Passage: The pleasing heart to the Lord

Text: 1 Samuel 16:1-23

Introduction:
So GMC members, before we go to our bible lesson today, first we will do a background
check about 1 Samuel.
So we read or studied in our QT last week and this week about Saul's reign over the
Israelites from chapter 9 to chapter 15. So we can see here the rise and fall of Saul as a
king.

Let’s look again at what happened during Saul’s reign:

In 1 Samuel 13: 1-23; we can see that Saul became king of Israel when he was 30
years old. And in that chapter, we will see their fight with the Philistines. But, because
the Philistines had many soldiers, they were afraid so they left and hid because Samuel
had not returned at the appointed time. So Saul could not hesitate anymore so he gave
a burnt offering to God instead of waiting for Samuel. Samuel had repeatedly warned
Saul that obedience was the way to salvation. However, Saul failed to trust in God when
he faced a crisis. Therefore, God decided to end Saul's kingship and prepare another
according to his will through Samuel.
And in the following passages, we will see how Saul led the Israelites. From there, we
can see that he has become proud and ignorant to God. He trusts in God but he does
not follow what God commands him through Samuel. It is said in Chapter 15:11- "I am
grieved that I have made Saul king because he has turned away from me and has
not carried out my instructions." Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the
LORD all that night.
So we can see here that God regretted and gave up on Samuel because he repeatedly
disobeyed God. He only exalts himself more when they win the war.
In 1 Samuel 15:16-35, we will see how Samuel rebukes Saul because of his
disobedience. And in this passage, we can also see how he lied to Samuel and
explained that he did all that for God and not for himself. But Samuel told him that God
preferred obedience to sacrifice. And it was said here in verse 26 that God completely
rejected Saul as the king of Israel through Samuel. So Saul admitted that he had sinned
against God and begged to be honored in front of the Israelites. And he worshiped God
again but God rejected him and decided to give the throne to the new king of Israel.
So today we will learn about Samuel’s obedience and David’s appointment of oil as the
new king of Israel. But first, let's find out what is the life of Samuel and David.

Point 1: The heart of Samuel for God. (Verse 1-5)

So here in our point 1 GMC members, we will focus first about Samuel.
Who is Samuel? Let’s look and let's go back to who Samuel really is and what he did for
the Lord.
- So the Lord had chosen Samuel to be His prophet. (1 Samuel 3:19–20)
- He is a faithful and good servant of God where, he obeys everything that God
commands him even in danger.
How about, Saul? Who is he?
- He was the first king of all Israel chosen by God through Samuel.
- So the question here is, did Saul live a good life or pleasing to God?

 Yes, Saul lived a life pleasing to God during his first reign in Israel but as his
reign continued, he was gradually abandoned by God because of his
disobedience to what he was commanded. Because of this, God regretted
choosing him as the king of Israel.
 But Samuel just continued to follow everything that God commanded to him.
Compare to Saul who was good at first. At first he obeyed God but eventually, he
became proud of himself.
 Samuel have an eagerness heart for God. And we have seen that since last
week in our passage until now in our passage today. So now let's focus on the
passage about Samuel's heart in verse 1-5.

1.1 He continues to trust and obey God even in danger.

- According to verse 1-3, God commanded him to go to Jesse's house in
Bethlehem to anoint one of his sons to be king of Israel. But Samuel said that if
he went there, Saul could kill him because someone would replace him as the
new king of Israel. So, God gave him a plan that he would bring an offering to
offer to God with Jesse and God would teach him what he should do.

- And we can also see in verse 4-5 his wholehearted obedience to God. He
obeyed God even though he might perish or he is in danger. He did what God
told him to do. He also said everything God told him to Jesse with all his heart
without doubt. He also followed to offer to God.
So GMC members, what lesson we can get here in our point 1?
The lesson here is, position does not matter in obeying and trusting God. Why?
Because we can see in the passage that Samuel was only a prophet while Saul was a
king of Israel. Of course, when you're a king, you have a higher position than anyone
else, right?
So for us GMC members too, it doesn't matter if you are a head teacher, teacher, young
teens, kitchen staff, sweeper or CR cleaner or you are in a high position or in a low
position. But the most important is, our obedience to God if we are going to listen or not.
That we trust him without any hesitation. And especially, our heart to serve and believe
in him even though we may perish. We must have a heart like Samuel that did nothing
but obey and trust God.
Because according to: Proverbs 3:5; Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not
lean on your own understanding.
- So surely, we must trust in Him no matter what happen. Because if we trust in
Him whole heartedly, surely, he will not leave us. Instead, He will protect us.
And according to Deuteronomy 11:1; Love the LORD your God and keep his
requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always.
And according to Deuteronomy 6:5-6; “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today
are to be upon your hearts.”
- So GMC members, part of having a heart for God is obeying his commandments.
So we should, like Samuel in the passage, always try and give our best for God.
Because if we really love God, we will obey his commandments because this is
the true meaning of loving God. And it is according to John 14:21- Whoever has
my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever
loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to
Him.”

