God Looks Into the Heart
The Book of 1 Samuel Chapter 16 through 17
We must clearly understand that when God rejects a person, or some law, or anything else He has rejected, we are to trust that God has a reason and respect God's decision. God is always, ALWAYS, right!
God list all the things that He rejects in the Word of God, the Received Hebrew and Greek Text.
Because of his disobedience, the Lord rejected Saul to be King of Israel.
This meant that upon the death of Saul the monarchy would be removed from the family of Saul.
This would mean a shift of power for the nation of Israel.
In fact, this shift in power of the nation of Israel will one day lead us to King Jesus to fulfill the prophecy given to Samuel before the death of Eli the High Priest that had ignored the Word of God.
What was King Saul's problem? He ignored the Word of God!
God's "Judgment" is severe, and we have yet to see the wrath of God since the time of the flood in Noah's day.
Rom_1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
God has said His children will not see His wrath!
Rom_5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
1Th_5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
King Saul was rejected, and, in his place, God again chose another young man named David, a Son of Jesse from Bethlehem.
I believe if America is to be saved it will be saved by our young people.
Those old politicians need to be pushed out of the way, the swamp must be drained, to make room for fresh water and fresh blood.
From the day of David's secret anointing till the death of Saul, David would be a threat to Saul's claim to the throne of Israel!
It was God who sent Samuel to anoint a young David and as an old man, even Samuel feared King Saul.
*****1Sa 16:1 And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.
1Sa 16:2 And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD.
We can be sure that if the Lord tells us to do something, we will be safe at least till we get that thing done.
We as Christians today are harmed more for what we do not do, rather than for what the Lord sends us to do!
Being in the will of God is the absolute safest place we can live and take our stand!
Samuel mourned for King Saul, but the Lord had rejected Saul.
We may find ourselves mourning for our own government, but God has rejected all such men who rule being against the Word of God.
We would be far better off mourning for our children and our family who are rejecting the Word of God, and doing all we can to reach them with the Gospel.
God's Word has described to us in detail, how He will manage this world and He said for us to come out from among this world and be separate from it.
When we refuse to come out from this world we will be judged with this world!
Certainly, Samuel had wanted Saul to be a great king, but this was not going to happen, because like so many others in leadership positions, he had set himself above the people and above Jehovah the God of Israel.
We should understand the God's wisdom is infallible!
God's wisdom and God's providence are paired together by His love for us!
What God does is in the best interests of His children and God is always right!
If Samuel had time to mourn for Saul, then Samuel had the energy to do a service for the Lord and God gave him something to do.
We cannot just sit around and mourn for what we see in this world and in our nation, the work of God is never complete, and God still needs workers for the harvest is still white.
By committing to the Lord Jesus Christ, we are in service to Him until He takes us home!
God does not forbid tears, but God still expects obedience and to fulfill our duty to the Lord Jesus Christ.
We must understand that we have more to live for than our own interests!
Mourning for this world is not a place worthy of our feelings or our tears!
A world that is given in to corruption and immorality is doomed to destruction and not worthy of our tears!
It is the death of a soul that needs to move us into the work of the Lord!
By the anointing of David, David would not then be made king.
David remained a subject of Saul's kingdom at this time.
No one knew what would happen if Saul were to die and only then would the anointing of David become important, especially because it was Samuel who anointed him.
Saul was a king that the people provided.
Saul was the product of sinful desires!
Sounds just like our president of today.
David would be a king that Jehovah provided, to fulfill the will of God and to serve for the Glory of God.
A king after God's own heart.
*****1Sa 16:3 And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.
1Sa 16:4 And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?
It was time for Samuel to stop his mourning for Saul who God had rejected, and to get busy serving the Lord.
Jehovah was ready to begin preparations for a new king and the path to our eternal king, the Lord Jesus.
We should remember the prophecy given to Samuel for Eli who was High Priest at that time.
Notice the Lord never waits to the last minute to decide anything!
The Lord has a plan with every date locked in like on a calendar, and He does not ever change His mind.
God has written everything down for us so we can know His plan!
We may not know the days or the times, but we do know what God's plan is!
Mat 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Mat 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Our Lord Jesus stated that we cannot know the day or the hour because He keeps these things to Himself.
The Lord also states that when wickedness has reached a point similar to what the world looked like in the days of Noah, then this is when the Lord will return.
Our world cannot be far from this day with what we see going on in our world today.
Those who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ must not wait till God shuts the door to the Ark before they try to be saved, for it will be too late.
It was a dangerous mission for Samuel to anoint some other king while Saul was still living.
Samuel was to go offering a sacrifice and this would not arouse suspicion.
Remember the Tabernacle was destroyed by the Philistines, so the people still worshipped but their worship was more localized.
Much like people worship in North Korea and China and other places where Christianity is banned.
