Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:1-13
I. God’s looking on the heart means appearances do not matter.
A. Samuel does what God commands (vs. 4) and goes to Jesse in Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as the new king of Israel. When Samuel looked at Eliab (vs. 6), he thought to himself: “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him.” That’s when God had to remind Samuel about Saul. 1 Samuel 9:2: “There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than (Saul). From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.”
B. Eliab would have been just like Saul. That’s why God said these important words to Samuel in vs. 7: “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” It’s the heart that matters. The heart is the center of who a person really is. In the Bible, the heart is not just your emotions. It is one’s thoughts, emotions, and will all together.
II. God’s looking on the heart means He will frequently surprise us.
A. Samuel was clearly surprised at who God had not chosen to be Israel’s next king. Jesse had made his first seven sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel had to tell Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these” (vs. 10). Jesse then says to Samuel in vs. 11, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” This son is so obscure that we aren’t told his name until verse 13. But what does God say about this unlikely king in vs. 12? “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.”
B. God makes surprising choices because he looks at the heart rather than external appearances. God chooses the most unlikely people to do His will and fulfill His assignments. David was the anti-Saul. Saul was the tallest, but David was the smallest of Jesse’s sons. It was God’s way of saying, “It’s not appearances that matter. It’s the heart that matters. And only God can judge the heart.” It would be David, the small boy from the small place who would be Israel’s next king.
III. God’s looking on the heart means we need to choose our king well.
A. God had told Samuel to appoint a king. This is something that all of us must do. We must choose who will be king over us. When God looked at Jesus, he saw a humble shepherd like David. Mark 6:34: “When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.” Jesus is a king with a compassionate heart. How good is his heart? John 10:11: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
Application:
Choose your king well. Choose Jesus to be your king.
Sources:
The book of 1 Samuel
Commentaries on 1 Samuel by Robert Bergen, Dale Ralph Davis and Tim Chester
SERMON DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- God makes a sharp contrast between the outward appearance and the heart. What is that you look for when you look for a leader? Are you sometimes surprised at who God chooses to be leaders?
- When the Spirit comes, the trouble begins. Does that surprise you? If you are facing trouble in your ministry for Christ, does this mean that you are not in His place for you? Or is this just a normal experience for those who have the Spirit of Christ?
- Who is the king of your heart? Why has someone who has chosen Jesus to be his or her king chosen well?