever rule over Israel.  He may have been the people’s choice as their king, but he was not God’s choice.  Because of his longstanding habit of disobedience, God rejected him as King.  That is why he sent Samuel out on a mission to anoint the next king, and why he ended up in Jesse’s home sizing up all his sons until God finally put his finger on the one who was a seeker of his own heart.

        David was a man, in contrast with Saul, whose heart was bent on obedience.  Admittedly there were occasional failures in his life, and we will look at a big one of those failings in another week. Nevertheless, the general course of David’s life was bent on pleasing God.  Listen to his words in Psalm 119:33f – “Teach me, O Lord, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end.  Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.  Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.”

        Jesus once told his disciples, “If you love me, you will obey my commandments.” David understood that obedience was important to God.  How about you?  Is your obedience to God unconditional, or like Saul do you tend to obey God only when it serves your own purposes or only when you agree with him?  If we want to be a person after God’s own heart, we must learn that obedience precedes all else!

Faith

        Saul was a man who really demonstrated very little faith.  From the beginning of his selection as Israel’s king to the end of his life he did not believe that God was any bigger than his problems.  When he was called upon to lead the people, he hid himself in the midst of the luggage, fearful of not measuring up.  When the Philistine giant Goliath challenged the Israelites, he cowered in his tent.  When the people sang songs about David and his greatness, he became paranoid and chased him all over the countryside in an effort to eliminate him.  When at the end of his life he waged war against the Philistines, he consulted a medium in order to see whether or not he would survive the battle.  Saul always tried to solve his problems by himself, even though those problems were much bigger than he was.  That’s one reason that he became more and more paranoid throughout his life, believing that everyone was out to get him.  He never knew the peace of trusting in God.

        David, on the other hand, was a model of faith and trust.  When as a young shepherd he took supplies to his brothers serving in the army and saw the giant Goliath mocking God, he watched with eager excitement to see who God was going to use to conquer him.  When no one stepped forward, he volunteered himself because he was confident that God would hand Goliath over to whoever went out.  When King Saul eventually pursued David all over the Judean wilderness for years, he refused to fight back or take Saul’s life when he had the opportunity because he believed that Saul was still God’s anointed king.  When his own son Absolom conspired and stole his very throne away from him, David refused to fight back, believing that God was his rock and his fortress and would protect him from any foe.  Unlike Saul, David believed that God was always bigger than his problems.  In Psalm 27 he wrote, “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid? … Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

        David certainly understood what it meant to trust in the Lord.  What does your trust in God look like today?  When the flood of problems comes over you, do you look around like Saul for human solutions in order to keep your head above water?  Do you depend on your natural talents and abilities and resources to somehow get you through?  Or do you put your trust in the power of God and lean by faith on his gracious arm to be your rock and your fortress, to meet your every need?

Repentance

        We hear a lot of talk about repentance today because of the news coming out of Albany and the scandals surrounding our former governor. Governor Spitzer, as I’m sure you are aware, was discovered to have used the services of a high priced “escort service” over a period of time. This news was the end of his career in politics since he had campaigned on a ticket of law and order, morality and integrity. “Client #9” was discovered to be a hypocrite. Before eventually stepping down he publicly apologized for his actions. But was his apology to his family and the state, though, an act of repentance? Only time will tell.

        Repentance is “godly sorrow for sin; a change of heart.”  By his own words, King Saul, too, expressed that he was sorry for what he had done.  When Samuel caught him red-handed in his lies, he confessed, “I have sinned.  I have violated the Lord’s command and your instructions.”  Saul also later cried out in sorrow after trying to kill David, on several occasions.  On one of those occasions he even declared, “I have sinned. Come back, David my son. Because you considered my life precious today, I will not try to harm you again. Surely I have acted like a fool and have erred greatly.” But how does anyone know that someone is truly sorry?  True repentance is shown by a change in one’s behavior and attitudes.  Saul never changed his behavior.

        While traveling on business, an executive had a very bad experience at one particular hotel.  When he climbed into bed a bug started racing up his leg.  He jumped from the bed, turned on the lights, and threw back the covers.  The bug wasn’t alone … there were numerous other critters between the sheets.  And even though the man was granted another room, he was not satisfied with the situation.  Upon returning home, he wrote a letter to the hotel’s corporate office.  Within a few weeks he received a letter directly from the company’s president.  With flattering remarks and penitent words the president made it quite clear the problem should have never occurred and that he would make sure it wouldn’t happen again. Well, the businessman felt somewhat vindicated by the letter until a small post-it note fell from the envelope.  The secretary had inadvertently left her boss’s directives on the reply.  The note simply said, “Send this man the bug letter.”  You see, it’s not repentance when we just try to cover our tracks after getting caught.  Repentance involves a commitment to correct our ways.

        Unlike Saul, David showed that he was a man after God’s heart by his true repentance following his own failing.  He was not a perfect man. Like the Bible says, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”  But when David was confronted with his sin, he became a truly broken man, sorrowful for having violated God’s commandments and sorrowful for the grief he caused to others.  And unlike Saul he didn’t try to cover it up or make excuses or attempt to put the blame on others.  He grieved and prayed that God would truly create in him a new heart.  And God heard that prayer. David did not escape all of the natural consequences of his sinful behavior, but God forgave him completely and even ultimately blessed his marriage to Bathsheba, allowing their son Solomon to become the next king over Israel.

        How do you respond to the conviction of God in your life?  Whenever you are caught in your sins, are you embarrassed for yourself or sorrowful that you have grieved God and brought reproach upon his name?  Do you want a quick fix for your troubles, like Saul, or a genuine change of heart, like David?

Conclusion:

        In today’s Scripture text, God rejected Saul and chose David to be the next king. On the outside, Saul should have been an outstanding leader, but on the inside his character was seriously lacking where it really counted.  David, on the other hand, was just a skinny-armed sheep herder, and a kid at that, someone who nobody would have picked. But God saw something different from everyone else. He saw that inside David had a heart for God.  That is what you and I need today – a heart for God that includes, among other things, a spirit of obedience, a spirit of faith, and a spirit of true repentance.  Let’s work to develop these qualities over the next several weeks as we too attempt to become people after God’s own heart.