IN SEARCH OF A HEART FOR GOD
What do you look for when you choose
your leaders? This is the time of year
when we begin the process of selecting elders and deacons here at
Providence. I am very thankful that we
have not allowed that process to degenerate into either a popularity contest or
a study in secular business qualifications, or even an exercise controlled by a
few powerful or influential families.
No, although I have seen each of those approaches in other places, the
Lord has made it clear that He has His own qualifications for spiritual
leadership which cannot be compromised.
But this is also
an election year for our nation. We
will be voting to decide who will be the president of the United States for the
next four years. We will also be
choosing legislators, congressmen, senators, judges, council leaders and so
on. By what criteria will we make our
choices? What will determine our
decisions in how we vote, what kind of leaders we will select?
THESIS: When God chooses a leader, He does so by
looking at the heart of the person—He is never impressed by the outward
appearances which so often influence our choices.
Today we begin
a study of 1-2 Samuel, specifically focusing on the life and leadership role of
David. As we explore the vast amount of
information recorded about David (nearly twice as much as any other person in
the Bible besides Jesus Christ), we want to see him as God saw him—no editorial
spins, no efforts to cover up his flaws and failures. So with all of that before us, today we begin by asking why God
would have chosen David to be the king of Israel.
If we can
understand that, perhaps we can 1) strive to become that kind of person
ourselves and 2) be sure to look for the same qualities God does when we are
called on to choose our leaders—in the church or anywhere else we get to make
our voices known.
I. THE WORLD
VALUES OUTWARD APPEARANCES
--Saul offered the most attractive package the Israelites
could have wanted in their king…all the outward appeal anyone could have.
1 Sam. 9:2
And he [Kish] had a son whose name was Saul, a choice and handsome man, and
there was not a more handsome person than he among the sons of Israel; from his
shoulders and up he was taller than any of the people.
--Unfortunately, for all of his physical attractiveness, he
was nothing more than an empty package, one whose wrappings were pleasing but
whose content was worthless.
--Attracted to…
A. PHYSICAL
BEAUTY
B. NATURAL
TALENT
C. PERSONAL
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
D. MATERIAL
POSSESSIONS
E. FAMILY
POSITION
I can only remember once in my life when I actually
campaigned for a position—ran for office.
I was in high school and was going to try to win a position as a
statewide officer in the National Honor Society. The annual convention was going to be in my hometown so I
figured, why not? Since no one would
ever have heard of me, I knew I would have to get my name out so I asked an
attractive young lady from a neighboring school to be my campaign manager. Well, that was all that was necessary! Nobody cared who I was—they wanted to know
who the cute girl was endorsing! Well,
I won—OK, I was also unopposed, but counting on the world’s obsession with
outward appearances did not hurt my chances!
I confess—it was shallow and demeaning and courted votes on a
meaningless foundation…but don’t you see, that is so much the way of the world
around us that character and substance and truth mean virtually nothing!
--Much as Samuel should have known better after his
experience with Saul, when God tells him that He has rejected Saul and is
looking for another king, Samuel immediately follows his natural inclination
and assumes that Jesse’s first-born son, Eliab, was the man for the job.
1 Sam. 16:6-7
Then it came about when they entered, that he looked at Eliab and thought,
“Surely the LORD’s anointed 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.”
II. THE LORD
SEARCHES FOR A GODLY HEART
--God is impressed by…
A. GODLY
CHARACTER
--He chooses those whose hearts are most like His, whose
inner character reflects His own heart.
--Therefore, rather than looking at what the world looks
for, he looks at the heart.
1 Samuel 16:7
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.”
--He chooses those who would lead on His behalf from a pool
of people wholly unlike those the world will choose.
--He chooses from among…
1. The
Foolish
--Since God does not look just at outward circumstances, He
is able to make choices based on what is most important, things that often
appear to be foolish choices by those obsessed with outward things.
a.