Point 2: God's view is better than man's view (verse 6-13)

So GMC members, I just have a question for you. What is the first thing you look at
when you meet or see someone?
Psychology says, Looks matter. People first look at the external appearance. For
example, in men, they immediately look to see if a woman is beautiful, smooth or white.
Right? And then for women, they immediately look at a man to see if he is tall, thin, and
dark-skinned and if he is handsome.
So some of you may ask questions like this; I look more at a person's behavior or inner
appearance than their outer appearance.
The question is, when we meet a new person, of course we don't know their behavior
yet, so we base it on their appearance. Right? And whether we deny it or not, that's
what people's standards are. Right?
Like in our passage today in verse 6 says; When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab
and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”
So we can see here in the passage that even Samuel the prophet of God looks at the
outward appearance of a person right? When he saw Eliab because he was handsome
and tall and the eldest among his brothers, he immediately thought that he was chosen
by God to anoint him with oil to be the king of Israel. Because Samuel is also human. it
is natural for a person to base on appearance when they see a new person that they
can see and interact with. But according to verse 7; But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do
not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does
not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but
the Lord looks at the heart.”
So meaning to say GMC members, if we connect to point 1, God looks at our heart not
our physical appearance. He looks more in our heart to see if we are sincere or not.
Because according to Isaiah 55: 8-9; for my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are
your ways my ways, said the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so
are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

So I have an illustration.

Illustration:
There was a young beggar who wanted to enter in a big church. Inside the church there
are many people who worship God. Then, that beggar boy wanted to go inside to see
what was inside. But because he was dirty and poorly dressed, the guard of that church
did not let him in. He still insisted on entering but the guard still didn't want to let him in
and the guard told him that he couldn't enter because he was dirty.
But GMC members, do you know who that beggar boy is? That's right, He is Jesus. Just
because of what he was wearing, he was judged and didn't let him inside the church
even though the guard didn't know the beggar completely yet.
So likewise to us GMC members, we cannot deny that when there is a new attendee in
our church, especially when he is not good looking, we often seem to ignore him or do
not approach him. But in our passage today, it is taught that we should not only look at
the external appearance, otherwise, we should also look at the heart or inner
appearance of a person, especially if we do not know them very well. Because we don't
know, maybe that new attendee is better to God than us. Because God does not think
the way we think, and God does not look at what we look at.

In our passage, Samuel looked at the seven sons of Jesse but God did not choose any
of them to be king because God looks at those who have an honest heart. At that time,
Jesse's youngest son David was tending the sheep, but they didn't even call. After
Samuel looked at the other sons of Jesse and chose none of them, they sent for David,
and God said "He is the one I have chosen" according to 1 Samuel 16:12.
In verse 12, David was chosen by God. According to the passage, David was
handsome, healthy and have a beautiful eyes But David's heart was molded to God.
That’s why God choose him to become a new king of Israel. During the times of his
shepherding, David recognized God as his shepherd in Psalms 23. (The Lord is my
shepherd, I lack nothing.)
So GMC members, appearances can be deceiving. It doesn't show who a person really
is. We also cannot know a person's character and faithfulness to God just by looking at
their outward appearance. Because the heart is more important to God.
So like Samuel, we also do not see what God sees, so we should only rely on his
wisdom. We can hope that when He looks at our heart he will see our honesty, our true
character, and our value as a person.

Conclusion:
For our conclusion, GMC members, we must always remember that as a servant of
God, we must show to Him our heart. In what way? Like what I said earlier in our points,
we can show our love for God if we fully trust and follow his commands without any
doubt or hesitation. It doesn't matter what position you have, the most important thing is
how you obey and how you show your heart for God. And of course, we should not just
base on a person's outward appearance. We should also learn to base a person's inner
appearance just like God because He looks at the heart. We don't see what God sees
so we should continue to rely on his wisdom.