The people of Bethlehem feared that Samuel had come to hold court and execute some judgment, but this was not why Samuel had come.
Notice sinful people always feel guilty because they are!
Just a note to remember. If we remember the story of Ruth and Boaz.
Boaz was the grandfather of Jesse, and we will begin to see how God works things out for our best interest.
*****1Sa 16:5 And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.
Samuel assured them that he had only come to sacrifice to the Lord for their sin.
Samuel advised them to sanctify themselves and to come to the sacrifice.
Each person that was sanctified by taking a bath, putting on clean clothes, abstaining from sex, and avoiding contact with a dead body.
More important than any of these things, these people were to seek the Lord for a Spiritual cleansing, confessing, and repenting of their sins.
It is while these things were going on that Samuel sought out Jesse and his sons.
You see God does not want any of us to live in sorrow.
Certainly, things happen that can cause sorrow, but we are not to remain this way.
We are more than conquerors and are to overcome the tragedies of this world.
This world we live in is not fair to anyone and world leaders want it this way and they try to keep it this way!
The Lord Jesus will bring us victory over the ways of the world by encouraging us to live victorious lives.
Samuel made it to Jesse's house.
Here is where we see the theme of our lesson.
*****1Sa 16:6 And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD'S anointed is before him.
1Sa 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
We keep thinking that we can base our decisions about people on their appearance, but the Lord has proven that to be the wrong way, over and over again.
Samuel thought Jesse's oldest son would make a great king, but God said no to him.
Remember God had given Israel their first king based upon looks and it was not working out for them.
Saul was a man they would have chosen themselves.
Jesus Christ said it this way:
Luk 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
God knows what is in the heart of every individual!
Now we may say ,"How could He" but it is still a fact.
Act 15:8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
Act 15:9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
We can see that it is our faith that purifies our heart!
This is why we can never be justified by our heart, and we can only be justified by our faith!
Psa 143:2 And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.
God's judgment comes because of what is in our heart!
A heart without faith in the truth of the Lord, cannot be justified!
*****1Sa 16:8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.
1Sa 16:9 Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.
1Sa 16:10 Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these.
1Sa 16:11 And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.
1Sa 16:12 And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.
Jesse presented all his sons but one, before Samuel and though each son had his own attributes, God had not chosen any of them.
If the choice of a new king were up to Samuel, any one of these sons of Jesse would have been the future king of Israel, but God said no to them all.
Keep in mind that neither Jesse nor his sons knew why Samuel was doing these things.
Jesse did not consider David to be eligible because he was still a teenager.
Here again we see that God can use our young people to do many wonderful things.
David was God's choice!
Not the choice of Samuel and not the choice of Jesse.
David was a young man "after God's own heart".
It was what was in the heart of David that made him a better choice than Saul!
This was a secret anointing unknown to King Saul.
We must notice something else that is important.
*****1Sa 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
1Sa 16:14 But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.
While David was being anointed, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and would remain with him all his life.
In fact, the anointing oil in typology represents the Holy Spirit, the Divine presence of the Lord.
After our salvation, the greatest of all the gifts of God is the Holy Spirit who will then live within us forever.
We must approach God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, for this to take place.
It is the Holy Spirit who will convict us when we do wrong.
It is the Holy Spirit who gives us the assurance of our salvation.
It is the Holy Spirit who cleans us up to make us presentable before the Lord.
The Holy Spirit is the influence that causes us to repent!
He also guides, teaches, protects, and provides the necessities of life, meeting all our needs.
It is the Holy Spirit who empowers us to conquer all the trials and tribulations of life in this world!
At this very moment, the Spirit of God departed from King Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord began to trouble him!
Saul wanted to be on his own and God obliged him by removing the Holy Spirit.
Notice the Holy Spirit did not live within Saul, but He did guide King Saul up until this time.
When we are disobedient to the words of the Lord, we will find that this world we live in is not such a wonderful world!
God had given up on Saul so he could live as he wanted to live.
Saul went back to doing things his way!
It is here that we find that David had a heart after God's own heart and that he was a good musician also.
David began his service in the court of King Saul and became his armor bearer.
It should be obvious that God moves things around to meet His sovereign plan for this world.
This is known as the Providence of God.
We next meet David when he confronts Goliath the giant giving his services to the Philistines.
We all will confront some giant in our lives some day!
*****1Sa 17:34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:
1Sa 17:35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
1Sa 17:36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
1Sa 17:37 David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.
We should understand that King Saul was the tallest man of the Israelites and if any one fought Goliath, then it should have been Saul but even God would not allow this to happen because God wanted a victory and God began by causing the fame of David.
For forty long frightful days and nights the mighty giant Goliath defied the armies of Israel.
Every morning this giant of a man would stand and challenge the armies of Israel.
Every evening before some would sleep, this giant would tell Israel how he was going to kill them all, so they would have restless sleep.