Insignificant to the World
--From the world’s perspective—and in this case from his
father’s perspective—he was not viewed as worthwhile enough to be included when
seven of Jesse’s sons were presented to Samuel.
1 Sam 16:11
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.”
--David was referred to as “the youngest,” not just in the
order of his birth, but in the frequent usage of the word in Hebrew (tsa’ar) the idea was not just “youngest”
but “least in significance, privilege and desirability.”
--Even Jesse did not consider David worthy of the attention
of Samuel and left him out…how must that have felt if you were in David’s
place?
--From the perspective of the world, someone in David’s
position could hardly have been seen as a person of worth, a person with
potential to make any kind of valuable contribution that mattered.
b. Valuable
to the Lord
--Because God’s value system rests upon absolute standards,
He is able to see beyond the superficial down to the character of the person.
--Paul takes the model and explains it further in his letter
to the church in Corinth, a people who were constantly impressed by outward
things.
1 Cor. 1:26-29
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, 28
and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things
that are not, that He might nullify the things that are, 29 that no man should boast
before God.
Why are we in such a hurry to put famous athletes in
front of a microphone as soon as they put their trust in Christ? What is the fascination with the rich and
famous, the brilliant scholar or the accomplished musician? We know—we are impressed with externals—the
things that actually get in the way of dying to self-will and an independent
spirit!
Frankly, God wants to find some
available “nobodies” and make them into “mighty somebodies” for Christ! He is looking for people who will take no
credit for what He alone can do, people who suffer no illusions about the
source of every good gift and special blessing in our lives!
God will take the foolish over the
famous any day…those who are available over those who are able! How about you? Are you too mighty, too noble, to wise, too strong, too talented,
too well trained to be effectively yielded to God?
2. The
Faithful
--God also wants to find men and women who will be faithful,
whether their calling is to a small or large work—He looks for those who are
not as concerned with being recognized as they are with being responsible!
--Something in David demonstrated that quality of
faithfulness in the eyes of God!
--Faithful in…
a. The
Integrity of His Heart
Psa. 15:1-2 O
LORD, who may abide in Thy tent? Who may dwell on Thy holy hill? 2 He who walks with integrity,
and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart.
--In later years as David wrote those words, he showed that
he understood the value of being a man of integrity, of keeping his word and
fulfilling his responsibilities.
b. The
Humility of His Heart
Psa. 131:1 O
LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; Nor do I involve myself in
great matters, Or in things too difficult for me.
--Again, the Lord must have seen the humility in David’s
heart that would show itself in how he handled his anointing—and in later
years, how he handled the frustration of his treatment at the hands of Saul and
then his humiliation by his son Absalom, and then again the devastation of his
sin of adultery and murder.
--He humbled himself before God as one who understood that
his place was always the low place at the feet of the Lord.
After Samuel anointed David, what did he do? He made no big deal about it…he went right
back to his place taking care of the sheep!
When Saul sent for David to play music for him, he said, “Send me your
son David who with the flock (16:19).”
Later when Goliath comes on the scene, we read that once again, David
went back and forth from Saul to his father’s flock to keep tending the sheep
(17:14-15).
How many of us would humbly go back
to the lowly place once we knew that we had God’s anointing to be the
king? God saw that humility in David’s
heart and loved it!
3. The
Focused
--Do you think that God only recently had “discovered” David
when He revealed to Samuel that Saul was history?
--No, those long nights on the hillside provided the kind of
training in faithfulness and equipping in spiritual leadership that God had
used to prepare him for the times and tasks ahead.
--The preparation had taught David how to focus all His
hopes, all His desires and all His confidence in the One who had revealed
Himself to be glorious, majestic and awesome as he spoke to David’s heart in
the stillness of meditation on the greatness, trustworthiness and sufficiency
of God.
a.
Wholeheartedly Seek Him
Psa. 119:10-11
With all my heart I have sought Thee; Do not let me wander from Thy
commandments. 11 Thy word I
have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against Thee.
