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1 Samuel 16:1-13 My Heart

1 Samuel 16:1-13 My Heart

Last updated on: March 26, 2017 at 11:26 pm by Jim Erwin

1 Samuel 16:1-13 My Heart 2017-03-26T23:26:16-05:00 Jim Erwin

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1 Samuel 16:1-13 My Heart

We see from the outside. God sees from the inside. The difference is when God leads my heart.

In the first thirteen verses, we see Samuel’s heart. We see what he really is as a man of God from the way he feels, he reacts, and how he acts according to circumstances. One can see in the example of Samuel here that God is leading his heart. We see seven examples of how my heart works when God leads it.

SEVEN EXAMPLES OF HOW MY HEART WORKS WHEN GOD LEADS IT

1. My heart can be sad (1 Samuel 16:1)

“The Lord said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem because I have selected a king from his sons.”” (1 Samuel 16:1, HCSB)

In this case, Samuel is really upset. He is literally grieving over Saul and his sin. There are times when we need to be grieving over sin. Samuel had confronted Saul about his disobedience. Yet it wasn’t simple story of outright rejection. Saul was torn between following God and listening to the people. I think this is why Samuel is literally grieving. You mourn on the outside – that is the sound of tears. You grieve on the inside – this is the sound of your heart. We usually associate this with the death of a person. But here we see that the death is a result of sin. Saul sinned and Samuel grieved over Saul’s disobedience. Can you imagine that?

Does your heart grieve for someone who has sinned? I dare say that we have a hard time grieving when someone sins. The first thing we do is accuse. We hear about someone’s tragic sinful event and many of us would say that the person deserved it. That statement itself says more about my heart than about the other person’s condition. My heart needs to be grieving over people’s sin.

We don’t do that today. We’ve have become callous to sin, hardened to it. It doesn’t hurt us anymore.

My heart can be fearful (1 Samuel 16:2)

“Samuel asked, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me!” The Lord answered, “Take a young cow with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord*.’*” (1 Samuel 16:2, HCSB)

Samuel’s fear was natural. Bethlehem was not a part of his regular territory. And traveling from Ramah he would have to travel though Gibeah, which was Saul’s home. A man of Samuel’s power and influence could not make such a trip without someone reading into it political implications.1

Do not think for a moment that Samuel was not scared. He was taking an enormous risk selecting a new king while the present king was still in power. This was political suicide and potentially deadly. So of course Samuel of scared. Initially, when God tells us to take risks, we are going to be overwhelmed by the task. But as we grow in faith, we learn to let our hearts become obedient. This is an important turn that all of us have to make. Samuel could have stayed fearful. Instead, he listened to God’s instruction.

2. My heart can be attentive (1 Samuel 16:2)

The Lord answered, “Take a young cow with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord*.’*” (1 Samuel 16:2, HCSB)

Before I can obey, I have to listen. But in order for me to listen, I have to open and attentive See my heart can be clouded by the distraction that feelings can bring. You sense that Samuel grieved, and now he is anxious. I don’t know about you, but many times when I am anxious, I don’t listen. I don’t pay attention. The anxiety overrides my ears and my mind and heart’s ability to pay attention. I have heard what I should do, but that doesn’t mean that my brain and my body responded to what my ears heard. That gap is where I can lose attention. That’s why I need to let my heart be attentive to God’s instruction.

God very clearly told Samuel what to do. Now, if Samuel had stayed anxious, Samuel would never have gone to do what God told him to do. God had already said what Samuel’s mission would be – anoint a new king. But how was he going to be able to do that? After Samuel’s initial fear, God shows him the next step – go to worship.

3. My heart can be worshipful (1 Samuel 16:3)

“Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will let you know what you are to do. You are to anoint for Me the one I indicate to you.”” (1 Samuel 16:3, HCSB)

Worship enhances my attentiveness. Here, God instructs Samuel to invite Jesse to worship, and then God will reveal to Samuel what to do. God will reveal His will to Samuel as a result of worship. This is why worship is necessary for God to lead my heart. If I want God to direct me, I need to focus my heart on Him. If I want to be obedient to His will, I need to spend time in worship of Him.

4. My heart can be obedient (1 Samuel 16:4-5)

“Samuel did what the Lord directed and went to Bethlehem. When the elders of the town met him, they trembled and asked, “Do you come in peace?” “In peace,” he replied. “I’ve come to sacrifice to the Lord*. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.*” (1 Samuel 16:4–5, HCSB)

Samuel was attentive to God’s direction. God drove Samuel to worship Him in order to reveal His next instruction. As God revealed His will in worship. Samuel was obedient.

Samuel was obedient. He had been worshipful and attentive. Then he paid attention. Even though Samuel was obedient, he was distracted again – not by fear but by appearances. Although our hearts can be led by God, sometimes, appearances get in the way. This is what happened when Samuel looked to Eliab and determined that God’s choice was for him.