He instilled fear into the army of Israel with every breath he took!
David was still a teenager when Jesse his father sent him to take some supplies to his brothers and to see how they were doing.
David felt shame when he saw this army of Israel so full of fear.
David was ashamed of his own brothers who were caught up in this same fear.
David witnessed the paralyzing effect that Goliath had upon the armies of Israel.
Remember God had sent the Holy Spirit to be with David.
God did not give us the spirit of fear, so David was full of courage because the Holy Spirit instills the Spirit of Power into us.
Fear will break the strongest of us!
King Saul wanted to talk to this young man who said he could kill this giant.
David told King Saul that he had the experience necessary to overcome this giant!
David was angry with his brothers, but he did not allow his anger to overcome him.
Anger is not wrong when the cause is justified!
In other words, we should be angry with what is going on in Washington.
We should be angry with what is going on in our schools.
We should be angry with the immorality that is forced upon us.
But we cannot allow our anger to bring forth sin!
The confidence of David came from his experience with lions and bears and he saw this giant Goliath as no bigger nor more dangerous than these wild animals.
David knew the Lord had delivered him and he knew the Lord would deliver him again!
1Jn 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
1Jn 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
We should have these same traits of David as we face the giants in our lives.
*****1Sa 17:38 And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.
1Sa 17:39 And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.
Saul made a feeble attempt to honor David by giving him his own armament, but Saul was a large man and David was on the small side compared to King Saul.
David's faith made him realize that this armor would not suit him, and he removed it, for he knew he needed to be able to move about freely to avoid Goliath.
David also knew he needed to choose weapons that Goliath was not familiar with.
David knew Goliath was well trained in the use of a sword and a spear.
David chose five smooth stones out of a brook and with his sling, David could fight Goliath from a distance.
David also carried his shepherd’s staff for Goliath had never been a shepherd, he had always been a bully.
*****1Sa 17:40 And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.
1Sa 17:41 And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him.
1Sa 17:42 And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.
1Sa 17:43 And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
1Sa 17:44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.
A scrip is a small bag that was usually tied to the girdle of a man's clothing and in it would be things he thought would be needed such as a meal.
Today we men usually carry a wallet and you women usually carry a purse.
Goliath was wearing the items needed for hand-to-hand combat and some armor that could protect him from the blows of his opponent.
He was certainly a giant of a man, but the faith of David made this giant to appear no more than a mere man who bragged a lot, a bully.
David went straight at this giant showing no fear and Goliath was not use to such a tactic.
Everyone had always been afraid of Goliath.
Goliath's main weapon was the fear he caused in all those who faced him!
Goliath showed contempt that the Israelites would even send such a young man as David to challenge him.
But David was high on faith!
Psa_22:20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.
David went forward in the name of the Lord, his Master.
*****1Sa 17:45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
1Sa 17:46 This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
1Sa 17:47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands.
We should understand the God knows every little detail about us, all our strengths and all of our weaknesses.
Goliath trusted his man-made weapons and David trusted in his faith in Jehovah.
In typology, we can say that Goliath is a type of Satan, the devil.
See how the Devil attacks.
He assaults openly, trying to convince people how strong he is.
He harasses the people of God, especially those who are babes in Christ.
He hides behind those who will carry his armor.
He will make great railing accusations and attack our faith.
He will use our friends and our family against us.
David as a type of our faith, shows us that our faith must hold!
We must cling to our faith. Faith is our greatest strength!
This passage also teaches us that we need to stand unmovable when someone dishonors our God.
Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Eph 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Those in the will of God will gain the victory!
*****1Sa 17:48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
1Sa 17:49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
1Sa 17:50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.
1Sa 17:51 Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.
Just as quickly as this battle began, it was suddenly over.
The Lord God of Israel had provided the victory because the battle was His, not David's.
Quickly David ran to the giant Goliath and took his own sword, and the head of this snake was removed.
The Philistine army could not believe what they had witnessed, and they became full of fear, and they began to run from this battle.
The army of Israel had a crushing victory on the day that Jesse sent his son David to the battlefield to bring encouragement to his other sons and a home cooked meal.
We get the picture of David as a little man, but it seems he was not so little.
Saul's armor may have been too much for him, but David said he had not proved it.
David was strong enough to take the sword of the giant and cut off his head.
We can assume that when Goliath fell, he was not completely dead, and David would not give him time to recuperate.
We should know that God is glorified when His proud enemies are cut off with their own sword.
This is a picture of Armageddon when the enemies of God will destroy themselves with their own weapons because the fear of God will have overwhelmed them!
Israel had a great victory this day, yet they still refused to return to the Lord.
As David had said, this battle with the giant Goliath did make him famous.
We must realize that the battle with Satan, is the Lord's battle and we must cling to our faith and remain in the will of God.
Amen