Psa. 27:8 When Thou didst say,
“Seek My face,” my heart said to Thee, “Thy face, O LORD, I shall seek.”
--David was not looking for a chance to become king of
Israel, but was devoted to a satisfying life of finding perfect contentment in
simply knowing God—“That I shall seek!”
--Who better to lead the nation, to lead the church, to lead
the family, than one who has set his heart on seeking the Lord with his whole
heart?
b. Gladly
Give Him the Place of Pre-eminence
Psa. 16:8-9 I have set the LORD continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will dwell securely.
--When David says, “I have set the Lord continually before
me,” he is saying that there is a place reserved—a place of prominence, of
priority, of pre-eminence—for God alone.
--In fact, he says that he gladly keeps the Lord in that
place continually because with his eyes on Him, his way is secured and his days
made confident.
--When a leader has come to the tasks fresh from the
presence of the Lord, what a difference in how that leadership will function
for the good of the people led and the glory of the God loved!
c.
Fearlessly Trust Him
Psa. 27:3-4 Though a host encamp against me, My heart
will not fear; Though war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be
confident. 4 One thing I
have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of
the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to
meditate in His temple.
--The courage David had developed was not born out of his
successes against the lions and bears who attacked his flock—his fearless heart
was made bold by abiding in the presence of an Almighty God!
--Wars and armies and mutinies and treasons pose no threat
to one who fears nothing but disappointing and dishonoring the name of the
Lord!
This one will
be My king to rule over My people…because I have seen His heart!
B. GENUINE
TRUST
--God wants to
see if what we know and believe show up in what we value and do.
--God looks for people willing to trust Him—not just with
their words, but willing to trust Him in every aspect of their lives.
1.
Saul: Disqualified by
Disobedience
--Saul had all the outward indications that he was a
leader’s leader, a powerful figure who could lead Israel to be like all the
other nations (8:19-20).
--However, because he thought he could rule on his own and
had the ability to make his own choices, live according to his own decisions,
he was not inclined to seek the Lord, to know and obey His will.
--The early chapters of 1 Samuel are filled with examples of
Saul’s reluctance to do things God’s way and a pattern of spurning obedience so
that he could do what seemed best to him.
--That inclination comes from a heart that does not beat for
the Lord God, that marks a man who is NOT a man after God’s own heart!
--The final act of independence from God came when Saul
assumed the role of priest and offered sacrifices instead of honoring the Lord
by yielding to His prescribed plan…and the result was God’s rejection of one
who outwardly appeared to have everything, but in his heart had nothing of what
the Lord was seeking.
1 Sam. 13:13-14
And Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the
commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, for now the LORD
would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 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 LORD commanded you.”
2.
David: Chosen for Character
--Although the day of coronation would not come for some
time, David was selected by God and anointed to be king of Israel at a time
when there was nothing to distinguish him from the world’s perspective.
--But God saw his heart, had watched his character, had
trained him in righteousness and shaped him to be a man of faith.
--Here was a man who would fail often as king, but whose
heart was tender toward the Lord and always turned back to Him—even in his most
humiliating and desperate moments.
--God can use the person whose character demonstrates a
genuine heart for and trust in Him.
Are you depending too much on your
achievements, your abilities…perhaps even your way of making things appear to
be pleasing to the eye?
Be assured of
this…God does not care about what the human eye can see and measure. God looks at the heart—and there He wants to
see His own reflection in the mirror of your character!
As you look to choose leaders, look at their character as the window into their hearts. Ask yourself if you are more impressed by how they appear, or by what they are like in their hearts. Ultimately you cannot know what is in the heart of someone else, but you can seek those whose character reflects the heart of God!
And you can seek
to become one who character reflects the heart of God!
1 Sam 16:7b …for God sees not as man sees, for man looks
at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
May we see and desire what delights the heart of God!
August 15, 2004
© David Horner 2004
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