My heart can be tricked by appearances (1 Samuel 16:6)

“When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and said, “Certainly the Lord’s anointed one is here before Him.”” (1 Samuel 16:6, HCSB)

Jeff Pierce was the 1994 captain of the Chevrolet-L.A. Sheriff professional cycling team and a top competitor. In 1987 he won one stage of the Tour de France.

But in 1994, according to USA Today, he accepted an interesting and potentially dangerous assignment. To prepare for an article he planned to write for a magazine called Bicycle Guide, Pierce worked for a month as a bike messenger in downtown New York. On the streets for eleven hours a day, he dodged taxis and buses, sometimes reaching a speed of thirty-nine miles an hour on his custom-made, $2,500 racing bike. Was he worried about this expensive bike being stolen as he dashed into buildings to deliver his packages?

You bet he was. To thwart thieves, Pierce wrapped duct tape around the frame of his bike and spray-painted it black. His bike looked like a piece of junk, and his plan worked. No one touched it. We cannot always judge value by appearance.2

Samuel comes to the point of discovering what God wants to show him. However, even though is attuned to God’s will, Samuel still shows a tendency to look at the physical appearance. While the Lord looks at the heart, people (including even someone as spiritually astute as Samuel) have a tendency to look on the outward appearance.3 We still have the difficulty of being tricked by appearances. Eliab is the older brother to David. It was natural for Samuel to consider the oldest person on the list.

5. My heart can stay loyal. (1 Samuel 16:7)

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature, because I have rejected him. Man does not see what the Lord sees, for man sees what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.”” (1 Samuel 16:7, HCSB)

The point of this instruction about God’s sight is that God knows people who are loyal to Him. One can be obedient in the short-term, but it takes long-term loyalty to God for Him to lead my heart.

“but now your reign will not endure. The Lord has found a man loyal to Him, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not done what the Lord commanded.”” (1 Samuel 13:14, HCSB)

In 1 Samuel 16:7 the Lord told Samuel that the Lord sees not with eyes (taking in only impressions), but with his heart (his own personal intentions and purposes). David had a particular place in God’s heart (God’s purposes), and that is what made him so very different from Saul.4

If God is going to use me, then I need to keep my heart loyal to Him. I have to actively lead my heart to follow God as God directs me.

6. My heart can be discerning (1 Samuel 16:8-12)

“Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel. “The Lord hasn’t chosen this one either,” Samuel said. Then Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said, “The Lord hasn’t chosen this one either.” After Jesse presented seven of his sons to him, Samuel told Jesse, “The Lord hasn’t chosen any of these.” Samuel asked him, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” he answered, “but right now he’s tending the sheep.” Samuel told Jesse, “Send for him. We won’t sit down to eat until he gets here.”” (1 Samuel 16:8–11, HCSB)

As God leads me, and as I learn from my experiences, God will teach me to be discerning. Samuel learned from the previous experience of Eliab. He realized that God was not going to choose based on outward appearances. So Samuel waits for God to reveal the right person. Discernment takes experience and reflection. It requires that I learn from my mistakes and learn to pay attention to God more clearly. How did Samuel realize that there must have been another son? Because after learning from the appearance difficulty, Samuel learned that God was going to reveal to him the right person by faith.

If Samuel’s heart was discerning, why does the text review David’s appearance?

“So Jesse sent for him. He had beautiful eyes and a healthy, handsome appearance. Then the Lord said, “Anoint him, for he is the one.”” (1 Samuel 16:12, HCSB)

Why anoint this pretty boy and not the elder one? The reason that we are told about David’s appearance is that one always has the risk before them of letting the physical qualities override the spiritual. It’s almost like the text is reminding us: Be careful. David is handsome, healthy, and pretty to see. These same qualities are what tempts King David later with Bathsheba.

7. My heart can be empowered by the Holy Spirit (1 Samuel 16:13)

“So Samuel took the horn of oil, anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord took control of David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah.” (1 Samuel 16:13, HCSB)

The power of the Holy Spirit that had guided Samuel, now will guide David. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came upon individuals for a limited amount of time. When He accomplished His role, the Holy Spirit left to go to another person chosen by God. Now, since the resurrection of Jesus, the Holy Spirit inhabits every Christian. He empowers us to do God’s will.

It’s always as God touches our lives that our lives become truly significant.5

Every man, woman, boy, or girl here today can be a person after God’s heart. It doesn’t matter what your background is, or what mistakes you’ve made. Just say: “God, here are my experiences, my gifts, my talents, my weaknesses. I’m going to submit to you and let you open the doors. I desire to glorify you.”6

1 Kenneth L. Chafin and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 8, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1989), 122–123.

2 Craig Brian Larson, 750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers & Writers (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2002), 23–24.

3 Robert B. Chisholm Jr., 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Mark L. Strauss, John H. Walton, and Rosalie de Rosset, Teach the Text Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2013), 115.

4 John Woodhouse, 1 Samuel: Looking for a Leader, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2008), 287.

5 Kenneth L. Chafin and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 8, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1989), 124.

6 Robert J. Morgan, Nelson’s Annual Preacher’s Sourcebook, 2004 Edition. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2004), 148.

Photo courtesy of Paolo Veronese [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

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